Chapter 6

6

W hen Wolf Ramirez had signed on to direct Capitol Crimes , he had asked Holden to come to his Texas ranch, where they spent three days dissecting Holden's novel. They had delved deeply into character and minute plot details which Wolf thought could be important in his film. Wolf had also allowed Holden to read the script which had been written. He'd made a few suggestions and had noticed when he saw the film version, that those suggestions had been woven in to the finished product.

Not once during his time in Texas had he missed Madison Parmalee.

That alone should have been a wake-up call for him, but Holden hadn't had much experience in dating. Looking back, he realized how immature he had been emotionally, going into his relationship with Madison.

During the filming, a good deal of which occurred in Washington, D.C., Holden had been invited to the set by Wolf to see his novel come to life. Once more, he never missed Madison during the week they were apart. He had asked her to join him, though, for a couple of days at the end of that week, and they hadn't spent much time together. Instead, his girlfriend had followed various cast members around the set, enthralled by the actors and the experience.

Holden had been apart from Finley twelve hours now, and she was all he had thought about. He lay awake last night, replaying their conversation. And kisses. He had dreamed of her and upon awakening, Finley had been his first thought. He didn't believe in love at first sight. This was more than lust in first sight, though. Yes, he was very attractive to her, but instinct told him it ran deeper than that. He wanted to get to know everything about her.

Pulling up to the front of her house now, Holden saw a car in the driveway and thought it might belong to Emerson, the roommate she had mentioned. He got out of the borrowed truck and went to the front door, ringing the doorbell. An attractive woman with dark hair and gray eyes opened the door.

"Hi. You must be Holden. I'm Emerson. Come on in."

"Thank you," he said, stepping into the small house.

"Finley will be here in just a minute. She got a phone call and is booking a photo shoot. She told me that you're a writer."

"Yes," he confirmed. "I've published two novels and recently finished the first draft of my third. While I let it sit a bit, I've taken on a new project, writing the screenplay for the second novel."

"I wish I had time to read," she said wistfully. "I encourage my students to do so all the time, but I stay too busy to read."

"If you made the cupcake I devoured last night, you're quite the baker."

She smiled. "I did make them. I bake cakes for Weddings with Hart, which operates out of Lost Creek Winery. The Harts built an event center on the property last year, and I provide cakes for weddings and other parties held there. You'll have to join us sometime for our weekly dinners with friends. I always try to bake something new and special for them."

Finley entered the room. "Yes, you need to eat with us. Emerson uses a group of us as her guinea pigs, testing all kinds of desserts on us."

He laughed. "I can't think of a job I'd like better than to be a dessert taste tester."

She looked to Emerson. "What night are we meeting this week?"

"Wednesday," her roommate confirmed. "Harper wants to host since they'll be in their new house."

"That's right," Finley said. "They're moving in today. Hopefully, they'll be somewhat settled by Wednesday." She turned to him. "If you're free this Wednesday, we eat at six. Braden and I take turns with the cooking. We also like to experiment and try out new recipes."

"You need to say yes, Holden," Emerson encouraged. "Finley and Braden are terrific cooks."

"You're talking to a bachelor who lives in a cottage with a miniscule kitchen and zero cooking skills. One of my biggest talents was phoning for takeout in New York. I'll be there."

"I can teach you how to cook," Finley told him. "A few simple things to help you get by. Spaghetti. Pad Thai. That kind of thing."

"I don't see how you'd have time. Not with teaching and your photography."

Her gaze met his. "I can make the time— if you're willing."

To be able to spend more time in this lovely creature's company was a no-brainer.

"I'll work around your schedule then. That's the beauty of being a writer. I can write at six in the morning or ten at night."

"We better get going," she said. "It's almost noon now."

"Take your tablet," he suggested. "I want you to show Wolf and Ana some of the portraits you've done before they see your landscapes of the area."

Finley grabbed it from the coffee table, and he drove them to the diner.

"I've always loved a diner," he said, easing into a parking place. "I'll probably pick up dinner here a few nights a week."

"Nope. Lone Star Diner is only open from six in the morning until three in the afternoon. You could always do takeout at lunch. Otherwise, I'd suggest trying The Country Hearth. It's home cooking at its finest. And they're open until eight most nights. We also have some other good restaurants in the area, as well. Mexican. Italian."

"Then I'll let you be my guide to all things Lost Creek," he told her, coming around and opening her door and escorting her inside the diner.

Finley introduced him to Shelly Blackwood, the diner's owner and wife of Shy, who owned and operated the barbeque joint he'd eaten at the previous evening with Wolf and Ana.

"Nice to meet you, Holden. I've already seated your friends," Shelly said.

They made their way to the table, and Eva spotted him, running to meet him halfway. He swung her high in the air, and the little girl squealed with glee.

"I've missed you, Uncle Holden," she said.

"I only left the ranch yesterday, Eva."

"Bear missed you, too. And the chickens."

He set her on the ground and said, "This is Miss Finley, Eva."

The little girl pursed her lips as she studied Finley. "Is she your friend?"

"Yes, she is," he replied, hoping he and Finley would leave the friend zone soon and move on to something else. If last night's kisses had any sway, they were already entering uncharted territory.

They joined Wolf and Ana, and Holden introduced Finley to Bear.

"I like to kick soccer balls," Bear announced. "And Papa is teaching me to ride a horse. I'm five."

"I love to ride horses," Finley told the little boy.

"You can come visit us and take me riding," Bear told her.

He and Eva returned to their coloring, and Ana asked, "What's good here?"

