Rock and A Hard Place (Cascade Brides Series) (17 page)

Without him.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, the color in her cheeks
deepening.

“I bet you got some amazing images.”

“Yes, there are some good ones.”

“So that probably means you're too sore to head up to the the
plateau with me.” He held his breath for her answer, reminding
himself to slow down with her.

“Actually, I think some climbing might help with the stiffness.”

“Great!”

“That would be wonderful,” Merle said. “Most of our plateau
shots are in high summer. Might be nice to see what's different in
the spring images.”

Faith nodded at her boss, then looked up at Shane. “Are you ready
to go now? Or we could go later in the day.”

“Now, if you're up to it.”

She grabbed her camera bag and got to her feet, a tell-tale wince
marring her features.

“It'll be more drive than hike,” he said, grinning.

She sent him a pointed look. “I can handle it.”

***

Faith climbed into Shane's Jeep and settled her weary bones against
the seat. It took some effort to keep from staring at him.
I
missed him
.
Bad
. Sitting straighter, she asked, “So,
how was your weekend?”

“I sent in our entry to the contest. But other than that, my
weekend was boring without you.”

She gave a surprised laugh. “Okay.”

“Seriously,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “I didn't have
anyone to bully while you were gone.”

Faith's smile faltered. “You shouldn't think that. I mean, you're
actually right about a lot of things.” She twisted her hands in
her lap,
dying
to share her news, but still worried she'd
sound silly.

“If I'm so right about things, how come I still can't figure out a
paint color for the inside of my house?”

Glad for the reprieve of what pressed against her heart, she smiled.
“I already told you, a neutral color is best, especially for
resale.”

“I don't want resale, I want your opinion.”

“Then let me think. What about a Naples yellow? Base neutral with
a light hue, which also happens to be good for resale.”

He made a face. “What I want to know is what color
you'd
paint it.”

Faith shrugged, wondering why they were talking about paint colors.
The last time, she'd just assumed he'd been making conversation.

“C'mon, you're a photographer. You deal in color. Be bold and help
me out.”

She took a moment to consider the question. “Since your house is
of the Craftsman style, I've seen woven reed wallpaper that looks
great with all the woodwork.”

“Interesting. I'll have to check that out.”

“Just pick what appeals to you, silly, it's
your
house.”

“So the woven stuff all over?”

“No, just below the plate rack. Above that a neutral color that
complements the tone of the wallpaper.”

“So you
have
thought about this.”

Faith's face heated a little. “I just like that style of house and
so it's easy to imagine how it might look.”

He grinned. “I'm glad you like...the
style
of my house.
That's a start, and I think I'll take your advice.”

She couldn't help but be buoyed by his mood. “Just don't be upset
with me if you don't like how it turns out.”

“It'll be perfect. Of course, if you're a partner in picking,
you're also a partner in painting and papering.”

“Alliteration aside, I think I've just been conned.”

His smile deepened as he looked at her.

After a moment, Faith had to look away. The intensity of his gaze
always upset her hard-won equilibrium. And she needed to keep a
clear head. Today was a good day, and she didn't want it marred by
misunderstandings and dissension.

The plateau area of John Day was close in and soon they were parking
and climbing from the Jeep. Faith got her camera bag and followed
him to the trail.

Shane held out his hand. “I'd be glad to assist the infirm.”

She sent him a dry look tempered by a smile and took his hand. When
his warm fingers wrapped around hers, she couldn't tell if it was
relaxation or anxiety that radiated within her. In the end, the
climb was challenging enough that she was thankful for his support.
When they reached the top of the plateau, she released his hand and
began setting up her equipment.

“Work before pleasure, eh?”

Faith glanced up from adjusting her camera. “What?”

“Aren't you going to soak in the view before you get all
professional?”

She raised a brow and stepped away from the camera. In reality, it
was her nervousness that had her needing to stay busy, but she
couldn't resist tweaking him a little. Faith planted her hands on
her hips, stared out at the view, then turned to him. “Not bad.”

