Love Inspired June 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: The Cowboy's HomecomingThe Amish Widow's SecretSafe in the Fireman's Arms

by Carolyne Aarsen

  “It was a tame ride overall,” Tanner concurred, sitting beside Keira, his arm draped around her shoulders. “Monty didn’t want to take any chances.”

  “Considering we had a few greenhorns riding with us, I was right.” Monty was standing behind Ellen, a cup of coffee in one hand, his other resting on his wife’s shoulder as he looked around the gathering. “But I do want to say I’m so thankful for everyone who came out and joined us. This wasn’t a full-on cattle drive—Refuge Ranch doesn’t run as many cattle as it’s capable of—but we’re expanding and we hope to bring it back to its full capacity over the next few years.”

  Lee caught his father staring at him and sensed the question hovering between them.

  Then he glanced over at Abby, still hiding behind her camera, and he pushed himself up from the fire. He walked around the gathering to where she was, looking down now at the LCD screen, checking the photo she just took.

  “Do you want to catch a shot of the landscape in moonlight?” he asked.

  Abby gave him a saucy smile. “Is that cowboy talk for ‘do you want to see my etchings?’”

  “Those I have back at the ranch,” he said, grinning at her humor. “This is exactly what I said it is. The moon is full, but we need to get away from the fire to get the full effect.”

  “Then I’ll come.” She lowered her camera, but looped the strap around her neck and picked up her tripod.

  Lee tried not to look back as they meandered away from the fire, past the horses who were haltered and tied to a high line. A few nickered at them as they walked past, and Abby stopped, to take a few more photos.

  “You’re going to have a tough time trying to figure out which of the 2,478 pictures you took to use,” Lee teased gently.

  “It will be, but once I get the theme of the story, that will narrow down my choices.”

  “And what is the theme?”

  “I don’t have it nailed down yet, but it’s been coming together the past few days.” She gave him a quick smile as they ducked through a scrub of pine trees, then came out into the ridge Lee wanted to show her.

  The land spread out below them lit by the watery gleam of the moon, casting eerie shadows.

  “See that ridge over to your left?” Lee asked, pointing it out to Abby. “That’s where I took you the first time we went out.”

  “I didn’t think we’d ridden that far today,” she said as she set up her tripod and attached her camera.

  “Dad wanted to make the drive worthwhile, so we chose to go to one of the further pastures today.”

  She nodded as she looked through the eyepiece. The only sound in the ensuing silence was the now familiar click and whirr of Abby’s camera. Lee waited, knowing she would be done on her own time.

  “Your father talked about expanding and you mentioned it the other day, as well. How will he manage?” she asked when she was done.

  Lee heard the underlying question and paused, looking out over the faintly illuminated landscape. He felt as if he were physically and mentally standing on the edge. His mind flicked back to the first moment he had stopped at the lookout point. How his soul had felt instantly refreshed.

  “I’m thinking of staying,” he confided. “I want to talk to Dad once all this anniversary stuff is over and see about quitting my job and coming back to the ranch. Working my way into ownership of it, if he’ll let me.”

  “I think that’s a good decision.” She stepped away from her camera and turned to him. “You belong here. That’s not hard to see. This is where you should be. And as for your father, I think he would be thrilled.”

  He smiled down at her, her eyes dark pools in her pale face, her hair a subdued auburn in the pale light. “I hope so,” he said huskily, fingering a strand of hair away from her face.

  He wanted to ask her more about what she thought of his decision, but knew this wasn’t the time or place. They were still figuring out how things were between them. And although he sensed she had forgiven him for what had happened to her father, he wasn’t entirely sure all the barriers had been washed away yet. So, for now, it was enough for her to know that he was staying here. Settling down and making his life on the ranch. It was the first, big step.

  Then he took a step of his own, moving in closer to her, letting his hand rest on her shoulder. Their eyes locked and he read the unspoken invitation. Then he lowered his head, pressed his lips to hers and pulled her close.

