Page 22 of The Cowboy’s Forever Promise

The front door opened as he took the steps two at a time, George in his arms.

Dylan smiled. “You’ve heard we have leftovers for you?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Carson said as he walked into the house. “Arlene texted. I won’t bother you …” His breath caught. Abby and June were coming down the corridor.

As Abby’s startled green eyes met his, his heart sighed. He’d wanted to see her so badly. Why he’d thought if he didn’t see her today, he’d be able to put her out of his mind, he had no idea.

He couldn’t stop the grin if he’d tried. “Hi.” George wriggled, so he put him down before he moved toward Abby. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“I’m on my way to take her back,” June said. “We’re going shopping in Bozeman tomorrow, so Abby only has today to take the measurements of the closets and cabinets in the house.”

He caught Abby’s eyes. “You did say you’ll think about organizing my house as well. You can have a look at it now, if you like. I’ll take you back to town when we’re done.”

Dylan slapped him on the shoulder. “Are you sure? I don’t know whether Abby would survive seeing the state of your house.”

“Abs?” June asked as she turned to Abby. “I’m happy to take you back.”

“No, it’s fine. Okay,” she said, looking at Carson, “I’ll go with you, but if I don’t think I can help you, I’m not going to.”

He nodded. “Fine with me. Shall we go?”

Dylan was waiting at the door with a container in his hands, his eyes laughing. “The reason why you actually came over. Don’t forget George. He and Daisy are still playing.”

Grimacing, Carson quickly turned back. He’d completely forgotten about the food and George.

*

“This is it,” Carson was saying as he stopped in front of a house.

Bemused, her eyes on the house, Abby got of the car. Her heart swelled until she was worried her body would simply burst open. This was it. Her dream home. Painted white, with green shutters, black roof, and a wide porch.

“Abby?” Carson asked, touching her elbow. “You okay?” George ran up the stairs toward the front door.

“Yeah,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s just … never mind. Show me your house.”

Carson opened the door hesitatingly. “As you know, I’m not very tidy.”

Brushing past him, she walked into the house through the entryway and entered what was probably the living room, although it was hard to know exactly what was beneath all the books and pieces of clothing and other clutter strewn over the place. Her eyes turned to the kitchen that was adjacent to the living room. No dirty dishes were stacked in the sink as she’d feared, thank goodness, but every inch of every surface in the kitchen and living room had something lying or standing on it.

Her eyes scanned the floor and she relaxed slightly. The place was untidy, but it wasn’t dirty, so hopefully nothing nasty was hatching underneath all the clutter.

Without saying a word, she moved down the corridor. It was the strangest thing, even inside, the house resembled her dream house.

The door to the first room was closed. Pointing to the door, she turned to look at Carson.

“It’s the darkroom for my photos.”

“Oh, yes, I remember June mentioned you’re a photographer.”

“Rancher first,” he said. “But yeah, I love photography too. It’s the reason I was in Spokane. I had a meeting with a gallery owner.”

“That’s impressive. You’re having an exhibition?”

“Not solo, no, but with other photographers.”

“That’s still impressive. I didn’t know photographers still use dark rooms these days. Isn’t everything digital?”

“Yeah, but I prefer using the dark room,” he said. “It offers a unique aesthetic and gives me control over every aspect of the image, from exposure to contrast to tonal range and grain structure. The chemical development process can produce subtle variations and imperfections that lend character and depth to the final prints. Darkroom printing also enables …” he smiled sheepishly. “I can go on and on.” His eyes were shining, his whole body was just about vibrating.