Rock and A Hard Place (Cascade Brides Series) (3 page)

Bracing herself for the worst, Faith stepped aside even further,
hoping the direction of her movements wasn't a symbol for what was
to come. Her ankle panged in painful agreement.

Mortification warred with curiosity at what he would come up with.
But if she had any hope of keeping her position, she would have to
become firm about letting just anyone tell her how to edit her
images.

Shane bent over her keyboard and opened the photo-editor. With a few
clicks and a quick crop, he adjusted her photo. Faith studied the
result. Of course it looked better. She refrained from releasing a
huffy breath.

Merle peered at the image and stroked his mustache. “I like it,
but it's rather stylized. My goal for Bascombe photos is to give the
truest portrayal of animal life in eastern Oregon.”

Shane smiled helpfully. “It
is
a true portrayal because the
cougar was shot here, but the changes give the image a modern edge
that appeals to the audience you want to reach—tourists from the
valley and out of state.”

“Hmm, I think you might be right. What do you think, Faith?”

Faith maintained a careful expression despite the dread building
within. How many times had she asked to add an artistic slant to her
photos and how many times had her boss only wanted realism? Leave it
to the nephew to upset the apple cart. “I like it,” she said in
a noncommittal tone.

Shane grinned, his eyes gleaming with a knowing humor. “Of course,
without an excellent base image, no amount of editing can make a
great photo. What I did was easy. Miss Conrad is the one who did the
hard part.”

Faith was tempted to roll her eyes. He sounded like the smarty-pants
kid in school who was trying to butter up the teacher. And his look
told her he knew it. She mashed her lips together to let him know
she disapproved of his light-hearted manner. There was too much at
stake. Her
job
being the main thing.

Merle straightened, a broad grin on his face. “Looks like you two
could be a real team.”

Faith looked away, staring at the front door with unseeing eyes.
I
hate being right
. Turning to her boss once her emotions were
under control, she kept her tone level. “I'm sure Mr. Zadopec's
ranger activities give him a lot of opportunity to get even better
shots.” But she couldn't bring herself to say what followed.
Perhaps he should have my job
.

When she peered up at her competition, Shane caught her gaze and
held it. “Actually, my work keeps me a little too busy for that.
Getting an occasional shot is one thing, doing all the design work
is another. But I do have access to restricted lands that could help
you in
your
endeavors, Miss Conrad. Call me anytime.”

Faith bit her lip, feeling churlish. Maybe Shane wasn't staking his
claim for her job, but he was Merle's family, and his blood was a
whole lot thicker than hers.

“Especially when you're thinking of going out alone.”

Her sliver of sympathy fled. As if she hadn't been exploring the
outdoors her whole life. Silly ranger probably learned everything
thing he knew about nature in college. And books—big thick, boring
books.

It was going to be a very long day.

Shane made to leave. “Thanks for the tour, Merle. And thanks for
being a good sport with your photograph, Miss Conrad.” He sent a
smile that encompassed them both. “I'll see you soon.”

And then he was gone.

After Shane left, Merle turned to Faith. “Well, what do you think
of my nephew?”

Faith measured her words carefully, wondering at her boss's angle.
“He's nice, and...he seems
very
talented in photography.”

Merle patted her shoulder. “I'm glad you like him. I invited him
to our church.”

Faith refrained from pointing out she never said she
liked
him. And now she'd get to see him. A lot. Her answering smile felt
like a grimace. “That's great. Really great.”

“Glad you think so. Go ahead and use Shane's version of the image
for the brochure cover.”

Nodding, she sank onto her chair and saved the image, reminding
herself to add Mr. Zadopec's attribution in the fine print.

As she worked on the brochure layout, she added a similar touch to
the other photos as well as to the company website. The result was a
more modern look that was sure to resonate with city-dwellers.

Faith just wished she'd had the guts to push it herself. A bear and
a cougar were one thing. Merle and her livelihood were quite
another.

