Page 91 of Capture the Moment

“I am NOT a kid!”

Pops laughed, and Mom laughed, and soon Maisie loosened up and joined in.

Later, as Maisie brushed her teeth, she had a revelation: for the first time in a long while, as she got ready for bed and her mind settled into quietness, she didn’t feel worried about her mom.

Less than two weeks had passed since Kate had arrived in Grand Teton National Park, yet she felt like a different person. Being here had taught her so much about herself. For the first time in her life, she realized that seeing things differently was a gift, not a burden. So maybe God hadn’t made a mistake in wiring her brain the way it was.Shewasn’t a mistake.

And she definitely sensed God’s protection over her with Oliver’s treachery. Everyone at the park congratulated her, as if she’d played an important role in catching the notorious Wade Schmidt. She still felt like a fool for believing him. No—actually, she felt like a fool for not trusting her instincts about him. She’d always had a hitch in her gut. Always felt a need to slow things down with him. Why hadn’t she listened to it? That hitch in her gut was from God. She knew that now.

When she told Coop that theNat Geoeditor was a complete fake, he put his hands on her shoulders and smiled at her. That smile saidBelieve in yourself. “You know what I admire most about you? Your resiliency.”

Wasn’t that something else? He saw resiliency in her.

She might just love that man.

Later that day, back in her hotel room, she examined her photograph again. It truly was a one-in-a-million shot. So she took in a deep breath and sent it toNational Geographic, to a vague depository that everyone submitted their pictures to, with the subject: “First and best photograph taken this year of Grizzly Bear 399 from Grand Teton National Park.” She held out little hope that it would even get noticed.

On a notepad, she wrote down other sites to send the picture to, even local newspapers. They weren’tNat Geo, but they were something. Like Coop said, everybody has to start somewhere.

A few hours later, she heard a ping on her phone that an email had come in. She glanced at the sender, then blinked and read it again. Kate felt a jolt of adrenaline. This email was fromNational Geographic.

This is the real deal? The first glimpse of 399 this year?

Yes, she typed back.It can be confirmed by multiple park rangers, including the director of the park. It was taken in the last twenty-four hours.

A few minutes later, another email came in.

And you didn’t do any post-processing? You’ll sign off on that? This is a critical point. We had to yank the cover for the next issue because the photographer had done more post-processing than he had led us to believe. He will never work for us again.

No post-processing, she typed,other than cropping.

A long time elapsed and Kate sat back down on her bed. She was just about to set her phone down when another email came in.

Well, it’s been decided. Your photo is going to be on the next cover. It’s quite a remarkable shot. Timing is perfect because we’re running a feature on grizzly bears.

Kate stared at her phone for the longest while. Hands trembling, she typed back. I’m honored. Thank you.

Look for an email with documents to sign and return. And ... congratulations.

Kate fell back on her bed, gobsmacked. The first thought that ran through her head was,Thank you, thank you, thank you, God.

Her second thought, as soon as her heart stopped pounding, was to call Coop to share her news.

The next afternoon Coop found himself smack-dab in the middle of the road, playing traffic cop. As he directed cars around a bear jam near Mormon Row, Sally’s voice crackled through the radio. “Where are you?”

“Bear jam near Mormon Row,” Coop replied, keeping his eyes on some overzealous amateur photographers. He’d warnedthem twice already to stay one hundred yards away from the bear, but as the bear moved closer, they didn’t budge. He wasn’t sure which park visitors annoyed him more—this type, or the kind that jumped out of their car to snap a picture and took off again. “Which bear?”

“Blondie and her cub.”

“Is Frankie with you?”

Coop couldn’t help but scoff. He glanced over to where Frankie stood, happily accepting a Tupperware container filled with cookies from a well-meaning park visitor. How many times had Coop told that kid not to take food from strangers?

“Is he ever not with me?” Coop muttered into the radio.

“Good. I’ve sent two other rangers over to relieve you. As soon as they arrive, bring Frankie to my office. And find Zoo Girl and bring her too.”

“Kate? Why?” Coop questioned, but Sally had already signed off.

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