“You gotta be kidding me. This is one of the most picturesque
spots in the county!”

His outraged expression made her laugh. “It
is
lovely,
Shane.” The plateau fell away to the outlying areas of John Day,
showing off a scenic expanse where the earth met the sky in a barely
discernible haze of merging colors.

He stepped closer to her. “So you were messing with me?”

“Just a little.”

Shane stared down at her, as if trying to discern her secrets.
“You're in a good mood today.”

“Is that implying that sometimes I'm not?”

He opened his mouth, then went blank. “Uh.”

She bit back a smile. “Maybe you shouldn't answer that.”

Shane rubbed the back of his neck, consternation written on his
features.

Faith turned to take in the view. It
was
incredible, and this
time it felt good to share it with someone—with
him—
e
ven
if she continued making missteps when it came to the man.

The hazy sunshine warmed her face while the breeze had a note of
chill in it. They wouldn't be able to stay up here for too long.
Faith decided she'd rather speak to Shane privately away from the
office about the reason for her ebullient mood. She fought a pang of
embarrassment. “Actually...I did get some good news today. Just
when you came into the office, as a matter of fact.”

His eyes widened with expectation. “Let's hear it.”

Staring up at him, she mustered her courage. “I thought about what
you said...about dealing with some of my obstacles instead of
obsessing over them. I mean, duh, right? I knew that, but it was
like I was paralyzed.” She licked her lips struggling to stay on
track. “Anyway, I finally took my GED test, and I passed.”

A look of happy surprise flared in Shane's eyes, washing her in a
feeling of achievement. He put his hands at her waist and pulled her
close. Before she could react, his dipped his head and touched her
lips with his.

She stood, shocked by the action. Then it was over.

Shane gazed down at her as if he hadn't just upended her world.

“
What
was that?” she
said breathlessly, a bloom of heat spreading up her neck like a
prairie fire.

He grinned, his eyes glowing. “A congratulations. I'm so proud of
you, Faith.”

She blinked. “It...that didn't seem like the traditional gesture.”

His expression became serious, belying the shine of his eyes. “Oh.”
Then he bent his head and dropped a soft kiss on her cheek. “Is
that better?”

She gulped, struggling to maintain kilter. “Yeah.”

“Well, just to be sure...” Shane tipped up her chin and slowly
brushed his lips against hers, giving her the opportunity to
respond. But Antarctica was on top of the globe again and she wasn't
exactly over the
first
kiss. Taking her silence as assent, he
cupped her cheek with his hand and deepened the kiss until she
gripped the front of his shirt for support.

He raised his lips, his breath feathering her chin.

“And,” Faith managed, “what was
that?
”

He looked past her for a moment as he took in the view, then turned
back to her. “Well, it just seemed like a nice place for a kiss.”

Faith stared up at him. The usual teasing glint in his eyes had been
replaced with a burning light. “Oh.”

He regarded her for a long moment. Maybe he was waiting for her to
comment?

What did this mean? Where did they go from here? “So...so, is this
a kissing plateau?”

Shane laughed softly. “Feels more like a mountain peak kiss, if
you ask me. He slipped his arm around her waist. “And it's also my
way of telling you I'm crazy about you, Faith.”

“Oh,” she said weakly.

Again.

Chapter Fifteen

Oh
. That was the summation of her response to Shane—it was
all her brain could come up with at the moment. If she really went
deep, she could conjure an
'
oh,
my
'.

Faith peeked over at Shane as he drove her back to Bascombe's. His
face was relaxed, a slight smile tipping his mouth as he kept his
attention on the road.

What a strange day. It had started with a phone call and was
punctuated with a kiss. Not exactly what she'd expected when she'd
awoken this morning. And if this was the track of the day, how would
it end? Would she win the lottery without actually playing? It would
make as much sense as being
kissed by Shane
.

When they arrived at the office, Faith turned toward her car door,
preparing to exit.

“Faith,” Shane said, touching her arm.

