Bearview Bride (BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (8 page)

The bowl was wondrously frigid against her palms. Tess scooped out a heaping spoonful of pale purple ice cream. Aubrey’s assessment that her creation was “okay” might have been the grossest understatement Tess had ever heard. The cold concoction melted on her tongue, the flavor rich yet subtle. Tess could eat it all day.

“This is heavenly,” she said.

“I’m glad you like it. There’s more in the freezer.”

Tess rose immediately to get a second helping.

Aubrey laughed. “So how was the gig?”

“I have to admit, it wasn’t terrible. I’m just not sure how many more weddings I can take.”

“I know weddings aren’t your favorite.” Finishing her ice cream, Aubrey set her bowl aside. “You’re an incredible photographer, though. I know you’re going to make your clients very happy.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Do you have another gig lined up yet?”

Tess shook her head. “I was lucky to get this one on such short notice, and that was thanks to Gary. I should probably put up a portfolio online, but that’s going to be so much work.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m not even sure where to find new clients, honestly. Pin up flyers around town and hope someone calls me?”

“Actually, I may have a solution for you.” Aubrey handed Tess a folded newspaper. “Look at the wanted ads.”

Tess read the ad she’d circled. “Wanted: Dedicated wedding photographer. Pay includes free room and board.”

She lowered the paper to look at Aubrey. “Doesn’t this sound too good to be true to you? Unless room and board is all they’re paying…”

“It’s at one of the ski lodges, Tess. You know they have to be rolling in money.”

“It’s at a ski lodge?” She looked closer. “Apply at Bearview Lodge. Bring portfolio.” Her heart thrummed in her chest.

“I’m sure you could get them to pay you more if you negotiated,” Aubrey said. “You never know unless you ask.”

Tess stared at the tiny print. Her throat felt dry as she stood.

“I have to go.”

“What,” Aubrey said, “now? You didn’t even finish your ice cream. Are you okay?”

“I’m going to apply for that position.”

Aubrey frowned, like she was concerned Tess might be running a fever. “You don’t want to wait until Monday?”

By Monday, the position might be filled. For some reason, the thought made Tess incredibly uneasy. She wanted this job, no matter how little it paid.

“This seems like a great opportunity,” Tess said. “I don’t want to miss out.”

“All right. I’ll put your ice cream back in the freezer in case you want it any time soon. Good luck!”

Tess was already out the door. She took the stairs two at a time. Would she get to see Cade again? And why did that suddenly matter to her more than money?

Chapter Seven

C
ADE GRABBED TWO
more cans of paint and headed back to the cabin that had been designated as the new honeymoon suite. He’d been working for three solid days to get everything ready. He had to admit that his brothers had helped a lot, but Cade trusted no one but himself with some of the details.

Like the last coat of paint, for instance. He had had to kick Adam and Sawyer out when he’d seen them painting the first coat without bothering to use painter’s tape. They might not care about getting paint on the ceiling, but Cade did. The honeymoon cabin had to be perfect.

“Need any help?” Ethan entered, brandishing a brush. “I promise to paint real careful if you promise not to yell.”

Cade made a face. “I didn’t yell at Adam and Sawyer. I just raised my voice a little.”

“That’s called yelling, Cade.” Ethan grabbed a paint can, popping off the lid. “What’s left to do?”

“Just these two walls.”

“That’s not too bad. One for each of us.”

“Yeah, but we’re not racing this time.”

Ethan dipped his brush, then put a bold stroke on the wall. “This is going to look really nice.” Bending, he read the paint can’s label. “‘Prairie Sky.’ Yep, I’m positive that all prairie skies are only this color at all times.”

“Well, they had to name it something more creative than ‘really, really light brown.’”

Ethan stopped painting mid-stroke. “Do you think we’ll be ready in time?”

“I hope so.”

Cade had only put ads in the paper a couple days ago. He had never expected someone to book a wedding date so early, especially not this Monday. To him, it seemed like a very strange choice of date, but if the couple was going to give Bearview money, he wouldn’t complain.

“We put up the gazebo.” Ethan ticked it off with one finger. “Cut the grass near the stream, bought a metric ton of folding chairs, and cleaned the space around the fire pit. The cabin’s got new shutters, new beds and bedding, new window screens, and new furniture. Oh, and a new coat of paint. Is there anything we forgot?”

“Probably,” Cade murmured. He wished they had more time. But a couple wanted it on Monday, and on Monday, Cade would deliver.

“Do you think anyone’s going to answer your ad for a photographer?” Ethan asked.

“I hope so. Otherwise I’ll have to take the photos, and no one wants that.” Cade swiped his brush over the walls. “I had hoped to get a lot of applications and interview people, but at this point I’m just going to go with whoever shows up first.”

“Sounds like a plan. What could go wrong?”

Methodically, Cade covered half of the wall. He hated all these distractions. None of this was important compared to the lift system they needed to install. He’d spent hours poring over catalogs with countless offerings, and the knowledge of all the large and tiny decisions he’d have to make before they could even break ground was giving him an ulcer.

Cade gritted his teeth. When Wolf Tracks had put in their system, they’d probably just hired someone to make all those choices and communicate with the construction crews. Meanwhile, Cade had to do everything himself. With the future of Bearview on the line, he didn’t even trust Ethan with decisions about the lift.

Cade was scraping the excess paint off his brush when a knock at the door broke his concentration.

“What,” he barked.

“Again with the yelling,” Adam said. “You should be happy to see me.”

Cade growled. “Name one reason why I should be happy to see you. And don’t tell me you’re here to help paint.”

“I have good news,” Adam said. “You’re really, really going to like me when I tell you.”

“What is it?” Cade set his brush on top of the can.

“You’re going to be so happy, you’ll never yell at me again.”

“Adam…”

“Just wait until I finally tell you.”

“ADAM.”

“Maybe I’d tell you if you stopped yelling at me,” Adam said, pretending to be hurt.

Even Ethan rolled his eyes.

“All right,” Adam said. “There’s someone here to see you.”

“Me?” Cade asked.

“She asked for you specifically. I don’t know why anyone would. She said something about the photographer job.”

A thrill rushed through him. “Did she tell you her name?”

“Jess? No, Tess something. I can’t remember her last name.”

Cade felt incredibly torn. Half of him wanted to shift right here so he could run to her as fast as possible. The other half looked at the unpainted strip of wall in despair.

“I can finish up here for you,” Ethan said.

“Or I could help,” Adam said. “I know you appreciate my painting talents.”

Ethan shook his head. “I won’t let him touch a brush.”

“Thanks, Ethan. I owe you one.” Cade bolted out the door. He hoped his brothers wouldn’t think too much of his odd behavior and come sniffing around the new camera girl.

Within him, his bear bristled.
They can’t have her. She’s
ours.

He turned a corner and found her standing near the entrance, bathed in golden light. The sight stopped Cade in his tracks. She looked uncertain, one hand on her camera and the other on her hip. Her dark black clothes tugged at her curves, accentuating them. Dark black wasn’t the best choice for summer, though. Cade would have to help her find a better place for her clothes. Like on his floor.

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.