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Ding dong.

Dana Carter stifled a moan and stood on her aching feet again. She’d just gotten home from work. As a dance teacher at the high school she was on her feet almost all day. She’d barely had time for them to rest and already the doorbell was ringing.

“Coming!” she called, wincing as she made her way to the door. She pulled it open and let out a squeal. “Christine! You’re back!”

Christine McLean grinned at her sister-in-law and let herself be enveloped in the hug Dana gave her. Leaning back, she studied her friend’s face. “You look exhausted, Dane. Did you just get back?”

Dana ran a weary hand through her dark hair and held the door open so Christine could enter. “Yeah. I’ve only been back for two weeks, but crazy me. I decided to start teaching the hard steps now instead of building up to it for my advanced classes.”

Christine sat in a kitchen chair. “Well, what are you doing standing then? Sit, sit.”

Dana slid into a chair across from her friend. “What are you doing home so soon? Didn’t you just leave a month and a half ago?”

“I did,” Christine began. She was a doctor who’d ended up working with Doctors Without Borders and habitually took off for some of the most obscure corners of the world. She loved her work, and the only bad part she could see in it was that she had to leave her husband and friends behind constantly. “But…something came up.”

“Christine?” The two women glanced towards the door where Dana’s husband, Nick, stood. “It is you! What’re you doing back so soon?”

Christine grinned. “Well, I missed your ugly face so much, Nicky! I just couldn’t go on without it.”

“Ha ha. But, seriously, it’s great you’re back so soon. Was everything okay in Tanzania?” he wondered as he kissed her cheek.

She patted his cheek. “It was fine, and you smell like dog.”

“Honey,” he smiled. “I’m a vet. I’m supposed to be around animals a lot, so of course I smell like dog. Dana doesn’t mind, do you, baby?”

Dana shook her head. “I’m not answering that one. Chrissy, why don’t you tell us what came up that made you come back before Christmas?”

Christine smiled. “You’re the first to hear the news because I need your help.” She took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant! And I need your help to plan a special night for Alex, so I can tell him in style.”

***

Kevin grabbed a rag, soaked it with turpentine, and rubbed it over his fingers. Taking several steps back, he studied the progress he’d made today. He’d woken up in the middle of the night with the inspiration shooting through his mind and hadn’t been able to let it go. Until now. He wasn’t quite sure of the time, but he knew it had to be afternoon. He hoped Kirby had gotten to school in one piece, which she probably had if Callie had had anything to do with it.

Deciding there was nothing more he could do with his work when the muses had abandoned him for the day, he tossed the rag on his stool and left his studio, dreaming about a shower. When the doorbell rang, he detoured towards the stairs, rolling the stiffness out of his shoulders.

A beam of sunshine hit his tired eyes when he opened the door, and he grinned. “Hey, Astra. What’s up?”

“Not much, Uncle Kevin.” She cocked her head, studying him with an eleven year old’s focus. “Were you painting today?”

Kevin looked down at his paint-splattered clothes. “Yeah, I was. I guess I lost track of the time, huh?” Poking his head out the door, he glanced around the quiet street full of modest homes. “Where’s Kirby?”

Astra tugged on her straight blond hair. “That’s why I had to come. Kirby said she tried to call you, but you didn’t pick up the phone. She said something about seeing a darkroom on Lincoln Avenue next to the flower shop. You have to pick her up from there at four.”

Kevin frowned. What was his thirteen-year-old daughter doing in a darkroom? And since when did Seven Falls have a darkroom? “Who is she at the darkroom with, Astra?”

“Miss Phillips. She’s the lady Dad hired to do all of our school portraits. She and her sister moved to town after Dad got her sister to come out here to build the memorial,” Astra explained.

“Oh.” Well, that explained that. “So, I’m guessing I should go make myself presentable enough to leave the house, huh?”

Astra giggled. “You smell, Uncle Kev.” At the shout from across the street, she sighed. “That’s Mama. I’ll see you later, Uncle Kevin.”

“Yeah, see you, kid.” Kevin watched her cross the street and lifted a hand to wave to Callie. “Thanks for taking care of Kirby!” he called to her. She smiled and nodded before disappearing into the house behind her daughter.

“Well, Kevin. Seems like you’d better go clean up before you scold your daughter on her lack of caution, huh?” he muttered to himself as he headed back towards the shower.

***

“The stopbath is next,” Reena explained as she placed the photograph into the basin full of chemical with a pair of tongs.

Kirby watched carefully, noting everything Reena did. She wanted to be a photographer when she grew up, but, the way things were going, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to achieve that dream. Now, though, having a darkroom nearby along with someone willing to teach her, Kirby could taste her dreams coming to fruition.

“So, the whole process of developing a picture doesn’t really take that long, does it?” she wondered.

Reena shook her head and smiled at the look of utter concentration on the young girl’s face. It was difficult to miss the focus in those green eyes, even in the red light of the room. “Nope. And it’s not as difficult as you thought, right?”

“Yeah. Is it more, I don’t know, fulfilling if you print them like this than just plugging into a computer and hitting print?”

“Of course,” Reena answered without hesitation. “This way always makes me feel more involved in the process. If you want, you can try it out.”

She’d love to. But “I think my dad’s going to be here soon. It’s four,” Kirby told her.

“Well, then, why don’t we go out front and wait for him,” Reena suggested.

When they entered the front shop area of Reena’s property, Kevin pushed open the door and, stepping in, spotted his daughter accompanied by a redhead with fly-away curls and sharp green eyes.

