Rock and A Hard Place (Cascade Brides Series)

  Faith Conrad is used to striving. After more or less raising her twin sisters because of an absent father and ailing mother, she knows the meaning of responsibility. She had to drop out of high school to pay the bills, hamstringing her future. When handsome Bureau of Land Management ranger Shane Zadopec rescues her from a rock climb gone wrong and reveals that he's a photographer too, she feels threatened and rebuffs his attempts to get close. Will she ever picture them together?

  ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

  by

  Bonnie Blythe

  Book One of Cascade Bride Series

  A Christian Romance Novel

  Kindle Edition copyright 2011

  All rights reserved.

  Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by Magyar Design

  Cover photo by

  ©Olaf Speier | Dreamstime.com

  From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint;

  lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

  –Psalm 61:2

  Chapter One

  Faith Conrad blew out a satisfied breath as she paused in her descent on the rocky trail. Shielding her eyes, she took in the panorama spread before her. Strawberry Lake, nestled in the gorge of the Strawberry Mountain range, glistened in the late afternoon sunlight. At the valley floor lay the town of John Day where her friend and boss, Merle Bascombe, waited for new shots of the area for his latest wilderness brochure.

  Faith lifted her camera and framed the glorious view. After taking several pictures, she tucked her camera away knowing she had to get back to the trail head before dark. She closed her eyes for a moment, absorbing the gentle quiet around her. Ponderosa pine and juniper branches creaked slightly in the wind. Nearby she heard the call of a golden eagle.

  It was a far cry from the chaos and noise of her teen years living in a small house with a mother and younger twin sisters. Her mother had since died and her sisters were somewhere far away over the Cascade Mountain Range on the other side of Oregon.

  It might as well be a million miles.

  Faith opened her eyes and frowned, uncomfortable with the direction of her thoughts. Adjusting her backpack, she headed down the trail. Strawberry Mountain peaked at nine thousand feet. Two thousand feet up was plenty for her on a day hike. She’d stayed too long as it was. Picking her way around rocks and over roots, she kept one booted foot in front of the other, trying not to allow thoughts of her family to mar an otherwise perfect day. But as she descended, images from her youth eclipsed the beauty before her.

  At sixteen years old she had cared for her ailing mother while trying to rein in her two hard-headed fraternal twin sisters—one of them sickly. Surviving on her mother’s social security checks and the occasional kindness of strangers, Faith was forced to drop out of high school to make sure the twins could graduate. Theirs had been a strained relationship at best. I gave up everything for them and they still resent me. A tree bough slapped her in the face, making her cheek sting. Which is what happens when I dwell on the past.

  Faith checked her watch. Four-thirty. She picked up the pace, not wanting to get caught past dark in a wilderness populated by black bear and cougar. Actually seeing either animal would be a great opportunity to get a picture for Merle. He was especially keen on wildlife shots. Over the past few days she’d managed to capture some eagles, minks, and a beaver, but nothing as dramatic as large predators. If she didn't come up with something more impressive, maybe Merle would start thinking she was a charity case instead of a photographer. He hadn’t needed to offer her the job in the first place. She was worried he still felt sorry for her, knowing her family history. Merle Bascombe was a well-known businessman and philanthropist, and the community adored him. She did too, which made her eager to bring him the most amazing photos possible.

  Faith glanced back at the lake as it slipped from view from behind a stand of trees. She always experienced a twinge of sadness when she came back to earth, back to the busyness of daily life. Well, as busy as it gets here in Wheeler county, the most sparsely populated county in the state. She’d chosen the area for just that reason. Less people meant more peace and quiet. And that was the way she liked it. Most definitely. Just being by myself. Me and God. And nature. And good photographs. She smiled a little at her thoughts.

  Suddenly a grouse rocketed up from the brush in front of her. Faith wheeled backward as the bird’s wings beat against her in a frantic effort to escape. She lost her balance and landed hard on her backside. Before she could get her bearings, she began to slide down the steep slope of the trail. Faith scrabbled for a nearby root to grab onto, but her bulky backpack hindered her efforts.

  Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.

  She saw a pile of boulders cropping out to one side of the trail and tried to shift her momentum in that direction. If she could catch her foot against one of the rocks, maybe she could slow her descent enough to grab onto something. Faith braced for impact as she continued to slide. Just as her foot hit the rock, it slipped into a crevice and was jammed. Her full weight followed, wedging her foot in deeper. Knee buckling, her body did a one-legged side-sprawl in the dirt.

  And then all was silent, as if the flora and fauna had paused to watch her graceless descent.

  Faith lay still, panting in the dust. Well, at least I’m stopped. Easing her eyes open, she gingerly pulled herself to a sitting position—a difficult task with her foot pinned. As she sat up, her knee twisted and pain shot down her leg. She winced. Okay, God, You've helped me out of jams before. Now I'm asking again.

  Faith loosened the backpack and shrugged out of the straps. Without its weight, she managed to scoot to a better angle in relation to her foot. Now to get the thing unstuck. But when she tugged, it didn’t budge. She looked up at the sky and saw the sun hovering just over the horizon.

