Bearview Bride (BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (14 page)

Cade rolled his eyes. “I hope you won’t be upset for too long, seeing as a casino would be illegal.”

“Minor details.” Sawyer waved him away. “We’d figure something out.”

“Like what, bribing the cops?”

“Nah, too much work. I’d just set you up to take the fall.”

“Thanks,” Cade said. “I appreciate that.”

He was considering reaching across the table and cuffing Sawyer’s ear when Tess walked in, a messenger bag at her side. Seeing her, Cade forgot all about his brothers.

She stood next to him, gripping her tray of food. “Can I sit here?” she asked quietly.

Cade pulled out the chair immediately. She sat, picking up her fork and pushing her food around.

“Did you just wake up?” Sawyer asked.

“Sawyer!” Cade snapped. Tess looked a bit bleary, but that didn’t mean she needed to answer to his rude youngest brother.

“What? It’s just that she looks tired is all.”

Adam elbowed him in the ribs. “You don’t tell women they look tired.”

“But she does. I’m not making that up!”

Tess’s mouth turned up at the corner. “It’s okay. I am tired.”

“Sleep in?” Sawyer asked, dodging another elbow from Dean.

“Not really.” Tess set down her fork. “I was up until four this morning taking photos.”

“Of what? Bats?”

“Not exactly.”

What was she hiding? She seemed pleased with herself.

“What, then?” Logan asked.

“Olivia and Henry.”

Around the table, they all winced.

“You talked to Olivia again?” Cade asked. He would rather talk to a rattlesnake.

“I asked her if she would be willing to put on her gown one last time. I barely finished the sentence and she was already changed. She forced Henry into his suit.”

Jake frowned. “But why?”

“I told them I could get an amazing picture of them.”

“And?” Cade asked. “Did you?”

“Well, I used the last of my ink to print them an 8 x 10. If you heard any high-pitched screeches earlier, that would have been Olivia.”

“Can we see this amazing picture?” Jake asked.

Tess pulled a laptop out of her bag. “Read the review Olivia left on Bearview’s website first.” Opening it, she slid it in front of Cade.

“We have a website?” Sawyer asked.

Adam shushed him.

Slowly, Cade read. “‘My wedding at Bearview Lodge was PERFECT.’” He looked up. “That’s in all caps, by the way. ‘Everything was great, but the best part was the photographer. Thank you, Tess, I look so beautiful in my photos!!!!!’” Cade counted. “That’s five exclamation points, so you know she’s serious. ‘I would recommend Bearview Lodge, but mostly TESS to ANY bride. I can’t wait to hang these photos on my wall. Best wedding ever!’”

Cade blinked at Tess. “What did you do to her?”

“I just told her that I had an idea for a good photo. Do you guys know what long exposures are?”

They all stared at her.

“They’re when you leave the camera shutter open for a really long time. You can really play with the available light. Anyway, I took them to the lake and got some pictures of star trails last night.”

She reached into her bag and put a photo on the table.

It took Cade’s breath away. There were the bride and the groom standing on the dock, with the peak of Mount Bliss in the background. But the night had been transformed. The couple was surrounded by concentric circles of light, evidence of the stars wheeling around them. They embraced, the entire scene reflected in the still lake below.

Cade passed the picture down the table. He wasn’t the only one to have his mouth hang open.

“Olivia seemed much less stressed when it was just her, me, and Henry,” Tess said, as if she was unaffected by the work of art she had created. “She’s very nice, actually. I think she was just overwhelmed on her wedding day.”

Sawyer held up the photo. “You’re saying that you actually took this picture? Like, yourself?”

Tess laughed. “To tell you the truth, there was some editing involved. I only had Olivia and Henry pose for about ten minutes. When they left, I took photos on a tripod for a few hours, then stacked the images on my laptop.”

Sawyer slid the image back toward her gingerly, as if he was afraid he’d ruin it. “I don’t know what any of that means, but whatever you’re doing, keep it up.” He looked at Cade. “Good call. We seriously need to keep her around.”

Tess was practically glowing. Cade suppressed a grin.

Slowly, the conversation drifted. Tess ate steadily, until her tray was clear.

“Let me get that for you,” Cade said.

“Thanks.” Stuffing her laptop and the photo in her bag, she followed him to the kitchen. “Did I do good?” she asked once they were alone.

