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hips and didn’t move. His publicist had really outdone herself this time. With six vehicles kicking up a dust storm it was a wonder his neighbors didn’t call the fire department. A bushfire would have looked less obvious than the plumes of dirt rising into the air.
    “Looks like you’ve got company,” Danny said from beside him. “Whoever they are, they’ve got good taste in vehicles.”
    Ryan wasn’t impressed with the high-end rentals stopping in front of his home. Dorothy shouldn’t be here and she shouldn’t have brought her entourage of media moguls and groupies.
    “Darling,” Dorothy cooed from beside her vehicle. “You didn’t tell me how much you’ve done since the last time I was here.”
    Without looking at the other perfectly manicured people, Ryan knew that Dorothy was putting on an act for her audience. “Long time no see,” he drawled.
    Dorothy had the grace to look slightly ashamed of herself. “I am not letting a little thing like you not talking to me interfere with our plans.”
    “And what plans would they be?”
    She rolled her contact-enhanced blue eyes and sighed delicately. “How quickly you’ve forgotten. It’s just as well you’ve got me to look after you.” She turned to a man carrying a camera. “Walk around Ryan’s property, Manuel, and tell me where you want to take the photos. You know what we’re looking for.”
    She turned back to Ryan and smiled innocently at his scowling face. “There’s no need to get huffy. This is for your own good.”
    Manuel disappeared around the side of Ryan’s home. “What are you doing here, Dorothy? You weren’t supposed to arrive until next week.”
    “Our plans have changed. I heard from Robert at Entertainment Today. Cindy is about to launch the demise of your career. I need photos of you looking rugged and handsome in the next hour. If you can throw in an innocent expression or two, it wouldn’t hurt.”
    “We’re in the middle of spray painting the house. You can’t waltz in here and take over my home.”
    Dorothy clicked her fingers and three women stepped forward. With crimped hair, red lips, and dresses that belonged on rock ‘n’ roll dancers, they looked as though they’d stepped out of the 1950s. Maria, Antoinette, and Elizabeth are going to make you look like everyone’s boy next door. There’s no point standing there like a statue, Ryan. We’ve got work to do and we’re wasting time.”
    Dorothy turned to another person and started giving them orders.
    “Sounds like she knows what she’s doing,” Danny said with a hint of admiration in his voice. “She could give Jamie a run for is money in the bossy department.”
    Dorothy looked at Danny. “And I thought you were such a nice boy. If you want to make yourself useful, you could stop that awful noise coming from inside the house.”
    “Sorry, ma’am,” he said with a grin. “Jamie’s busy spraying one of the upstairs bedrooms. That’s the compressor you can hear. He won’t be too pleased if I turn it off.”
    “In that case, we’ll leave Jamie alone. But if you could ask him if we could have a little quiet in about fifteen minutes, I’d appreciate it.”
    Danny nodded and disappeared inside.
    Dorothy looked Ryan up and down. “What are we going to do with you?”
    “Nothing. I’m perfect as I am.”
    Dorothy gave a ladylike snort. “No one is perfect in a publicist’s world.” She turned to the three 1950s lookalikes and frowned. “We’ll need to do the works.”
    She turned to Ryan and asked, “Do you have running water yet?”
    “We have four fully functioning bathrooms. If you need to freshen up, you can use the bathroom on the first floor opposite the landing. Just watch out for Jamie.”
    “Jamie is a darling. Last time I was here he was practically tripping over himself to help me.”
    Ryan didn’t like to burst Dorothy’s bubble of confidence, but she had a lot to learn about Jamie. “He was trying to get you to leave. If