Rock and A Hard Place (Cascade Brides Series)

At sixteen years old she had cared for her ailing mother while
trying to rein in her two hard-headed fraternal twin sisters—one
of them sickly. Surviving on her mother’s social security checks
and the occasional kindness of strangers, Faith was forced to drop
out of high school to make sure the twins could graduate. Theirs had
been a strained relationship at best.
I gave up everything for
them and they still resent me
. A tree bough slapped her in the
face, making her cheek sting.
Which is what happens when I dwell
on the past
.

Faith checked her watch. Four-thirty. She picked up the pace, not
wanting to get caught past dark in a wilderness populated by black
bear and cougar. Actually seeing either animal would be a great
opportunity to get a picture for Merle. He was especially keen on
wildlife shots. Over the past few days she’d managed to capture
some eagles, minks, and a beaver, but nothing as dramatic as large
predators. If she didn't come up with something more impressive,
maybe Merle would start thinking she was a charity case instead of a
photographer. He hadn’t needed to offer her the job in the first
place. She was worried he still felt sorry for her, knowing her
family history. Merle Bascombe was a well-known businessman and
philanthropist, and the community adored him. She did too, which
made her eager to bring him the most amazing photos possible.

Faith glanced back at the lake as it slipped from view from behind a
stand of trees. She always experienced a twinge of sadness when she
came back to earth, back to the busyness of daily life.
Well, as
busy as it gets here in Wheeler county, the most sparsely populated
county in the state
. She’d chosen the area for just that
reason. Less people meant more peace and quiet. And that was the way
she liked it. Most definitely.
Just being by myself.
Me
and God. And nature. And good photographs
. She smiled a little
at her thoughts.

Suddenly a grouse rocketed up from the brush in front of her. Faith
wheeled backward as the bird’s wings beat against her in a frantic
effort to escape. She lost her balance and landed hard on her
backside. Before she could get her bearings, she began to slide down
the steep slope of the trail. Faith scrabbled for a nearby root to
grab onto, but her bulky backpack hindered her efforts.

Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.

She saw a pile of boulders cropping out to one side of the trail and
tried to shift her momentum in that direction. If she could catch
her foot against one of the rocks, maybe she could slow her descent
enough to grab onto something. Faith braced for impact as she
continued to slide. Just as her foot hit the rock, it slipped into a
crevice and was jammed. Her full weight followed, wedging her foot
in deeper. Knee buckling, her body did a one-legged side-sprawl in
the dirt.

And then all was silent, as if the flora and fauna had paused to
watch her graceless descent.

Faith lay still, panting in the dust.
Well, at least I’m
stopped
. Easing her eyes open, she gingerly pulled herself to a
sitting position—a difficult task with her foot pinned. As she sat
up, her knee twisted and pain shot down her leg. She winced.
Okay,
God, You've helped me out of jams before. Now I'm asking again
.

Faith loosened the backpack and shrugged out of the straps. Without
its weight, she managed to scoot to a better angle in relation to
her foot. N
ow to get the thing
unstuck.
But when she tugged, it didn’t budge. She looked
up at the sky and saw the sun hovering just over the horizon.

Wanting nothing more than to lean back and rest a minute, instead
Faith took a gulp of air, and pulled on her leg with all her
strength. A cry of pain escaped her lips but she continued to pull,
lungs aching from lack of oxygen. Her foot remained just as jammed.

Her heartbeat kicked up a couple of notches.
Must stay calm. Must
think
. She closed her eyes and breathed another prayer. A shadow
fell upon her. Faith’s eyes snapped open and she bit back a gasp
of shock. On the ledge above her was a black bear on all fours,
sniffing the air. Its bulk cast a shadow over part of her body while
the remnants of the sun gilded its fur in the wavering light. She
stared at it, open-mouthed.

Faith only had one impulse. She clawed for her backpack.

***

Shane Zadopec frowned at the Nissan pickup truck parked at the
Strawberry Mountain trail head. When he checked his watch, his frown
deepened. He was supposed to lock the gate at the main road after
checking the trail heads to make sure everyone was out by dusk.
Somebody wasn’t. It looked like he'd be starting his new job with
the potential for trouble. Hopefully it was just a case of a tardy
hiker. He sighed and grabbed his backpack before locking up his
Jeep.

