Finding Solace from the Paparazzi (open to one male)

~~sort of based off a true story (looking for one male, PM me if interested!) ~~


Patricia Green was America's movie sweetheart. Everyone loved her. She could do no wrong. The tabloids followed her where ever she went. They sometimes invaded on her personal life, trying to find something sorrid about her past.

They found none.

So when Patricia was at the height of her career, it was a shock to everyone to find out that she had left her husband, also a movie star, though he wasn't as successful as her.

She left town after her husband tearfully confessed that he had an affair with a model. A younger woman in Patricia's eyes.

Everyone had said this was a mistake. Don't marry him, his last wife left because of the same thing.

So Patricia ran. She wanted to hide her embarassment from marrying that bastard. She should've listened. God, why didn't she listen?! Now here she was, doing a damn good job of hiding from the world. Oh she turned on the entertainment news and saw the headline "Where is Patricia?" It was sort of amusing if you really looked at it, almost like a game of where's waldo.

Where was she? She was holed up in a small farm house that belonged to a friend of a friend. It was a small town in nowhere North Dakota. It was mid summer and no one knew her here. She just needed time to think--time to figure out what her next step was going to be.

OOC:

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Here's a Character Bio:

Name: Cole Miller

Appearance:

Cole is in his mid-twenties, somewhat handsome in a rugged sort of way, an open, honest face with kind features. He has somewhat shaggy, unkempt sandy brown hair, and brown eyes. He's about 6' tall, and roughly 175 lbs, tanned and somewhat muscular, from working outdoors most of his life. He is typically seen wearing old faded jeans, work boots, a worn flannel shirt with sleeves ripped off, and a beat up old John Deere cap.

Background:

Cole grew up the only child of a poor faming family. He grew up on hard work and simple values, and grew into a strong, fine young man. His mother passed away when he was in his teens, and he and his father had a rocky relationship after that for awhile. He left the farm for awhile to try college life, but mid-way through his junior year, his father had gotten hurt, breaking his leg badly, and not really feeling he was suited to college life anyway, he had to come home and help keep the family farm up and running.

The farm had been struggling, and facing bank foreclosure, and he found out that not only had his father been taking care of their farm, but was also working as a caretaker for a neighboring farm up the road...some rich lady had apparently bought some land nearby and created a hobby farm, and had hired Cole's dad to look after the place, as she was rarely there. For the past six months or so, Cole had taken over that responsability as well, while his father was recuperating and taking physical therapy.

Because Cole works so much, he really doesn't have much time for a social life...he doesn't have any girlfriends at the moment, and rare night out for him consists of going down to the local tavern and shooting pool with a few buddies while having a few beers. He doesn't watch a lot of TV or go to many movies, so he has no clue who Patricia Green is.

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IC:


Cole Miller drove his old beat-up pick truck down the gravel road, listening to the radio, the window rolled down in an attempt to beat the July heat, as his truck wasn't air conditioned. The warm breeze did little to help, a sheen of sweat breaking out on his skin, as he looked in the rear view mirror, looking back at the way he'd come, and frowning.

He found himself somewhat annoyed at the moment, driving out to the old farm house neighboring has father's farm, as he had for the past six months, since he'd gotten back from college. His life had been a lesson in frustration over the past year or so...he'd been at college, halfway through his junior year, when he'd gotten a phone call from his Aunt Becky that his father had broken his leg in several places. This would have meant certain doom for his father's farm, no one to work it, as he'd have to have many surgeries, and could more than likely take up to a year to recover from the damage.

While smart enough, Cole hadn't fit college life well...farming had been all he'd known before then, so he'd dropped out of college to come back home, trying to make sure his father's farm didn't get foreclosed on by the bank. Their spread wasn't much, but it was all they really had, and it was a peaceful and honest life, if demanding at times.

His father had gone to stay with Aunt Becky while he recovered, so she could keep an eye on him and tend to him, while Cole handed the day to day around the farm. That was probably for the best, as Cole and his dad hadn't gotten along since his mom died of bone cancer when he was sixteen.

