Bearview Bride (BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (10 page)

He shrugged. “Genetics?”

Tess looked at him accusingly. “You opened your eyes!”

“I had to, to get to you. I can close them again if you want me to. I’d rather not, though.”

“Fine, keep them open. But only because you’re keeping me warm.”

She couldn’t believe she was naked in a lake, being held by a naked man. How was any of this happening to her?

“I think I’m getting more used to the water,” Tess said. “That, or hypothermia is setting in.”

“It’s definitely hypothermia.”

Making a face, she wriggled out of his arms. Though she missed his warmth—and his hard muscles—it felt so freeing to backstroke, her arms cutting through the clear water.

Tess spread her limbs, floating on her back. Cade drifted closer, doing the same. For a few moments, they listened to birdsong and the wind in the pines.

Tess could only handle so much peace and quiet. Her mind began to whir, thinking about how she needed to make sure her batteries were charged and her memory cards cleared for Monday. She wondered if Cade had any last-minute errands. He must. There had to be something they were forgetting.

“Do you think we’re ready for Monday?” she asked when she couldn’t bear the silence any longer.

“As ready as we’ll ever be.”

Tess looked up at the deep blue sky. “You know what would make the honeymoon cabin perfect? A porch swing in the back. And maybe a hot tub, though I’m not saying we need that by Monday.”

“A hot tub?” Cade scoffed. “Do you know how much the maintenance costs on those things? And couples are going to come here for summer weddings. I don’t think a hot tub would get much use.”

“They’re on their honeymoon—they’re going to need a hot tub.”

Cade sank into the lake, standing on the bottom. “Tess, I couldn’t be happier that you’re here, and I don’t know what I’d do without you, but you need to stop thinking about work now. We’re taking a break, remember?”

“I can’t. I should go to the ceremony site and take some practice shots to get a feel for the lighting.”

He slid his hands around her shoulders to keep her from drifting away from him. “I’m going to make you stop thinking about work.”

“How?”

Leaning over, he planted a kiss on her lips.

It shocked her more than the cold water had. His lips were so soft on hers. Tess closed her eyes, giving in to him. Gently, he slipped a hand under her head, twining his fingers through her hair.

Righting herself in the water, Tess laid a steadying hand on his broad chest. He pressed her hand against his heart, his tongue tracing her lips.

Tess was glad she could count on Cade to rescue her, because she thought she might faint.

All too soon, he pulled away. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself.”

Tess felt her face heat. “I don’t mind.”

“Well, then.” Cade leaned forward. “Where were we?”

He was so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. Then her stomach rumbled, ruining the moment.

Cade laughed. “I guess it is past lunch time.” He tugged her toward the shore. “Let’s get some food. We can always come back—the lake won’t go anywhere.”

Since Tess was starting to shiver again, she didn’t protest too much.

Cade surged out of the water and onto the dock. Reaching down, he hauled her up beside him.

“Here.” He handed her his rather large shirt. “You can dry off with this.”

“Are you sure?” Tess didn’t want to be rude, but the wind had picked up and goose bumps were rolling across her arms.

“Go ahead. Besides, it’s my fault we don’t have any towels.” Cade shook himself dry, then pulled on his pants.

Tess squeezed the water out of her hair and dried herself with Cade’s shirt. He had been sweating in it all day, but somehow it smelled phenomenal.

“Are you dry enough?” he asked.

“I think so,” Tess said, though she was tempted to ask for his pants as well. “Thanks.” She handed him the shirt. Embarrassingly, her stomach growled again, more insistently this time.

“Don’t worry.” Cade slung his damp shirt over one shoulder. “It’s not that far to the lodge, and we have plenty to eat. After a sandwich or two, you’ll be good to go.”

Tess shrugged on her shirt. “Good to put the finishing touches on the honeymoon cabin?”

“We’ll see about that.” Cade gave her a mock scowl.

Once Tess was clothed again, they started back toward the lodge. The pines filled the air with a divine scent. They came around a bend in the path to find an elk and her offspring cropping grass. The startled pair sprang away at the sight of them.

“Looks like we interrupted their lunch,” Cade said. “Can you believe them? They’re already trying to get fat for winter.”

“To be fair, it’s hard to get fat with their diet. They should try some ice cream or cupcakes.”