Chapter Three

Shane looked around the foyer of the church for a familiar white
head amidst the other worshipers, and when that failed, he tried for
a beautiful girl with glossy brown hair and hazel eyes. Not that
Faith would be glad to see him. Her enthusiasm had been decidedly
lacking the last time they'd met. And the fact that Merle's
matchmaking attempts were so obvious meant the prickly brunette
might be even further out of his reach.

Maybe prickly wasn't the right word. Being corrected about the
conditions of her climb would be annoying—yet his profession
demanded it. Adding his comments to her photograph probably hadn't
been much appreciated either, but inspiration had struck and he'd
gone with it. His artistic finesse, however, would hardly earn him
any points with Faith.

Shane squared his shoulders, determined to make a better impression
on Faith Conrad. He glanced down at his plaid shirt and khaki pants
and hoped he looked okay. What kind of guy was she attracted to? The
Brooks Brothers type? A biker in leather? If either was the case, he
was a lost cause.

“Shane!”

He turned to see Merle coming through the church doors.

The older man walked up and shook his hand. “Glad you could make
it.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course, of course. I hope you feel it's a good fit for you.
We're probably a bit more conservative here than what you're used to
in Detroit.”

Shane smiled. “Let me guess, the pastor wears a three piece suit
instead of jeans and a designer T-shirt.”

Merle laughed. “Right. We should get settled as the service is
about to start.”

Shane did a quick scan of the lobby. “So we're not waiting for
Faith?”

“She'll get here eventually. She's never late for work but is
rarely on time for church.”

Wondering if there was something to the puzzling statement, Shane
followed Merle into the sanctuary of Gateway Community Church and
took a seat near the back. The sanctuary was composed of knotty pine
and stacked rock, giving it a rustic flair. Those in attendance
matched the rugged ambiance of the area with a plethora of denim and
cowboy boots. Many gray heads were mixed with younger adults,
representing the multiple generations of families Merle had
mentioned when describing the town.

Shane wondered what it would be like to have a sense of roots. His
own family life had been transient, moving from one town to another,
from one rental to the next. Even his job had taken him to three
different states. Then again, he'd been the one applying for those
transfers when they'd opened up. Maybe eastern Oregon would give him
a reason to finally settle. Faith's image came to mind, making him
smile ruefully. A few days in town and he was already jumping the
gun. Ridiculous considering Miss Conrad hadn't seemed so keen on
him.

When the music started, Shane put thoughts of the pretty girl aside
and focused on the words of the hymn,
Just As I Am
,
played softly by an acoustic guitarist.
As he sang the
lyrics, he thought about where he'd been spiritually the first time
he'd heard this song.
Not
in
such a great place.

It might have been a decade in real time, but it didn't feel like it
was all that long ago when he'd been a juvenile delinquent, ignored
by his father despite getting into trouble all the time. It had been
a visit by Merle after his dad had left town that brought a change.
Merle had dragged Shane to church, ignoring the sullen contempt, and
had spelled out the consequences of his choices.

Shane never knew he had an uncle until that point, and from the
moment he'd met Merle, he'd wanted to impress him. Especially when
Merle had offered to pay for college if he stayed out of trouble and
kept up his grades. Shane had taken the opportunity—it wasn't hard
to see the alternatives—and graduated high school with honors.

In the end, he'd paid for his own degree in Forest Management and
found his own employment the last several years, but it had been
Merle's encouragement that got him on the right path. When the job
opened up in John Day near his only remaining relative, Shane had
jumped at it—not only to be close to family, but he was also
hoping for a sense of permanence along with it.

As the worship service came to an end, he offered a prayer of
thankfulness for second-chances. Shane wondered if Faith would grant
him
another chance.

After the service, he couldn't help but look for Merle's sole
employee in the crowd. But he didn't see her. As his uncle
introduced him to friends and associates, Shane tried not to crane
his neck in hopes of catching a glimpse of Faith. Maybe she hadn't
come. Maybe her ankle hurt too bad. He wondered if she'd received
proper medical attention.

“Ah, there she is.”

