"Oh my gosh, that's a lot of pickup trucks." It seemed every time Callie blinked, there were more parked out in front of Ford's parents’ home.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. The whole damn family wanted to meet you officially. You want some kind of safe word or something? If you say something like I want to go ride a horse, then I'll know you want me to get you the hell out of the fray."
"I will eventually learn to ride a horse if you promise I won't land on the ground, and you'll teach me."
Ford brushed a kiss on her cheek. "You don't have to learn to ride, baby. I was being serious. We need a safe word."
"Those are for sex." Callie giggled.
"Have I ever done anything in bed with you that you wanted to put a stop to? Because all you have to do is tell me to quit and I will."
"Never, and I don't need any kind of safe word for this either." She eyed the trucks again. "I don't think."
"They're all relatively harmless. Mama loves to cook, and she wants to get to know you better."
"The biscuits she made yesterday were outstanding. Do you think she'd teach me how cook like that?"
"Trust me, nothing would make her happier." He opened the truck door. "Let's get this over with."
Half of Callie was excited. The other half was mildly terrified. She'd never be able to remember all of their names. What if they didn't like her?
She stayed tucked close to Ford as he opened the screen door.
"Knock the shit off'a your boots before you come in my kitchen," Sara Holder called.
"I swear that's been her battle cry since I was four." Ford took care to wipe his relatively clean boots off outside.
Callie nodded. "I can't really blame her."
Ford introduced her to the two uncles she hadn't yet met, Wyn and Landon, and an aunt she didn't even know existed named Betsy. Then there was the slew of cousins and his baby sister. She tried her best to remember the cousins’ names, but knew it was hopeless.
Thrill lit through her when she spied a collage of framed photographs up the stairwell that she'd missed when she'd been there before. "Is that you?" She pointed to a very young Ford missing both of his front teeth and holding up a blue ribbon.
Ford squeezed his eyes shut and cringed. "Yeah, that's me."
"Oh my gosh. You're adorable."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"What did you win the ribbon for?"
"Calf roping at a ranch rodeo. I got lucky that year. Wyatt's the competition roper in the family." He gestured to another cousin who lifted his hat to Callie. “And Jace rides broncs in the PRCA.”
She slowly climbed the stairs and studied every single photograph until one hit her like a brick in the face. A panicked Ford was standing outside the Holder County courthouse with a red head on his arm dressed in a white gown.
Ford gripped the wedding photo in an effort to remove it from the display, but Callie caught his hand. "Don't," she whispered. "Try not to hate the things that turned you into the man you are."
"Why?" he grunted.
"Because I'm pretty sure I love the man you are."
Astonishment shimmered in his eyes. "Does that mean...?" He wrapped her up in his arms. "I love you too, baby. So damn much."
"Are we sure?" she couldn't help but ask.
"I know I am. Are you still waiting on a sign?"
"Not about loving you. I know I love you. I just need the universe to okay this, you know? Holder County is an awfully long way from New York." Callie wondered what more she needed to know. Maybe she really was a flighty as her mother.
Ford was such a good man. He loved her, and she loved him. What more did she need? She kept those thoughts to herself. She just needed a sign. Surely something major would happen and then she'd be sure that she was right where she was supposed to be. Nina Morales would decline her application and portfolio, or some other thing would happen to let her know that in Ford's strong arms was right where she was meant to stay.
Relief at the certainty that she knew what the future would hold washed over her. She just needed a sign.
Ford positioned himself beside her at the table full of his cousins and a few of his siblings.
Callie loved how protective he was of her, even though his family all seemed so great. They'd been nothing but welcoming, but she could feel the slight hesitation in the room surrounding her. Callie wondered if that's because she was somewhat of an outsider, or if they were worried she was going to hurt Ford. Wondering how to prove herself, she waited until everyone was seated and started eating to make sure she followed all of the manners her grandmother had instilled in her.
Ford's mother joined them at the table, and Callie offered her a kind grin. "This all looks delicious, Mrs. Holder."
"Thank you, honey. I didn't make half of it. That's the beauty of having such a big family. If everybody brings something, we have enough food for this ranch and the one next door. But eat up and tell me about the pictures you've been taking of the ranch. I'd love to see them."
"Really?" Shock resonated through Callie's question.
"Of course. Ford can't stop talking about how talented you are," Sara reassured her.
Callie promptly turned ten different shades of pink. Ford loved her in every color. "It's just people don't really ask to see stuff that I took on my own. I mean, other than Ford, but I'd love to show them to you. I got some great shots of Ford taking care of the sick calf yesterday. You can see how worried he is and how much better the calf felt when he was there." The way she beamed up at him kind of made him want to see about getting fitted for some kind of superhero cape. Yeah, he could definitely get used to that.