  She responded to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him.

  After a few moments Lee drew back, dragging in a deep, steadying breath. He kept his arms around her, as if making sure she wasn’t leaving.

  “So, now what?” Abby whispered, giving voice to one of the questions loitering in his mind.

  “I can kiss you again,” Lee drawled, anticipation and concern warring with each other at the uncertainty in her voice.

  “You could,” she said, then reached up on tiptoe and followed through herself. Then she pulled back a ways, looking up at him, a dent of concern between her eyebrows. “But I think we both know there are other things to deal with.”

  Lee’s chest lifted in a weary sigh. “After tonight you’re done here.” He stated the obvious again, bringing it out into the open. “Where are you going next?”

  Abby lowered her gaze, her one hand coming down to rest on his chest. She fingered the flap of his shirt pocket, buying herself a little time. “I’ve been trying to do some more freelance assignments and I got a line on some promotional work that a hotel chain in Japan wants me to do for them.”

  “Sounds interesting,” Lee said quietly, not sure he liked the sound of that.

  “The money is good,” she returned. “And it lets me help out my mom a bit.”

  And there it was again, that specter from the past that would always hang over them.

  Dear Lord, how long must I atone for that mistake? Lee prayed.

  “So, we’ll see. I have to say, however, that I’d love to do more pieces like I’m doing now.”

  He tilted her chin with his fingertips, bringing her gaze up to his. “You enjoyed this?”

  “Oh yes.” Her smile gave him some hope. “I loved finding out the story behind the story. The history of this place and the heritage. Interviewing your parents brought it all alive.”

  “And my charming personality as I showed you around the place,” he added, trying to lighten the mood.

  “That above all,” she said with a grin.

  “So, when would you start that job?” he asked, trying not to read too much into what she was saying.

  “I haven’t taken it yet. I’m still debating.”

  “Debating what?” he pressed, then wished he would have let that question stay unspoken. He was pushing too hard.

  “I have a few things to think about,” she said, giving him a wistful look. “If I want to strike out on my own, I’d have to build up my portfolio. Start up a website.”

  “You must have a bunch of pictures already.”

  “Actually I do.” She sighed. “I just need to figure out if I can make a go of it.”

  Lee said nothing for a moment, recognizing the reality of Abby’s life.

  Then a rustling in the trees behind them caught his attention, and he whirled around in time to see Keira breaking through the trees. “Lee? Is that you?” she called out. “Is Abby with you?”

  Keira’s panicked voice made Lee’s heart drop, and when she came closer he saw the tears on her cheeks.

  “What’s wrong? Is Mom okay? Dad?”

  “Yes, they’re fine,” she said, swiping at her cheeks. “Sorry for being so dramatic, but I need to talk to Abby.” Keira looked past Lee, then rushed over to Abby’s side, grabbing her by the arms.

  “Can you help me out? My wedding photographer, Dana, just called to cancel. Her mother just passed away and she needs to go help out her father. I need someone to take pictures. Would you be able to?”

  Abby glanced from Keira to Lee, looking confused.
<
br />   “Please. I’m so stuck,” his sister pleaded. “I don’t even know where to start looking on such a short notice.”

  “But I’ve never done a wedding before,” Abby said, sounding hesitant. “You don’t even know what kind of work I do.”

  “You work for a magazine. I’m sure you’re fantastic.” Keira swung her gaze toward her brother. “Can you convince her to do it? Please?”

  “I think you’d do an amazing job,” Lee said, giving Abby an encouraging smile. “Just make sure you hold out for a decent fee.”

  “Hey, whose side are you on?” Keira protested. But Lee heard the hope in his sister’s voice.

  “I’m on your side always, sis. But at the same time, I think it would be a great opportunity for you, Abby. Broaden that portfolio you were talking about.”

