Page 87 of The Love Lie
“Nothing.”
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just—” She half laughs, half sighs. “You are such a cowboy.”
“You say that like you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t. Not really. I mean, sure, I knew about the hat and the boots and the whole Midwestern drawl. But you’re not just a cowboy, Cooper.” She leans in and lowers her voice. “You’re acowboy.”
“You lost me, Cuj.”
“There are horns mounted on your wall. There’s a picture on the bookshelf of you wearing chaps at five years old. There’s a rope hanging by the door and it’s too dirty to be decorative. Every piece of upholstery in your house is leather. I mean, you aresucha cowboy.”
“I have no idea what to say to that.”
She laughs outright and glances around again. “Were all these photographs taken on the ranch?”
“Yup.”
“I especially love the one over your fireplace.”
“Yeah?” He glances toward the mantel, finding the photograph in question as a lump forms at the back of his throat. “Me too. It’s a bit hard to tell with all of the fog, but that’s actually this view before the house was here. We got an early cold front before the water temperatures dropped. My mom always loved those misty mornings, so I woke her up at dawn and drove out here with her. She was pretty far gone at that point so she mainly stayed in the car. Then right as we were about to leave, she put her hand on my arm and said,The sun’s about to break through.I’m not really sure if she knew who I was at that point. Until she said that, I honestly didn’t even think she knew where she was. I just liked having her there. But then she pointed to the sky with this perfect moment of clarity and gave me a little shove. So I hopped out and, well, she was right, as you can see. I’m not really sure if I believe in God or all that, but for a moment, it really felt like more than the sun was shining down on us out there. I guess that’s why I put that one on the mantel. I like to think she might be that thing shining down on me now.” He clears his throat as his eyes start to sting, suddenly aware he might have said too much. “Anyway—”
“Don’t.”
He cuts his gaze to Sam. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t minimize it.” She takes his hand and threads their fingers together. “Did you take all of these?”
“Some are mine. Some are my mom’s. Why? Who’d you think took them?”
“I don’t know. A professional or something.”
“You saw me walking around with my camera in the Maldives, Cuj. What’d you think I was doing?”
“Taking the same terrible photos as everyone else. But these, Cooper? They’re incredible.”
He’s not a shy person, so he’s not sure why he has to fight the sudden urge to look away from the intensity in her eyes, only that he does. Ants crawl beneath his skin as a spot deep inside his chest reverberates with a resounding pang. It’s pain and heartache, but something else too, something that almost feels like pride. It’s actually sort of nice, until she has to go and ruin it by getting an idea. He’s not sure what the idea is, but he’s positive he won’t like it as a frenetic sort of energy builds behind her growing smile. The cogs practically spin in her eyes.
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m thinking.”
“I don’t have to. No.”
“Hear me out.”
“Sam—”
“This is how you save your ranch.”
He winces.My dad would just love that.
“I know that sounds crazy,” she barrels on. “But it’s not. The people who end up the most successful after doing one of these shows are the ones who can use their fifteen minutes not just for fame, but to launch a sustainable business. You’ve got that fame right now, Cooper. Everyone is talking about you online. I literally get daily alerts from my mom whenever Emily is mentioned onWake Up, America!But it won’t last. It neverdoes. Not unless you can convert it into something more.Thisis that something more.”
“They’re just a couple of landscape shots, Sam.”
“They’re not. They’re evocative and moody and captivating, Cooper. Honestly. I’m not even your target audience and something in these photographs made me want to keep looking. But more importantly than all of that, they’re a way for the people at home to connect with you, to get a little piece of you to keep for themselves. Set up a shop on your website. Sell prints. Sell canvases. See if you can partner with a frame manufacturer. Post your photographs online for people to see. Add stories in the captions like the one you just told me. And yes, slip a few thirst traps in there to keep people’s attention. Lose the shirt if you’re okay with it. Because a business like that? If you do it right? It can lead to so much more. Book deals. Licensing. Longevity. Not just for you, but for this place you love.”
