I jump. A young woman is standing next to me with the nametag Claire on her shirt.
“Um…” I hold up the paints I’ve already grabbed. “No, I’m all set. Thanks.”
I leave the store quickly and look for a place to grab lunch.
* * *
When I return to Big Sky Grocer, I pull into the lot and see Brayden coming toward me.
On a horse.
He waves casually as he crosses the border between Big River Ranch and June’s parking lot. His cowboy hat is low on his head, but I can still see his friendly smile.
I climb out of the car and call out a hello.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he says as he hops off his horse and ties him up next to the store. “I had to check on the fencing down this way, so I figured I’d give Blazer some exercise.”
I step closer to Blazer and pat his chestnut fur gently. “He’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. I’ve had him for a few years now. He’s a great horse.”
I stare at Brayden next to Blazer with the deep blue Montana sky above and the backdrop of Big River Ranch behind us, and I’ve got an idea for the mural.
* * *
June doesn’t say anything at first when I show her what I’ve done to her store sign.
“It needed something,” I explain to her. “Something to attract customers other than your usual breakfast and lunch crowd. Look around right now—there’s nobody here.”
She finally stops staring up at the sign and brings her eyes down to meet mine. “So you called it B.S. Grocer & Ranch Supplies?”
“It’s funny,” I explain. “B.S. is just to get their attention. And then I painted the sky behind it with the actual words, don’t worry.”
“You made it artsy,” she says. “With mountains and sky.”
“And most importantly, you can see the sign clearly now,” I say. “You need to make it clear who and what you are so potential customers will see it from the road. This can become more than a word of mouth business, June.”
She takes my arm and leads me into the store and over to Brayden in Aisle 6.
“You’re going to paint a mural,” June says to me. She turns to Brayden. “And you’re going to help her.”
“What?!” I say. “I don’t need hel…”
“I don’t know a thing about painting,” Brayden says quickly as he glances at me uncomfortably.
“Right,” June says. “But you know a thing about reining in Leleila. Or you’ll learn.” She laughs as I glare at her. “Other than the mural, I don’t want the whole place to look like an artist’s easel. Make sure she doesn’t touch anything else.”
“June…” I try to say.
“But this one wall needs sprucing—the paint is drab and faded. Do something creative like what you did with the sign. But don’t go crazy,” she adds.
As she walks away, Brayden smiles at me and shrugs. “Where do we start?”
I laugh. “You can help me scrape the old paint off if you’d like.”
He nods. “Get rid of the old before starting fresh. Got it.”
* * *