Jamming his arms through the straps, Shane headed up the path that
led to the trail. If he was
lucky
,
he’d run into the hikers momentarily. But if they were somehow
stranded up high in the mountains,
they
wouldn’t be so
fortunate
.
Snow still lay in patches at the higher levels and the March
nighttime temperatures could be deadly. He kept a swift pace even as
the trail gave way to more of a rocky path through the trees.

Adrenaline kicked in as he ascended. “Anyone hear me?” he called
out. “Are you in need of first aid?” Cocking his ear for a
response, he only heard the wind sighing through the pines. Shane
decided to go to the thousand foot elevation before seeking help
from the authorities. Surely the hikers knew what they were doing.
Only the most experienced ventured up back-road trails in early
spring. Most people didn’t know the trails existed. But then there
were always the folks who had more gumption than common sense.

Shane's respiration came faster as he pushed himself hard, scanning
the area for any sign of non-animal life. The cooling air stung his
lungs and chilled his face. Despite his growing concern, he found
pleasure in the sweet smell of the undergrowth and tang of tree sap
surrounding him. It was a definite improvement over the hot blacktop
and exhaust fumes of his youth.

The rugged terrain sprang up in an arc around the lake, nearly
silhouetted by the setting sun. This wilderness area in the Malheur
National Forest was some of the most beautiful country he’d ever
seen. The fact that the nearly 69,000 acre wilderness area had five
different ecological zones only added to its appeal. There was
always something new to discover, some new way to be amazed by God’s
creation.

The woods and mountains had directed him in his choice of vocation
as a Bureau of Land Management ranger, and he'd seen some pretty
areas. After stints in Arizona, he'd transferred to Idaho and fell
in love with the high country of the Northwest. Somehow the vistas
here in Malheur county seemed even more impressive. Shane squinted
up the mountain in the rapidly falling light.

He hated this aspect of his job, hated the sick feeling of someone
being lost in woods. He’d been on too many rescue missions that
had ended with tragic results.

He scrambled over a pile of rocks on the upward climb and kept
checking his watch, fighting against the dread building within him.
He took a deep breath. “Hello! Can anyone hear me?”

A roar arrested his steps. Tilting his head back, Shane peered up
the mountain in the direction of the sound. His eyes widened when he
saw a black bear on a ledge looking down at something beneath it.
Following its gaze, he saw a flash of light ricochet against the
cliffs.

A camera flash? No way!
Shane hurried up the remaining steps
and when he cleared a clump of pines, he saw a young woman leaning
against a rock with a camera. The bear roared again. Shane grabbed
his firearm from his holster and crept toward the woman. She saw his
movement and turned to look at him, a smile lighting up her face.

“I got a bear!”

Faith stared at the man—obviously a ranger by his uniform—and
wondered why he looked like thunder. The photo she’d taken of the
bear would be magnificent. Merle would be
thrilled
.
Everything was wonderful—except that her foot really hurt. That
and the bear suddenly decided to leave the ledge for a closer look.

A shot rang out. Faith saw the ranger fire a pistol, aiming well
above the animal, and the echoing report sent it hightailing back
into the woods. She offered him a relieved smile. “You beat me to
it. I have a gun, too.”

The man holstered his weapon and stared at her, his dark eyes wide
with fury. “Are you nuts? Taking a picture of a dangerous animal
at such close range! And I don’t see your firearm.”

“It’s in my bag. I was going to grab it as soon as I had the
shot.” Honestly, she’d been so excited about the opportunity of
a photo, she hadn’t thought of the danger. Black bears weren’t
usually aggressive. Of course she couldn't say how the animal might
have reacted to a temporary blinding by the flash.

Oops
. She looked up at the ranger and bit her lip. “Uh, by
the way, I’m stuck.”

The man’s brows snapped together. “Are you hurt?”

She nodded and eased forward, tenderly replacing her camera in its
case. Once that was taken care of, she turned her attention to her
leg. The man slid off his backpack and knelt next to her.

