A/N: So this little thing (that might be several chapters, I have just started on ch 4 and we have yet to get to the good part ;) ) it popped into my head a few months ago while watching a Danish reality show that follows a family that is a bit "nutty" aka makes great reality show material. While I've never imagined Emma's family like this I guess my muse keeps wanting to push Emma and Killian into all sorts of scenarios. So yeah The Nolans is now a thing and the family is the TV darlings that everyone speaks about. Emma is 21 and still focused on getting a spot on the US Olympic horse jumping team. Killian is more "deckhand Jones" in this story, and it will be a bit of a slow burn, since he is trying to keep his job as a cameraman on the reality show. And going after the young star of the show might not be the best of ideas.
The title is inspired by "The Kardashians" (a show I've never seen myself *LOL*) so yeah THE Nolans was born, and here's the first chapter.
NOTE: I know next to nothing about how a reality show is filmed and produced, so bear with me if I've made something completely wrong. And neither do I know much about horse jumping and/or the way one goes to get a spot on any olympic team, so that will all be the figment of my imagination.
A fluff ball of slow burn with a few bumps in the road for Emma and Killian.
Thank you romanceapologist for beta reading this.
Enjoy
Chapter 1Killian placed his baseball cap over his floppy hair, pushing it back to keep it out of his eyes. He wanted to show his brother that he could keep his focus on the job in front of him. He jumped from his truck and headed for the large van that was surrounded by the rest of the filming crew. After the hellish previous year wherein he had tried to destroy his own life, he hoped that the second chance his brother so gracefully offered him would be enough to turn his life around.
"Killian, you came just in time." Liam had a tablet tucked under his arm as he walked toward him.
"Of course, I'm on time you git," Killian grumbled, sending his brother a smile.
"Did you read up on the filming schedule and the Nolan family?" Liam asked as he looked over something on his tablet.
"Aye, I even watched a few of the episodes of the show. I'm fully up to speed." Killian headed for the back of the van where Will Scarlett was tinkering with the camera equipment. He'd met up with Will a few days ago and had had a chance to get familiar with the cameras they used in filming the popular show which was currently running for its 11th season: The Nolans.
"Which episodes did you see?" Liam had followed him.
"I don't know. I think it was season two or something, but I remember that Nolan's daughter, Emma, had her first national kid's horse jumping competition." Killian rubbed behind his ear, and with a shrug, he added, "I'm not much of an expert, but that kid sure knows how to steer a horse."
"That was eight years ago." Will laughed, clearly having heard what Killian had said.
Killian looked at the other cameraman, "And?"
"She ain't no kid no more." Will waggled his eyebrows, but Liam gave him a slap over his head.
"I can't lose another cameraman for being improper towards the family we film." Liam admonished and gave Killian an apologetic smile, "You're replacing Walsh; he was a downright ass towards Emma Nolan a few months ago, right after we wrapped up last year's season."
"Yeah, what did he do?"
"As Will said she ain't no kid, and if you'd picked some of our more recent episodes you would know." Liam sighed, "God, it's as if you've lived under a rock for the past ten years."
"I have," Killian grunted, not liking the way Liam belittled his life's choices. He stayed out of trouble, but doing so had also secluded him from the world. He pictured the cabin he'd left early that very morning, with no neighbors to interrupt him, yet close enough to the sea so that he would have a chance to go sailing from time to time.
Liam clasped his shoulder and leaned closer, "I'm sorry Killian I know it was tough for you when Mum died." Liam took a deep breath, "And, after Milah, bloody hell Killian, you're just one unlucky soul. I'm sorry."
Swallowing down the lump forming in his throat at the mention of Milah, Killian waved him off, "I know, we all dealt with it differently." He waved his hand around them, "You have an awesome career here doing some famous reality show."
"I started as the assistant director."
"You fucking run this show now." Killian beamed. He tugged his cap lower and looked around. It seemed like a well-oiled crew that was getting ready to film, "So, what's on today's agenda boss?"
