The Farmer and the Actress

The news was already half over but he switched it over and sat back to watch. The second story was titled "What's going on with Jillian Bannister?" The smooth talking co-host then began "Hollywood has been buzzing about favorite Jillian Bannister. In the past two weeks, she has broken her engagement to her latest heart throb. Somehow, she beat out the major studios for the rights to film Oliver Franklin's last novel. It is expected to be a surefire Academy Award nominee but no one is certain if Jillian can handle such a major piece of work. On that count, she announced today that her best friend, Megan Mallory, has been cast in the lead role of Maggie. Everyone knew that Jillian desperately wanted that role for herself and has been after all of the studios about it in case they got the rights. Something has changed in Jillian Bannister, America's Sweet Heartthrob but no one is talking. Back to you, Wanda."

Chet turned the set off and smiled. Megan had been right; she understood the novel. He went to bed right after that and surprisingly, slept soundly and peacefully with Goldie at his feet. He knew that his healing had to begin tomorrow.

In the morning, he went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Rachel had also been right; he just looked and said, "Asshole." Then he dressed and began his healing process which basically included going for a walk and talking things out with Goldie. Fortunately, she was not a judgmental listener and after every walk, she rewarded him by licking his hand or cheek before she went to get a drink of water. They kept this up every day including those when it rained. By the end of the month, he had no more tears to shed and no more desire to beat himself up for real or imagined sins. Then he began to talk about what he wanted to do with his life. He talked about the places he wanted to see and the things he wanted to try. He also told Goldie about the children he hoped to father and mentor into adulthood. The only thing he didn't discuss with her was who he was going to share these dreams with. He knew the answer but was still hesitant to admit it out loud.

Megan called a couple of times during the next couple of months. They were short calls and she told him that Rachel was really investing herself in making this film good. That news made him feel good even though it also brought a bout of loneliness with it. It also reminded him that the time was getting nearer when the premier would take place. Megan had called two days before with her first concern. She said that Rachel had started worrying about something but wouldn't talk about it. They were in the last week of shooting and Megan was getting worried if Rachel was getting scared or going overboard. She said that she would let him know if something developed. Chet had no idea what might be going on so he decided to just trust Rachel to resolve whatever the issue was. Then he went to the garden to harvest what would be his last trip to the market for the year. His fall garden was doing well but it was smaller and would be mostly for him and a few neighbors.

He went to the market Saturday morning and sold out before noon. He began loading his things in the truck but when he turned around, he found Rachel standing there. She looked even better than his memory told him as she wore her jeans, a blouse with a leather vest, and her boots. He wanted to go to her and take her in his arms but sensed that she wasn't here for that.

She said, "Hi; you look really good."

"You do too. It is good to see you again."

"Will you buy me lunch; I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure. Let me finish loading this stuff and we can go. Did you drive or...."

"I rented a car but I will ride with you, if you don't mind. We can come back and get it later."

He finished loading the truck and held the door open for her. She brushed his arm as she got in. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself down. "So where too?"

"The rustic place on the lake, if that is ok?"

"That is always ok." They drove and all she asked was how Goldie was. All he could answer that she was still Goldie. Rachel smiled.

As he parked and prepared to get out, she reached over and took his arm. "Chet, I want to apologize to you for my behavior. I was mad, shocked, and I behaved very badly. Please forgive me?"

"Rachel, I have nothing to forgive you for. I am the one who acted poorly and should have treated you with more respect and trust. That was my fault. I should ask you for forgiveness."

"Chet, you helped me open my eyes. You gave me the thing I wanted most in the world at that moment and you challenged me to do my best work. That scared me when I realized that I had basically been making easy choices and taking the easiest road. I have never worked as hard as I have on this project. Initially I did this to make you proud but now I am doing this to make me proud."

"Then I made the right choice in trusting you with this story. The sequel will probably be my last novel at least for awhile. In the past ten years I have written continuously and have probably written over 10,000 pages and several million words. I feel a little stale and will probably take a break after it is published."

