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He knew now how grossly he’d underestimated the woman who’d fallen for his oldest brother. It had taken their mother to gently explain to him why he’d reacted that way, that Sydney represented change, for all of them. Cleverly, she’d put it in the terms of an operating system on one of his computers, saying change was going to happen whether he liked it or not, and if he resisted, he’d just get left behind.
Not all change is bad, bro.
Keller’s own wise words echoed in his mind. He couldn’t deny them, especially now that he saw responsible Keller as happy as he deserved to be, haunted Chance stepping back into the light, and wildfire Rylan channeled and steady.
The warning chime went off on the timer, snapping him out of the uncharacteristic reverie. Not that he didn’t get lost in his thoughts—he did that all the time. It’s just that they weren’t usually about personal things.
He double-checked where the drone was, gauged the sky, and decided he needed one more second before he made the big turn. He’d worked that into his plan if necessary and sent the drone on a small loop toward the oak that grew just before the outcropping; there were enough blooms to make it reasonable, and in fact, now that he thought about it, it might be more impactful to see the smaller patch before…he zeroed in, concentrating fully now, counting down in his head as the timer ticked. Not too fast, he chanted to himself. Nice, slow sweep.
Three…two…one…now!
He nudged the control, starting the arc. Counted the seconds as the scene in his hands segued from near black to the deep blue that blended the distant, flower-covered hills with the horizon. Then the seconds as the sky got lighter, hinting at what was to come.
And then it happened. The rim of the sun appeared. It poured golden light over the horizon. And in that moment, it seemed as if there had been a true eruption, with massive rivers of blue blossoms pouring over the hills, pools of them gathering in the hollows between. It looked endless, unfathomable.
He flew the drone on and on, careful to be at the exact place he’d chosen before sending it on another slow, arcing turn. This time it was to the right, and when the course was set and straight, the buildings of Last Stand were visible in the distance. Making sure the bluebonnets were on screen all the way, he sent the drone along the road—that had been the permission required part—until it reached the city limits marker, the big stone with the name Last Stand carved into it. And then he sent the drone upward for its final bow, an in place, three-sixty-degree turn that showed the fields of blue stretching out around the entire town.
He gave it as long as he could and leave it enough juice to get at least back on Rafferty land. That extra loop, and the extended hover had eaten it down to the bone. The bane of his existence, the limitations of distance while maintaining silence. But the sound of a fueled motor would have been more work to remove from the result than it was worth.
“Mom? Looks like there’s just enough to get over the line. I’ll have to land it out in the west quadrant. Could you text Chance—no, Ariel, since she’s more likely to have her phone on her—and let them know it’s incoming?”
“Of course. And bless Ariel for that,” she added as she pulled out her own phone.
He brought it down gently, marked the coordinates, and took his first full, deep breath since he’d started. He made sure the video was saved properly, already thinking ahead to the download and big-screen viewing. He was almost positive he had it, just like Mom had wanted. And that had him smiling.
And he was still smiling when Trey snorted and gave a head shake that rattled his bridle. Cody spun around, wondering if some dangerous creature had snuck up on them while he was so engrossed.
One had.
Roth.
Chapter Fifteen
Britt hesitated, but Maggie Rafferty waved her over. Cody was still gaping at her as if she’d risen up out of the earth. Just to be safe, and perhaps head off an attack from him, she slid off Nugget a good twenty yards away, ground-tying the cooperative gelding.
She wasn’t even sure why she was here. Wasn’t sure why, when the sun was well and truly risen, she’d gotten this wild hair to ride over and see how it had gone. She’d told herself she was merely curious. But she’d find out when the final promo for the festival went live. She’d told herself it was to make sure it was done and one of those infernal devices wouldn’t be buzzing the boundary the rest of the day. But she could have accomplished that with a phone call to Maggie.
Maggie. Maybe that was it. That at least made sense. Yes, it had to be because Maggie was going to be there. The Bluebonnet Festival was her baby; she was deeply involved. And Britt liked and respected Maggie, a lot. Even if she had birthed her nemesis.
She walked up the rise toward where they were standing. Cody had turned away, the control for his infernal device still in his hands. He didn’t quite turn his back on her, but close.
“—nice of her to be so careful, don’t you think?” Maggie was saying cheerfully as she approached. Cody grunted something typically male and utterly noncommittal.
Maggie turned to look at her, giving her a big smile. “I think it’s going to be wonderful,” she said. “Just perfect.”
“It’s a beautiful spot for it,” Britt said.
She’d had a feeling, since his text had narrowed it to the northwest boundary, that this particular spot would be where they were. This spot that was preserved in full, brilliant color on their living room wall.
“Cody had it planned out perfectly,” Maggie said. “He timed it exactly to hit this spot with the sunrise, and with the blue of the sky and the flowers…well, I can’t describe the result, but it’s magnificent.”
Britt couldn’t help but notice that, even though he didn’t look over, appearing fixated on the device in his hands, Cody smiled at that. So, he was pleased with the results. Or his mother’s praise. Or both.
“So your promo video for the festival will be set?” she asked Maggie.
“Yes. And if it’s as wonderful as I think it is, we’ll be using it every year for a long time.”
“Hey,” Cody said with a sideways look at his mother, “if you’re going to use it every year, the price is going up.”