"I will go in and talk over the schedule with Mr. and Mrs. Nolan," He looked down at the tablet again, "Miss Nolan will be present too."
"What are they doing today?" Killian had a vague idea of how this worked. He'd gotten a few small jobs in the filming business on smaller productions, but this show, The Nolans, was a national television show. It was a whole other ballgame and Killian knew he had much to learn before he could grasp what exactly went on around him.
"Mr. Nolan did mention something about an ATV trip with his son and there are some fences that need checking. There's also some training with the horses. Since last season they've gotten a new stallion that Mrs. Nolan is very proud of." Liam looked up at Killian, "You're okay around horses, right?"
"Sure, I've never been up on one, but I'm not afraid of them."
"Good to know," Liam wiped a hand over his face, "I recall one of my first years on this show. One of the assistants was scared half to death when she realized she would be in a stable with 30 horses." He chuckled and shook his head, "Since then we make sure that everyone is at least comfortable around horses."
Killian nodded in understanding then turned to Will, "So, is everything ready for shooting?"
"Aye, all set up, I have your camera right here." Will pointed to the metallic suitcase where a state-of-the-art camera was secured inside. Killian had gotten the hang of using it the other day with Will. It was high-tech and far more advanced than the cameras he'd used in college while taking his bachelor's in filmmaking, five years ago, but Killian felt confident enough considering the training Will had so diligently set about offering.
Liam tapped him on the shoulder before he could pick up his camera, "Follow me. I'll introduce you to the Nolans. They want to know who's around them while we film."
Killian followed his brother to the large farmhouse. A large stable building was in the background and several fenced-in areas surrounded the grounds. One larger area was set up with horse jumping fences, their bright colors a stark contrast to the light brown dirt or sand covering the ground.
When they walked up on the wrap-around porch, he rubbed his palms in his jeans. He knew from what his brother had sent him that the family was fairly down to earth even if they were nationwide celebrities, but Killian was still nervous. A family who shared their life with the world while also being in the hectic horse competitions, mainly horse jumping. Mary Margeret Nolan was also a very skilled horse breeder and Killian had read in one of Liam's notes that the before-mentioned stallion had cost them 200 000$ which, to Killian, just made the divide in their lifestyles seem all the more daunting.
The door was opened by a short-haired woman, whose smile was wide and welcoming. "Welcome, Mr. Jones," her eyes landed on Killian, ''and welcome to you too."
"Mrs. Nolan, this is our new cameraman." Liam introduced.
"Nice to meet you…"
"Killian Jones." Killian offered her his hand and he smiled when she took it with a bemused smile.
"Another Jones?"
"Aye, he is also my brother, but rest assured I can keep my family and work lives apart. Killian will have to earn his keep just like everyone else.," Liam said with a smile.
Mrs. Nolan seemed to accept this and stepped back so they could come in, "We're in the family room."
The family room was a large open-spaced area at the back of the house. It had large windows that showed the view of the land behind the farmhouse and brought a slight warmth to the house that made it seem all the homier. They had a clear view of the grassy fields where several horses were grazing. It was breathtaking and Killian clenched his jaw to make sure he didn't look like a dumb awestruck fool. But, damn, this place was showcasing style and money right down to the tiniest of details. Apparently, the horse industry was quite profitable.
Killian vaguely noticed Liam greet a young teenager who waved at Killian when Liam had told him who Killian was. He gave the young man a small friendly smile and tried to wrack his brain for the name of the youngest of Nolan's kids. But he came up empty.
Seconds later a blond-haired man stepped into the room and walked straight to Killian, "Hello you must be the new cameraman." The man offered Killian his hand, "I'm David Nolan."
"Nice to meet you." Killian shook his hand and added, "I'm Killian Jones, and, aye, I'm the new cameraman."
"Looking forward to working with you." He glanced around the room with a small smile. "We have a great crew around us and I hope you'll be just as much a part of the team as everyone else is."