"Have....." She paused. "Have you decided what you are going to do?"

"Sort of. I have two thoughts in mind; one is pretty clear but depends on several things happening. The other is still pretty vague"

"I'm sure that you will work it out. Now let's go in and eat while I talk about what I need to do."

By mutual agreement, they both got out of the truck together and walked inside. Rachel asked for a table away from most of the lunch crowd and they were seated with some space around them. They ordered before Rachel began.

"Chet, we finished the principle shooting and just have some odds and ends to finish. But we have also been doing rough editing as we go. On the whole, I am satisfied except for two scenes and I have come to realize that they are the two most critical scenes in the film especially if the sequel is as you have suggested it would be. They are the Maggie/Katie scenes in the restaurant and at the dance club."

"All right, so far I agree with the importance of those two scenes. What is the problem and what do you want to do about it?"

She took a deep breath and went on. "Technically, the scenes are fine. I am happy with what Megan and I did. But when I put it together with the before and after scenes, they just don't feel right to me. I fretted over it for a long time and then decided what was wrong. The set up seems artificial. What I would like to do is bring the camera and Megan down here and re-shoot the lunch scene in here with the usual lunch crowd and then shoot the club scene out at the Hall with nothing but the regulars doing what they normally do."

"So why are you asking me? You are the director and you should make that decision."

"Chet, I would not do something like this in your home territory without your permission or at least your acceptance. I won't invade your privacy like that again."

He thought for a moment. "When do you want to shoot this and how are you going to set it up?"

"I need to shoot it next weekend. Megan is scheduled to be busy after that. What I propose to do is ask permission to shoot here but without any publicity. I just want regular people eating as they normally would. In return I will buy lunch for everyone who is here during the time we shoot. It shouldn't take more than an hour. The same basic setup would apply at the Hall. It might take a little longer to make the shot there but otherwise, I will pay for the evening."

"All right, do what you want. This is your picture; I won't get in the way."

"There is one more thing. I want you there."

"Rachel, I don't want to be on camera. That...."

"I know that and I don't want you on camera; I want you off camera. I talked to Megan about it and we both agree that just feeling your energy nearby will help us both."

He stared at her and she looked deep into his eyes.

"All right, just tell where and when."

She let out a huge sigh of relief and took his hand. "Thank you Chet; I can't tell you how terrified I was about asking you this. Um, the cameraman we will use lives up in Dallas and will drive home after the shoot. Um...can you make room for Megan and I for one night?"

"You can come early and stay longer if you want. You ought to know that you are both welcome."

She truly smiled for the first time. "I guess I knew that but was afraid that you might have changed your mind."

"I have not changed my mind about you or anything about you one bit. The changes have been about me."

At her prompting, Chet asked for the manager to join them. Rachel explained what she wanted to do and after a couple of questions, he agreed. Then they drove to the Hall and she repeated her request there. He had more questions about the arrangement but finally agreed when he realized that the regulars would love a free evening with a little intermission.

As they drove back to town, he asked, "Are you staying tonight?"

"I thought about it but decided that now isn't the best time for me to do that. Megan and I will come in Friday and stay until Sunday. Is that all right?"

"Yes, of course." Chet drove her to her car and they talked idly for several minutes until she gave him a quick hug and got in. He knew for a fact that he was reluctant to see her drive away for the second time.

The next six days dragged by very slowly. The garden didn't need much work, he uploaded his final revisions to the sequel to his publisher, and then he racked his brain for things to do. In the end, he cleaned the house from corner to corner and floor to ceiling. He also baked four loaves of bread and planned a menu for the weekend. His only real excitement was going to the grocery store on Thursday.

He didn't know when to expect them on Friday so he was on pins and needles all day long. When Goldie's ears perked up, he knew that they had just entered the gate and he and Goldie were waiting on the porch when the car pulled up and stopped. As soon as the engine was shut off, Goldie was at the driver's door waiting for Rachel to step out.