When he'd gotten home, his father informed him of what he'd have to do around the place, and then added something a little extra. In an attempt to make ends meet, his father also looked in on their neighbor's farmhouse, acting as a caretaker, because normally the place was unoccupied.

Apparently, some rich lady owned the place, and seldom ever visited, but wanted the place kept up and maintained...gutters cleared, yard work done, a walk-through of the house to make sure kids hadn't tried to bust in and such. Nothing major, but it was an annoyance to be doing these things for no one to even be there to see the work and appreciate it, and it took time away from his own duties at the farm.

Truth be told, looking at the records, even with him continually working to try to grow and eventually sell their crop, and take the few cattle they had to market, he couldn't see how they were going to be able to keep the place. It'd been a dry summer, and the crop wasn't looking any too healthy. If things didn't change, the bank would own it, and there wasn't much he could do to stop it.

Shaking his head to get rid of these unwanted thoughts, he looked up, started to see the driveway coming up. In his reverie, he'd almost missed the turn off. Hitting the brakes, he cranked the steering wheel hard left, a spray of gravel flying, as he gunned the gas, heading up the long driveway to the house.

As he got closer, his eyes widened in surprise...there was a slick, black Mercedes parked out in front of the huge farm house. He had been here earlier this week, so whoever was here, must have just arrived in the past day or two.

"Wow, he muttered to himself, "First time for everything, I guess. Looks like someone finally decided to check the place out..."

He pulled in slowly behind the fancy car, and threw the old truck into park. Getting out, he stood by his truck, peering up at the place. He thought he saw someone peeking out from one of the drapes in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Shrugging, he walked to the back of the truck, first reaching in his back pocket and pulling out the pair of work gloves that had been casually hanging there, and then opening up the tailgate of the truck, grabbing his tool belt and putting it on. He had some fence posts to fix...a small tree had fallen down across the barbwire fence a couple weeks ago, and he was finally getting around to taking care of it. He'd laid out all the posts earlier in the week...he just had to put up the new barbwire...typically he'd mow the lawn too, but the weather had been so hot lately, there was no need.

He looked up at the window again, but no one was there. He shrugged...he'd meet the new neighbor soon enough, he imagined. After he was done, he'd was supposed to do a walk-through of the house...instead, he'd just go introduce himself.

Patricia had spent most of the morning in bed and feeling sorry for herself. She wasn't at the crying stage yet but she knew it wasn't far behind. Her cellphone had been going off all morning, most were calls from her agent and a few were from her good for nothing husband. Probably calling to cry his apologize again.

She sighed and had finally gotten her ass in the shower and was ready to face the day. Priscilla, the owner of the farm, had left Patty a note telling her that tuesdays the neighboring farm hand would be over to do his 'chores'. She had to smile to herself as Priscilla was quite old fashion.

So after breakfast she debated on whether or not to call her agent when the arguement finally got the better of her. She had left her a brief message with Tammy and let her know that she was ok and not to worry. That was it. She didn't give out her location nor a reason to panic. She just wanted to be left alone.

It was then Patty heard someone pull up. She gasped and ran upstairs to the bedroom, not exactly knowing why but she was startled.

Pulling back the curtain at the window, Patty saw a blue faded old pickup truck parked and the back of a male digging into the bed of the truck. She watched a moment more and that's when he turned suddenly and looked directly up at her. Gasping she shut the curtain quickly and moved away from the window. She hoped he would just do his job and then leave but no such luck.

The doorbell rang.

Cursing under her breath, Patty sighed and pushed herself away from the wall and headed out of the bedroom then down the stairs. Sooner or later she'd have to meet people her and they were bound to find her anyway. She just hoped this guy wasn't a fan.

The doorbell sounded again and that's when she reached the door. Taking a deep breath, Patricia unlocked the door and opened it up. The bright summer afternoon temorarily blinded her as she squinted at the man in front of her.