Cade leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You did phenomenally.”

She blushed a deep red. “Are you busy? I’ve been doing so much work, I think I need a break.”

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

She twisted her fingers through the bag’s strap. “I was wondering if you’d like to go for another swim?”

“Definitely.” Cade closed the dishwasher. “Someone has to make sure you don’t get too cold.”

They walked out of the lodge and into the sunlight, hand in hand. Cade knew that they had things to discuss, like what yesterday’s weirdness was about, but they could do that later. Right now, he wanted to celebrate.

Chapter Twelve

O
N
M
ONDAY,
C
ADE
rolled out of bed as soon as he heard the beeping. It was the most beautiful clamor, the sound of heavy-duty trucks backing into position. Joe was here, and that meant that Bearview would soon have a lift again.

Cade took the stairs two at a time, Jupiter trotting after him. As he opened the door, Jupiter bounded out to greet Joe and his crew, tail wagging furiously.

“Hey, Jupe,” Joe called as the dog ran excited circles around the trucks. “And good morning, Cade. Are you ready to start?”

Cade shook his hand. “I’ve been ready for days. What’s first?”

Joe took a bite of his bagel. It was bizarre to see him without his signature cigar. “First, we need the permits. You got them, right?”

Cade’s blood ran cold. “Permits? Are you joking? This is our land.”

“It may be your land, but you’re part of Yonder, aren’t you?” Joe set his bagel aside. “We aren’t changing the footprint of the lift, but you’ll still need a building permit at the very least. The town will want to make sure you aren’t building some monstrosity.”

“We would never do that!”

“I know that, Cade. Tell it to the town. You’ll be lucky if they don’t demand an environmental study.”

His head spun. “What’s all this going to cost me?”

“All told, it cost Wolf Tracks eighty grand.”

Cade felt like he might be sick. “I don’t have eighty grand!”

“It should cost Bearview less.” Joe lit a cigar. “But we can’t get to work until you have the permits. Get them ASAP, Cade.” Letting out a piercing whistle, he threw up one arm and circled a hand in the air. “Change of plans, boys. Move out, we’re working on another site today.”

As one, the men hopped in their trucks. Cade groaned as they drove off, taking his dreams with them.

The double doors banged shut as Dean strolled out of the lodge. “What was all that racket?” he asked.

Cade licked his dry lips. “Joe and his crew were just here.”

“Why are they leaving so soon?”

“They just did a preliminary survey today.” Cade hated lying, but he didn’t want his brothers thinking anything was wrong.

“Oh,” Dean said. “That’s weird.” He shrugged. “I was going to go fishing, try and catch some trout for lunch. You want to come?”

Cade shook his head. “Thanks, but I have some work to do.”

“All right.” Dean walked toward the woods. “Don’t work too hard, now.”

Cade could promise no such thing. He sighed, watching his brother shift and lumber into the forest. He wished he could go fishing too. Instead, he was probably developing a hernia.

Heading back to his room, Cade picked up the phone. He had borrowed his parents’ contact book, so at least he didn’t have to search for the number. Dialing it, he held his breath.

“This is Ed Brown at the Yonder permits office. How may I help you?”

Cade forced himself to speak. “Hi, this is Cade Boone at Bearview Lodge. We’re putting in a new ski lift, so I wanted to get the necessary permits for that.”

“Oh, Bearview?” Over the phone, Cade could hear typing. “Yes, Joe emailed me the proposal. I can draw up the permits for you.”

“Thanks.” Cade gripped the phone so tightly he feared he might crush it. “Just one thing, how much are these permits going to cost me?”

“Let me see…” The pause on the other end seemed to last forever. “It looks like the total will be approximately ten thousand dollars.”

Cade remembered the first time his parents had let him take his snowboard onto the lift and make a run all by himself. He had done well until halfway down, when he hit an icy patch and veered off a cliff. Luckily, there had been snow a few feet down. This felt exactly like that, except there was nothing to catch his fall.

“Sir? Would you like me to draw those up for you now?”

Cade drew in a shaky breath. “That would be great.” At least his voice was steady. “I may need a couple days to raise the funds, though.”

“That’s not a problem. Just drop off a check when you’re ready, and I’ll have the permits for you.”

