She shook her head and reached into her purse. When her hand came back out, it was holding a small camera. “I want to get a picture of the three of you under the sign.” She opened the passenger door. “For my article. Is that your family’s brand?”
He stared at the image he’d seen his whole life—a W inside a star. “My great-great grandmother designed it.”
“What’s going on?” Craig asked, his gaze back on Mary.
“She wants a photo of the three of us under the sign,” he said. “For her article.”
“Sure thing,” Dillon said. “What do you say, Craig?”
“Whatever she wants is fine with me.”
Dan still couldn’t believe how serious Craig was acting. Craig was completely blown away by Mary.
He turned and took another look at her. She was peering through her camera, trying to get the best angle for her photo. Her vibrancy and passion for her story captivated him, too. And Dillon? Always serious Dillon? He seemed just as enthralled by her.
“Okay, can you all stand close together?” she asked. “That’s it. A little to the left. Perfect. Craig, could you hook your hand in one of your belt loops for me? Excellent.” She continued giving direction until they were in a position that satisfied her. “Don’t move. Smile.” She clicked a couple of photos. She moved them around in different positions, snapping pictures every
time. The last was of the three of them sitting on the fence. “Thank you so much.”
Craig put his arm around her. “Our pleasure, Mary.”
She smiled so sweetly.
“We better get to the house before Mom sends our dads to come look for us,” Dillon said, always the sensible one.
“I think we should give her a quick tour so she can see our three houses,” Dan said. “It will only take a few more minutes.”
“Not possible for my place,” Craig said. “The road is washed out.”
She detected a hint of disappointment in his voice.
Dan grabbed her hand. “I would love to show off my house.”
“Me, too,” Dillon said. “But wouldn’t it be better for your story, Mary, to get photos of Dan and me in front of the houses we built? It could be part of the article.”
“I’d like to see all three of your houses if I could. Even Craig’s.”
Craig smiled. “Where there’s a will there’s a way. I know how to get you there if you’re game.”
“I am game.”
“Excellent,” Dan said. “Each of us will show you our handiwork during our interviews.”
“I love that plan,” she said. “This story about your family is practically writing itself.”
“It’s settled then. You’ll see our houses during our interviews. Besides, I’m sure Mom is dying to show you her house and especially your room,” Dan said.
“We better get going then.” She got back in the car.
“You heard the lady,” Dillon said. “Let’s go.”
When they drove up to the house he’d grown up in, Dan loved seeing the look of awe on her face. “Was it what you expected?” he asked, knowing full well it wasn’t.
“This is more like a mansion than a ranch house,” she said. “So beautiful.”
“Our dads built it for Mom soon after they married.” One day he, Dillon, and Craig would build a new home for their bride. Was Mary that woman? They’d only just met and Craig thought so. And crazy as it might be, he prayed his brother was right.
* * * *