Jay turned on his heel and headed for the production office. Dakota edged past a gawping Stephanie and a couple of the crew, Robyn's hand held tightly in his own. Inside the office, Jay took the commanding s.p.a.ce behind the desk, leaving the uncomfortable chairs to Robyn and Dakota as if they wanted to sit anyway. Robyn shut the door and leant against it. The brothers squared off in front of her.

'What's up, Jay?'

Jay pointed at Robyn. 'She "says" she's your personal a.s.sistant. When did a buckle bunny ever get that respectable?'

'When did you get so f.u.c.king rude?' Dakota took a step toward Jay, his hands clenched into fists.

Jay's eyebrows rose. 'Whoa, little brother. What's the problem?' He eyed Robyn. 'I've seen her around the rodeo before. It's no big deal whom you choose to sleep with. I just don't want her around my commercial shoot.'

'Robyn is my a.s.sistant. She knows more about Hollywood than you could ever imagine.'

'She told you that?'

Dakota glanced her way, his expression livid. Robyn realized she was holding her breath. Would he keep her secrets or tell his brother about her?

'Look, she isn't a buckle bunny.' Dakota sighed. 'She doesn't even know how to ride a horse, let alone follow the rodeo.'

Robyn cleared her throat. 'Actually I can ride a horse.'

Dakota glared at her. 'Thanks, honey, you're really helping here.' He turned back to Jay. 'She's not going anywhere. If you make her leave, I'll go as well and f.u.c.k your commercial.'

Jay went still, his mouth a tight line. He didn't strike Robyn as the kind of guy who liked being issued ultimatums. She wanted to close her eyes. How dare Dakota be so reckless? Was he really prepared to lose his job and fight with his brother over her?

'It's OK, Dakota. I can always get another job.'

Dakota cut her off with a decisive wave of his hand. 'It's not an option, honey. Jay needs to make up his mind.'

Robyn marched right up to Dakota and poked him in the chest. 'Don't get all macho and tell me what I can and cannot do. If I want to stop you doing something totally insane, I will!'

Dakota scowled down at her. 'The h.e.l.l you will.'

To her astonishment, Jay began to laugh. He moved around the desk and held out his hand. 'Put it there, little bro. I've never seen you get mad before. I didn't think you could.' He grinned at Robyn. 'And if you can make him that angry, I reckon it will be fun to keep you around as well.' He shook Dakota's hand and turned to the door. 'I'll go tell that Stephanie chick you can stay, Robyn, and then let's get back to work. This shoot is costing me a fortune.'

As his booted footsteps died away, Dakota stared down at Robyn. 'What just happened here?'

She hugged him tight. 'Your brother decided to act like a sensible man.'

'Couldn't have been my brother, then. He has a terrible temper.'

'Maybe he realized it wasn't worth the fight.'

Dakota chuckled. 'You don't know him, Robyn. Everything is worth a fight to Jay. He loves Helen and he's always quarrelling with her, although, to be fair, they seem to thrive on it.'

Robyn patted his cheek. 'Well, perhaps he simply realized you weren't going to back down and decided to humor you.'

'Well, there's a first time for everything. It's far more likely that he didn't want to lose any more money on the commercial.'

She smiled into his eyes and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. 'Who's Lauren?'

He blinked and a slow smile spread over his face. 'Lauren?'

'Yeah, your brother mentioned her earlier. I don't remember anyone in the production company with that name.'

'No, you wouldn't. Lauren is way more special than that.'

'Really? How special?'

'She has a company called Retro Girl that provides props from the 50s and 60s to ad and film companies.'

'Good for her.'

'She's provided most of the stufffor this commercial.' He patted the crotch of his faded jeans. 'Apparently, these were made in the 50s.'

'Really.' Robyn was beginning to dislike Lauren. She sounded way too good to be true and Dakota seemed to think she was way too cool. 'Shame she couldn't find a pair that stayed up.'

Dakota looked reproachful. 'You said I looked good in them yesterday.'

