A Photo Finish

Cole laments his decision to move to Gold Rush Ranch, comparing his “deep spark of revulsion” for the place to the instinct that helped him survive his military deployment to Iraq (8). He’s compelled to move to the ranch, however, due to a professional promise he made to the board of directors at the family’s other company, Gold Rush Resources: He promised to live in Ruby Creek until he turned a recently acquired business in the adjoining town profitable. Cole, who treasures his privacy, fears he won’t have any while living on the ranch with Vaughn and Billie, who are now engaged to be married. What he dreads most, however, is seeing Violet, whom he has avoided for a year after referring to their shared past.

When Cole pauses to practice the deep breathing that his therapist recommended, Billie interrupts him, teasing him about being old and needing breaks, much to Cole’s annoyance. Cole meets with Vaughn, who prods Cole about Violet, but Cole hides his reaction. Vaughn leads Cole to their late grandparents’ home, which Billie has updated. Cole, however, is reminded of their late father. When Vaughn tentatively asks Cole to spend time with him, Cole brushes him off, uncertain how to discuss the shared grief of their past with his brother. Alone, Cole takes a call from Trixie Bentham, his therapist. She, too, encourages him to speak about Violet.

Violet decides, despite her nerves, to post a topless photograph on an online forum. By doing so, she wishes to feel less sheltered and to gain appreciation for her body. She hides her identity by concealing her face and using the handle “Pretty_in_Purple.”

In the narrative present, Violet packs her car for the season’s first big race. She feels significant pressure to show that her first-season success wasn’t just a fluke. While going to the ranch’s laundry area for her uniform, she encounters Cole, whom she hoped to avoid, and scolds herself for finding him attractive. He frustrates her by asking her to remain professional with him, and she snaps that he should stay out of her way, as she has been a professional at Gold Rush Ranch far longer than he has. Surprised, Cole suggests that her online alter-ego was sweeter than this version of her. She reaffirms her conviction to not “tolerate the way he lashes out” (27).

Violet resists Billie’s efforts to engage her in conversation about Cole’s arrival, worried that her astute friend and boss will uncover her past. When Billie presses, Violet admits that she and Cole “chatted a bit” online several years ago (29). As she gets ready for her race, Violet thinks about how Cole has seen her naked many times but she never saw Cole before the Denman Derby win. She marvels at the unlikely coincidence of encountering her former online relationship in the real world.

Violet undertakes her pre-race ritual, in which she seeks a moment of quiet to orient herself before the chaos of the race. She readies DD and goes to the starting point of the race, where Patrick Cassel, a jockey whom Billie blacklisted after he mistreated DD, tries to heckle her, making condescending comments about her age and gender. She ignores him. Cassel seeks retribution during the race by using his mount to knock both Violet and DD to the ground.

Later, while Violet awaits her test results at the hospital, Billie rants about her hatred of Cassel. Violet worries about DD, whom her friend Mira Thorne, the staff veterinarian at Gold Rush Ranch, is inspecting. Violet laments that she’s unlikely to ride again all season, though her doctor informs her that her leg is fractured, not broken. He cautions her that trying to ride again too soon could significantly worsen her injury. Violet dismisses his orders. She and Billie discuss living arrangements, as Violet’s upstairs apartment is unsuitable given her injury. Violet resigns to the realization that she’ll have to stay at the main farmhouse with Cole.

In a flashback, Cole struggles with his attraction to Violet’s topless photograph. He messages her, despite his fear that he’s being “creepy.” He fantasizes about a sexual encounter between them, despite his conviction that he must not have a partner. (The novel later reveals that this is because he’s self-conscious about his amputated leg.)

In the narrative present, Billie and Vaughn come to the farmhouse, where Cole is staying, which annoys him, as it’s late in the evening. Violet, intoxicated by her pain medication, is in the back of Billie’s car. Billie explains what happened, and Cole anxiously recalls the horse race injury that killed his father. When Billie asks Cole if Violet can stay with him, he wants to refuse until Violet nearly reveals their history, her thinking unclear due to the drugs. He carries her inside, which brings back memories of carrying injured friends during his military service.

Cole fears that “forced proximity” to Violet will lead to his secrets being revealed and his feelings being hurt. She falls asleep as soon as he puts her down in the first-floor guest room, and he looks at her, remembering how attractive he finds her. He frets about her health but rolls his eyes when Vaughn sends him a text reiterating Billie’s worry. Cole watches over Violet while she sleeps.