“My foot is wedged in a crevice.” No longer distracted by a plum
photo opp, her excitement gave way to a fresh awareness of pain.
Faith scrunched her face. “I’ve tried and tried to pull free,
but I can’t even get it loose. I may have broken my ankle.”

The ranger flipped over his backpack and pulled out a small shovel.
He quickly dug around the side of rock that pinned her foot. “Is
there anyone with you up here?”

She stared hard at him, trying to decide whether to trust him. You
never knew who you might meet on the trail. Sometimes nature lovers,
sometimes very scary creeps.
He paused and looked at her with
undisguised annoyance.
Probably safe
. “Nope. Just me.”

He resumed digging with hurried movements. “Do you always go into
the mountains alone at night, when bears are hungry after
hibernation?”

Momentarily distracted by his good looks, she watched the play of
muscles in his arms, the black hair falling into his dark eyes as he
worked. “Um, I’ve been up here a lot and have never seen a bear
before.”

“Now that you have, will you learn some sense?”

Mr. Handsome suddenly lost his appeal. “Hey, I’m not some
newbie. I practically grew up in the mountains. Besides it’s not
night, it’s not even twilight.”

He made a noise that sounded like a grunt. After digging out under
the r
ock
, he put the shovel
down and leaned against
the rock
.

Faith felt an incremental loosening near her ankle. “It’s
working!”

The ranger pushed harder, his face a grimace of concentration.
Suddenly the rock jerked free and bounced down the hill, cracking
and crunching against trees and underbrush.

“Oh, ow.” Faith looked down at her freed foot and gulped as it
began to throb with explosive vengeance. The ranger quickly untied
her laces and eased the boot from her foot. She bit the inside of
her cheek to keep from hollering. When he pushed up her pant leg and
peeled off her thick sock, she stared at the purple swelling in
horror.

“Double ouch,” she said, cringing and struggling not to cry.

The man dug in his backpack and pulled out a first-aid kit. He
fished out a plastic pack, bent it, and pressed it gently against
her ankle. The cold pack brought tears to her eyes.

“Sorry, I know this must be awful.” Pulling out a roll of gauze,
the man fixed the pack to her ankle by loosely wrapping it around
several times.

“Do you think you can stand?”

Do I have a choice?
She saw the ranger’s outstretched hand
and grabbed hold. He hoisted her to her feet. While she wobbled to
get balance against a tree, he replaced his first-aid kit, then put
her boot and sock in her backpack before hooking the straps of both
packs onto his shoulder. She scanned the area to make sure her
camera had not fallen out to the ground from the ranger's jostling.
Hurting her ankle
and
losing her camera would make for a very
bad day.

Faith straightened her spine and mentally prepared for the long
downward climb with her injury. She took one last look at the
dimming mountainside and caught her breath. A cougar stood on a
boulder about fifty yards away in a remaining patch of snow gilded
by the last rays of sunlight.
Two for two!

“My camera!” she hissed.

“What?”

“My camera! Quick! It’s in the middle pocket.
Hurry!”

Faith heard the man grumble while he unzipped her pack and extract
the camera. He went the extra step of removing it from its case and
turning on the power.

“What do you see?”

“A cougar,” she whispered.

“
What?
”

“Shhh!”

Twisting around, the ranger spotted the big cat and pulled out his
gun.

Faith took several pictures until the cat turned away and loped into
the trees.

“Wow, that was amazing!” She turned to look at the ranger. His
face was set as he held out his hand for the camera. She acquiesced,
watching to make sure he handled it with care. Once it was safely
tucked away, she breathed out a happy sigh. “Merle will be
impressed.”

“Merle?”

“Merle Bascombe, my boss.”

For the first time, the ranger smiled. Goodness, what a difference
that
made.

“Okaaay.” He held out his hand to her. “We need to get out of
here before it’s completely dark.”

Faith took his hand, noticing this time the warmth of his grip.
Together they made their way down the trail, while the ranger kept a
lookout for any critters who might decide to follow. She limped
along painfully, but was buoyed by the spectacular shots she knew
she was bringing to her boss. So many trips, so many climbs and
she'd never had such opportunities before. Faith offered up a silent
prayer of thankfulness. Then, as an chagrined afterthought, thanked
God for bringing someone her way to help her down the mountain.