Killian nodded and stepped back a little, taking in the scenery beyond the large windows. It was quite a large property. He vaguely picked up the sound of heels clacking over the tiled floors in the hallway and, moments later, the young teenage boy announced, "Ah, my dear sis is fashionably late, as always." He slumped back in his seat, weaving his fingers behind his head, "Nice of you to grace us with your presence."
"Buzz off, Leo." A young female voice said behind Killian.
When he whirled around he nearly lost his breath as he took in the woman with golden-blond hair done up in a simple high ponytail, dressed in a loose shirt and tight-fitted jeans. Large looped earrings dangled from her perfectly formed ears, and a pair of sunglasses were tucked into her hair. When she walked closer her eyes fell on Killian and she tilted her head a little, "New guy?" She looked at Liam for confirmation.
"Miss Nolan, this is the new cameraman, he's replacing…" Liam trailed off as if the mention of Walsh might be too much. Killian could see the flicker of panic in the beautiful woman's eyes. Clearly, some very bad memories came along with the mention of his predecessor.
"You look nice." She walked to Killian, her heels clacking over the floor, and, for some reason, Killian pulled off his cap and bowed his head in greeting as though he needed to prove himself a true gentleman in front of the woman.
"Nice to meet you, Miss. Nolan." Killian quickly wiped off his hand on his jeans before offering it to her. When her hand clasped around his, he felt warmth spread over his skin and, as she let go, a tingling sensation kept lingering in his palm as though her touch remained.
"Likewise," she tilted her head with a smile, "do you have a name?"
"Aye, eh, I'm Killian… Killian Jones." Why did his mouth suddenly feel so dry?
"Are you a good cameraman?"
"Emma, be nice to the young man." Mrs. Nolan admonished her daughter and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, "Let's go find a seat." She looked at Killian, "Come join us. We'll go over today's filming with your brother."
Killian nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. It would be really bad to make a big fool out of himself - especially on his first day on the job. He watched as Emma pulled out a bedazzled phone, the cover glinting in the light from the large windows before she slumped down on a recliner chair. She twisted slightly in her seat and swung her legs over the armrest as her fingers swiped over the screen of her phone.
"Killian?" Liam's voice pulled him out of his stupor and he realized that he'd been clutching at his cap the entire time, the brim curled into a half circle. Quickly he managed to adjust the brim and with sweaty hands, he placed it on his head. He walked to the two-seater couch where Liam had taken a seat and tried to focus on what his brother was talking about with the family. It was something about the new stallion and the training that Emma would be doing this afternoon. He wanted to make a good impression on his first day and tried to take in as much as he could.
God this was so boring! Emma typed away on her phone while the chatter around that day's shooting went on around her. She checked up on her social feed and made a few comments. Then found the recent photo of her horse, Saviour Grande, or Savy as she liked to call the horse she'd gotten for her 18th birthday. Making a quick post about what she would be doing later, she attached the photo of the dark red Hanoverian horse with a small smile.
It wasn't as if she hated the whole deal of her family being in a reality show seeing as she'd practically grown up with it. This was their 11th season, and she had turned 21 a few months ago, but right now her focus was on what she needed to work on when she would train Savy later on. When she finally looked up she realized that the new cameraman seemed to avoid looking at her. Yet, his eyes kept swiping over to where she was located, and each time he saw her looking he shifted nervously in his seat hiding his eyes behind the red baseball cap he wore. He was kind of cute, in an awkward way, his eyes blue like the sky outside. When he'd introduced himself he'd pulled off the baseball cap and she noticed how his hair fell over his forehead in floppy waves.
Finally, the prep meeting was finished and she could get out of there. She would meet up with the crew in the stables where she'd begin working with Savy.
After having eaten lunch with her family, they all prepared for the afternoon's filming. It was always a bit stressful the first day of filming a new season and there was a small buzz around the room. She tugged her button-down shirt into her riding pants, before heading toward the mudroom to find her boots. On her way down the stairs, she saw that the filming had already begun and while the focus was on some conversation her parents had out in the kitchen she took a deep breath and got ready to be in front of the camera.