“Hey, Dad.” Kirby started towards him. “I guess Astra got through to you, huh?”

He kissed the tip of her nose out of habit. “She did, but you’re still in trouble, young lady.”

Kirby winced. “Okay. But, Dad, there’s this awesome darkroom here that Reena’s got. She just showed me how the print-making process works and all. It’s so cool!”

Kevin glanced up at Reena now. “Hello. I’m Kevin.” He held out a hand that Reena shook.

“Reena Phillips.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Reena. I hope my daughter didn’t take up too much of your time.”

Reena shook her head. “It was good having her here. I didn’t mind. Actually,” she glanced between father and daughter. “I was thinking, if Kirby’s really interested in the photography process, I can teach her. Give her lessons every day or every other day. With your consent, of course,” she added.

Kirby’s face lit up. “Dad! Oh my god! Please? Pretty please? I’ll do double chores and you can dock my allowance, but, please, let me do this?”

Kevin knew he’d never be able to turn his daughter down. Especially not when she was pleading with him like this. “Thank you, Reena. I’ll talk it over with Kirby on how she can fit this into her schedule and get back to you.”

“Great!” Reena smiled. “I have to ask you something, though. You wouldn’t happen to be the Kevin Richardson whose paintings are hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, are you?”

He smiled now. “Actually, that would be me. There’s only three of them, though, so I’m surprised you even knew they were there.”

“Oh, wow. No, I saw your painting of a set of seven waterfalls and fell in love. I even bought the print of it from the gift shop. It’s incredible! In fact,” Reena continued, “if you autographed it for me, you wouldn’t owe me anything for Kirby’s lessons.”

His grin was stretched so wide he was sure it would split his face. “Well, wow. That’s certainly an ego-booster. I’ll sign it, but I can’t let you teach my daughter for no payment.”

Reena opened her mouth to wave it off, but the shop door opened, and Gwen hurried in, her face red.

“Reena! You are not going to believe the horrible afternoon I spent today!” Gwen snarled as she tried to wrap her dark curls into a bun and failed as the band she was using broke. “Jesus! Won’t anything go right today?!” Spotting Kevin and Kirby, she blushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone else was here. Just ignore the screaming fool,” she murmured.

Reena rolled her eyes. “Gwen, it’s okay. Gwen’s my older sister,” she explained to Kevin and Kirby. “Gwen, this is Kevin Richardson and his daughter, Kirby. I’m going to be teaching Kirby about photography. And Kevin happens to be”

“You weren’t picking up at your home or your cell phones!” Gwen realized who Kevin was. “Howie Dorough tried reaching you for an hour before he decided you were probably ‘in the zone’. Whatever that means.” She blushed even more furiously at her outburst. She wasn’t this used to getting angry with strangers and here she’d done it twice in one day. This time, it was to a man more gorgeous than should be allowed, she thought, feeling the heat in her face.

Kevin was fascinated by the brunette with the spitfire temper and sparking brown eyes. She’d managed to be angry with him, then gracefully blush, too. Under the shield he’d put up against feeling any sort of attraction to the opposite sex after his wife’s death years before, he felt the first glimmers of temptation.

“Um. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Howie was trying to get in touch with me. I paint, and, some days, I get so involved that I don’t notice anything going on around me,” he explained, apologetic. “It’s nice to meet you, Gwen. I’m hoping you’ll tell me why Howie was trying to contact me, though.”

Embarrassed, she avoided meeting his gaze. Those eyes of his, she thought, should be made illegal in this state. “Uh, yeah. I’m actually trying to come up with ideas for the memorial to the Seven Falls legend, but I’ve never actually been up to the falls. Howie thought you’d be the best person to take me up there to see it. You, too,” she said, turning to Reena.

“Me?”

Gwen nodded. “He wants professional pictures of the falls, too. He thought, if Kevin wasn’t busy, he could take the two of us up to see the falls. Are you busy today?” she asked Kevin.

He glanced at his watch. “I could drop Kirby off at the Doroughs, then take you both up there, right now. If you want.”

“That’s fine,” Gwen agreed, but Reena shook her head.

“Sorry, I can’t. I have an order that needs to be finished for a customer by seven. I doubt you’ll still be up there then,” she added. “I could just go up some other time.”

“Uncle Bri could take you,” Kirby offered. “The falls are his special place, just like they’re special for Dad. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking you up there after his radio show, tonight. Right, Dad?”

Kevin mulled it over. “Yeah, I can talk to Brian about it. He’s my cousin,” he explained. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking you up around sunset. You could get some really great sunset shots of the place. Besides, the idea of the memorial was Brian’s idea to begin with, so you can’t go wrong with him.”

“Wait. Are you talking about Brian Littrell?” Gwen asked. At Kevin’s nod, she continued. “The man is so confusing! I met him, and he annoyed the hell out of me. At first. Then, his annoyingness disappears, and he turns into a nice guy! I couldn’t even be mad at him for long.”

“Yeah, that’s Uncle Brian,” Kirby told her. “It’s hard to be mad at him because he’s just too sweet and funny about everything. He has a hard time not being goofy.”

“So, he’ll take me up there for the photographs?” Reena asked.

Kevin nodded. “I’ll call him, but it shouldn’t be a problem. Meanwhile, Gwen, if you want to hop in my car, I can take you up there. I just need to drop Kirby at home first.”

In a car? With a man who looked like he could tempt you more easily than the Devil? Gwen swallowed. “Sounds great.”