“Thanks,” Cade said, “I really appreciate it.” As if in a dream, he set the phone down. Where the hell was he going to get ten thousand dollars?

Cade leaned his head on the desk, feeling nauseous. Even all together, his brothers wouldn’t have that kind of money. Not like he could ask them, anyway. This was his mistake, and he was going to fix it himself.

Still, what a ghastly mistake it was. Cade groaned. They were already cutting it close if they wanted to have the lift in time. Without a lift, no one would be visiting Bearview this winter.

Cade put his head in his hands. He was going to singlehandedly destroy everything his family had built.

The phone rang. Cade snatched it up, wildly hoping that Ed had taken mercy on him and decided to waive the permit fees. “Hello?”

“Hi, I was wondering if you had a space available for a wedding this Friday?” A woman’s voice filtered through. “I’m sorry it’s such short notice, but my daughter has trouble making big decisions. At least she’s sure about the groom!”

Cade made himself laugh. It wasn’t difficult. He had years of experience slipping into customer service mode. “This Friday, you said? Yes, we have an opening. We can do the ceremony and reception on site.”

“That’s perfect. And will the photographer who took the star photo be there? The one where everything’s reflected in the lake? My daughter saw that photo online and insists that she needs the same photographer.”

“Of course,” Cade said, “she’ll definitely be there.”

“That’s fantastic,” the woman said, immeasurable relief in her voice. “Kristen’s going to be thrilled.”

Too bad it would take much more than this one wedding to get enough money for the permits. Cade bit back a sigh. “Let me get your details so we can reserve your date,” he said, doing his best to sound cheerful.

He wrote down all the information, telling the woman where to send her deposit. After assuring her he’d see her on Friday, he hung up the phone, feeling drained.

Cade shuffled into the hall. Now he had more work to do, and none of it would help them put in the lift. At the top of the stairs, Jupiter whined, shoving his cold nose into Cade’s palm.

“It’s all right, Jupe. Everything will be fine.” He scratched the dog behind the ears, earning some resounding thumps of Jupiter’s tail.

“Cade?” Tess swung her door open. “Is everything all right? I thought I heard trucks.”

“Everything’s fine,” Cade said. “They’re gone now.”

“Oh.” Tess padded down the hall in her bare feet. “I thought they might be here to help build the lift.”

He couldn’t tell her. Not now. “That’ll happen soon enough. I have some good news, though.”

“What?” She looked up at him, eyes wide.

“We’re having another wedding this Friday. The bride saw your star trail photo online, and has to have you as her photographer.”

“Really?” Tess put a hand to her mouth. “That’s amazing!”

“But not surprising,” he said. Her joy was infectious. At least everything wasn’t horrible.

Cade heard a car pull up outside. He frowned. “Who could that possibly be?” He descended the stairs, Tess at his side.

They went through the double doors in time to see Coop tap on the side of a taxi. “Thanks for the ride!” he called as the taxi retreated.

“Mom? Dad?” Cade stared at them. “You’re back?”

“It’s been two weeks, hasn’t it?” Coop dragged a suitcase out of the drive. “There’s only so much rum you can drink, Cade, even in the Florida Keys.”

“And have you smuggled a few gallons of rum back here?” Their pile of luggage seemed much larger than the one they’d left with.

“Oh, that?” His mother waved him off. “It’s just a few gifts.”

“Gifts?” Cade held back a groan. He could only imagine.

Coop looked up the mountain. “I would have thought you’d have a crew in here by now. What’s the estimated date of completion?”

“Now, now, dear,” Julie said. “We passed that task on to Cade for a reason.”

“I’m working on it, Dad,” Cade said. He didn’t want to let his parents down. They’d trusted him, and now he had to clean up his own mess. “I put down a deposit. I think we can get work started soon.”

“Good,” Coop growled, “because it’s getting late.”

“Coop.” Julie nudged him with an elbow. “Cade has things under control.”

Cade desperately wished that were true.

“There isn’t any extra money, is there?” he asked, trying to sound casual. “For our future projects?”

Coop narrowed his eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“We gave you access to everything we have,” Julie said. “If you want more, you’re going to have to wait until Bearview turns a profit.”

“Thanks, Mom. I just wanted to check.” Shit. By the time the lodge turned ten thousand dollars in profit, summer would most likely be over.