Adam wasn’t sure what had rattled Rachel, but she’d acted like a snake was going to bite her when he’d pulled off the road. She’d nearly dropped her camera trying to get out of the cab. He had no idea what was wrong with her. Women were a mystery. Maybe he should bring up a subject to talk about, so he didn’t seem so scary to her. But what?

Ah, Beau’s project might be just the thing. “So, has Beau talked to you about taking some pictures for his presentation?”

She startled and then nodded. “He has, but he’s not sure when he’ll be able to take me out to find each of the heifers and their calves. With the wedding in two months, Alyssa and I are going to be crazy trying to get everything planned.”

It was just a wedding, what was the big deal? A dress, some cake, some food and invitations. Seemed pretty straight forward to him. He knew they were planning to have the ceremony at their church and they could always use the Grange Hall for the reception if they wanted. He wasn’t about to make light of the whole thing though because he didn’t want to downplay the work involved.

He nodded. “You can always stay a few days after the wedding furor dies down, one of us can help you find the right livestock. In fact, some photographic documentation of the herd might be a good idea. Not sure if we would want all the animals photographed, but some of the ones we might want to show would be good, or any of the young bulls we might want to sell. I imagine our website could use some new pictures also. It’s been a while since it was updated. It might be a couple of week’s work. We would be happy to pay you for your time and expertise.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ve been toying with the idea of going to art school, but I haven’t really decided yet.”

“Where are you thinking about attending?”

“There are several Art Institutes, Seattle, Denver, then there are a couple of great schools in California, New York and Florida. I’m not sure I want to get as far away from home as New York or Florida. I’ve put in a couple of applications, so we’ll see what happens.”

“So, are you looking at a bachelor’s degree or masters?”

“I don’t know for sure. I’ve taken a lot of online classes and learned a lot. But Alyssa insists that a hands-on full-time college is best.”

“The two are very different experiences, but I don’t know that one is actually better than the other. It’s more what options will best fit into your life style. I went away to college for my business degree and then took online courses to continue my education.”

She laughed, and the sound shivered through him. “I’ve done just the opposite, started online, and may finish up going away.”

He followed Beau into Estes Park and the parking lot where all the elk gathered. He was certain she would want pictures. There were hundreds of Elk that hung out in Estes Park, sometimes they were a nuisance. It was such a large herd that everyone was always floored by them.

“Wow, look at all the elk. Are we stopping so I can photograph them?”

“I can’t imagine any other reason to be stopping here, have fun, but don’t get too close. They might hang out in town, but they are still wild animals.”

She frowned at him.

“No, I don’t think you’re an idiot, but people try it every year. Sometimes total idiots try to put a child up on one of their backs for a photo.”

“You’re joking, that’s ridiculous. And dangerous.” She shuddered.

“I wish I was joking. Come on, I could use a stretch of my legs.”

“Oh, in that case can you grab the tripod, and the green bag with the extra lenses?”

“Yes, ma’am, whatever you say, ma’am.”

She got out of the cab laughing, as Alyssa came over to her. He shivered and got her equipment out of the back seat and heard Beau walk up.

“Gonna tote and carry again for the little miss?” Beau asked.

“Somebody’s gotta.”

“I suppose. Do you think they’ll be long?” Beau asked. “I was thinking we could grab an early dinner here in town and then we wouldn’t be starving if it takes us all night driving through the park.”

“Sounds like an excellent idea.”

* * *

Rachel and Alyssa headed toward the animals, they weren’t going to get too close. But it was amazing to see so many wild animals just standing in a field, practically in the middle of town.

Alyssa joined her arm with Rachel as they had done for years and years. God, she was going to miss her friend when she left Colorado.

Alyssa said quietly. “So, you were laughing when you got out of the truck. Are you doing okay with Adam? I know he can be unfriendly.”

Rachel glanced over her shoulder and noticed the guys were back a few yards. “Actually, it’s going much better than I envisioned. We’ve had a companionable drive. He said to let him know if I want to stop somewhere for pictures. But you’ve already set that precedence.”

Alyssa laughed. “I’ve been trying to anticipate you.”

“Well, it’s working fine.” They stopped at a place that would give her a good view of the animals, but was a safe distance away.

Adam and Beau joined them.

She took the tripod from Adam’s hand and set it up, swapped out her wide-angle lens for the telephoto and mounted it. There was a small elk family off to one side the bull, cow and calf. She quickly snapped pictures of the family group since that sight was not a norm for elk, who primarily stay in single sex herds, so it was a treat not to be missed. Not much about this giant herd was consistent with typical behavior however. There were a number of very pregnant cows moving slowly and Rachel wondered how soon they would deliver.

When she had plenty of pictures of elk, they loaded into the trucks and went in search of food, they decided on barbeque. The restaurant wasn’t quite in town, but it was on one of the access roads to the national park. Since it was a little early for dinner they didn’t have the wait they normally would.

When they were seated at the table they looked over the menu. Rachel asked the guys, “What’s good?”

Beau said, “Pretty much everything is delicious.”

Adam nodded. “But they are kind of famous for their pulled pork sandwiches.”

“Perfect, I love pulled pork.” Rachel snapped her menu closed and set it on the table. She hated trying to decide what to order at a new restaurant.

Alyssa gasped. “Oh my God, did you see the appetizers? I want one of each they sound delicious. Oh, wait they have a combo that has them all, we have to get that. Please, pretty please.”

Beau laughed. “Of course, we can order it. Are you going to have anything else?”

Alyssa nodded. “I should order a salad. But that trout sounds too good. I have to try it.”

“We’re going to end up taking a lot of left overs with us. They have generous portions,” Adam said.

“Oh, goody, car snacks.” Alyssa smacked her lips.

Beau laughed and Adam groaned. Rachel rolled her eyes, she never could figure out where Alyssa put all the food. She’d known her since they were kids and Alyssa always packed it away while most people ate about half the amount.