Finley chuckled. "What isn't good? Really, anything you order won't let you down. For me, I'm getting breakfast. That's something Shelly serves all day. I eat pretty light in the mornings before I leave for school, so things such as pancakes, eggs, and bacon are a real treat for me."

"I'm always in search of the perfect meatloaf," Wolf revealed. "That's what I'm having."

Their server took their order. Holden encouraged Finley to show his friends some of her portraits. She handed over her tablet, and Ana scrolled through, Wolf leaning close so he could see.

"I do formal bridal and engagement portraits, and I also shoot events at the winery," Finley explained. "A busy part of the year for me is the month before students return to school."

She told the couple how she took senior portraits, allowing her subjects to bring props to incorporate into their photo sessions, as well as wearing their extra-curricular uniforms.

"Show them the newborn pictures from yesterday," Holden said.

Ana handed Finley the tablet, and she brought up the photo shoot. Soon, Ana had tears in her eyes.

"These are simply marvelous. I wish we would have thought to have something like this done when our kids were this age. They change so fast. I would have had ten babies if I could have, but I had some complications with Bear. He'll be our last one."

"You capture the essence of people," Wolf told Finley. "I feel by seeing your portraits, I know these people. Would you consider coming to the ranch and photographing our children?"

"I'd be happy to do so. They both have such personality. My schedule can get pretty booked, but I actually have this afternoon free. Would you like me to come today after we visit the library?"

"Yes," Ana gushed. "That would be fantastic."

"I'd like to get some pictures of them out on the ranch. With the horses. Riding. If you have any other animals, that would be a fun interaction to capture, as well. "

Their food arrived, and it was as good as Finley had said it would be. Wolf generously picked up the check for their entire party, and they left the diner for the library.

When they arrived, Dorothy Prigmore was just unlocking the doors.

"Hello, Finley. And Holden. I see you found her after viewing her exhibition."

"I was so taken with Finley's work, I told some friends they also had to come see it."

Wolf and his family joined them, and Holden introduced the librarian to them.

Dorothy said to the children, "We have a wonderful children's area. It has a play kitchen. A puppet theater. Would you like to go see it with me?"

"Yes!" chimed the kids in unison.

Dorothy looked to Ana. "I'll keep my eye on them so that you can give Finley's work your full attention."

"Thank you," Ana said. She bent and made eye contact with the children. "You go with Miss Dorothy now and play and read. If you pull a book off the shelf, remember to put it back. Papa and I will be looking at some of Miss Finley's pictures. We'll come find you soon."

"Okay, Mama," Eva said brightly, taking Bear's hand and the librarian's.

The four adults moved further into the library, and Finley said, "Here are my photographs. I'll let you study them a few minutes and then if you have any questions, I'm happy to talk to you about them."

She went and sat on a nearby bench while Holden, Wolf, and Ana moved slowly from one photograph to the next.

He had been impressed the first time he had viewed the exhibit, but he picked up on new things this second time around. The photographs spoke to him as before, perhaps more now because he'd met Finley.

Holden glanced to Wolf and Ana. Both remained silent, intently looking at the photographs. He continued down the line until he reached the end of the series. Finley joined him.

"They haven't said a word." Her brow knit together in worry.

"Wolf and Ana both like to mull things over."

"Their kids are adorable. I like your friends, Holden. You're lucky to be working with them."

"I'm nervous as hell," he admitted. "I've told you that I've got no experience in screenwriting. Wolf plans to make Homicide the first movie his production company releases. If it flops, the entire company might go bankrupt. That's a lot riding on my shoulders."

She placed her hand on his forearm and squeezed it. "That won't happen. You've written a crazy-good mystery. You'll know instinctively what needs to go into your script and what can be left out. I've seen two of Wolf's movies. You can trust him to bring your vision and the story to life. And Ana seems as if she'll run a tight ship."

Finley's hand fell away, turning as the other couple joined them.

Excitement lit the director's eyes. "As good as your portraits are, Finley, you have a career beyond them. You've captured the rugged charm of the place I love. The majesty. The stark beauty. The lushness. Holden was right. He told me that each of your photographs tells a story. That's a gift."

"I don't know much about art or photography," Ana said. "My gut tells me what I like." Beaming, she said, "I love your work, Finley. It moves me."

"Thank you so much," Finley said. "I'm humbled by the praise you're heaping on me. I'm truly a novice when it comes to shooting anything other than people, though. My subjects have always been people. I know— just as Holden as he writes his screenplay —that I'll be learning as I go along."

"You have talent," Wolf declared. "You photograph things from a place deep within you. It's innate." The director paused. "I want to offer you the chance to be WEBA's official photographer."

Startled, she asked, "What would that even involve, Wolf? I know next to nothing about the movie business."

"You'd need to be on set for some of the shoot," he explained. "I like various stills taken when I film a movie. Those would be used for publicity purposes. I'd also want you to work with me in designing the concept for the movie's poster. I think I would even like your input when I cut the trailer because you have a such a good eye."

"Wow," Finley said. "I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"I know you're teaching. I don't want to disrupt your job in any way. I'm hoping to begin filming this summer. June at the earliest. First of July at the latest. While Holden's writing the script, Ana and I will be scouting locations. We'll even start casting. Hopefully, we'll have a completed script by the beginning of April. You could join us on set once school lets out."

Determination filled Finley's face, and Holden knew what was coming.

"I'm going to throw caution to the wind and turn in my resignation. Holden has convinced me that I need to give photography a try full-time. If I don't, I'll regret not doing so." She brightened. "As to your offer, Wolf? Yes, I'll be available this summer— during the week only since I'm still committed to photographing events planned by my friend Harper on weekends. If you can agree to that, I would be thrilled for you to take a chance on me and make me your WEBA Productions' photographer."