She waited for him to speak first.

Cole finished the work on the fence quickly, sweating profusely in the dry, midday heat. It hadn't taken long...he'd known today was supposed to be a scorcher, and had prepped most of the work earlier in the week...but the heat of the day was enough to soak his shirt with sweat after only a short time, and make him want to get out of the sun and into some air conditioning for a moment. He hoped the neighbor wouldn't mind...and maybe would offer something to drink to be hospitable.

He walked up to the front porch, removing his work gloves and sticking them in his back pocket again, and then taking his hat off for a moment to wipe the beads of perspiration from his brow, before ringing the doorbell.

He waited for a moment, and there was no answer.

He rang it once more, wondering if the lady in the house didn't want to be bothered. He waited a few moments more, and was about to turn back and load the truck up to leave, when the door opened.

Before him was a very pretty young woman about his age, with auburn hair and green eyes. Cole had to admit he was surprised the owner of the place was this young, but did his best show it. She definitely wasn't dressed like any of the locals...her clothing seemed odd, and expensive looking to Cole...but he'd seen others at college who seemed to prefer fashion over comfort.

"Hello there, ma'am," Cole greeted her respectfully. "My name's Cole Miller...I've been working for my dad as your farm hand around here, as he broke his leg awhile back."

He held out his hand in greeting, and she finally took it gingerly.

"Nice to meet you...I usually do a walk-through to make sure everything is okay in the house, but I imagine as you're here, everything is fine."

He smiled in a friendly manner, and asked, "I was wondering, if it'd be possible to get something to drink? It's awfully hot out there today."

Her eyes seemed filled with caution and..nervousness?

"Umm...if not, it's fine, ma'am...I don't mean to be a bother..."

Shaking her head, Patricia gave the man in her door a small smile, “No, please I’m sorry. It’s just; I wasn’t expecting anyone over so soon. Please come in.” She waved him in and then closed the door behind him; the echo of it shutting rang through the empty house.

The two stood in silence for a moment longer and Patty mentally smacked herself, “Oh I’m sorry, something to drink!” She was impressed with the man’s height and his build. He was a farmhand but he certainly didn’t look like the typical farmer. He was lean but not overly built, which suit him really nice. “I’ll be right back.” She told him as she left for a moment and within a few moments, returned with a bottle of water. Her shopping before coming here was grabbing the basics and that included 3 cases of bottled water. She wasn’t really sure how long she was going to be there but one thing was for sure, she wouldn’t go back until she was good and ready.

Handing Cole a bottle of water, she took a few steps back, “I’m sorry Cole--you must think I’m really rude. I’m Patricia, by the way.” She waited until he finished his long drink of water, almost half of the bottle. “I’m not sure if Mrs. Warner told you anything about me staying here for awhile, since it was sort of a last minute decision. But other than that, yes, everything seems to be working.”

“I’m not sure if Mrs. Warner told you anything about me staying here for awhile, since it was sort of a last minute decision. But other than that, yes, everything seems to be working.”

"Ahh...I'd assumed you were the owner," he chuckled, "Sorry about that...I've never met Mrs. Warner. My dad was the one who dealt with her, and since he's been laid up, and no one has been here...we just get a check in the mail once a month, so I've never seen anyone."

He took another long swig of the bottle water Patricia gave him, draining it.

"Ahh...that really hit the spot...thanks much, ma'am," Cole said, smiling in thanks, "It surely is awful hot out there."

Cole got a better look at Patricia, and found himself thinking she looked familiar, but couldn't place why he felt that way. She was a beautiful lady, that much was certain, in a kind of a "girl-next-door" kind of way...he figured if he'd met her before, he'd have remembered someone who looked like her. Still there was something about her....

"She must just have one of those kinda faces," he thought to himself, "or she just reminds me of someone..."

Shrugging, dismissing it, he said, "Thanks again, for the drink."