She walked to the kitchen and smiled at her parents who kept talking as though they hadn't taken particular note of her, so she moved to find a bottle of water to bring with her to the stables. It was a fairly warm day and she'd need the refreshment later on.
"I'll be in the stable." She announced and walked out.
"I'll be right out, sweetheart." Her mother called after her and Emma could hear them continue their conversation. She knew that her father and younger brother would be taking two of the ATVs and inspecting the fences. From what she remembered of this morning's briefing, the new cameraman would be joining them on the ride out. They had a larger ATV that the film crew used when they did fieldwork. So, the film crew would split up in two, one going with her father and brother and the second unit would follow her and her mother in their work at the stables.
Emma headed straight for Savy's stall, and, as if her horse sensed her approach, Savy poked her head out and whinnied.
"Hello there, sweet girl, I'm happy to see you too." She reached out her hand and stroked Savy's forehead, tracing her fingers to the white marking on the horse's dark red skin. It almost resembled a cross and that was why her mother had named the mare Saviour Grande. Savy had been born a few weeks before her 18th birthday and when her mother had decked out the long-legged foal with a bow around her neck Emma had been beside herself. She'd been looking for a horse she would be able to train with daily, one that was hers alone, for as long as she could remember. It wasn't as if the place lacked in numbers of horses to use, but she wanted a horse that was hers to train and rein in. When aiming for the big league in horse jumping, you needed a horse that you knew well.
Savy shook her large head and snorted. Emma chuckled and quirked a brow at the mare, "Impatient to get to work, huh girl?" She patted Savy's neck, rubbing under her black mane. She knew her horse liked to be scratched there. "Don't worry we'll get moving now, we're just waiting for the film guys to show up." She glanced over her shoulder and sighed. It seemed to take some time, so she turned around and rested against the gate while she continued to pet her horse. When Savy dropped her head over Emma's shoulder she hugged the horse close to her, "You're a good horse. And you know what, if you're lucky, you'll get to meet the new guy too." She sighed, "Well, he's out with daddy and Leo, but I'll let you in on a little secret," she pressed her head to Savy's neck, "He's quite cute, awkward but cute." Savy nickered in response, then her ears perked up and Emma could see that her mother was entering the stable. Let the show begin, Emma thought and pushed away from the stall.
The afternoon went smoothly, Savy did well, at least after the first half hour when she had to get used to the camera and crew guys being around them again. Emma knew the crew was respectful of the work they did and made sure that they didn't get in the way of the horses, but that didn't make the animals any less skittish. She was going to call it a day and jumped from Savy to slowly walk her around the closure, cooling her down. The roar of ATVs echoed over the open area and she spotted her father and brother driving around the end of the stable heading for the large garage where the ATVs were parked.
The larger ATV drove ahead of her father and brother and she watched the new cameraman jump from the ATV and aim the camera strapped to his chest toward the two ATVs driving into the garage in what seemed like a coordinated dance.
As she led Savy out of the training area her gaze kept shifting toward the filming going on at the garage, completely forgetting that she might also have a camera following her every move. Once she reached the stable doors, she was greeted by one of the stable hands. He offered to wipe down Savy and get her back in her stall. "Thanks, Jim." She gave the reins to Jim, who'd been at the ranch from before she was even born, with a thankful smile. It was a pride for her parents that they could run this place in a way that made their staff happy and content with working there.
When she walked towards the house she could see that the new cameraman had wrapped up his filming and was walking to the other side of the house where she knew the crew's truck was parked. Tilting her head she could see that his dark jeans were splattered in mud from his behind and down one leg. She would have to ask her brother what might have happened on their trip having made the poor guy fall on his ass on his first day.