Shane twisted around to see Faith walking down the hall toward them
with only the slightest hint of a limp. She wore black slacks and a
silk blouse that matched the green flecks of her eyes. Her hair,
gleaming under the recessed lighting of the foyer, bounced and slid
over her shoulders as she moved. But his pleasure at seeing her
faded when he caught the gimlet look in her eye.

“Where were you?” Merle asked amiably. “We missed you in the
service.”

“I was a couple of minutes late and they ended up needing help in
the nursery.” She shifted her attention to Shane. “Mr. Zadopec.”

“Just call me Shane,” he said, wondering what she was thinking
about as she surveyed him. He knew it wasn't appreciative. No, he
was being weighed and measured. Did she see him as a threat? A
hindrance? Was there any hope she found him as attractive as he
found her?

“Then call me Faith,” she said.

“So,” Merle said, apparently unaware of the chilly vibe Faith
was sending out, “would you join Shane and I for lunch? I want to
take him on a tour of the town after that.”

She caught her bottom lip with her teeth. “I have some work to
do—”

“I understand,” Shane interrupted, realizing a chance to spend
time with her was slipping away. He decided to play dirty. “You
won't want to overtax your ank—”

“—but of course, I'd
love
to come,” she said, sending a
dark look his way.

Shane figured she'd kick him if she could managed it with her
injury. But he couldn't help enjoying the small victory he'd won. He
had a feeling Faith would keep him on his toes.

“Wonderful” Merle said. “How about Pritchard's? Faith, would
you like to ride with us? We can meet back here.”

“Uh, actually, I'll need to head straight home afterwards.” She
flashed her boss a smile. “I'll meet you at the restaurant.”

Shane wished she'd smile at
him
that way. Maybe he should
consider growing a handlebar mustache.

***

Faith popped a couple of pain pills in the church restroom and hoped
she'd make it through lunch. She really should be home propping up
her beleaguered ankle. But if she demurred, Merle would wonder why,
and she wanted to keep things on track with her boss. If he deemed
her accident-prone, maybe he'd start looking for a new employee who
could better handle the rigors of the job. In this economy, she
couldn't lean on the favors of kind family friends. Business was
business.

And then there was Shane. If he looked good in a khaki uniform, he
looked even better in street clothes. Goodness, how had he not been
snapped up by now? She figured him to be in his late twenties. Maybe
he wasn't the family man type and relished his independence—which
was typical of many rangers. She just wished he'd stop assessing her
with his dark eyes. Did he consider her a rube as most from the city
labeled those who lived in outlying areas? Maybe that's why he
offered photography advice.
Hmph
.

Faith had returned his look, doing a little of her own assessing.
What was this guy's angle? Polite disinterest she could handle. Even
light flirtation. But Shane looked at her in a way that made her
think of dark plots. Maybe he was the Evil Relative come to town to
claim what he viewed as his inheritance. Except Bascombe Productions
was hardly a large concern. The company did well in its niche, but
there wasn't anything worth plundering. Or maybe he thought she was
out to fleece the lonely, older businessman and he planned to put a
stop to it.

Bottom line, what did it really matter what he thought of her? What
mattered was keeping Merle happy and herself employed.

Faith suppressed her angst as she got in her truck and headed toward
Pritchard's. She usually avoided that particular restaurant. It
reminded her too much of her waitressing days at a place called
Cooper's Country Cookin'—the frilly uniforms, the vinyl shoes, the
whole lack of a future thing. She had friends with jobs in trendy,
high-end restaurant who made good money. And many of the ladies at
Cooper's worked to rub elbows with the locals while augmenting their
retirement income. But for a young woman with no prospects, working
in a tiny establishment even full-time just couldn't sustain her or
her family for long.

But today Merle wanted Pritchard's, so she'd ignore memories of her
hardscrabble past. There wasn't exactly a wide variety of
restaurants in John Day, which was why Faith rarely ate out—unless
she counted the times she picked her dinner out of the freezer
section of the grocery store.