He looked around, and said, "Do you need me to check anything else over around the place, before I head out? I don't want to be a bother and take up any more of your time, if you're busy. Just figured, while I'm here, I can double check to make sure all is in working order around here....after all, that's what I get paid for."

"Well, I've not really tested everything but what I've used is working so far," Patty bit her bottom lip in thought, "I was just wondering about the horse stables, I would like to go for a ride here soon and was just wondering if there was a seperate person who looked after them--or would that be you also?"

Patty was well versed in riding. Despite the fact that Mrs. Warner had informed her that the horses here weren't as tamed as those 'hollywood' horses, so she should be careful.

"Well, I feed and water em, if that's what you're asking...and brush em out on occasion, Ma'am...and will let em out into the corral a bit too to let em get some exercise," Cole said, "but I'm no expert on horses, though. These horses can be a bit spirited at times, but luckily, they are used to being around people and ridden, I'm told. Easy to handle em."

As for riding them...well, i haven't done that. Not my place to do so, and I'm out of practice. Hell, I haven't been on a horse in over 5 years now." He chuckled a bit at the last part, and then added, "If need be, I can saddle a horse for you, though. I'm not quite THAT out of practice."

He looked at Patricia, questioningly, and asked, "Hope I don't offend ya by saying so, ma'am...but you seem a bit out of place here. Have you ever been out in the country like this before? You seem kind of...well, citified, is the word that comes to mind. Like this is all new to you."

Without hesitation, Patty laughed at his last question. She couldn't help it. It wasn't a funny question nor was the answer funny. It was just...not a typical question a star was used to being asked.

"Well, actually, I know I must stick out but living on a farm is nothing new to me, it's just been a long time. A very long time." She replied as she studied him and smiled. If had been up to date on his entertainment news, he would've know she had grown up in Texas, on a cattle ranch with her parents. Up until she was old enough to go off to college, Patty changed her mind and headed to Hollywood. And whether it was luck or what, she became a star literally over night.

"And don't worry about the horses, I'm pretty familiar with them, it's just I didn't want to step on any toes while I was here. I was thinking about going out on a ride later this evening. I don't want to inconvience you so I want to tell you that you don't have to check up on me, I'm only here for a short while..." At least she hoped so. She still had a lot to think about and besides, when she came out of hiding, there would literall be a million questions she had to answer to the paparrazi and reporters. She flashed him her famous million dollar smile.

Cole returned her smile...it was hard not to. She really was a very pretty lady, and despite the fact that she seemed more "city" than most of the girls he knew around here, he found himself intrigued by her.

"Well," Cole replied, "It isn't a bother, ma'am. Mrs. Warner pays me to check things around here...and besides, it wouldn't be neighborly to let you sit up here all alone, not knowing anyone and being new to these parts."

Cole reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a small notepad he used to keep track of his daily chores around the Warner place, as he added, "Anyway, I suppose I should let you get about your daily business, ma'am. I don't wanna take up your time..."

Finding a blank page, he quickly scribbled his name and phone number down, ripped it out, and handed it to Patricia.

"If you have any problems around the place, just give me a call...I only live a couple miles down the road, so would only take me a few minutes to get here."

Taking the paper from him, Patricia nodded as she stared at his number, memorizing it, which was a habit from her acting and having to memorize lines. She then looked up at him and held out her hand, "Thank you."

His hand nearly engulfed her own and Patricia couldn't help but feel a small jolt of pleasure from just a hand shake. She was positive he meant well and she was sorry she didn't feel more enthusiastic about him being her or more open about her stay.

After he left, Patricia found herself with absolutely nothing to do but to mope around the rest of the day and she didn't want to do that. She needed to get out of the house but she didn't want to go into town either for fear of being recognized. So she turned and walked out the backdoor and headed toward the horse stables.