Jamie rolled his eyes. Their mother shot a glare at Jamie that had him trying to hide his next eye roll.
Then she went on and soothed the moment as she always did. "Well, I may be a little biased, but I do happen to think all of my youngins are photogenic. Barrett and I tried to make the good-looking kind," she teased.
Callie's laughter eased Ford's momentary irritation with his brother.
But Jamie studied her. "How long have you been a photographer?"
"Pretty much ever since I could hold a camera. My grandfather gave me an old Polaroid when I was like five, and I've always wanted to have a camera in my hands since then. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I sold my first image to my grandmother when I was eight. I spent all of the money on bubble gum, but it was the best gum I’d ever tasted." She wrinkled her nose and tucked closer to him. Ford found himself forgiving her nana for her judgmental comments. Callie just made him a better person. That was all there was to it.
"Do you do weddings and stuff like that?" Meridian, one of the few Holder female cousins, asked in a kinder tone than Jamie's.
"I've done lots of weddings, but I think I prefer more natural times in people's lives." A harsh swallow tensed her delicate neck, and she lowered her head. Ford set his fork on the side of his plate wondering what she was about to confess to his family. "My first formal training was with a photographer out in LA who specialized in maternity and boudoir shots. They're so sensual. I loved it. I love connecting women to their natural beauty. You don't have to be all made up in a wedding gown to be beautiful. It just feels more real, don't you think?" Then Callie's eyes widened with panic. "You don't have to answer that. I'm always asking weird things. Sorry."
Meridian, a prosecuting attorney by trade, looked perplexed. "I make my living asking tough questions, so no apologies. I get what you're saying. It's more about the life than the day of the wedding kind of thing. That's a cool philosophy. What made you stop working with that photographer?"
"She went out to the Serengeti to capture images of pregnancy and birth from her homeland. She lives in South Africa now. The images she posts online are breathtaking. Plus, she told me I was ready to go out on my own."
Ford sat up and took notice at that declaration. "I agree with her."
Callie shook her head. "I'm definitely not. You should see the shots Apio gets. I'm not even close to that good. I went back to pictures I hate taking after she left."
"Bullshit," he countered.
"Ford, mind your language at my table," his mama didn't even look up from her mashed potatoes to correct him. Callie shot him a mischievous grin at his scolding.
"I call 'em like I see 'em. You're an amazing photographer. You don't need more training. You need more trust in yourself and your skills."
Meridian decided to help him out. There was a reason she was one of his favorite cousins. "If I wanted to have boudoir shots done, could you do them at my house or do you need some kind of studio?"
Callie's fork clanged on her plate when it slipped from her grasp. "Is that a hypothetical question, or are you really interested?"
"I'm really interested. I think it'd be fun."
Sara Holder chuckled to herself. "I wouldn't let your daddy know you're doing that."
Meridian smirked. "Oh come on, Aunt Sara, sometimes it's fun to make that vein in Daddy's neck stand out. I've done nothing but work lately. I deserve some fun."
"Well, I do like what Callie said about connecting women to their beauty. That's a calling, and you ought to answer the phone when it's ringing."
"Thank you," Callie sounded flattered, "I can take them at your house or out on the ranch if there's somewhere private. I can make anywhere work. I already have a ton of backgrounds in mind for when I eventually open my studio, but that's a long, long way away."
"Why?" Ford demanded.
She turned to stare at him like he was shoving the mashed potatoes in his ears or something. "I still have a lot of training to do. There's so much I haven't learned. I have to know everything before I start. Besides, I don't have the upfront money or a location."
"Why not do it in town? There's four or five vacant buildings near the square."
Now, Jamie looked at him like he clearly didn't have anything under his cowboy hat but hair. "Do you really think the commissioner is gonna let her open up a studio taking pictures like that in Holder County?"
Callie defended the idea, but Ford knew it was in defense of him and not herself. "I wouldn't actually put that on the door or anything, but I still can't open a studio here." She turned back to Ford. "I don't have enough experience. I love that you think I'm that talented, though. That's so sweet."
"I don't think it. I know it," he vowed.
Every female seated at the table all shook their heads at him at the same time. He offered them a collective eye roll. Fine, he'd shut up about it for now, but come hell or high water, he was going to convince Callie that she was good enough to stand on her own two feet. He'd just really love to be the guy holding her hand while she did it.