Leo came bouncing over and completely ignored that Scarlett, the other cameraman, was still filming, "Hey Sis, you should have seen the new guy, he slipped from the ATV in a muddy curve of the trail. That other guy, Graham, did the turn a bit too quickly so the guy fell flat on his ass."
"Is he okay?" Emma asked in concern, narrowing her eyes at her brother who seemed far too amused at something that could have seriously hurt.
"Yeah, he's fine, he laughed at it and brushed it off. He joked that it was better his ass got bruised than shattering the camera." Leo said with a chuckle. He looked around, "Mum inside?"
"Yup, she went in not long ago. She's making hot cocoa." Emma smiled when his eyes lit up, and he whooped and skipped ahead of her. Then she glanced back at Will and the crew around him, the assistant holding the clapper board made a "cut" sign over her throat and Emma knew the filming had ended. She sighed in relief and waved to the crew, looking forward to the hot cocoa that was waiting inside.
The door leading into the mudroom was located close to the area where the film crew had their truck and cars parked, and curiosity got the better of her. Somehow, she couldn't forget that new guy. She wanted to make sure that he was okay.
She walked around the corner and found the red ball cap behind an old pickup truck, its owner looking down, busy brushing off the dirt from his fall with a small frown.
"Bloody buggering hell," Killian mumbled to himself as he used the brush he'd found in the back of his truck to get most of the mud off his pants. The ATV ride was great fun at first. Graham, who rode with him and acted as assistant and jack-of-all-trades, had been an avid ATV driver. Killian had time to film while they followed the other two ATVs driving through the landscape. But, in time, his focus had slipped and in a sharp turn, he tumbled from the ATV butt first into a pile of mud. It was damn lucky he didn't land on the camera that he'd strapped to his chest. He knew his brother would get pissed if he broke equipment on the first day and Killian knew that the TV network that was behind the Nolan show, U-TV, was certainly going to fire him for negligence on his first day. When he'd interviewed for the job Liam had warned him that the owner was a tough lady who took no shit from anyone. Regina Mills had been very thorough in her assessment of Killian and, even if Liam had put in a good word for him, it was still Regina who he had to convince he was the new cameraman they needed.
"Are you okay?" A female voice broke him out of his musings, nearly having him drop the brush on the ground. When he whirled around, he saw Emma Nolan walk towards him, dressed in a red checkered button-down shirt and riding pants tucked into a pair of long black riding boots. She looked beautiful. She had a riding helmet tucked under her arm, her hair a wild mess on top of her head and a healthy shine radiated from her skin. Unfortunately, they'd returned right after she'd finished training her horse. He would have liked being on the team that had done the filming around the stables and jumping arena but he imagined it would happen someday soon.
"Ah…" He scratched behind his ear and looked sheepishly down on the ground, "Aye, I'm fine… nothing bruised but my ego." He tried to give her a grin as he looked back up. Her captivating green eyes took his breath away, Gods this was not good, this girl was definitely off limits. He turned around and chucked the brush back into the box on the flatbed, trying to get his mind away from the beautiful woman currently trying to speak to him.
"I hope my brother wasn't too much of a prat when it happened." Emma walked over and rested her body against the side of his truck, standing far too close for his comfort.
"Ah, no, he was quite nice about it. Once they saw I was okay we all kinda laughed." He shrugged, "You have a nice family." He glanced out of the corner of his eye, trying to see if that was okay.
"Thanks, yeah, I guess my family is pretty nice." Emma huffed and when he looked at her she rolled her eyes, "Well all this," She nodded to the crew truck, "I've grown up with the cameras following our family, and it's part of our life, my life."
"You don't want to do the show?" He asked in a low murmur, and he quickly looked down when she turned towards him, her thumbs looped into the waistband of her riding pants.
"I don't mind doing the show, we get a chance to be the less outrageous reality show family out there." When he lifted his eyebrow in question she added, "I mean our family is not bonkers in what we do here, we don't splurge on stuff, we're down to earth." She glanced at the large farmhouse, "Sure, we're rich, but it came from hard work and struggles."
