by Myra Johnson
The breeze picked up suddenly, sending smoke in their direction. Coughing and fanning their faces, they stepped apart. Marley excused herself to help the ladies with the food, and Ben tried to look as if he knew something about grilling burgers. He’d certainly burned his share on his patio hibachi back in Houston.
Hanging out with the guys, though, with the kids romping on the lawn and the tempting aroma of sizzling beef in the air, made him miss similar times with his dad, brother and nephews. Would he ever get to experience the simple pleasures of family life for himself? Certainly not as long as everything revolved around his career.
But he had to make a living, didn’t he? Raising a family these days wasn’t cheap. Someday, when he’d saved enough, then maybe he’d be ready to settle down.
Chapter Five
After worship on Sunday, Marley hurried home to change into jeans and sneakers. She whipped up a berry smoothie for lunch and sipped it from an acrylic travel tumbler as she drove over to her studio. Letting herself in the back door, she made a quick stop in the darkroom to admire the wedding proofs she’d developed yesterday afternoon before going over to the Coutus’. Somehow she always needed to convince herself her pictures were as good as she first thought.
“Oh, yeah.” Marley nodded as she studied the play of light and shadow in a black-and-white shot of the bride beneath a latticework arbor, a dreamy look in her eyes as if her sweetheart was just out of camera range. And he was, wisecracking until neither Marley nor the bride could keep from laughing out loud!
Yes, this shot was a keeper, definitely wall-worthy. Marley made a mental note to frame an enlargement and display it prominently out front.
As she closed the darkroom door, a sardonic smile curled her lips. Always the photographer, never the bride. Would she ever find the hero of her own love story?
Thoughts of Ben ran through her mind. There were so many reasons she shouldn’t give in to their attraction—and the fact that he didn’t plan to stay in Alpine was the least of them. Ernie had made a valid point yesterday about Ben’s apparent issues with God and the church. Marley had struggled too long in her own faith walk to risk involvement with someone whose belief in the Lord wasn’t as solid as hers.
But the biggest problem? Getting involved meant eventually having to be honest about her past, because in Marley’s book, no relationship could survive for long without complete transparency. She’d seen firsthand how her father’s facade of power and success had all but destroyed her parents’ marriage.
She’d also witnessed the strength and stability of relationships like that of Healy and Valerie Ferguson, the couple back in Missouri who had mentored her during her last stint in juvenile detention. They’d helped Marley come to terms with her responsibility for the car accident that had injured her friend Tina so badly that she’d been in rehab for months. It was the Fergusons’ encouragement and prayers that had gotten Marley through those dark days and made her determined to change.
Yes, Healy and Valerie had the kind of marriage Marley dreamed of, a relationship built on trust, fidelity and unconditional love. But it wouldn’t happen until she met the man who would accept her completely—past, present and future.
Maybe it was Ben, maybe not. Only God held the answers. Time to stop daydreaming, gather up her cameras and lighting equipment and get this photo shoot under way.
Twenty minutes later, she was on the road to the Whitlows’ ranch. With every mile that passed, her anticipation grew, along with her annoyance over letting a handsome, charming guy like Ben Fisher burrow under her skin so easily.
Around the next bend, Marley glimpsed the broad, wrought-iron ranch gate, the Whitlow name arching over the entrance and bordered by two copper-colored Texas stars. On a whim, she stopped the car outside the gate and reached for her digital camera. Stepping to the gravel shoulder, she snapped several pictures, using the gateposts to frame the rolling pastureland beyond. In one shot, she captured a mare and her foal cavorting in the long grass. Maybe she’d include these photos in a memory album along with the portraits she took of Steve and Jane today.
Back in the Honda, she continued up the lane to the circle drive in front of the ranch house.
As she climbed from the car, Ben appeared on the front porch. “Need any help?”
“Would you grab a couple of the equipment bags from the trunk?” Marley popped the latch, then added with a teasing grin, “Provided you’re not too sore from hauling paint buckets and guacamole.”