Megan stepped out first with a big grin on her face. Chet and her eyes met and she just nodded to him in a telling manner. A moment later, Rachel emerged and Goldie proudly led her around the car and sat down next to Megan and Chet. When Rachel slowly came towards them, Chet and her eyes locked on each other. When she stopped, Megan said in a warning tone, "Rachel Arrington; you know what you have to do. Quit stalling."

Still locked on her eyes, Chet saw her face break into a nervous smile. "Um Chet, I want to thank you for the opportunity to do this project. I feel like I have grown a lot during this process."

Megan said impatiently, "And?"

Rachel stepped forward and put her arms around him and gave him a hug that lingered. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her head rest on his chest. For the first time in several months, he felt totally at peace. It seemed like neither of them wanted this moment to end. He roused himself from his stupor when he heard Megan say, "Come on Goldie; show me around."

Both Rachel and Chet giggled and looked at each other. He couldn't help himself and leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss and whispered, "Thank you for being you." Then he took her hand and led her inside.

Now the lightness began again along with the expected teasing and playing with Goldie. Chet sliced some of his bread and offered them each a glass of wine which they accepted to go with it along with several kinds of cheese and other tidbits. He also started the grill while the nice salmon was marinating. As they exclaimed about the bread, Rachel asked if he had made it himself. When he acknowledged that, Megan gasped and Rachel smiled.

Dinner was a success with the salmon and grilled vegetables. While they had coffee, he asked about the schedule for the next day, Rachel answered that she needed to go in early to meet the camera man and get things set up. If Chet could bring Megan to the restaurant around eleven, they could shoot the scene as soon as there were enough people to fill the background and then have a real lunch there. They wanted to get to the Hall early and set up but with any luck, they would be finished by nine.

As bedtime approached, he noticed a succession of glances back and forth between Megan and Rachel. Finally Rachel said, "Is it all right if Megan and I sleep in your bed tonight? You can use the smaller bed in the other room."

"That is fine with me but if you each want to sleep alone, I can sleep out here or in the travel trailer."

"When did you get a travel trailer?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"I got it when Goldie and I took our vacation. There were no rooms available at the beach so I bought a travel trailer to use. It's parked down by the barn."

Megan responded, "I for one am not going to kick you out of your own house or out of your bed. I'll sleep with Rachel but if she snores again, I might strangle her."

Rachel turned red and the battle was on. "Who snores? The last time we slept in the same room, I could barely get any rest with you whistling and humming in your sleep."

This went on for several minutes when he decided to use the power of the host and called for a halt. He pointed Rachel to his bedroom and Megan to the other bedroom. After they got through calling him a bossy, typical man and a few other unpleasant adjectives, he stopped it by going to the car and taking their luggage into the two rooms. They grinned but he suspected that he hadn't heard the last of it. He hadn't.

As they went to their respective rooms, Megan asked Rachel in a voice loud enough so that he could hear, "Is there something wrong with him? He has two of the most beautiful movie stars in Hollywood in his house and he hasn't tried to hit on either one of us."

Rachel and Chet both turned red as beets as Rachel muttered a distinct "Megan, I am going to..."

"Yeah, yeah; I'm still waiting for you to fulfill your last threat. Good night, bestie."

"Same to you. Oh..." Rachel turned back and came to Chet and gave him a simple kiss on his lips and said "Good night."

As she went toward the bedroom, Megan almost got in the last word, "Honey, when we get home, I am giving you kissing lessons." Rachel went to bed with a red face. Goldie went to the doors and looked both ways and then pushed Rachel's door open and disappeared inside.

Then both Megan and Chet heard Rachel yell, "Megan, at least I am not sleeping alone tonight."

Megan's head came out of the door in a flash. When she saw him standing there by the recliner, she figured it out and yelled back, "I hope she has fleas."

