Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Just then, the film’s director, Martin Miller, rushed into the room.
“There’s my hero,” he cried.
For a director who’d just lost one of his leads, he looked pretty jubilant. After the necessary inquiries about how Arch was feeling, Martin let him know why. “We captured it all on film. You never slipped out of character. And then Smith rushed in—he got to you first. You tried to get up, couldn’t. He showed you the smashed hat. It was a stroke of genius. We can use most of it in the movie. We couldn’t have written the scene any better than what actually happened out there.”
Arch’s head felt fuzzy as he tried to follow the excitable Martin’s words.
“It’s a quick rewrite of the end,” he continued. “I’m already working with the screenwriter. Your character’s leg is broken. You’re in bed, with a gorgeous woman taking care of you. We’ve even got the last line. Smith looks at you being waited on hand and foot and says, ‘Some guys get all the breaks.’”
It was the corniest line Arch had ever heard, and he had to stifle a groan, but if his director was happy and not yelling at him for ruining his expensive movie, Arch could live with that.
Martin patted him on the shoulder, and Arch tried not to wince. “Where am I?”
“Hospital. You were airlifted to Los Angeles.”
Arch didn’t remember any of it. The drugs the doc on set had given him had definitely worked.
“Get some rest, cowboy,” he said, “and we’ll call you back to film that last scene or two in a couple of weeks.”
Arch watched him leave, shaking his head as Martin chuckled and murmured to himself, “Some guys get all the breaks.”
Chapter Five
Back home on Scenic Drive, Arch was in a rotten mood. While on set in Death Valley, he’d bemoaned having to leave Carmel-by-the-Sea. But now that he was back in the town he’d always loved so much, he was cranky. Not even the unspoiled view of the ocean could raise his spirits.
His home was a peaceful retreat, designed around the view, which made the ocean feel close enough to touch. Clean lines, neutral colors, and tiled floors gave it a laid-back vibe that usually bred calm and creativity.
But right now he didn’t feel calm. Or creative. He shifted his weight in the huge leather armchair he’d set up in the open-plan living area to admire the view. His left leg was elevated, but he couldn’t get comfortable. His skin itched and his muscles throbbed. And to make things worse, his agent was telling him off. Julius Malone (“Call me Jay”) was one of the top agents in Hollywood, and Arch owed him a lot. Still, it was no fun being on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing.
“You could have been killed.” Jay shook his head. He’d been Archer’s agent since the beginning of his career and was one of the most powerful players in the business. He could make or break an actor’s career with a simple nod of his balding head, which he kept close-shaved. He looked more like a tough character actor than a wheeler-dealer. Jay was tough, but he was also shrewd, and there was a whole lot of warmth in his steely gray eyes—you just had to know where to look for it. Most important, Jay was trustworthy. A quality often hard to come by in Hollywood.
Arch knew he’d taken a risk performing the stunt himself, but it had been a calculated risk. He frowned and said, “I had it. The stunt was going perfectly. We were about to jump. It’s not me you should be yelling at, it’s the fools who let off the dynamite early and spooked the horse. The exact same thing would have happened to the stunt double.”
Arch shifted again in his seat as he waited for Jay to respond. He didn’t want to admit to himself—or anyone else—how close he’d come to serious injury. If the horse had fallen just an inch or two in either direction…
But he wasn’t going to dwell on the what-ifs. He’d been able to throw himself almost clear, and he was lucky he’d suffered no more than a broken leg. All Arch needed was a little time to recuperate, and then he’d be back on his feet and a hundred percent again.
Jay folded his arms, and the gold cufflinks on his crisp white shirt caught the light. “The stunt double can be replaced. The star of the movie not so much. You knew better, and yet, you still made the decision to do the stunt, even though it could have cost you not only the entire movie, but your life, as well.”
Jay was right. Deep down, Arch acknowledged he probably shouldn’t have performed the stunt. But he was too stubborn to admit it, even now. Besides, apart from Arch himself, everyone on set was happy about how the whole thing had played out. He told Jay how the director loved it and was currently rewriting the end to fit the new direction.