“Or elk,” Cade said. “If you’re here in the autumn, you’ll need to try my mom’s elk stew.”

Tess laughed. “Those elk might be a little offended if you tried to feed them elk stew.”

“Well, you wouldn’t tell them what was in it.”

She shook her head. Besides, she wasn’t even going to be here in the autumn. She was going to take her stipend and buy a plane ticket. As soon as summer ended, she would leave Yonder behind forever.

Tess faltered. She had never admitted it to herself, but that had always been the plan. While Cade was nice, she couldn’t stay just for him.

Right?

They walked into the lodge, then to the dining room. Cade pushed the door open.

“Since it’s so late, my brothers probably won’t be…”

Six burly men sat at the table. As one, they turned to stare.

“…here,” Cade finished.

Tess’s heart started to race. Cade was easily the most handsome of his brothers, but none of them were hard on the eyes. She had never experienced so many attractive men gazing at her at one time.

“Well,” one of the men drawled, “aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Cade sighed. “Tess, this is Ethan, Jake, Logan, Dean, Adam, and Sawyer.”

They waved and flashed smiles. She could have sworn that one of them winked as he took a swig from his mug.

“Hi, everyone,” Tess said.

One of the brothers—she had no idea which—leaned back in his chair. “Sorry, we just wanted to meet you. Cade doesn’t bring many girls home.”

“Any, really,” added another.

“It’s true, Cade.” One of the brothers stuffed his remaining sandwich into his mouth.

Cade glared. “I didn’t ‘bring her home.’ I hired her to be Bearview’s photographer. There’s a difference.”

“Is there? Because it feels like you’re practically about to rip our throats out.”

“Yeah, Cade, there’s no need to be so protective of the photographer.”

One of the green-eyed men set down his glass with a thunk. “If she’s staff, then why isn’t she eating in the staff kitchen?”

Tess put one hand on her hip. “Someone has to keep you boys in line.”

There was stunned silence. Then the table broke into laughter.

“All right,” one of them said, “she can stay.”

“Thanks, Adam,” Cade growled. “So glad to have your permission.” Turning to Tess, he pulled out an empty chair.

She sat, determined not to curl a finger through her hair like she sometimes did when she was nervous.

“Here.” A blue-eyed brother passed her a plate. “One of Bearview’s famous sandwiches.”

“Thanks.” She picked up half. “Is it turkey?”

“And Swiss. But don’t tell anyone—it’s a secret family recipe.”

“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” She took a bite of the sandwich, which was laden with meat and cheese. They certainly didn’t skimp around here.

“I’m Ethan,” the blue-eyed brother said, “in case you lost track during the roll call.”

“I may have,” Tess admitted.

Cade took a seat next to her. “Don’t worry about the names. All you need to know is that you can’t trust anyone at that end of the table.”

“Hey!” One of the green-eyed brothers looked wounded. “What was that for?”

Cade leveled him with a stare. “You know exactly what that was for, Sawyer.”

“You—”

“So, Tess,” Ethan said, interrupting his brother and heading off the argument, “where are you from?”

“I’m from Yonder, actually. I grew up in Big Meadows.”

They had to know that Big Meadows was the trailer park community—everyone in Yonder knew that—but the information was met with nods of approval around the table. Tess felt herself relax.

“Are you ready for Monday?” Ethan asked.

Tess took a sip of water. “I hope so. It’s only the second wedding I’ll have shot.”

“Don’t worry,” Sawyer said. “As long as you don’t do something stupid like call the bride fat, you’ll be fine.”

Tess laughed. Somehow, Sawyer’s advice actually made her feel better.

“How’s the lift coming?” Ethan asked Cade. “Made any decisions yet?”

Cade nodded. “I think I know which company we should go with. I’m going to call them after lunch. Maybe we can get someone out here Monday morning.”

“Is something wrong with the lift?” Tess asked. Almost immediately, she wished she hadn’t, because everyone around the table went silent.

“Ours is dead,” Cade said at last.

“I’m sorry.” Tess bit her lip. “That’s terrible.”

“It’s not so bad.” Sawyer mopped his plate clean with the last of his sandwich. “We still have the mountain. Skiers could always just walk up it if they weren’t so lazy.”