Robyn stalked toward the door. 'And you'd better look good in them today, seeing as your brother is watching.'

He followed her out of the door. 'Yeah, and Lauren will be here soon as well. I hope she likes what she sees.'

'How could she not?'

Robyn realized she was gritting her teeth as Dakota smiled back at her. Dressed in her black Wal-Mart T-shirt and capris she suddenly felt exposed. If only she could sneak back into her apartment and liberate a few of her old clothes . . . She made her way toward the new set which depicted the interior of a barn. Wisps of hay floated around the set making Robyn's eyes water. She sneezed hard, felt Dakota push a handkerchief into her hand.

For once it was a pleasure to seek anonymity behind the camera rather than having to take her seething emotions on stage. Dakota drove her mad. One minute he was defending her as though he really cared about her, the next singing the praises of dear Lauren, who had her own company.

Her gaze drifted to Dakota who stood in the center of the circle of lights, head bent as he listened to Joe, the director. Occasionally he nodded and pointed at some part of the set. Robyn wanted to go to him, slap his face and kiss him all at the same time. It was the first time that someone had stood up for her in years and she was absurdly grateful.

Would Dakota really have walked out if Jay insisted she had to leave? Would she have let him? G.o.d, he was such a nice guy . . .

'Ms Cooper?'

She turned to find Jay Turner at her elbow, his expression benign.

'Everything's settled with the production company, so we're cool, OK?'

She smiled at him. 'OK.' He continued to study her, the intent focus of his gaze made her want to hide. 'Is there something wrong?'

'You really do look familiar. Are you sure we haven't met before?'

'I don't think so.' Robyn gathered her courage. 'But I really am an actress. You might have seen me in a few commercials or in the background of some bad movies.'

Jay's intent blue eyes reminded her of a husky dog. 'Yeah, maybe that's it.' He frowned. 'I just need to place you in the right setting and I'll work it out.'

Robyn shrugged. 'Don't worry about it. I get it a lot. I must have an average face.'

'No, you don't. You're quite distinct.' Jay smiled at her. 'I'll get it. Meanwhile, you keep helping my little brother and we'll get along just fine.'

Robin raised her eyebrows. 'Is that a threat, Mr Turner?'

His smile disappeared. 'No, it's a promise. He's a nice guy. I don't want to see him hurt again.'

Sudden heat crowded Robyn's cheeks. 'And what about me? What if I'm the one who gets hurt?'

Jay shrugged. 'I guess that's your problem, Ms Cooper. Dakota is mine.'

Jay touched the brim of his Stetson and stepped back, then disappeared through the crowd watching the shoot. Robyn pressed her lips together and stared blindly into the lights. So that was how a family protected its own. She was OK as long as she pleased Dakota and after that she was irrelevant. Despite the heat, she shivered. How nice to have that support behind you. How horrible to feel so excluded. But she'd felt that way all her life, so why did it bother her now?

Because she sensed that behind all the banter and the alpha-male behavior Dakota and his brother really cared about each other. Having a c.r.a.p father had obviously bonded them together. Having a c.r.a.p mother had driven her and her sisters apart.

She made her way to the corner of the set and sat down on an abandoned straw bale. In the welcome shadow of the wall, she took off her sungla.s.ses. Her oldest sister, Wren, had two failed marriages behind her and was an alcoholic. Her other sister Leda was . . . Robyn closed her eyes tight against the thought of Leda.

Dammit, she had to get back to work soon. She needed money for Leda's hospital bills. Around her, the set went quiet until she could only hear the director's voice. She opened her eyes and focused on Dakota. In the shot he was supposed to fall asleep on the bales of hay, while showing off the intricacies of the boot's design.

He looked uncomfortable, a small frown between his eyes as he tried to find a relaxed position. After five takes he still hadn't got it.

Joe, the director, turned away from him, his frustrated gaze alighting on Robyn. 'Robyn? Go talk to him, will you?'

Robyn walked on to the set and smiled at Dakota. 'Is the hay making you itch?'

