A Photo Finish

In the flashback timeline, Cole regrets his harsh words when he refused to show himself to Violet. He reflects that he knows it’s maladaptive to keep his leg amputation a secret, but he still can’t bring himself to admit the truth to anyone. He faces fear of pity, a fracturing of his identity, and memories of Hilary’s cruelty. He tries to send Violet several casual messages, anxiously checking and rechecking the app, but she never responds. He offers to tell her the truth if she returns, and when she doesn’t, he announces his plan to continue writing to her, as he feels this relationship has been healing for him.

In the narrative present, Cole holds Violet all night long. He feels soothed that she didn’t treat him with disgust or pity after learning about his injury. He’s unusually relaxed and fantasizes about making her breakfast. Longing to share all the thoughts and feelings he kept hidden for so long, Cole thinks about all he admires about Violet, including her actions to seek independence from her overprotective family and her refusal to accept his inadequate response to her vulnerability. He still checks their chat daily. Violet wakes, and the two banter playfully before she hikes down the mountain to get his spare prosthesis.

Cole relaxes as he awaits Violet’s return but worries about her hiking alone. Eventually, she returns with the spare prosthesis, feigning cheer, but Cole detects something amiss. Cole hesitates in donning the less-customized (and therefore less comfortable) prosthesis, asking if Violet has further questions about his injury. She denies this and inadvertently praises his body, which Cole finds flattering. They hike in silence back to the farmhouse, whereupon Violet reports that she has a race that evening. She’s annoyed when he asks about her safety in riding after a night with limited sleep and even more annoyed when he refers to them as “friends.”

In the flashback timeline, Violet is hungover and castigates herself for thinking that Cole would reveal himself to her when he was clear on his limitations from the beginning of their relationship. Though she frequently feels stifled by her father and brothers’ overprotectiveness, she thinks warmly of how they would comfort her as she was hurt. She deletes the app she used to chat with Cole and resolves to “move on.”

In the narrative present, Violet prepares for a race on Brite Lite, a Gold Rush Ranch horse that she rides regularly. Violet and the horse are both antsy. In Violet’s case, it’s because she snooped in Cole’s room and found that he still had their chat open on his laptop. She read the messages he sent her, which continue to the present and contain intense emotional vulnerability. She feels embarrassed that Cole has “been writing [her] love notes he knows [she’ll] never see while [she tries] to be his friend” (258). She’s angry that he didn’t just tell her the truth.

When Violet moves to the track for her race, Billie seems aware that something’s off with her, but doesn’t comment. Stefan Dalca, a shady horse owner and an antagonist from Off to the Races, approaches Violet. However, Mira distracts Dalca before Billie can fight with him. Violet focuses on the race, determined to beat Cassel.

After winning the race, Violet visits Pipsqueak, which she knows is a cover-up for her desire to check in on Cole, still torn about how to approach him after reading his messages to her. Cole meets her outside, disappointing her when he admits that he didn’t come see her race because he was too tired after remaining awake most of the previous night to keep watch while they were in the wilderness. Violet, interpreting this as “coddling,” is irritated. He counters that he simply wants to “be there” for her.

Violet admits to reading Cole’s messages and then grows frustrated when he walks away without saying anything. She pursues him, demanding that he “just talk to [her] already!” (263). He counters that losing her after opening up to her (something he rarely does with anyone) “broke him.” When she counters that he “broke [her] first” (264), he rejects the idea of her as broken, instead calling her “perfect.” She retorts that she struggles with vulnerability as well.

Seeking to show his sincerity, Cole disrobes, offering to touch his naked body however she directs him to, a reversal of their last video call and an example of him upholding his promise, in his messages, to reciprocate. Violet is pleased by this show of trust and by their mutual sexual attraction to one another. She directs him to masturbate and then begins to undress as well.

Still in the narrative present, Cole watches, nervous and anticipatory, as Violet disrobes before him. She admits to having longstanding sexual fantasies about him. They kiss and have oral sex, but Violet refuses to take off all her clothes until he removes the prosthetic, which she sees is hurting him. He does so, even though it makes him feel exposed; he finds it validating when Violet looks at and praises all of his body, rather than showing prurient interest in his stump. Cole performs manual sex on Violet, both discussing how much more they’re enjoying the reality of the encounter than their fantasies of it.

Violet finds their encounter emotionally and physically satisfying. They have penetrative sex, which Cole finds particularly arousing and intimate because Violet, who takes (implied hormonal) birth control, denies needing a condom. He promises not to push her away after their encounter.

The two take a bath; Violet admires Cole’s looks. She asks about his long celibacy; he admits that, after ending his engagement, he had a few casual encounters but realized that he prefers sex with someone to whom he has an emotional connection. He explains how Violet’s enjoyment of his personality—as opposed to his social status, like Hilary—made him feel valued. He likes that she doesn’t treat him “like [he’s] tragic” (283) and calls them “inevitable,” an idea that worries Violet, not because she disagrees but because she thinks he’s right.

Cole wakes the next day, pleased to find Violet with him. He admires her, thinking pleasantly of their sexual encounter. He feels fortunate that she cares for him, just as she has expressed wonder that he cares for her.

Violet wakes. She’s so hopeful that Cole will attend her races that day that he agrees, though he fears watching her racing at the same place where he watched his father die. He plans to call Trixie to discuss it. Violet, sensing his distress, emphasizes that she’ll be fine, which Cole pretends to believe.

Cole becomes frustrated with city traffic after the idyll of Ruby Creek. He’s surprised to find himself increasingly appreciative of country life. He puzzles over his relationship with Violet, which they haven’t defined, but attributes his stress over this matter to his long gap between relationships. He calls Trixie, confiding about having sex with Violet, which he found “overwhelming”—in a positive way. Trixie, who has long encouraged him to reconnect with Violet, approves. He confesses that he feels Violet is “going somewhere,” while he’s stagnant. Trixie contends that this stance is disrespectful to Violet: If she’s as wonderful as he says, Trixie asks, why would she care for Cole if she agrees with his self-assessment that he’s “dead weight?” Cole confesses his fear of “hold[ing] her back” (293); Trixie suggests that he instead offer support and speak with Violet honestly.

Before the race begins, Cole anxiously stares down at the track. Vaughn teases him about his bad mood, making Cole jealous of his brother’s carefree nature. Vaughn grows somber when Dalca approaches. Dalca apologizes for Cassel, whom he fired; Cole retorts that he owes Violet this apology. Dalca promises to “track her down” (295).

Vaughn makes a casual comment to indicates that he knows Violet and Cole have a romantic relationship just as Violet and DD appear on the track. Cole’s tension increases as the race starts, particularly when Violet passes the place where his father fell and died. Violet ends the race too close to another horse for Cole to be certain who won. He hurries down to find her, but Mira accuses him of impoliteness when he demands to know Violet’s location. When he asks politely, she points him in the right direction. It was a photo finish, but Violet won the race. Cole finds her, expressing how thrilled he is with her win.

Cole pulls Violet into an abandoned stall and makes suggestive comments, which she finds arousing. She agrees to sexual spanking, enjoying the dichotomy between being triumphant in the race and submitting to Cole’s demands immediately after. They have frantic penetrative sex; Violet feels that the way Cole clutches her indicates that he fears she’ll leave him. She muses that, though Cole is contradictory, she likes all sides of him. They plan to meet later that evening.

Several weeks into their sexual relationship, Cole hesitates as Violet plans to race Pipsqueak at full speed for the first time. She acts more confident than she is in order to reassure him. Despite his qualms, Cole opens the gate for her. Violet races Pipsqueak, pleased that Pipsqueak proves capable enough to train as a racehorse.