  She gave him a hesitant look and then she turned to Keira and nodded. “Okay. I’ll take the pictures, but like I warned you, I’m no wedding photographer.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, grabbing Abby and giving her a tight hug. “You’ve saved the day for me! Thanks so much.” She spun around and started to head back through the woods. “I need to go tell Mom and Tanner. They’ll be so relieved.”

  And as quickly as she had come, she was gone, leaving Lee and Abby alone again.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Lee said, turning back to Abby, who still looked a bit stunned.

  “I’ll say.” She gave him a small, tentative smile. “Guess you’re not rid of me yet.”

  Lee returned her smile. “Guess not.”

  He couldn’t hide his relief. They had a few more days’ grace. A few more days to see what might happen between them.

  * * *

  Keira was a beautiful bride, Abby thought, looking through her camera lens at the young woman dressed in white. Her eyes seemed to glow in anticipation of her wedding which was happening in less than an hour.

  “Just move in a little closer,” Abby directed, looking up from her camera, now attached to a tripod. She had sat Keira between her bridesmaids, Heather and Brooke, on an old log on the edge of the creek. Their long, filmy blue dresses were pulled up around their knees, their bouquets of pink lilies and blue cornflowers resting on their bunched-up dresses. Keira’s bouquet was almost identical except the florist had added delphiniums and ivy to hers, filling it out and making it more dramatic. The girls had taken their shoes off as Abby had instructed.

  “Okay, now put your feet in the water, okay?” Abby added.

  The girls giggled but complied.

  “That’s going to be a great shot,” Lee murmured from his position behind her.

  She tried not to pay too much attention to him. He’d been enough of a distraction the entire time she was taking pictures. But with every move she was fully aware of him. Every photo she took of the group, she felt as if he were looking into her camera deep into her heart.

  Abby shot off a rapid set of images, then refocused and took a few more. “Now, girls, for the next shot, you have to sit absolutely still, okay? Don’t move a muscle.”

  “My feet are getting cold,” Heather complained.

  “I promise, it will be worth it,” Abby said with a grin and a thumbs-up at the girls.

  “I think we’re suffering for your art,” Keira returned with a grin.

  “Prepare to be amazed,” Abby joked as she bent over to look through the eyepiece of her camera. The women were laughing and Abby smiled, as well. Shooting this wedding had been a lot more fun than she ever thought. When she was taking photography in school, the instructor had tried to convince her to go in that direction, but she had disdained that advice, saying she wanted to do more serious work that would have an impact on society.

  Abby frowned. As if shooting photos of resorts was changing the world...

  But the rapport between the bridal-party members was infectious, and Abby pushed her niggling doubts aside. She was genuinely excited to see what the pictures would turn out like. Somehow she could see herself doing this again.

  “Why do they have to sit still?” Lee asked.

  “I’m slowing down the shutter speed,” Abby explained, adjusting the dial on her camera. “That way the moving water will blur and, hopefully, not their feet.” She used her remote to trigger the camera, then checked the shot. Perfect. The girls’ legs, dresses and bouquets were in clear focus, but the water flowing past their feet was a frothy, foamy blur.

  She took a few more images, just to be sure.

  “Wow. What a cool effect,” Lee said, his admiration giving her a tiny thrill.

  Of course, most everything Lee did today gave her that thrill. From the first moment she saw him putting on a suit jacket in the house, tightening his tie and running a brush through his dark brown hair, her heart had been doing these silly little flops. Her feelings for him seemed to intensify every moment they spent together, and she couldn’t stop dreaming of kissing him again. “Thanks. Being a wedding photographer is kind of fun.”

  “Do you enjoy this more than your other work?” he asked.

  “Surprisingly I do.”

  “Well, if that’s the case, I believe I heard something about Heather wanting you to do her nuptials too,” he said with a grin. “I think you could stay busy here. From what I’ve seen, you’re far better than the photographer Keira initially hired.”

  Sensing there was more behind his comment than career advice, Abby felt her heart do a slow turn. As if he was feeling her out and trying to find out if she would consider switching her career.

