LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter One

      Drew Martinelli walked backward up the steps of the ranch house to the porch while keeping her camcorder focused on the couple strolling toward her hand in hand. Cade and Lexi’s wedding was four days away and they’d hired Drew to create a video illustrating their love for each other, their appreciation of Thunder Mountain Ranch and their gratitude to both sets of parents. They planned to give a copy to the two couples at the rehearsal dinner as a surprise.

      Because they’d wanted to shoot it at the ranch Cade grew up on, they’d had to get his foster parents, Rosie and Herb, to leave for the afternoon. They’d sent them to town on a somewhat bogus errand to pick up more decorations for the wedding. Drew knew Rosie and Herb pretty well by now. She doubted they believed the decorations were necessary but they’d played along, probably realizing something secret was going on.

      Drew had begun the video down at the barn with Lexi and Cade tossing hay at each other. Next she’d followed them out to the pasture where they’d played tag with their horses, Hematite and Serendipity. She’d shot footage in the cabin where Cade had lived with two of his foster brothers as a teenager.

      Then she’d walked with Cade and Lexi to their own recently constructed cabin and recorded Cade fixing lasagna. Cade’s ability to cook must be a big deal because the two teased each other unmercifully during the process. Drew had struggled to keep from laughing, which would have been picked up on the mic.

      A last shot on the ranch house porch would be the finale. Drew turned slowly to keep them in the frame as they climbed the steps. Cade sat in one of the roomy Adirondack chairs lining the porch and Lexi nestled on his lap.

      As they’d planned, Drew crouched down and zoomed in on Lexi’s face. Bits of hay stuck in her brown curls and her cheeks were flushed. Drew had a hunch Lexi’s parents would totally lose it when they saw the joy and happiness in their daughter’s eyes. Even Drew was a little choked up.

      Lexi’s warm smile completed the image. “Thank you, Mom and Dad, for always supporting me in everything I ever wanted to do and for welcoming the man I’ve chosen to share my life with. I love you both so much.”

      Drew’s throat tightened. She didn’t often become emotionally invested in her video subjects, but Lexi and Cade had become friends as well as clients. She slowly panned over to Cade. Wow. The big cowboy was clearly moved. That level of intensity wasn’t common in the men she’d photographed.

      He cleared his throat. “Mom and Dad, you took me in when I had nowhere else to go.” He cleared his throat a second time. “There’s not enough thanks in the world for that. Because of you I became a man worthy of this wonderful woman. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

      Blinking back tears, Drew widened her camera’s focus to include Cade and Lexi as they turned to each other and leaned in for a sweet, lingering kiss. Then she switched off the camera, reached for the tissue in her pocket and blew her nose.

      When she looked up, Cade and Lexi were watching her in obvious bemusement.

      “You got me.” She tucked the tissue back in her pocket and stood. “That’s one of the most touching scenes I’ve ever shot. Your folks are gonna turn into faucets when they see this.”

      “That’s the idea.” Lexi slid off Cade’s lap.

      “Yep.” Cade got up and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know about anybody else, but I could use a beer.”

      “Me, too.” Lexi glanced at Drew. “Do you have time?”

      “Sure, but what if Rosie and Herb come back and catch me here?”

      “We’ll say that you and I had more details to iron out regarding the wedding video.”

      “Okay, that works. Let me put my stuff in my truck.”

      “Oh, and you can meet Austin,” Lexi said. “He’s probably still working on the kitchen sink that got clogged while we were cleaning up after lunch. Thank God Austin was here or Herb would have stayed home to fix it and our plan would have been wrecked.”

      Cade laughed. “And we all know Herb would never have left me to do it.”

      “We do?” Drew looked at him. “Why not?”

      “Sorry, Drew. I keep forgetting you haven’t been around forever.” Lexi slid her arm around Cade’s waist. “My husband-to-be has many talents but he’s so not a handyman.”

      Cade shrugged as if he’d accepted that minor flaw long ago. “I didn’t get that gene. Austin, though, he’s good with tools.”

      “Is he the brother who just flew in from New Zealand?”

      “Two days ago. Austin Teague. Nice guy.” Lexi waved Drew toward her truck. “Get rid of your stuff. Your beer will be waiting for you in the kitchen.”

      This Austin person would be in the kitchen, too, apparently. Drew was eager to talk with someone who’d been halfway around the world, especially when he’d lived in a place she’d love to video someday.

      She stashed her equipment in her truck and headed back to the house. She’d looked forward to meeting Austin ever since Rosie had mentioned him during a discussion of the wedding setup. They’d needed a head count of the foster brothers who’d be participating in the wedding.

      Over the years Rosie and Herb Padgett had taken in quite a few boys, who at different times in their lives had ended up at Thunder Mountain Ranch. Cade had been one of their first foster boys, and it seemed that the whole family was excited about his wedding.

      The ceremony would be held in the barn, a trendy wedding venue choice these days. But this ceremony would be unique in that the horses would remain in their stalls. Cade and Lexi were very much into horses and they loved the idea that the ranch’s equine population would attend the wedding. This way Cade’s cat, Ringo, could even be there if he chose.

      Human guests would be seated on benches facing the barn’s wide front door, which would be open. Instead of an arbor placed in the open doorway as a backdrop, the foster brothers in attendance would stand in a semicircle behind the minister.

      Not all of Cade’s foster brothers could make it to the wedding, but at last count at least nine would be standing in that group. Drew couldn’t wait to film this ceremony, which promised to be more visually interesting than most.

      She walked into the ranch house without knocking. People didn’t stand on ceremony at Thunder Mountain, and while the living room was comfy and inviting, the large kitchen with its sturdy oak table was the heart of the house. She found Cade and Lexi sitting there, each with a bottle of beer. Two other open bottles were on the table along with a large bowl of chips.

      Drew figured one beer was for her and the other must be for the man who was half-hidden under the kitchen sink. All she could see were scuffed boots, wear-softened jeans, a silver belt buckle with a kiwi bird etched on it, and a small section of skin that told her he was shirtless.

      “Hey, Drew,” Cade said. “That would be Junior’s legs sticking out from under the sink over there. He says he’ll be done in thirty seconds, tops.”

      She frowned. “Junior?”

      “The name’s Austin, ma’am.” He wiggled partway out from under the sink, wiped his hand on his jeans and thrust it toward her. “Pleased to meet you.”

      “Hi, there.” She walked over, leaned down and shook his outstretched hand. She tried not to stare, but oh...my...God. She had the urge to race back to her truck

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