shadows for so long take a tentative step back into the light.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, he offered her something she’d never consider asking him for. “A campaign like that sounds pretty ambitious for one person, so if you need a hand with anything, let me know. I can’t do any of the technical stuff, but I’ve got a nice digital camera for taking pictures to use online or on flyers.”
“You’re a photographer?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he admitted with a chuckle, “but I love hiking and kayaking, and whenever I go fishing I usually come back with more cool nature shots than fish. Not to mention, the undeveloped land around the farm is a great place for taking pictures.”
“I can imagine. I haven’t gotten around to much of the area yet, but what I have seen is absolutely beautiful.”
“Fall is pretty, but spring and summer are gorgeous. If you stick around long enough, you can see for yourself.”
Was he asking her to stay? she wondered briefly before discarding the notion as ridiculous. She was hardly the type of woman a handsome, charming man like Drew Kinley would be interested in as more than a friend. Then again, there had been something unusual in the look he gave her when he told her she was amazing.
But she knew where those sorts of looks led, she reminded herself sternly. Nowhere good. Now that she was getting back on her own two feet, she had no intention of risking her newfound security by ceding even a slice of her life to anyone else.
Thanks to Richie, she’d suffered through enough romantic complications to last her a very long time. Maybe forever.
* * *
Saturday afternoon, Drew stopped by the clinic with his camera to get started on his new assignment as a wildlife photographer. After snapping a picture of the dainty fawn in the outside baby corral, Drew checked the viewfinder. She was cute enough, but something was missing. When he noticed Bekah brushing a llama someone had dropped off, he realized what his photo needed. “Hey, Bekah—got a sec?”
“Maybe,” she replied in a suspicious tone. “What do you want?”
“A model.” He’d meant to flatter her, but judging by the glare he was getting now, he’d missed the mark entirely. “I mean, someone to pose with the fawn. She’s adorable, but I think it’d be an even nicer shot if we showed one of the people who’ve been taking care of her.”
“Sierra’s the one you should use, or one of the volunteers who have been here so long. They do all the hard stuff.”
“But they’re not as pretty as you.”
“Will you stop?” Despite her protest, she laughed, which was what he’d been after in the first place. “I’m no prettier than anyone else who works here.”
He disagreed wholeheartedly. A steady diet of his mother’s cooking and a string of good nights’ sleep had done wonders for the raggedy waif who’d blundered into town with a broken-down car and a nasty case of cynicism. She still wasn’t the most outgoing person he’d ever come across, but she no longer ducked her head when she met new people coming into the center. Not to mention, she’d proven to be a quick study at everything she attempted.
Even Sierra was impressed, he mused with a grin. And she was notoriously hard to please.
Since he didn’t want to push Bekah into accepting his compliment—however sincere it might be—he deftly switched tracks. “So, will you help me, or is this little deer-y on her own?”
“I don’t know what the other girls in town tell you, but you are so not funny.” Rolling her eyes at his play on words, she finished with the llama and walked over to join him. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just play with her like you do when you feed her in the mornings. It’s really cute, and I think we’ll get some good shots out of it.”
“Okay.”
She wound her ponytail around the top of her head and picked up her discarded ball cap from a nearby bale of hay. When she pulled it down low,
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, he offered her something she’d never consider asking him for. “A campaign like that sounds pretty ambitious for one person, so if you need a hand with anything, let me know. I can’t do any of the technical stuff, but I’ve got a nice digital camera for taking pictures to use online or on flyers.”
“You’re a photographer?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he admitted with a chuckle, “but I love hiking and kayaking, and whenever I go fishing I usually come back with more cool nature shots than fish. Not to mention, the undeveloped land around the farm is a great place for taking pictures.”
“I can imagine. I haven’t gotten around to much of the area yet, but what I have seen is absolutely beautiful.”
“Fall is pretty, but spring and summer are gorgeous. If you stick around long enough, you can see for yourself.”
Was he asking her to stay? she wondered briefly before discarding the notion as ridiculous. She was hardly the type of woman a handsome, charming man like Drew Kinley would be interested in as more than a friend. Then again, there had been something unusual in the look he gave her when he told her she was amazing.
But she knew where those sorts of looks led, she reminded herself sternly. Nowhere good. Now that she was getting back on her own two feet, she had no intention of risking her newfound security by ceding even a slice of her life to anyone else.
Thanks to Richie, she’d suffered through enough romantic complications to last her a very long time. Maybe forever.
* * *
Saturday afternoon, Drew stopped by the clinic with his camera to get started on his new assignment as a wildlife photographer. After snapping a picture of the dainty fawn in the outside baby corral, Drew checked the viewfinder. She was cute enough, but something was missing. When he noticed Bekah brushing a llama someone had dropped off, he realized what his photo needed. “Hey, Bekah—got a sec?”
“Maybe,” she replied in a suspicious tone. “What do you want?”
“A model.” He’d meant to flatter her, but judging by the glare he was getting now, he’d missed the mark entirely. “I mean, someone to pose with the fawn. She’s adorable, but I think it’d be an even nicer shot if we showed one of the people who’ve been taking care of her.”
“Sierra’s the one you should use, or one of the volunteers who have been here so long. They do all the hard stuff.”
“But they’re not as pretty as you.”
“Will you stop?” Despite her protest, she laughed, which was what he’d been after in the first place. “I’m no prettier than anyone else who works here.”
He disagreed wholeheartedly. A steady diet of his mother’s cooking and a string of good nights’ sleep had done wonders for the raggedy waif who’d blundered into town with a broken-down car and a nasty case of cynicism. She still wasn’t the most outgoing person he’d ever come across, but she no longer ducked her head when she met new people coming into the center. Not to mention, she’d proven to be a quick study at everything she attempted.
Even Sierra was impressed, he mused with a grin. And she was notoriously hard to please.
Since he didn’t want to push Bekah into accepting his compliment—however sincere it might be—he deftly switched tracks. “So, will you help me, or is this little deer-y on her own?”
“I don’t know what the other girls in town tell you, but you are so not funny.” Rolling her eyes at his play on words, she finished with the llama and walked over to join him. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just play with her like you do when you feed her in the mornings. It’s really cute, and I think we’ll get some good shots out of it.”
“Okay.”
She wound her ponytail around the top of her head and picked up her discarded ball cap from a nearby bale of hay. When she pulled it down low,
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