“She doesn’t do many weddings. Brooke was lucky Willow was between commissions. Did you realize you’ve got some of her photos in your home?”
The only framed images Zac had bought were in his entranceway. He’d found the wildlife prints at a gallery in Bozeman. But they couldn’t be Willow’s. The photos had been taken by W. Clarke…an up-and-coming photographer from Montana. A sinking feeling hit his stomach.
“The ones beside the stairs,” Mabel whispered. “It’s almost as if Willow knew where they would be going. I couldn’t imagine them in anyone else’s home.”
Neither could Zac. He’d underestimated Willow. Without seeing her work, he’d pigeon-holed her career into something less than what she’d created.
What he didn’t understand was why she was so secretive about what she did. If his photographs were half as good as Willow’s, he wouldn’t have changed the subject when they were talking about her work.
But, thankfully, she wasn’t like him.
Halfway through the wedding ceremony,Willow knew the photos would be some of the best she’d ever taken. Adjusting the camera settings, she took another photo of Brooke and Levi as they exchanged their wedding vows. Then another, as Levi wiped a tear off his bride’s face.
Brooke lifted her face to Levi’s. The light coming through the windows fell across her veil, blurring everything except the deep and adoring love on her face.
Willow sighed as the light changed again, creating a photo that would be just as special in thirty years’ time.
For now and forever, until death us do part.
Only a few months ago, Megan and William had exchanged their wedding vows, pledging their life, their love, and everything they had to each other. And before that, Sam and Caleb had married in a service that brought tears to Willow’s eyes.
As she captured the moment Levi slid Brooke’s wedding ring along her finger, Willow had never felt so alone. For the last few years she’d done everything she could to avoid any romantic relationships. Keeping herself out of the spotlight had cost her more than she thought it would. And right now, she’d give anything to have a man look at her the way Levi was looking at Brooke.
Their love was sweet and pure and, not for the first time, Willow wondered if she’d made the right decision to stay in Sapphire Bay. Finding that kind of love didn’t happen every day, especially when the town’s total population could almost fit onto a postage stamp.
Pastor John held his hand above Brooke and Levi’s. He blessed their union, wished them a future filled with love, and pronounced them husband and wife.
As the audience burst into applause, Willow turned and snapped random images of the wedding guests. When the lens of her camera found Zac, she paused. Unlike the people around him, he seemed sad. Was he thinking the same thing as her? Or was there more to his life than what she knew.
She pressed the shutter and moved to Mabel. There was no mistaking her smile for anything other than happiness.
Willow turned back to the bride and groom, capturing their first steps as they walked down the aisle.
With smiles on their faces, the wedding guests quickly left the barn, heading toward the tables laden with food and drink.
Willow sighed. She had a long list of photos to take, and a mother-of-the-bride who was heading in the wrong direction. Grabbing her camera bag, she rushed toward the doors at the side of the barn, hoping to catch Brooke’s mom before she went too much farther.
Willow loved photographing weddings. But making sure no family members went missing sometimes felt like a losing battle. Especially when everyone was pitching in to create the bride and groom’s perfect day.
Chapter Four
Zac didn’t knowwhether it was being in a barn that made Levi and Brooke’s wedding more special or if it were the people around him. But either way, he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
After the wedding ceremony, a team of staff had quickly transformed the barn into a reception venue as good as anything he’d ever seen.
In record time, round tables were decorated with white tablecloths. Vases full of flowers added color to each table and silver cutlery shone under the pendant lights. The rose-covered arch was now the backdrop to the dance floor and fairy lights twinkled from the rafters.
Pastor John, the man who had officiated at the wedding, was completely different from the other ministers Zac had met. With an easy smile and a relaxed attitude to life, he was good company.
While Zac stood in line at the buffet table, Pastor John pointed to Nora.
“Do you think she’s practicing for her little brother or sister?”
Nora was slowly pushing a stroller around the dance floor. Willow walked beside her, making sure she didn’t bang into anyone.
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Zac replied. “Megan said she’s looking forward to not being pregnant.”
“That’s probably an understatement. We had a meeting about the tiny home village last night and she was really uncomfortable.”