  Even before the recent emotional upheaval Lee had created in her life, she knew she had been toying with the idea of change.

  “It’s a...possibility,” Abby said cautiously. She felt as if she and Lee were dancing around the edges of something more. Something deeper. Trying to see what each was willing to do or sacrifice.

  “I’d like to think it’s more than that,” he said.

  “Can you two stop with the confab over there and tell us whether or not we can go?” Keira called out, lifting her feet out of the water. “In case you didn’t know, I do have a wedding to attend!”

  Abby pulled her thoughts back to the job at hand, then put the lens cap on the camera. “Yes, you’re free to go. That was the last shot.”

  Tanner hurried to Keira’s side to help her up, as did the other groomsmen. Lee also crossed the creek on the log bridge to do the same for Brooke.

  The girls put their shoes on and they brushed any remnants of leaves off their dresses. Abby was surprised they were game to do this before the wedding, but Keira insisted that once the ceremony was over, she wanted their guests to be able to go directly to the dinner reception, and not have to wait on wedding pictures.

  The bridal party climbed into the trucks that brought them here and Abby quickly gathered her equipment together and got into the backseat of the truck Lee drove. They bounced over the fields toward the ranch where a large white tent had been set up. Abby could see people gathering already. She fought down a flutter of panic thinking she should be there already, snapping photos of people as they arrived.

  But Keira had clearly stated that once the official wedding pictures were done, she didn’t want any of the ceremony. Which gave Abby some breathing space.

  The trucks drove to the back of the barns and the bridal party got out.

  Abby still could not get over the transformation that had occurred the past few days while she was at her mother’s apartment, hunched over her computer, editing the pictures for the magazine article.

  A large white tent with three swooping pinnacles dominated one side of the open yard closer to the Bannisters’ house. The tent was filled with tables covered with brown cloths and burlap runners. Mason jars filled with white lilies, and big fat sunflowers sat in the center of every table surrounded by smaller glass jars holding floating candles. Large paper lanterns filled the roof of the tent, and each pole was draped with mini lights swathed in tulle.

  The chairs th
at would soon be sitting around the table now were spaced out in equal rows, bordering a carpeted aisle leading to a wooden podium. A large wooden pergola that Abby knew John had been working on for days before framed the podium. Huge bouquets of lilies, sunflowers and cattails filled four cylindrical vases resting in a metal stand, which flanked each post of the pergola. A spray of similar flowers decorated the top of the arch, and cream and brown ribbons twined around its side.

  Simple, effective and stunningly beautiful.

  Abby was sorry that Keira didn’t want any photos of the ceremony. She had said she didn’t want the service disrupted, but once it was over, Abby hoped to convince Keira to allow a few by the pergola.

  The bridal party exited the trucks and went into one of the barns that had been cleaned out and readied for them to wait until the ceremony started.

  “I asked the ushers to save a seat for you toward the front,” Lee said, touching her on the shoulder.

  Abby jumped, then turned to him, fighting, once again, her reaction to him. He was a handsome man already, but seeing him in a suit and tie, his dark hair gleaming, his face clean-shaven, created a quiver in her midsection.

  And when he smiled at her, that quiver became a ripple.

  “Thanks for that,” she whispered.

  People scurried around them, getting ready, touching up makeup, combing hair, giggling, laughing and sharing jokes. She felt as if they were an island in the bustle surrounding them.

  “Don’t know if I told you, but you look beautiful.”

  Abby glanced down at the simple rust-colored sheath she had chosen. She wanted to look elegant but unobtrusive at the same time. Her mother had helped her pull her hair back to one side and secure it with a silver clip, letting the rest fall to over her shoulder.

  “Thanks,” she said, suddenly breathless at his appreciative stare. Then he touched her cheek with one finger. It was the barest of touches. The hint of a caress, but combined with the way his eyes seemed to delve into her soul, it made her all weak in the knees.