“Yeah, it was the guacamole that did it.” Gritting his teeth, he massaged one shoulder. “Maybe I’d better get my wheelchair.”
Marley laughed and handed up one of the lighter bags. “Here, I think you can handle this one without hurting yourself.”
He set it by the front door and then trotted down the porch steps, meeting Marley behind her car. “Last night was fun. I enjoyed getting to know your friends, especially when Ernie wasn’t giving me the third degree.”
Cringing, Marley grinned up at him. “Ernie’s just a good friend who thinks it’s his business to look out for me.”
“So I gathered.” Ben reached into the trunk and looped his arm through a bag strap. “Any particular place you want this stuff?”
Marley glanced around. “Why don’t we start on the front porch? I really like the view.”
“Pretty spectacular, isn’t it?” Ben’s gaze shifted suddenly from Marley’s face to the horizon, and he cleared his throat.
With a self-conscious gulp, she reached for another bag and followed Ben to the porch. “We should probably get started. If you’ll bring Steve and Jane out, I’ll set up my equipment.”
Ben nodded and went inside. In the meantime, Marley arranged her camera tripod and light stands for reflectors. A few minutes later, Ben returned with his aunt and uncle.
“Oh, Marley,” Jane gushed, “I’ve been flighty as a nervous hen all day. Still can’t believe we’re doing this!”
“You look gorgeous—love the new haircut. Thought we’d start with you two on the porch swing.” As the couple moved toward the swing, Marley touched a finger to her lips as she pondered how best to pose them.
Immersed in her work, she easily pushed all other thoughts from her mind. After taking several photos on the front porch, she moved everything inside and staged some shots near the fireplace. When Marley felt she’d captured the best portrait poses, she invited the Whitlows to pretend they were showing a stranger around the ranch, while she continued snapping candid photos of the couple in various settings.
Finishing up outside the barn, Marley shut off her camera and capped the lens. “That should be plenty for me to work with. I’ll have proofs ready for you by the end of the week.”
“Hang on,” Ben interjected. “I’ve got one more idea for some really good pictures.”
Marley narrowed her eyes. “Here we go again, the amateur giving advice to the pro.”
“No, seriously. If you really want to capture Uncle Steve and Aunt Jane in their element, you have to get some shots of them on horseback.” Ben motioned toward the barn.
Marley turned to Jane with an obliging smile. “It’s totally up to you.”
Jane shared a glance with her husband. “You know, we could all ride up to the ridge where those fall wildflowers are growing.”
“Wait—ride out there? On horseback?” Marley shook her head. “I don’t ride.”
All three of them—Steve, Jane and Ben—stared at her as if she’d grown another head.
Ben raised his brows and blinked. “You’ve lived in Texas for ten years and you don’t ride?”
“That settles it,” Steve said. “Today’s your first lesson. Ben, help me saddle up Dancer. He’ll give our greenhorn the smoothest ride.”
Jane clucked her tongue. “Not in your good clothes! We should all go change first.
Marley, are you okay riding in those jeans?”
“Uh...” Surely there was a graceful way out of this.
“Now, don’t you worry about a thing, honey.” Jane offered a reassuring pat to Marley’s arm. “Dancer’s gentle as a puppy. He’ll take real good care of you.”
Yes, but puppies were small and cuddly. Horses were...big. Marley forced her mouth into a semblance of a smile. “I should pack up some of my equipment.”
And maybe by then they’d forget about putting her on a horse and she could quietly slip away.
One hand on Ben’s shoulder, Steve turned toward the barn. “Pour us some sweet tea, hon. We could all use a cool drink before we ride. Be right in soon as I check on Ruby one more time.”
Ben caught Marley’s eye and mouthed sorry, but the laughter in his eyes said he wasn’t a bit sorry for wrangling her into a horseback ride.
Nerves tingling, Marley swallowed. “We won’t be too long, will we? I have a few things to take care of back in town.”