  Wanting nothing more than to lean back and rest a minute, instead Faith took a gulp of air, and pulled on her leg with all her strength. A cry of pain escaped her lips but she continued to pull, lungs aching from lack of oxygen. Her foot remained just as jammed.

  Her heartbeat kicked up a couple of notches. Must stay calm. Must think. She closed her eyes and breathed another prayer. A shadow fell upon her. Faith’s eyes snapped open and she bit back a gasp of shock. On the ledge above her was a black bear on all fours, sniffing the air. Its bulk cast a shadow over part of her body while the remnants of the sun gilded its fur in the wavering light. She stared at it, open-mouthed.

  Faith only had one impulse. She clawed for her backpack.

  ***

  Shane Zadopec frowned at the Nissan pickup truck parked at the Strawberry Mountain trail head. When he checked his watch, his frown deepened. He was supposed to lock the gate at the main road after checking the trail heads to make sure everyone was out by dusk. Somebody wasn’t. It looked like he'd be starting his new job with the potential for trouble. Hopefully it was just a case of a tardy hiker. He sighed and grabbed his backpack before locking up his Jeep.

  Jamming his arms through the straps, Shane headed up the path that led to the trail. If he was lucky, he’d run into the hikers momentarily. But if they were somehow stranded up high in the mountains, they wouldn’t be so fortunate. Snow still lay in patches at the higher levels and the March nighttime temperatures could be deadly. He kept a swift pace even as the trail gave way to more of a rocky path through the trees.

&
nbsp; Adrenaline kicked in as he ascended. “Anyone hear me?” he called out. “Are you in need of first aid?” Cocking his ear for a response, he only heard the wind sighing through the pines. Shane decided to go to the thousand foot elevation before seeking help from the authorities. Surely the hikers knew what they were doing. Only the most experienced ventured up back-road trails in early spring. Most people didn’t know the trails existed. But then there were always the folks who had more gumption than common sense.

  Shane's respiration came faster as he pushed himself hard, scanning the area for any sign of non-animal life. The cooling air stung his lungs and chilled his face. Despite his growing concern, he found pleasure in the sweet smell of the undergrowth and tang of tree sap surrounding him. It was a definite improvement over the hot blacktop and exhaust fumes of his youth.

  The rugged terrain sprang up in an arc around the lake, nearly silhouetted by the setting sun. This wilderness area in the Malheur National Forest was some of the most beautiful country he’d ever seen. The fact that the nearly 69,000 acre wilderness area had five different ecological zones only added to its appeal. There was always something new to discover, some new way to be amazed by God’s creation.

  The woods and mountains had directed him in his choice of vocation as a Bureau of Land Management ranger, and he'd seen some pretty areas. After stints in Arizona, he'd transferred to Idaho and fell in love with the high country of the Northwest. Somehow the vistas here in Malheur county seemed even more impressive. Shane squinted up the mountain in the rapidly falling light.

  He hated this aspect of his job, hated the sick feeling of someone being lost in woods. He’d been on too many rescue missions that had ended with tragic results.

  He scrambled over a pile of rocks on the upward climb and kept checking his watch, fighting against the dread building within him. He took a deep breath. “Hello! Can anyone hear me?”

  A roar arrested his steps. Tilting his head back, Shane peered up the mountain in the direction of the sound. His eyes widened when he saw a black bear on a ledge looking down at something beneath it. Following its gaze, he saw a flash of light ricochet against the cliffs.

  A camera flash? No way! Shane hurried up the remaining steps and when he cleared a clump of pines, he saw a young woman leaning against a rock with a camera. The bear roared again. Shane grabbed his firearm from his holster and crept toward the woman. She saw his movement and turned to look at him, a smile lighting up her face.

  “I got a bear!”

  Faith stared at the man—obviously a ranger by his uniform—and wondered why he looked like thunder. The photo she’d taken of the bear would be magnificent. Merle would be thrilled. Everything was wonderful—except that her foot really hurt. That and the bear suddenly decided to leave the ledge for a closer look.

  A shot rang out. Faith saw the ranger fire a pistol, aiming well above the animal, and the echoing report sent it hightailing back into the woods. She offered him a relieved smile. “You beat me to it. I have a gun, too.”

  The man holstered his weapon and stared at her, his dark eyes wide with fury. “Are you nuts? Taking a picture of a dangerous animal at such close range! And I don’t see your firearm.”

  “It’s in my bag. I was going to grab it as soon as I had the shot.” Honestly, she’d been so excited about the opportunity of a photo, she hadn’t thought of the danger. Black bears weren’t usually aggressive. Of course she couldn't say how the animal might have reacted to a temporary blinding by the flash.

  Oops. She looked up at the ranger and bit her lip. “Uh, by the way, I’m stuck.”

  The man’s brows snapped together. “Are you hurt?”

  She nodded and eased forward, tenderly replacing her camera in its case. Once that was taken care of, she turned her attention to her leg. The man slid off his backpack and knelt next to her.

