Page 79 of The Wedding Ranch
It was a long walk, and Mister had slowed considerably. “You’re going to have to step it up, Mister. I can’t carry you home.”
He looked at her as if to say, “How much farther?”
“We’ll take a rest, but just for a minute.”
Mister sat and panted happily.
She imagined all of this area, the lay of the land, the way it rose and fell slightly, imagining it being nothing but green fields with cattle grazing against a backdrop of an old farmhouse. Old tobacco barns like the ones at The Wedding Ranch might have dotted the area too from years gone by when tobacco was the big cash crop here. She’d heard tearing down an old barn was bad luck; did Bloom know that?
She wondered if Bloom ever thought about the legacy of the land that he bought, changing its purpose as he escorted it into a new age and purpose.
He probably believed he was doing the right thing too.
Puzzles. Life is full of them.
If she hadn’t been drawn by the advertisement about the new housing development and moved here, would she and Ryder have ever crossed paths? She was strangely connected tothis man. In such a short time she trusted him, and although she kept telling herself they were friends, she knew this was something stronger. Something she wasn’t looking for.
“Lorri!”
She turned to see Tinsley jogging toward them. “I recognized Mister a mile away.”
“Not too many like this guy around.”
“Special guys are hard to find,” Tinsley said. “You’re lucky.”
Lorri glanced down at Mister, but her brain tossed Ryder’s image in front of her mind too.
“How was your weekend?” Tinsley asked.
“It was really great. I visited with some old friends. Caught up.” She purposely stayed vague, afraid she’d let it slip about Cody being in town, although that probably wasn’t a big deal now.
“I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”
“Sure,” Lorri said. “What can I do for you?”
Tinsley patted Mister on the head. “It involves this guy. The Animal Rescue Dog Walk is coming up. We’ll be raising money for the animal shelter, and I’m putting together a team with some of the girls down at the vet clinic. Would you let Mister walk with us and be our mascot?”
“Of course. He’d love that.”
“There’s more.” She pulled her shoulders up. “I was hoping you could help me design a T-shirt to sell. I’ve got someone who can take the artwork to screen-print format if you can create the design. I know shirts with Mister’s face on them would really sell, and that would help so much. I’ll pay you for your artwork, of course.”
“I’d be happy to create a design for you, but at no charge. I owe you, and Mister will love the walk.” Lorri’s mind was already swirling with ideas. “What size are you thinking? A front-pocket design or shirt back? Are there any requirements, colors, or logos we need to include?”
“It’s sort of up to us, but I’d think having the animal shelter logo on it would be helpful. I just think a picture of Mister would be great.”
“I love this kind of job where I can get creative.” Lorri thought about her already busy schedule. “When’s the dog walk?”
“The second weekend in October, but I was hoping to get going on the T-shirts so we can sell a bunch early, that way we could reprint more with the profit from the first sales and sell them during the event too. Kind of doubling the investment.”
“I like the way you think,” Lorri said. “I’ll put together a couple concepts this afternoon and email them over to you.”
“I can’t wait.” Tinsley clapped her hands. “This is so great. Thank you.” She let out a breath. “So, there’s something else, and I know this is none of my business—”
“But you’re going to ask anyway.”
She giggled. “Yes. I am, because I’m dying to know if it’s true.”
Lorri braced herself. She was certain Tinsley was getting ready to ask about Cody.
