Or maybe Bo was just going easy on her since he knew she was dealing with some personal issues. That didn’t stop her from wandering the property and taking pictures of the men at work or the horses. Currently, her favorite shots were when it started snowing and she could capture the tiny ice crystals clinging to the horses’ hair or their manes.
She didn’t bother hiding her camera as much these days and she even took time to laugh at herself for being so nervous about people noticing. How had she managed to get so inside her own head that she believed people would make fun of her?
Later that evening, she pulled out the pictures she’d taken over the last year and she spread them out on the kitchen table. At first, her nerves came back in full force. And when her parents wandered in from watching a show together, she’d clammed up.
They still hadn’t seen her work and for some reason she was more concerned about what they thought than how she’d felt about her friends’ reactions.
Her mom gasped and drew closer. Her fingers touched the edge of the one she’d submitted to the competition, and she dragged it closer.
Hallie watched her, holding her breath as she waited for her mother to comment. She nearly jumped out of her skin when her dad reached for a different one at her side and picked it up.
“These are amazing, Hallie,” her mother murmured, drawing her attention back to her.
“You’ve got some talent, sunshine,” her father mused, using his nickname for her.
Ever since the blow up with Brent’s parents, Hallie had made herself scarce. It was her parents who had let on they knew about Aunt Heather’s secret. And they hadn’t been thrilled that she’d gone behind their backs, not to mention Heather’s, to spill those secrets to Brent. Hallie had felt like the pariah for the longest time. That drama had been yet another reason she’d wanted to help Jacob, even if it hadn’t been the main one.
Some part of her wondered if her aunt and her parents still held that fiasco against her but she didn’t dare bring it up.
She smiled weakly at her adoptive parents and ducked her head. “I’ve been practicing.”
“I’d say,” her father grunted, picking up another picture. “Have you considered doing something with photography? You’ve never indicated you had much interest in anything beyond the ranch and the rodeo.”
Her parents exchanged glances. Yep. They were fully aware of how things had turned out with Jacob, but they’d kept out of it. Maybe they’d felt the strange rift between the three of them, too.
Hallie cleared her throat. “I actually entered this one,” she pointed to the one her mother was still staring at, “in a competition for a magazine. They’re looking to offer a contract for a new photographer.”
Her mother sucked in an excited breath. “And did you win?”
There was no use trying to hide the smile that pulled at Hallie’s lips. “I’ll hear back in a few days. I’m a finalist.”
Suddenly, her mother’s arms were around her shoulders and she was squeezing her tight. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Hallie’s eyes bulged and she let out a little laugh. “Because I wasn’t sure I would even get this far.”
“But you could have said something when you made the finals. This is so exciting! I can’t believe we’re going to have a famous photographer in our family.”
She laughed again. “Mom, I’m far from being famous.”
“You’re famous to us,” her father insisted, pulling her up into a hug once her mother released her. “And if this is where you want to go with your life, I’m sure we can help you figure that out. I’ve got a friend?—”
Hallie held up both hands. “Whoa, okay, slow down. I’m just starting to get comfortable with people seeing my work. I’m not sure I’m ready to do anything big like that.”
Her father winked at her as he pulled her to arms’ length. “Well, when you’re ready, know your mother and I support you.”
There was nothing in the world like receiving her parents’ support. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed it since withdrawing from her family. But that realization came withanother one. She’d been okay to have this distance. She loved her parents. She loved everyone here at Sagebrush. But she wasn’t tied to them the same way.
Did that make her a bad person? That she had interests beyond staying here? She didn’t need or want to depend on her family. She simply wanted to know that she was supported and she could get that support from anywhere she was.
She nibbled on her lower lip. “If I win this competition, there’s a possibility that I’ll be traveling a lot.” Hallie could hear the nervousness in her own voice at the prospect of leaving her family behind. But only for their sakes.
“That sounds like quite the adventure,” her father murmured first.
Tears brimmed in her mother’s eyes. “And if that’s what you want to do, we’ll be cheering you on like we always have.”
Relief washed over Hallie as she threw herself into her parents’ arms and held them tight. They all seemed to be on the same page. She could follow a path she’d never considered before without the worry that her parents wouldn’t approve. Even if nothing came from the feelings she had for Jacob, she’d still be able to muster the courage to mark her own path and strike out on her own.
She’d show the world what Hallie Bronson was capable of.