“Not long at all. It’s just a short ride out to the ridge.” Arm tucked around Marley’s waist, Jane guided her across the back lawn. “Honestly, I don’t know how you do all you do, sweetie. Manage your studio, teach classes, serve on your church’s outreach committee.”
“Staying busy keeps me out of trouble.” Her light laugh belied the deeper truth to her statement. Too bad she hadn’t learned that lesson as a teenager.
In the kitchen, Jane nudged Marley to a chair at the oak table. “Take a load off for a minute while I get the tea. I’m sure glad you’re getting Ben involved with the Candelaria ministry. It’ll be so good for him. You’re going back at Christmas, right?”
“That’s the plan.” Marley pursed her lips. “I’d hate to think Ben feels any pressure about helping on our committee. Anyway, I’m sure he’ll find another job soon.”
“If he does, he does.” Jane set a glass of tea in front of Marley and lowered her voice. “But between you and me, I’d be mighty happy to see our boy get out of the corporate rat race and settle down right here in Alpine.”
Marley couldn’t think of an appropriate response, so she gulped some tea. Time to get her camera gear packed and stowed so she could make a quick getaway after she made a complete fool of herself on horseback.
* * *
“She sure looks better than yesterday.” Ben reached over the stall gate to scratch Ruby behind the ear. The horse rewarded him with a whinny.
“Couple days’ rest and she’ll be good as new.” Uncle Steve tossed a flake of hay into the next stall for Dancer, a gray gelding with reddish speckles in his coat. “Man, I was glad you drove up yesterday when you did. Couldn’t have handled our old girl without you. You’re a natural, Ben.”
“Natural at doing what I’m told.” Ben laughed. “And I do remember how you always bossed Aidan and me around when we came out for summer vacations.”
“Hey, you calling me bossy?” Uncle Steve shot Ben a mock glare.
Ben grinned back. “If the boot fits.”
“Well, for a couple of self-proclaimed city boys, y’all sure acted like you were having fun.”
“Tagging along, helping with the livestock, pretending we were real cowboys? Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
Uncle Steve arched a brow and clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Like I’ve been saying, country life suits you.”
Biting his tongue, Ben shrugged. He couldn’t even pretend he didn’t enjoy being at the ranch, and pitching in with ranch chores definitely provided a refreshing change from office work. But it couldn’t go on forever. Eventually, Ben needed to return to the real world.
Along with a real paycheck.
After changing into a scruffier pair of jeans and the well-worn hand-me-down boots his uncle had given him a few days ago, Ben caught up with Marley as she carried a few things out to her car. “You’re not mad, are you? This’ll be fun, I promise.”
“The kind of fun where I’ll be walking funny for the next week?” She shifted a canvas zipper bag to make room in the trunk for a camera case. “Look, I know I’ve been merciless with the city-boy stuff. But the truth is, I grew up in a large metropolitan area just like you did. Being around horses and cows and other big hairy beasts isn’t exactly in my comfort zone.”
The vulnerable look in her eyes tugged at something deep inside Ben’s chest. He shook it off and hefted another of her bags into the trunk, then closed the lid. “If it makes you feel any better, I hadn’t been on a horse since the last time I came for a visit, which was longer ago than it should have been, so I was walking funny my whole first week in Alpine.”
“Uh-huh. I definitely feel better now.” Marley slanted him a sardonic frown.
Ben laughed. “Come on, let’s go introduce you to one of those ‘big hairy beasts.’”
In the barn, Uncle Steve already had Dancer in the cross ties. Shifting a black sport saddle higher on the gray gelding’s withers, he grinned at Marley. “Our most comfortable tack on the gentlest horse, all for you.”
Marley timidly stretched out her hand for Dancer to sniff. “I’m hoping his name isn’t any indication of what I can expect on the trail.”
Ben and his uncle exchanged grins, and then Ben explained, “He got the name because Aunt Jane says his canter is as smooth as one of those Viennese waltzes they do on Dancing with the Stars.”
“Canter?” Marley shuffled backward, right into Ben’s chest.
