by Lily Thorn
He grimaced. He was wearing nothing but worn jeans splattered with paint. Was he ever going to look his best around her?
Cade clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to relax. She was all that mattered. He feared he had lost her, but she had found her way back.
Fate, his bear growled.
Ignoring the beast, he strode forward. “Tess?” he called. “How are you?”
“Hi, Cade.” Was it the light, or was she blushing? “I’m exhausted, honestly.”
Cade decided that it must be the light. “Is your car still hanging in there?” He had visions of her having to walk halfway up the mountain.
“Yes, miraculously. I’ve spent half the day shooting a wedding, though.”
“I didn’t know you were a wedding photographer.” Was there anything this girl couldn’t do?
“I’m not, really. This was my first wedding. But I saw your ad in the paper and thought I’d see if I was a good fit.”
“You are. You’re hired.”
Tess blinked. “Don’t you want to look at my portfolio first? Or interview me, or something?”
“I’ve already seen your photos. Does anything else matter?”
“You can’t just give me the job.” Tess crossed her arms. “That’s not fair.”
“I can and did. Or would you like to interview the other applicants yourself?” He swept out an arm, gesturing toward the empty road that led to the lodge.
Tess seemed flustered. “At least let me show you some of my recent shots. You know that landscapes and weddings are totally different, right? I could be great at photographing one and terrible at the other.”
“I doubt you’re terrible.” Cade grinned. “You do want this job, right? I’ve interviewed a lot of people over the years, and I don’t remember anyone ever arguing with my decision to hire them.”
“So this is an interview, after all?” She raised an eyebrow.
“If you insist. How did you learn to be such a good photographer?”
“From my dad.” She wrapped one hand possessively around her camera. “Alan Holt. Any wildlife photographer would know his name. Whenever he was home, he’d take me out into the woods and let me play with his gear. After I…” She cleared her throat. “After I inherited his gear, I taught myself.”
“If you could choose between wildlife photography and wedding photography, which would you choose?”
Her eyes narrowed, like she suspected a trap. Cade tried not to grin. Even if she wanted to hide the truth, it was obvious.
“Wildlife. Just because there are no overbearing mothers. It’s much more peaceful.”
“But weddings pay the bills, right?” Cade’s candor was met with a look of astonishment. “Trust me, if I could close Bearview and have Mount Bliss all to myself for a few years, I would. I like hosting guests, I love sharing the beauty of this mountain, but sometimes I wouldn’t mind kicking everyone out.” He flashed a smile. “We get the overbearing mothers too, you know.”
Tess seemed to sag with relief. “I’m glad you understand. I can shoot anything, and I’ll do my best to make the couples who get married here wildly happy, but weddings aren’t my favorite thing in the world. I just want to be honest with you.”
“Are weddings anyone’s favorite thing? All that work and expense for just one day, plus the bride has to drag fifty pounds of lace around all night.” He sighed. “But my mom thinks it’s romantic, so Bearview is now a wedding destination.”
“You don’t like weddings?”
Cade shrugged. “I haven’t really seen that many.” And now that he thought about it, he did wonder what Tess would look like in a white dress. Amazing, probably. She made chest-high waders look good.
“Well, I’ve only photographed one wedding.” She held out her camera, showing him the back display. “Would you please look at the pictures before officially hiring me? I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
Cade thought that idea was patently ridiculous, but he dutifully took the camera.
“If you have a laptop, I could show you on a bigger screen,” she said.
“I can see them fine.” Cade looked closer, clicking through the photos. There must have been hundreds of them, but each was carefully composed. The couple’s happiness practically radiated out of the screen. Cade almost teared up when he came across their first married kiss. It was remarkable. Though he was peering at a tiny screen, they seemed to be right there with him.
“Let me skip through the posed photos.” Tess turned a tiny wheel on the camera’s back, scrolling through the pictures at an incredible speed. “Here are some candid photos of the couple. I’m sorry these are so disorganized. I didn’t have a chance to edit anything. They’ll look much better by the time I get them back to the bride and groom.”
Cade flipped through the photos. The couple never looked at the camera, but each frame caught their intimate glances and secret touches. He had no idea who these people were, yet Tess’s photos were captivating. She had an incredible eye, and had captured a side of this couple that most people probably never noticed.
Somehow, her photos made Cade want her even more.
Reluctantly, he handed her camera back. “Are you sure you want to work here? You could probably make a fortune with your talents. Brides should be fighting in the streets to hire you.”
“Well, they’re not.” Tess smiled ruefully. “Maybe I could build up my own wedding photography business eventually, but right now I just want to stop having to worry about rent.”
“You definitely won’t have to worry about that.” Cade opened one of the double doors. “In fact, I can show you to the room you’ll be staying in if you’d like to see it.”
“All right.” Securing her camera strap on her shoulder, she slipped inside.
“This way.” Cade led her up the stairs. “Some of this might look familiar.”
“It does.” She laughed as they turned into the north wing. “Wait, we aren’t going straight to your room, are we?”