“Maybe we could save our money and market the lack of a lift,” said the man—Adam?—beside him. “Bearview Lodge—now for hikers
and
skiers!”

“Great idea,” Cade said scathingly, “I’ll be sure to write that one down.”

“But you can fix the lift, right?” Tess asked.

“Better,” Sawyer said, “we’re replacing it. And it’s only going to take a truckload of money.”

Tess swallowed. “Can they build a new lift in time for the winter season?”

“That’s the hope.” Cade leaned his head on his hand. He looked rather tired.

One of the brothers asked if anyone had seen any trout lately, sparking a new discussion. Everyone seemed relieved to talk about the lighter topic. Cade, however, didn’t appear to be listening to them. He sat rigidly still, staring into his plate.

Tess shredded her napkin in her lap. Bearview was a ski lodge—what would they do without a lift?

Cade sat as if he carried a huge weight on his shoulders. Now she understood why he was so loath to spend money, and why everything for the cabin had to be perfect. Tess wished she could comfort him somehow.

Slowly, his brothers filed out, taking their cups and plates with them. Cade remained at the table, brooding.

Tess squared her shoulders. She was determined to make Monday her best shoot ever. All she needed to do was deliver incredible photos that would have the bride gushing about Bearview to anyone who would listen.

It was so simple. What could go wrong?

Chapter Nine

C
ADE TUGGED AT
his collar, wishing he could loosen his tie. He hated formal clothes. They were always stifling. Fur felt so much better.

But it wasn’t like he could change into jeans and a t-shirt. The wedding party had already taken over Bearview’s lobby, and the guests would be arriving soon enough. He had to remain in formalwear in case anyone needed anything.

Cade growled under his breath, pacing along the front drive. He wished he had never agreed to encourage weddings at Bearview. They were incredibly stressful, and he already had enough to stress about.

A truck pulled into the drive. It was covered in mud, and obviously not associated with the celebration. Across the side were the words “Mountain Men Construction” in dark green paint.

Cade smiled as the door swung open. “Just the man I wanted to see,” he said. “How’s it going, Joe?”

Joe Collins tapped a boot on the drive, dislodging clods of dirt. “Muddy,” he said. “At least where we’ve been digging.”

“New project?”

“We’re making a lake for Wolf Tracks,” Joe said. “Don’t ask.”

“But don’t they have at least three perfectly good, natural…” Cade trailed off. “Sorry. You said not to ask.”

“I know, I can’t explain it either. They basically want a swimming pool that looks like a lake. But not too much like a lake, mind you. Apparently, some of their guests were scared of their other lakes. Too many fish.”

“Too many—” Cade shook his head. “I know you wouldn’t lie to me, but I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true, unfortunately. I hope you have a better project for me.”

“We just need you to save the lodge.” Cade grimaced. “Like I said over the phone, we need a new lift system.”

“That sounds a lot better than an artificial lake.” Joe scratched his chin. “Are you going to want us to replace the line and the terminals?”

“Yep. Everything. We want an entirely new system.”

“All right.” Joe chewed on the cigar that seemed to be permanently fixed to his lips. “What’s your budget?”

“About $95,000.”

Joe winced. “Are you sure you want a new system?”

“Hey!”

He puffed on his cigar. “Well, we aren’t going to be changing the location of the line or terminal points, because you don’t have any money for surveys. You all right with that?”

Cade nodded. “That sounds fine. As long as we end up with a working lift.”

Joe looked up the mountain, as if already envisioning the system. “What kind of carriers were you looking to get?”

“Quad chairs?” Cade said hopefully.

“Not with $95,000, you’re not.”

Cade sighed.

“You could do doubles, though. And since your dad and I go way back, I’ll even get you the kind with heated seats. How does that sound?”

“That sounds nice.”

“You could be a little more enthusiastic.” Ash fell from the end of Joe’s cigar. “Don’t expect me to feel too sorry for the Boone family. You only have one of the best mountains in the entire range, minus the Tetons themselves. That won’t change whether you have doubles or gondolas.”

“I know.” Cade looked at the ground. “You’re right.”

“Damn straight.” Joe took another puff on his cigar. “Now, Cade, with only 95 grand, this isn’t going to be a quick job. It’s going to take most of the summer. If you want it done in time for the season, we need to get started right away.”