Ben grabbed her by the elbows to help her regain her balance. He covered the awkwardness of the moment with a weak chuckle. Why did she have to be so enchantingly cute? “Don’t panic. No cantering until you’re ready.”
“Let’s just keep it at a walk. A slow walk. Standing still would be even better.”
Aunt Jane came out a few minutes later, and soon they had four horses saddled and ready. With Ben on one side and Uncle Steve on the other, they helped Marley climb onto Dancer’s back and adjusted her stirrups. When Ben handed up her camera, she looped the strap over her neck with one hand while gripping the pommel with the other.
“Just be glad you’re not riding Prancer,” Ben said, nodding toward Uncle Steve’s horse, Dancer’s nearly identical brother. “He definitely lives up to his name.”
With Aunt Jane mounted on Snow, her white Arabian mare, Ben cast Marley another reassuring smile before climbing on Skeeter, a tall Palomino gelding. Uncle Steve took the lead and they set out for the ridge.
The trail led through acres of Whitlow ranch land, a panorama of rolling hills tufted with hardy desert grasses, cacti and a variety of low-growing shrubs and trees. Ben enjoyed watching Marley’s death grip on the pommel slowly relax as the spectacular scenery captured her attention.
When they reached the ridge, arrayed in white, gold and purple wildflowers Ben couldn’t even begin to name, Marley sighed in wonder. “It’s gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.”
They sat on their horses for several minutes just taking in the view, until Ben nudged Skeeter closer to Marley on Dancer and murmured, “You’re not wearing that camera for decoration, are you?”
Her mouth formed a perfect O before her eyebrows shot up and she gave an embarrassed laugh. After some careful positioning for lighting and background, and with some help from Ben to keep Dancer steady, she snapped several more pictures of Steve and Jane.
All too soon, for Ben, anyway, it was time to head back. With Marley feeling more at ease on horseback, they were able to carry on an actual conversation. It also helped that Aunt Jane got Marley talking about Candelaria again, because Marley could chat nonstop on that subject.
When she brought up the committee’s dilemma about trying to come up with an original fund-raising idea, the answer hit Ben so hard that his reflexive action startled Skeeter. When he’d quieted the horse, he rode up beside Marley. “Your committee should sponsor a trail
ride. Right here on the ranch. For a minimum donation, people can bring their own horses and enjoy some of the best scenery this side of Alpine.”
Marley looked from Ben to his uncle. “Wow. Would that even be possible?”
“We’ve hosted small trail rides here before,” Uncle Steve said. “There’d be a few more things to consider for a big event like you’re talking about, but I’d sure be willing to consider it.”
Ben could almost see Marley’s mind spinning with the possibilities. While they continued on to the barn, she and Uncle Steve traded thoughts on several logistics issues—rider safety and insurance liability were two immediate concerns. Aunt Jane sparked on the idea of having food and entertainment.
“And Ben’s got the promotion experience,” Uncle Steve said as they dismounted in front of the barn. “Marley, it looks like you’ve got all the bases covered if you want to go ahead with this.”
She looked excited but shell-shocked as Ben took Dancer’s reins from her. “We’re having another committee meeting after the work team gets back from Candelaria. I’ll bring it up then. Should we go over some possible dates?”
The subject of choosing a date hit Ben like a punch to the solar plexus. In his enthusiasm for the idea, he’d conveniently forgotten he probably wouldn’t be around long enough to help much. Leading his and Marley’s horses into the barn, he left the conversation to the others while he worked on putting away saddles and bridles.
The ladies went inside ahead of Ben and his uncle. They found them sipping tea at the kitchen table.
Aunt Jane gave several sniffs, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Uh, someone might need to check his shoes.”
Uncle Steve grimaced as he inspected his boot soles. “That’d be me. Must have stepped in something in one of the stalls.”
While his uncle went outside to remove the offending boots, Ben washed his hands in the guest bathroom. By the time he returned to the kitchen, Marley was saying her goodbyes.
“I’ll grab the rest of your gear and walk you out,” Ben insisted.
