Broken Hero

Absolutely not, Lucy.

His voice had been hard.

The thought of my farmhands on that table? No.

I take another sip of my drink and try to stop the feeling of helplessness from welling up. It seems like everyone is determined to see my profession as something untoward, something dirty. But what Oliver had insinuated was wrong-and I knew it. I’d never given a happy ending in my life and I wasn’t about to start now.

I’ll make him see that, too. And if he didn’t trust me?

Well, that was his problem.

I nod to myself. You got this, Lucy. I’m not going to run from this place. I have family here, and I have friends. Sarah, and Mandy. Tim and Jack.

Oliver doesn’t have to like me. Hell, he doesn’t even have to trust me. He just has to let me do my job to the very best of my ability. All I need is to save enough money so I can afford the physical therapy classes, and then I can open up my own clinic. It is years away, sure, but the goal gives me something to work towards.

A future and a purpose.

I drum my fingers against the plastic tablecloth. I need to make some roots here, and I want to talk to someone. I shoot Mandy a quick text.

Her reply is nearly instant. Not a lot to do in reception today, it seems. I’m down!

Fantastic. I smile and slip out of the booth. Lucy Rhodes 2. 0 suffered a minor setback, yes, but she isn’t gone. I have a goal, I have a purpose, and it doesn’t matter if an attractive, brooding, charming ranch-owner doesn’t believe in me.

I believe in me.

“There’s really only one place in Claremont for drinks?”

“On a Thursday night? Yes.” Mandy smiles and slips her hand under my arm. “Don’t worry, though. If it’s boring, we can go back to my place and have a drink there. Watch TV, play some games…”

I glance down at my kitten heels, uncomfortable despite the barely-there heel. I’ve always been a sucker for comfort. “Ugh. Don’t tempt me.”

“You look great, by the way. Perfectly Claremont-evening appropriate.”

“Is that a specific style?”

“Oh, yes.” She pauses on the sidewalk and cocks her hip. “We’re modeling laidback chic, the autumn collection.”

I grin at her. “Milan and Paris better watch out.”

Her long hair is up in a ponytail and she’s wearing the cutest tunic dress. I know for a fact, though, that she has a camera in her crossbody bag. I’d found that she brought it everywhere. She said she never knew when the opportunity for a great picture might strike.

Mandy tugs lightly at a strand of my hair. “I’m glad we’re doing this.”

“Me too. Why haven’t we gone out earlier?”

“Right? Honestly, what’s our excuse?”

“Laziness,” I suggest.

“A lack of imagination?”

“It’s a good thing we’re working on our vices tonight.”

Mandy nods, pretending to be serious. “My mother would be so proud.”

The door to the Red Flag is wide open and the bartender nods hello as we enter. Mandy waves back, a smile on her face. Even if she’s fairly new to this place, it’s clear that she’s been here a lot longer than me.

“Let’s grab one of the tables in the back.”

We order a glass of wine each and sink into a booth. There are considerably more people here than I expected. A group of men cheer loudly at a sports game in the corner. An elderly couple in the booth next to us are sharing a platter of nachos, holding hands across the table.

“Is this where the town goes after Ricky’s is closed?”

Mandy takes a sip of her wine. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“It’s the great Claremont migration,” I muse. “From the bakery in the morning to the diner at lunch and finally to the pub in the evening.”

Mandy grins. “Thinking about shooting a nature documentary?”

“Yes, but I don’t have a fancy English accent for the narration.” I sigh, disappointed. “No awards for me.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“When’s the next yoga class?”

“On Saturday. Will you be there?”

“Absolutely. My body has gotten used to all those downward dogs now,” she says, pretending to stretch. “It’s become like a drug. I need my fix.”

I chuckle. “Working out is like that.”

“Do you still like your job up at the ranch?”

“God, yes. It’s almost a stupidly beautiful place to work, isn’t it?”

Mandy grins. “Yes. I bring my camera to work every day. Sometimes I’m there long before reception opens, just to photograph the sunrise. It’s unreal when it rises over the meadows.”

“Have you ever thought of working as a wedding photographer?”

“Oh, I’m not…. I couldn’t.” She shakes her head. “I don’t have any formal training.”

“So? There are a ton of weddings at the ranch this summer, and it would be a great chance to practice.”

“Well, as ideas go, it’s not terrible,” she says. “I’ll think about it.”

“Absolutely, and when you’re ready, go talk to Sarah. She’ll love it!”

Mandy laughs and touches her glass to mine. “Fine, boss, I will.”

It doesn’t take long until she asks me about our actual boss. I suspected she had an inkling about us-much like Sarah-and for the first time, I’m happy to talk about it. I want to.