He winked. “Only if you want to.” Cade opened the door next to his. Conveniently, no one was staying here. This room was supposed to be reserved for guests in the summer, but Cade wasn’t about to put Tess in the opposite wing. Besides, he needed to make sure that his employee was happy, right? That would be much easier if she was closer to him.
Cade bit his lip as Tess explored the small room. Hopefully his parents wouldn’t find out about this any time soon. There were several reasons why Cade and his brothers were discouraged from “bothering” the hired help, as their mother so often put it. Most of the reasons had names, including Mandy, Ashley, Megan, and Riley. But he wasn’t as dumb as Sawyer. Cade would never hurt Tess.
“Would you like to see the rest of the lodge?” Cade asked.
“Definitely.”
He led her down the stairs and through the hallways, showing her the kitchen, dining room, family room, and laundry room. Once she’d gotten to know the basics, he took her out back.
“Are you going to show me the mountain, too?”
“You mean the part you haven’t fallen in?” he teased. “I can take you on some of my favorite hiking trails, but we should probably leave that for another day—it’s going to get dark soon.”
She seemed disappointed.
“I can show you the ceremony space we’ve built for the weddings, though. This way.” Without thinking, he took her hand. The same rush tingled through him once more. Tess blushed furiously, and looked firmly at the ground. Still, she didn’t release his hand. Cade’s heart thudded in his chest as he led her down the path.
Crickets quieted around them as they entered the little meadow he and Ethan had cleared. A more peaceful section of the stream babbled past the freshly painted gazebo. Cade didn’t think it looked half bad.
“This is great.” Stepping forward, Tess let go of his hand. Cade tried not to feel too disappointed. “There’s some tree cover, but it’s not too shaded. The stream will make it cooler for the guests,
so even a midday ceremony would be bearable. And the lighting here is brilliant.”
“So would you say it’s perfect?”
“Not quite.” Retreating, Tess looked toward the gazebo through a square she’d formed with her hands. “It would be perfect if I had something to stand on right about here. Not too tall, but enough to give me a boost over any third uncle once-removed who thinks he needs to take pictures with his phone.”
“You don’t think third uncles would add character to your photos?”
Tess’s mouth quirked on one side. “Third uncles are fine. Third uncles once-removed is where I draw the line.”
Cade laughed. “All right, I’ll build you a platform. Overall, do you think the venue will do?”
She put her hands on her hips, taking in the scenery. “I’ll just say that I can see why you’d want to keep this all for yourself.”
“Well, not all to myself.” Cade closed the distance between them. As much as he wanted to slip an arm around her waist, he needed to restrain himself. He was trying to hire her to work for him, after all.
“I guess you would have to share with your family.”
“Right. Them.” Cade looked toward the gazebo. “I guess I couldn’t keep them away. My dad proposed to my mom here, you know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and then they got married here. My mom said that she wanted others to find the same happiness here that they did.”
“That’s sweet,” Tess said, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Cade shook his head. “I still don’t know why my mom would ever want to share this place. But I don’t ask questions.” He grimaced. As much as he liked talking with Tess, they really needed to get down to business.
“I can’t tell you how many weddings you’ll photograph this summer, because we don’t know how many people will be booking here yet. The first couple decided to get married here on Monday, so that’s keeping us on our toes.”
“This Monday?” Tess asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. We’re really coming down to the wire. Not only do we have to make sure this space is ready, but my brother and I also need to prep the honeymoon suite.”
“I could help with that, if you’d like,” Tess said. “At least with the finishing touches, like throw pillows and molded soaps and high thread-count sheets.”
Cade stared at her. “Why would they need throw pillows?”
“Because they look nice.” Tess giggled. “The brides might appreciate them, anyway.”
“And what are molded soaps? Actually, I’m afraid to ask.”
“It’s just normal soap that’s in fancy shapes, like stars and shells. Maybe you could get some in the shape of bears, or trout, or whatever else lives up here.”
Cade rubbed his head. “Is the shape of the soap really important?”
“You’re in the wedding industry now, aren’t you?” Tess grinned. “It’s all about the little things. Anyway, I’d be happy to look the suite over if you’d like me to. Unless one of your brothers has a better eye for details.”
Cade felt a twinge of panic. Was he not putting enough effort into the suite? “You should probably look it over,” he said. “My brothers don’t know much about pillows, and they know even less about soap.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure we can get it looking fancy in no time. After Monday, when’s the next booking?”
“There’s nothing yet. Luckily, you get free room and board even if that’s the only wedding this entire season.”
“That would be a lot of downtime,” Tess said. “Still, with all that free time, think of all the streams I could find to fall into.”
“Yeah,” Cade said, “we’ll hope for more weddings.”
“I guess either one works for me.”
Cade swallowed. He had thought he’d come up with a reasonable compensation package, but now he wasn’t so sure. What if she wasn’t satisfied with the salary he’d set aside for this position? He couldn’t let her slip away. Still, there was only one way to find out.