  “My foot is wedged in a crevice.” No longer distracted by a plum photo opp, her excitement gave way to a fresh awareness of pain. Faith scrunched her face. “I’ve tried and tried to pull free, but I can’t even get it loose. I may have broken my ankle.”

  The ranger flipped over his backpack and pulled out a small shovel. He quickly dug around the side of rock that pinned her foot. “Is there anyone with you up here?”

  She stared hard at him, trying to decide whether to trust him. You never knew who you might meet on the trail. Sometimes nature lovers, sometimes very scary creeps. He paused and looked at her with undisguised annoyance. Probably safe. “Nope. Just me.”

  He resumed digging with hurried movements. “Do you always go into the mountains alone at night, when bears are hungry after hibernation?”

  Momentarily distracted by his good looks, she watched the play of muscles in his arms, the black hair falling into his dark eyes as he worked. “Um, I’ve been up here a lot and have never seen a bear before.”

  “Now that you have, will you learn some sense?”

  Mr. Handsome suddenly lost his appeal. “Hey, I’m not some newbie. I practically grew up in the mountains. Besides it’s not night, it’s not even twilight.”

  He made a noise that sounded like a grunt. After digging out under the rock, he put the shovel down and leaned against the rock.

  Faith felt an incremental loosening near her ankle. “It’s working!”

  The ranger pushed harder, his face a grimace of concentration. Suddenly the rock jerked free and bounced down the hill, cracking and crunching against trees and underbrush.

  “Oh, ow.” Faith looked down at her freed foot and gulped as it began to throb with explosive vengeance. The ranger quickly untied her laces and eased the boot from her foot. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from hollering. When he pushed up her pant leg and peeled off her thick sock, she stared at the purple swelling in horror.

  “Double ouch,” she said, cringing and struggling not to cry.

  The man dug in his backpack and pulled out a first-aid kit. He fished out a plastic pack, bent it, and pressed it gently against her ankle. The cold pack brought tears to her eyes.

  “Sorry, I know this must be awful.” Pulling out a roll of gauze, the man fixed the pack to her ankle by loosely wrapping it around several times.

  “Do you think you can stand?”

  Do I have a choice? She saw the ranger’s outstretched hand and grabbed hold. He hoisted her to her feet. While she wobbled to get balance against a tree, he replaced his first-aid kit, then put her boot and sock in her backpack before hooking the straps of both packs onto his shoulder. She scanned the area to make sure her camera had not fallen out to the ground from the ranger's jostling. Hurting her ankle and losing her camera would make for a very bad day.

  Faith straightened her spine and mentally prepared for the long downward climb with her injury. She took one last look at the dimming mountainside and caught her breath. A cougar stood on a boulder about fifty yards away in a remaining patch of snow gilded by the last rays of sunlight. Two for two!

  “My camera!” she hissed.

  “What?”

  “My camera! Quick! It’s in the middle pocket. Hurry!”

  Faith heard the man grumble while he unzipped her pack and extract the camera. He went the extra step of removing it from its case and turning on the power.

  “What do you see?”

  “A cougar,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “Shhh!”

  Twisting around, the ranger spotted the big cat and pulled out his gun.

  Faith took several pictures until the cat turned away and loped into the trees.

  “Wow, that was amazing!” She turned to look at the ranger. His face was set as he held out his hand for the camera. She acquiesced, watching to make sure he handled it with care. Once it was safely tucked away, she breathed out a
happy sigh. “Merle will be impressed.”

  “Merle?”

  “Merle Bascombe, my boss.”

  For the first time, the ranger smiled. Goodness, what a difference that made.

  “Okaaay.” He held out his hand to her. “We need to get out of here before it’s completely dark.”

  Faith took his hand, noticing this time the warmth of his grip. Together they made their way down the trail, while the ranger kept a lookout for any critters who might decide to follow. She limped along painfully, but was buoyed by the spectacular shots she knew she was bringing to her boss. So many trips, so many climbs and she'd never had such opportunities before. Faith offered up a silent prayer of thankfulness. Then, as an chagrined afterthought, thanked God for bringing someone her way to help her down the mountain.

  “So, what’s your name?”

  Faith peeked up at the ranger. His features were nearly indistinguishable in the failing light, but she saw the shine of his eyes from the flashlight he had pointed toward the ground. “Faith Conrad. And you?”

  “Shane Zadopec.”

  “So you’re a ranger around here?”

  “Yep.”

  She squinted at him. “I know most of them. Are you new?”

  “Also yep.”

  Grimacing as an unseen rock jolted her bad ankle, she gripped his hand tighter. “I haven’t thanked you for rescuing me. It was very timely.”

  “I don’t know. If I had arrived a few minutes later, you might have gotten a great shot of the bear’s gingivitis issues.”

  Faith laughed nervously. “True, but a photographer’s gotta do what a photographer’s gotta do.”

  She sensed him staring at her in the darkness. “Are you always so fool—er, daring to get your shots?”