Bianca slowed near the first step and lifted a hand. “Hi. I’m Bianca Estrada. I work with Canyon Road Films.”
The woman’s gaze moved over Bianca’s boots and then up to her face. “I saw you at the hearing.” Her voice was cautious but not unfriendly. “I’m Maggie.”
The little boy wandered closer and stopped near Bianca’s leg, staring up at her with wide eyes. The older girl raced past them with the dog still ahead of her, shouting about the moon.
Bianca kept her focus on Maggie. “I’m sorry to bother you at home,” she said. “I heard you decided not to move forward with filming here, and I hoped to talk to you in person. Your land is lovely.”
Maggie shifted the dish towel between her hands. “Thank you. We work hard at it.”
Bianca nodded slowly. “May I ask what changed your mind about the film?”
Maggie glanced toward the side of the house. “Daniel should be here any second.”
Before Bianca could respond, a man came around the corner of the house carrying a length of chain. He looked young—late twenties maybe—with mud on his boots and grease on one hand. His flannel sleeves were rolled to his elbows. The chain clinked softly as he dropped it beside the porch steps, his brown hair damp and his green eyes deep.
Maggie stepped down from the porch. “Dan, this is Bianca. From the movie people.”
The man wiped his hands on his jeans before approaching. “Daniel Willoughby,” he said.
“Bianca Estrada.” She shook his hand. His grip was firm but brief.
Daniel looked toward the yard where the children had resumed chasing the dog. “You drove out here from town?”
“Yes,” Bianca said. “I hope that’s okay.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
Bianca glanced between him and Maggie. “I heard you decided not to film here after all,” she said. “Yesterday things sounded promising. I wanted to check in before we crossed your place off the list.” This place was just perfect.
Daniel rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “We talked about it last night.”
Maggie rested on the porch rail. “We decided we’d rather not have a film crew here.”
Bianca nodded again, though curiosity stirred inside her. “That’s fair,” she said. “It’s your home. I completely respect that.” She gestured lightly toward the barn and the fields beyond. “It’s a beautiful place,” she added. “That’s why we were excited about it.”
Daniel gave a small smile. “Thank you.”
Bianca shifted her weight. “I hope you don’t mind me asking what changed. Yesterday it sounded like the extra income might help.” Ranching was difficult these days, from what she’d read.
Daniel cleared his throat. “It probably would help. We could use the money, and your friend was more than a little convincing, believe me.” His lips pressed together at the last.
Warning ticked through Bianca. “Clancy can get a little, ah, focused. I hope he wasn’t an ass.”
Daniel barked out a laugh. “Actually, he was. We’re a bit behind on taxes, and he somehow knew that. Said he had a friend in the IRS.”
Bianca’s jaw dropped. “Did he threaten you?”
“Not overtly,” Daniel drawled.
Bianca’s mind spun. “I’m so sorry about that. It definitely is not how we like to operate.” She was going to kill Clancy. Sure she knew he could be persuasive, but extortion was illegal. Not to mention a nightmare from a public relations standpoint.
“No worries.” Maggie smiled at her husband. “We were able to obtain the funds to get caught up with taxes, so all is good now.”
A horse pounded in the distance, and a man rode into view, his hat pulled low. It took Bianca a moment, but she recognized him as the third man who’d objected last night at the hearing. “Hi.”
“Hi.” His smile was charming. “We didn’t meet last night. I’m Boyd Kessler.”
“Hi. Bianca,” she said.