Free My Bachelor by Tess Oliver

quickly crunched the ice and swallowed. “I heard Doug call cut. Are they finished for the day?”
    “Guess the crew isn’t loving the country setting.”
    She scooted to make room as I threw my leg over the bench and sat down next to her. I lifted up the cover of the book. “Advanced Nutrition,” I read. “Sounds interesting.”
    “Riveting. Can’t wait to see how it ends.”
    “Well, how should we spend the rest of the day? There are some good flicks in the DVD cabinet. Or we could count the tiles on the kitchen counter. I’ve already counted the ones in the shower. Although I’m always up for a recount.” I smiled and shrugged innocently as she lifted a scolding brow my direction.
    “Uh, the cameras are off. And, I might add, you should save shower talk for the contestants. I didn’t see the whole thing, but I guess you swept a girl off the saddle and most likely off her feet with one daring horseback stunt.”
    “Damn, you missed that? She might have been overdramatizing things some, but she was genuinely scared.” We both turned to watch as the long trailer of horses waddled along the dirt road and off the property. “I don’t know why they make the women do things that scare them. I picked riding but thickhead that I am, I hadn’t thought that some of the bachelorettes would be afraid. Do you like riding?”
    Eliot’s eyes were blue-green under the shade of the tree. She seemed surprised that I’d asked her the question.
    “I do love horses. My mom used to take me once a year to a shabby little stable around the corner from our house. They had horses you could rent. Poor guys. Most of them looked one foot—or should I say—one hoof from the grave. So I like to ride but I can’t ride.” She turned her focus back to her reading.
    I eyed the paper bag sitting next to her book. It was greasy and the aroma of onions was circling it.
    Without looking up from the text, and as if she could read my mind, she grabbed the bag and tossed it my direction. “They’re really good tacos. I ordered three but could only finish two.”
    I had the thing unwrapped and halfway to my mouth in seconds. “Are you sure?”
    She laughed. “Since you’re already breathing on it, yeah, I’m sure.”
    A groan rolled from my throat with the first delicious bite. I swallowed and pointed to my face. “Look. I think there’s a tear in my eye. I’m already bored of the catered food.”
    “The caterers make the food bland so that it appeals to everyone’s taste.”
    “Except to those of us with taste buds.”
    Eliot laughed again, and it was real. Nothing forced or fake or created for the sole purpose of being social.
    I finished the taco in three bites and stared wistfully at the empty wrapper.
    “I could make a stop at the taco stand on our way out of here.”
    “No, I don’t want you to go to any trouble. And you’re busy.”
    Eliot closed her textbook. “It’s my job, remember? I’m your assistant. So your wish is my command or something like that. Although, I’m not counting kitchen tiles with you, no matter how bored you are.”
    “Command, you say? You do realize how hot that sounds, right?”
    “No, it’s not hot. It’s a line from Aladdin. You know, Robin Williams and the giant blue genie. Of course, I will admit that I did have a major crush on Aladdin. You know that these sexual innuendos that come so easily to you are exactly what Doug is waiting for on set. You need to point all that pent up sexual energy in the right direction.” She swept her hand around toward the food tent where some of the contestants had gathered.
    “Don’t know what to say except that it has to just happen without me thinking about it, and so far, I’m all clamped up when it comes to the bachelorettes. Then I get around you, and I can just let loose with the real Rafe Rockclyffe. Damn, that really does sound like a made up name, doesn’t it?”
    “Hey, if I had to push a ten pound baby into the world, I’d call