That brought the evening to an anticlimactic end. All Chet could do was grin and settle into his recliner. His normal reaction would have been to reach for his laptop but since he had already sent his revisions to the publisher, he had nothing to work on. He reached for it anyway and began looking up places of interest in Montana and Idaho. He had never been there and thought that he might want to see what was there. He also fell asleep soon after he opened the computer.

As usual Chet woke early and encouraged Goldie to come take a walk with him. She rolled over and went back to sleep. He just shook his head, put on the coffee pot, and went out into the cool morning air. There was no place particular to go or anything that needed to be done, so he simply walked down the drive and walked along the road for awhile. When he returned home, Goldie was in the front yard and Rachel was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

"Good morning."

"Good morning to you." he replied.

"I was going to wait until tonight or tomorrow to give you an update but I think I will take care of that now, if you don't mind."

"Ok, what's up?"

"I have made a deal with a distribution company to release the movie. They are eager and ready to go. We will be finished with the first rough edit in two weeks and depending on how it looks, we will go right on to a polish edit. The distribution company wants to hold the premier in time for it to be eligible for next year's awards. That means that the premier will be in about two months. We can still tweak it after that but the official premier needs to be then. Is that all right with you?"

"I am fine with that but I am concerned if that is all right with you."

She held her breath and let it out slowly. "Basically yes; I am totally comfortable with what we have done but when you start cutting and putting pieces together, little things can crop up. Many of those are easily resolved but sometimes, there are important things that show up. Those are the ones I am worried about."

"Then stop worrying. You do what you have to do to make the premier. You can add and refine it afterwards if needed. Hon....Rachel, you have done what I wanted and I am already proud of you." He took her hand and held it.

"Thanks Chet but honestly, I can't accept that compliment yet. After you have seen the product, then I can relax."

"She's told what is going on, didn't she?" Megan asked from the doorway. Chet got up and poured her a coffee too.

Rachel replied, "I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to tell him."

Megan continued, "Did you tell him that you are going to be working sixteen hours a day until this gets done?"

"No."

"Did you tell him that the distributor wants perfection?'

"No."

"Dammit, Rachel, you have lost ten pounds during the shooting and will lose that much more during this part. I promise you, that if you start losing it, I am going to call Chet and tell him to get his ass out there and support you."

Rachel flared, "No Megan, no. I have to do this myself. If you call him, that means I can't do it. Please?"

Chet motioned to Megan to come to the table and he sat down next to Rachel and took her hand again.

"Rachel, I didn't think I was putting this kind of pressure on you. Forgive me. I just wanted for you to fulfill your dream. If you succeed, I succeed in my dream. It isn't worth your health, your sanity, or anything else that is important to you. You can't imagine how proud I feel right now. My dream was to get this book faithfully to the screen. The last two made a lot of money but honestly, I wouldn't pay to go see them. I wanted better for this one and now the sequel. You have already given me that. Now, I want you to finish the project but I want you to come out of it whole. Please, don't burn yourself out."

Rachel turned her tear stained eyes at him and said, "Two months ago I would have taken your words to heart and done just that. But something happened, Chet. As I worked on this, the story became more and more real to me. I saw things in there that perhaps you didn't realize yourself. What I see is too important to just blow off. Now, I need to do this because I believe in this project and want it to be even better than your dream because it is now my dream."

"That I can understand. Rachel, do what you feel that you have to do. I will support you as long as you tell me that you will eat and take care of yourself."

She turned to Chet and buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed, "I promise."

He looked at Megan who had a concerned look on her face. He mouthed to her "we'll talk." She nodded.

Ten minutes later, Rachel rose and went to get dressed to meet the cameraman. Megan and Chet talked quietly until she left. Then they talked openly and he told Megan what he wanted to do. The look on her face was one of shock but she agreed to take care of the details. They both left to dress and prepare for the day. Goldie had found her bed and was down for her morning nap although she was alert and sensed that something important was going on with her people. At ten thirty, they got in the truck and drove to town.