'Don't try to be nice to me. I'm c.r.a.p at this and you know it.'

She sat down beside him and took his hand. 'All you have to do is pretend you're watching the TV and that you fall asleep in your favorite chair. Just let it happen.'

He half smiled. 'How about I imagine falling asleep with you?'

'Would that do it for you?'

'It would more than do it for me, honey, as long as they didn't mind me having a hard-on in the shot.'

She squeezed his hand. 'See, you're getting the idea now. Just relax and let it come.'

He groaned. 'Don't say come, Robyn, or I'll never get this done.'

She forgot about the people around them and found herself smiling into his hazel eyes. Jay didn't need to tell her Dakota was a good guy. She'd known that from the start. She touched his cheek.

'How about you think of it like this. The quicker you get this finished, the more time we can spend together in bed.'

His gaze narrowed as he considered her. 'I like the way you think, honey. I like it a lot. Now go and sit down where I can see you and let me work.'

As she walked away she looked over her shoulder and winked. He winked back at her and settled onto the hay. Joe called for quiet and Dakota headed for his mark by the fake barn door.

'Action.'

Robyn held her breath as Dakota strolled across the set, shirt over one shoulder, and stretched. He let go of the shirt, sank down on to the nearest straw bale and brought his hands behind his head. Robyn couldn't help but appreciate the flex of his biceps and curve of his tight abs. The sighs of approval around her indicated that others were enjoying it too. He slowly brought his right leg up and propped his foot on the highest available bale, giving the camera a perfect view of the intricately patterned retro cowboy boot.

He held Robyn's gaze, licked his lips and sank deeper into the hay, one hand drifted across the front of his jeans to settle over his c.o.c.k.

'Cut!' Joe jumped up and punched the air. 'That was great, Dakota! Now just do it one more time.'

Robyn squeaked as she walked into a hard male body and was held tight. She looked up into the eyes of Jay Turner and realized she didn't have her sungla.s.ses on. Fumbling, she replaced them on her nose.

'Sorry, I didn't see you there,' she said.

He drew her further back, away from the front of the set and continued to hold her, his expression amused. 'd.a.m.n, I almost had it then. I thought I knew who you were.'

'Your brother's personal a.s.sistant?'

'After seeing you coach him through that take, I reckon you're much more than that.' Jay frowned. 'He doesn't look too happy out there.'

'Mr Turner . . .'

'Call me Jay.'

His dazzling smile transformed his face, made him look almost approachable. Robyn took a deep breath.

'He's having a difficult time getting used to being in front of the cameras but he's doing great. Wait until you see the film.'

'It's OK. You don't have to defend him. I knew he'd be good at this, the boot ads were great.'

'Modeling and acting are very different disciplines. Being good at one thing doesn't automatically mean you'll be good at the other.'

'h.e.l.l, I know that, but he's such a smart guy, I knew he'd get it right eventually.' Jay smiled again. 'And with you coaching him, he'll just get better.'

'I did something right?'

'You sure did, darlin'. I might not be able to work out who you are but I'm pleased you're having such a great effect on my brother.'

Robyn fought a smile. If Jay only knew the h.e.l.l she'd put Dakota through, he'd probably regret those words. But she was happy to take the compliment.

'Hey, are you two talking about me?' Dakota said.

'Nope, I was propositioning her and she was just about to agree, so go to h.e.l.l,' Jay said.

Dakota raised his eyebrows. 'How are you going to explain that to Helen? And can I watch when you do?'

Jay smiled. 'It would get very ugly very fast. You don't want to be in Helen's way when she gets a mad on.'

Dakota slid his arm around Robyn's shoulders. 'I'm not arguing with you about that. So what were you talking about?'

Jay looked at Robyn. 'He's turning into a real star, isn't he? It's all about him.'

'If I am, it's your fault. You asked me to do this crummy commercial.'

Jay looked offended. 'It's going to be great. My boots look fantastic and that's all I care about. You just happen to have your big feet in them.'

'That's true. And you know what they say about big feet . . .' Dakota winked at Robyn.