“We can only offer a $5,000 stipend for the summer,” he heard himself saying. “It’s Bearview’s low season now, but if everything works out we can renegotiate arrangements for the winter. Does that sound fair to you?”
Tess put a hand on her chin. “If I get free room and board, I can put all that money toward my plane ticket fund. So yes.”
“Oh.” Cade frowned. “Where are you going?”
“To Africa. I haven’t decided exactly which countries yet, but I’m narrowing down my list. I want to go to some of the places my dad photographed.”
“That sounds great.” Cade tried to hide the pang of dread he felt. Africa was very far away. What if she fell in love with it and never came back? “Hopefully we can get you there sooner rather than later.”
She nodded. “Sooner would be best.”
Cade felt another pang. She had just gotten here. He didn’t want her to leave.
Somehow, he’d have to give her a reason to come back.
Chapter Eight
TESS STRETCHED, WORKING out the kink in her back. She and Cade had used the morning to move Tess’s belongings out of her dingy apartment and into the lodge. It had only taken one trip—she didn’t have much stuff.
While in town, they had also swung by a couple of stores to buy a few things that Tess thought would look nice in the honeymoon cabin. Cade eyed some of her choices warily, but didn’t object to paying for anything. She hoped he wouldn’t regret her help.
“Does that look good to you?” Tess nudged one of the flower boxes on the cabin window, trying to align the edges perfectly.
Cade surveyed the rows of white and purple petunias. “I don’t know. I think it would look better if they weren’t crooked.”
“Cade! I’ve spent ten minutes on these. Don’t even joke about them being crooked.”
“All right, all right. They look spectacular. So spectacular, in fact, that anything you do at this point is just going to make them look worse.”
“Fine,” Tess said. “I guess we can take a break.” She had spent an inordinate amount of time on the tiny details, but those were the most important. Tess tried to treat the cabin like she would a photoshoot. The new pillows had to be plumped just so, the towels neatly folded. The silk curtains she’d picked out were long enough that they would be annoying if left to flutter in the breeze, so Tess had fastened them to the wall. They could still billow now, but never in anyone’s face.
Tess wasn’t sure why this honeymoon cabin was so important to her. Maybe it was just because it seemed important to Cade. She owed him a lot for hiring her to be Bearview’s photographer, and she wanted to pay back his kindness if she could.
“We definitely need a break,” Cade said. “And that’s coming from me. I don’t think this cabin is going to get any nicer, no matter how much time we spend on it.”
Reluctantly, Tess had to agree. “Do you want to look over the ceremony space again?”
Cade put a hand to his face. “All this work is going to your head. We need an actual break. Come on.”
He set off into the woods so fast that Tess had to run to catch up.
“We’re going now?” she panted. “Should I at least get my hiking boots? Or my waders?”
That earned her a stern glare. “No waders. That’s the last thing you need right now.”
“You’re right. What I need right now is for you to slow down, just a little. Your legs are twice as long as mine.”
“Sorry.” Cade slowed. “I’m not used to walking slower than that. Here, maybe this will help.” He twined his fingers through hers. “Now we have to go at the same pace. Is that better?”
“Much.” It felt like fireworks were going off inside her. How did it feel so right to have her hand in his?
When he’d taken her hand yesterday, Tess had almost been afraid that he’d been playing some kind of joke on her. But this morning, he’d taken one hand off the steering wheel and held her ow
n for the entire trip down the mountain and into town. And the way he’d looked into her eyes when he’d opened the truck door for her and helped her step down certainly hadn’t been a joke.
They walked downhill, shaded by the wispy pines. Tess could still hardly believe how drastically her life had changed in one day. She lived in Bearview Lodge now, and could say that she was a professional photographer. The man who had rescued her, and who she had been nursing a crush on, was now her boss. Strangest of all, he seemed to like her back.
Tess smiled. If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake from it.
“Are you ready for this?” Cade asked. “It’s one of my favorite places on Mount Bliss. Of course, it might still be a bit cold, but it’ll warm up in a month or two.”
She was about to ask what would warm up when they rounded a bend in the path. Tess gasped. Spread before them was an alpine lake, its water clear and deep. The bottom was covered in flat, smooth stones that gave everything a sense of serenity. Tall pines ringed the perimeter. Though Tess knew they weren’t the only people on the mountain, somehow this place felt private.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said.
“Well, don’t just stand there admiring it.” In what seemed like a well-practiced motion, Cade shucked his clothes. “Come on!” Running out onto a wooden dock, he launched himself off. He hung in the air for a few seconds, then came down with a tremendous splash.
Tess laughed as ripples spread through the lake.
Surfacing, Cade shook water from his hair. “Aren’t you coming in?” he called.
“I don’t have a bathing suit.”
He gestured to the shielding pines. “Who says you need one?”
Shaking her head, Tess kicked off her shoes and walked onto the sun-warmed dock. She sat at the edge of it, gingerly putting her toes into the water.
“It’s freezing!” She pulled her toes out, crossing her legs beneath her for warmth.