Page 30 of Undone

He chuckled. “I drove nine hours one way to get the pony and when I got back, Dad was furious with me. Started out reading me the riot act until he saw her. She’d looked like—” He paused, as if he couldn’t find the words. “Well, let’s just say that Lollipop was immediately welcomed here with the caveat that I would be the one working with her, which turned out to be mostly true. Shannon helped.”

I’d been so caught up in Josh’s story, I hadn’t realized that we’d managed a full circuit and were now heading back to the barn. Weguided Nelly into the barn where she was greeted with whickers from her horsey friends. I stayed outside the stall as he led her in and gave her a rubdown crooning out lots of praise for how good she was.

This was the Josh who could sweep any woman off her feet. As strong and capable as he was, he also had a soft spot for creatures in need, and he knew exactly how to help them feel safe. Much like he’d repeatedly done for me. This was the Josh I could fall back in love with—but my heart wasn’t prepared for what would happen when our time together was over.

Because if I was truly being honest with myself, I was already well on my way to loving him.

NINETEEN

ZOE

Ihad forgotten how damn picturesque my hometown was. In the years since I’d been away, downtown Poplar Springs had been revitalized and welcomed in more small businesses, so the formerly floundering Main Street was now bustling. I got down on my knees, then brought my trusty Nikon up to my eye and snapped another beautiful shot of the bright blue sky peeking from behind a historic red brick building. The overflowing window boxes filled with yellow blooms made the image pop.

The ranch’s website was so close to perfect, but I still had a few sections I needed to punch up, like the “Visit Poplar Springs” page. But everything was falling into place perfectly, and my morning photography session was proving to be super successful. I paused to flip through my camera roll. The long shot of the horse “parked” outside the pharmacy showed how quirky the town could be, but the images of people enjoying Prosecco outside The Bite and Brew sold the idea that it also had something sophisticated to offer the discerning traveler. Then there was the series that showed how seamlessly Poplar Springs had woven nature into the town center, withphotos of trees in bloom and the impressive park that anchored the place. Hell, if I hadn’t grown up here and only had my photos to go on,I’dconsider moving to the picturesque town!

I waved as the sheriff drove past. I vaguely remembered him from school—Brian Thorne. Shannon used to have a bit of a crush on him back in the day, even though he was a few years younger than us. I watched him park in front of the police station and saunter inside. Yep, I could totally see that. I moved to a new spot and dropped to my knees again to snag a shot of a gigantic cow painted on the side of a brick building. I peeked at the image and realized that I needed to get even lower to frame the cow with the mountains in the distance. I dropped to my belly, fully aware that the small rip along the pocket of my jeans was slowly morphing into a bigger one.

“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind me.

I turned awkwardly from my splayed out position on the ground and saw a gray-haired woman in bright flowy clothing smiling at me. I stood up quickly. “I’m sorry, am I on your property? I can leave, I just wanted to?—”

“No, no, please don’t stop what you’re doing!” the woman said, waving her hands at me. “It’s fine, I just wanted to ask if you’re a professional photographer.”

I frowned. Was I supposed to get a permit to take photos?

“Um…yes?”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! I’ve been looking for a photographer. Would you mind if I took a peek at what you’ve been shooting today? I was over at Carly’s Coffee and Treats watching you from the window. You’re very…focused.”

I smiled. That was one way to put it.

“What type of project?”

“My name is Carol and I’m a real estate agent. I’ve always taken my own photos for listings.” She reached into her purse and fished out a business card. “They’re dreadful, but they usually manage to get the job done. I’ve got this one house, over on Deacon Drive…I just can’t capture it. It’s the sweetest little cottage that’s been empty for months. The problem is it seems tiny in photos, so no one wants to look at it. Watching the way you contorted yourself to get your photos made me think that you might have some ideas for the place that hadn’t occurred to me.” She paused and gestured toward my camera. “Do you mind if I take a peek?”

“No, of course, have a look.” I smiled. “But they’re raw right now. I always play with the color and framing to optimize the images.”

I showed the woman how to flip through the photos and handed my camera over. I watched Carol’s face as she scrolled through them and saw her eyebrows raise with each successive image.

“Wow. These are beautiful, you’ve got such an eye! You’re a talented photographer.”

A distinguished looking man in a fitted navy suit passing by stopped in his tracks.

“I’m sorry, did you say she’s a photographer?” He pointed at me.

“I am,” I answered, straightening my back.

“Wow.” He looked visibly relieved. “This has to be fate. I work at Cornerstone Bank and we’re getting ready to take our employee headshots for our annual report, but the photographer I hired backed out. I’ve been trying to find someone but since it’s wedding season, everyone is booked. Any chance you have space on your calendar?”

“Um, how soon would you need them?” I hoped he’d throw out a date that was before I had to leave.

“In two weeks. I don’t even know your rates and of course I’d like to see your portfolio before I sign anything, but if you’re available, I definitely want to talk next steps with you.” He reached into his jacket pocket and handed me his business card. “I’m Andrew Bridger, President of Cornerstone. Honestly, usually my assistant handles this stuff, but we’re all scrambling to find someone. Can I get your card?”

“Sure,” I answered as I jogged over to my camera bag. I dug through, hoping I still had a few of the generic business cards left that I’d made ages ago. They were black with just my name, old portfolio website, and contact info printed in clean white lettering. There were two nestled in the side pocket.

“Here you go,” I said as I handed them out. “You can call, text, or email, I answer to anything.”

“You really are talented,” Andrew said as he flipped through the images. “Looking forward to talking soon.” He handed my camera back and walked away like he was late for a meeting.

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