Killian remembered reading some recaps of the past seasons, and he remembered a few tragic incidents that had happened to the family: a barn half burned down, and a prize mare dying while giving birth to a foal.
"I guess that is what draws in the audience, the down-to-earth part." Killian tried to supply. He knew that the show still had plenty of viewers, enough for the network to continue the show, as long as the Nolans wished to do so.
"You think?"
"Hmm." He rubbed behind his ear, "I mean I have to admit that I'm not usually watching reality TV in any way or form." He shrugged, looking away from her curious green eyes.
"So, you know nothing about us then?"
"Only from the briefing files my brother gave me and the few episodes I watched the other day." He shifted on his feet and glanced toward the crew truck. He had no idea where his brother was, but perhaps he needed to sort out some stuff before they packed up.
"Really, what episodes?" She tilted her head in curiosity, a small smile playing over her lips.
"Ah, you know some of the older ones, you were a wee bit younger in them." He smiled sheepishly at her.
"Yeah, the whole nation has seen my teenage temper tantrums on National TV." Emma rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Doesn't that bother you?"
"Not anymore, I did go through a rebellious period and did some stupid things that blew up online." She rubbed the side of her nose and Killian could see a faint blush rise on her cheeks.
He nodded in understanding and didn't want to pry anymore into her life. He was already sure that just speaking with her like this, alone, was not a great idea. From what he'd gathered from Graham in the few short moments of downtime they'd had on their ATV trip, Walsh had been quite obtrusive in his approach to befriend Emma in the hopes that the young Nolan would go out with him.
A silence fell between them and Killian avoided looking at her for the time being. He felt sweat trickle down his forehead and he lifted his cap off to wipe it away with the sleeve of his shirt. When he tugged the cap over his head again, Emma looked at him.
"What?" He asked cautiously.
"You, ah… eh… missed some of the mud there." Her finger waved to his elbow and further down.
"Where?" He turned on the spot trying to twist his body to find the mud but he couldn't find it no matter how he contorted himself. "I can't see it."
"Here, let me." She stepped closer and before he knew what had happened, her hand brushed over his elbow, and seconds later she patted his lower back. The warmth of her hand burned through his shirt and he felt his breath hitch in his throat.
"Thank you." He stammered out and stepped back, feeling his face heat up. To his luck, he saw the rest of the crew walk to the truck and he could see Will waving him over. He still had the camera he'd used strapped to his chest.
"Oy, Jones, come on over, and let's pack up!" Will shouted, his eyes shifting to Emma with a curious frown.
Killian quickly turned around and picked up the gear he'd dumped in the back of his truck and waved to Emma, "I'll see you around Miss Nolan."
"You can call me Emma." When he stopped in his tracks and looked back at her in surprise, she shrugged, "I mean, I don't mind."
"What about, your parents?" My brother would not like it either, he added to himself.
"They don't mind, I don't know why your brother is so formal all the time."
"He's a bit old-fashioned, I guess." Killian gave her a quick smile. "Until next time then, Emma." When her name slipped over his lips, she smiled in return and waved as she headed for the house.
When Killian came to the truck he ignored the curious stares from Will and a few of the other crew members. But it seemed as if his fellow cameraman was more direct, "What was that about?"
"What?"
"The talking with Miss Nolan back there."
"Nothing." Killian began packing his gear into the metallic crates, making sure everything found its right spot. "She just wanted to ensure I was okay from my less than stellar move on the ATV." He shrugged hoping Will would just leave it.
"Right." Will's voice was filled with disbelief but luckily the guy let it go.
Killian busied himself with his work and hoped that he hadn't screwed up his chances to work on this project with his brother. He glanced over at Liam. It didn't seem as if he'd seen Killian talking with Emma after they'd finished filming, so he pushed his worries to the back of his mind. Now his focus was on making a better impression the next time they were out here filming, but who did he want to impress more, Liam or Emma Nolan?