Patty spent a good hour there before deciding to take a chance and going on ahead with saddling up a horse. It was like she never left home, she remembered everytning from the blanket to the bit for the horse. The horse she picked out seemed like the calmest one of the bunch and had been the first to come up and greet her when she wandered in.

The horse was a little giddy and impatient but Patty figured that was because he could sense her own mood and so she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. Then she and the horse, whom she named Coco, headed off into the pasture away from the house.

About two hours passed when Patricia still hadn't come up with a solution on what to do about her current situation. Go back to her husband and face all the nasty reports, which she was sure there were plenty, or just stay away from it all a little while longer. She knew one thing and that was she didn't want to talk to her husband. At least not yet.

With her mind on her problems, Patty was blindly letting the horse led her back toward the house. She wasn't paying attention and the sun was reaching early evening and Coco didn't see the small rattler until it was too late.

Coco bucked back and stood up, causing Patty to lose her grip on the reigns and fall back onto the ground with a sickening thud. Coco the horse, took this opportunity to take off toward the house in a scared run. Luckily Coco had stepped on the snake, crushing it. But Patty didn't know any of this for when she landed on the ground, her head hit the ground and everything went black as she passed out.

Cole had drove home, his thoughts on the pretty lady staying alone at the big farm house up the road.

"Patricia...she'd said her name was Patricia," Cole mumbled to himself, and then shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts of her.

"A woman like that isn't interested in some dirt-poor farmhand," Cole thought to himself ruefully, "she's obviously used to high class preppie guys. Guess who drive BMWs, and not pick-up trucks."

Still, he couldn't get her out of his thoughts for the remained of the day.

He'd gone over to his Aunt Becky's place to check on his dad, and told him what was going on, and he had sounded amused by Cole's situation.

"Pretty young rich girl out on a farm all alone?" his father had asked, "Seems kinda odd...just makes sure if she needs something, you get your ass up there right away, Cole. We need the extra money, and wanna keep her happy."

"Daniel!" Aunt Becky has exclaimed in indignation.

She'd always been one of the sweetest women Cole had ever known, aside from his mother...she had a penchant for community service, cooking and baking, and doting on her nephew, never having children of her own...sometimes Cole was shocked that she and his father shared the same blood.

"Even if it's only for the summer, she's your neighbor, Cole," Becky had said to him, "You should be welcoming...be neighborly. Tell you what....I made a nice fried chicken dinner. I'll go pack a nice picnic basket and have you take it up there. Staying up there all by herself has got to be lonely and even a bit scary to someone who's city-folk."

So, it wasn't long after that he found himself driving up the road, with a steaming picnic basket on the passenger's seat beside him. He had almost made it to the big farmhouse when he quickly had to slam on the brakes as a large form rushed out in front of his truck and stopped before him.

His heart still racing, he saw it was a horse, still saddled.

"What the fuck?!" Cole exclaimed, getting out of the truck, his headlights still on, illuminating the darkness.

He walked up to the horse, who seemed spooked. "What are you doing way out here by yourself, girl?" Cole said, petting the horse soothingly, trying to calm it.

It was then that he noticed something laying on the ground on the edge of the light his high-beams were giving off. Curious, he walked over slowly, and then ran the last little bit, when he saw it was Patricia, laying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"Patricia!" he exclaimed, and when she didn't respond, he scooped her up, and brought her to the truck...

It was late. Patricia could tell that without actually having to open her eyes. Besides, if she opened her eyes, she was sure she'd vomit. So ever so slowly, she did crack them open and saw it was dark. At first she panicked, thinking that she couldn't see but that wasn't the case. The lights were off and she could see that it was storming outside.

She sat up slowly and found her head pounding, so she laid back down. She could feel that she was still in her jeans and her tank top. Her jacket was gone but that was fine. The thing was, how did she get back in the house? Patricia couldn't remember having walked back or making it back to the house, much less her bedroom on her own.........

Suddenly it hit her, Coco the horse standing and Patricia falling off! That was what happened! But how did she get back into the house??