The Trackers by Charles Frasier

Valentine Welch, Val, has landed one of the coveted WPA projects. He is on the way to a small town in Wyoming to paint a mural at the local post office paid for by the government. Val knows this is a good deal and even better when he finds out he is staying in a cabin at a huge ranch. The ranch owners John and Eva are a puzzle as is the dangerous looking cowboy who runs the place but soon Val settles in. Wined and dined by the Longs and taught cowboy wisdom by Faro plus spending time in the great outdoors agrees with Val until the night where Eva runs off and John hires Val to track her down. He begins a coast to coast trip where he ends up with more questions than answers and gets himself in more than a few tight spots. Finding himself in the unenviable position between a wealthy jealous husband and a mysterious woman who may or may not want to come home is not good.
A quiet study of how an artist looks at a subject through different lenses - both as a painter, friend and possibly something more and how it can change the final work. The other side of the story speaks to the Great Depression and how it forced some into desperate situations or personal freedom.
Fans of Amor Towles and Jodi Picoult's THE FOUR WINDS will appreciate this story.  4 stars