She twisted back toward him, hoping her expression didn't reveal
with tumult of emotions within.

“Is that okay? What I did?”

Faith gazed at him, wishing her heart would stop its frantic
drumbeat and let her
think
. But she knew she'd be lying to
say she was disappointed. Faith nodded slowly. “You just took me
by surprise, that's all.”

He leaned over, close enough that she could sense the warmth from
his skin. “Are you wishing you'd tried for your GED sooner if
you'd known you would've got a kiss?”

His words disarmed her and made her laugh. “Most likely.” Then
her levity dissolved. She still didn't know where she really stood
with him. Had he just reacted in the moment? Or was he serious?
Would he kiss her again? Soon?

In order to get control of her fragmented thoughts, she retreated to
courtesy. “Thank you for taking me to the plateau. I'm sure you
need to get back to work.”

Shane sat up and pointed to his clothes. “I'm not in uniform
because I have the day off.”

And we're back to 'oh' again
. She hadn't noticed. Faith
smiled to cover her discomfiture. “So why the trip?”

He regarded her for a moment. “Do you want me to demonstrate
again?”

So she was to believe he'd taken her there for a quick smooching
session? It didn't compute. “Ah, well, I
do
need to get
back to work. Thanks again.”

His gaze caught and held hers for a moment. “Can I take you out
Friday night?”

Faith panicked. She wasn't ready for this. She'd barely had a moment
to process a few kisses, and the idea of surviving two days of
stressing about a date might do her in. She may have just climbed a
mountain but when it came to relationships, she was still
baby-stepping. “I...I don't think so, Shane.”

The light dimmed in his eyes, making her feel terrible. But she just
wasn't ready to start a serious relationship when she could barely
manage to do the simplest things.

Like graduate high school.

She gripped the inside door handle, wanting to soften the blow.
“Maybe another time.” Before she could see his reaction, she
opened the door and slid from the Jeep.

***

Ouch
.

Shane watched Faith head into Bascombe's before backing out of the
parking area and heading home.

His plan had worked out so perfectly in his head. Take a beautiful
girl to a beautiful spot. Share an awed-by-nature moment. Share a
kiss. Then let the games begin on a real relationship. Only when it
came to Faith he was starting to realize things were never going to
be that simple.

But he couldn't forget her reaction to her kiss. And she
had
reacted, if only for the space of a heartbeat. He hoped that
meant she wasn't indifferent to him—hoped that she was just
skittish.
That
he could handle. Outright rejection, not so
much.

After he pulled into his driveway, he went into his house, looked
around and sighed. His walls were still untreated, his Crockpot
unused, and his grand scheme had gone kaput. Shane decided it was
time to take it to the next level.

It was time to go to Lowes.

***

Faith walked over to her desk and sank onto her chair in a daze. A
photo of a sunset on her monitor from a random screensaver rotation
stared back at her. The photo was from several years ago, and
coincidentally taken on the plateau.

Where Shane had kissed her.

She moistened her lips and stared at the image, waiting for her
heart to calm down. The plateau had been the destination of her
first hike in Eastern Oregon. She'd sat on the bluff and relished
the quiet, the lack of squabbling voices and phone calls from
creditors. Now Shane had forever taken control of that site in her
mind. What had once been a pinnacle of her freedom, now mocked her
by its identification. It was a plateau, not a peak, and she'd been
inwardly stuck on the bluff for a long time. Too long maybe. But did
she want to take it to the next level with Shane?

Or without him?

Faith put her head in her hands, the beginnings of a headache
gripping the back of her skull.

“Are you all right, dear?”

Faith looked up at the sound of Merle's concerned voice. She nodded.
“Just a headache.”

His bright blue eyes assessed her. “How did your excursion go with
Shane? Any good shots?”

“I think so.” She looked away for a moment. “We...turned in
the photo entry to the contest.”

He smiled. “That's good to hear. I'm sure you'll do well. I'm glad
you're pursuing a friendship with him.”