Page 44 of Sunny Skies Ahead
I nodded. “There’s one just past the barn, actually.”
“Let’s go then, cowboy.”
She really needed to stop calling me that, or I was going to be ruined forever.
Imogen was looking around with her camera in her hands, taking in the full effect of Winding Road in the daytime as we headed towards the barn. The venue had been mostly quiet since Abbie and Connor’s wedding, save for a baby shower a few weeks ago. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about the barn becoming a money pit. So much of Connor’s inheritance had gone into the renovations, and the last thing I wanted to do was shirk his gift by making a bad judgement call about the viability of the venue.
Imogen had faith that once we started advertising the space was open for booking, we’d see an increase in overall income. I could only hope she was right.
Believing in Imogen’s vision for Winding Road’s social media was how I ended up leaning against a tree with one arm above my head, looking forlornly into the distance.
“No one wants to see me like this,” I countered, and Imogen shook her head fiercely.
“I promise you, Kam, people want to look.”
I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Imogen waved me back into position, her face never leaving the viewfinder of her camera.
“Okay, now cross your arms over your chest and look towards me.”
“You better promise me that you’ll make Connor and Lucas take headshots like this.”
“Quit your grumbling and smile.”
“So now I’m smiling instead of doing the grumpy vet thing?”
Imogen sighed and held her camera in her right hand, putting her other hand on her hip.
“You are a grumpy vet. All three of you are,” Imogen said. “It’s part of your appeal. You just happen to hide it better than the other two. I also know you want to do everything you can to make Winding Road a smashing success, so put on your big boy pants and smile for the damn camera.”
“Aye ma’am,” I muttered, but did as she said. Imogen let out a surprised noise when I stuck my hands in my pockets and smiled.
“Why weren’t you doing that the whole time?” Imogen exclaimed, flipping through the pictures. “You look so good here.”
“Aw thanks Im,” I said, puffing my chest out. Imogen shoulder checked my playfully, but I swore I caught a faint blush dotting her cheeks.
“You know what I meant,” Imogen said.
I was about to ask her to clarify what exactly she meant when Imogen jumped back.
“Shit!” Imogen shouted, jumping out from the tree line right as a fuzzy white creature shot from the trees, darting across the road. I instinctively moved in front of her, holding my arm out defensively.
“Did you see that?” Imogen panted, looking around frantically.
“What?” I asked, my heart rate increasing.
“The dog!” Imogen waved frantically towards the dirt path. “It was this scrawny white dog. He ran across the trail right in front of me.”
“Oh Jesus,” I said, following Imogen down the trail, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of the animal. Less than a minute later, the dog came from the tree line again, this time approaching us slowly, cautiously, limping slightly on his right side.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Imogen said as she took a step closer. I swallowed down my anxiety about her approaching a random dog we found in the woods. There’s no telling what kind of disease or pests might be on him.
“Your paw is red,” Imogen said with a frown, kneeling down to take the dog’s paw in her hands.
I pressed my lips together. “Does he have a collar?”
Imogen shook her head. “It doesn’t look like it. Maybe he lost it.”
To my complete and utter dismay, Imogen picked the dog up and turned towards me. The dog didn’t so much as nip or growl at Imogen, but he was looking at me with malice in his eyes.
