Rock and A Hard Place (Cascade Brides Series) (21 page)

“Hey,” he said, his voice weak.

“Hey you,” she replied, squeezing his hand, her heart in her
mouth. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now.”

Faith glanced up at the nurse. “What's his prognosis?”

“According to the doctor, they were able to administer the initial
dose of antivenin in time, and barring any complications from
infection, he's expected to make a full recovery.”

“How long will he be here?”

“Two or three days most likely.”

Looking back at Shane, she choked back the threat of relieved tears.
“Two snake bites, Shane. You just can't do anything halfway, can
you?”

A slight smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “I just always
want to impress you.”

“Well, you did, in a way.” She squeezed his hand, blinking hard.
“But don't ever do that again.”

“I'll only try if you're there to help me when I screw up.”

She stared at him, moisture filming her eyes despite her best
efforts.

Shane's attention flicked to Merle. “Faith saved me,” he said, a
tremor of humor in his voice. “She did everything right. That's
what the doctors told me.”

“Doesn't surprise me a bit,” Merle said, a worried smile peeking
from under his mustache. “Faith is the thing that does saving the
most, I expect.”

She measured her breathing, seeking some control over her emotions.
“So,” she said to Shane, her voice squeaking slightly, “you're
really going to be okay?”

“That's what they tell me.”

Finally the dam broke against the mounting pressure of having to
hold it together for so long. Hot tears cascading down her cheeks
and a muffled sob escaped her lips. Merle's hand touched her
shoulder as she struggled to regain control.

“We'll be praying for you, Shane,” he said.

It was time to leave? She wasn't ready!

“Can you stay for a bit longer, Faith?” Shane asked.

She swallowed. “The nurse said—”

Shane held her hand tighter. “I'll ask her extra nice when she
comes back in.”

Faith turned to Merle, but before she could speak, he gave an
understanding smile and left. When she looked back at Shane, the
tears only increased, her respiration becoming labored as she
ineffectually tried to stem the tide.

“Pull up that chair,” Shane said softly.

She turned blindly and grabbed the arm of the chair, dragging it
over to the bed.

“Now sit down and put your head down.”

Stifling a hysterical laugh, she did what he said, knowing if she
couldn't calm down, she'd end up passed out on the floor. Closing
her eyes, she concentrated on reining in her runaway emotions. But
every time she thought of the alternate scenario for Shane, she
began to panic all over again.

“Do you want me to call the nurse?”

Shane's gentle question finally had an effect. She looked up from
her streaming eyes to see his smile. “You could've died,” she
said, her voice breaking. “You could've lost your leg. You
could've had a heart attack—”

“But I didn't,” he said quietly. “Think about that instead.”

She stared at him, as the words sunk in. After a moment, her tears
began to dry. Faith got up and went into the bathroom. After mopping
at her face with a wad of tissue, she looked at her wan, streaky
reflection.
I look like I'm insane. No wonder Shane worried I was
losing it
.

She blew her nose.
I would lose it if anything happened to him.
But he's a ranger and sometimes his job is dangerous. Just one more
reason why I shouldn't open my heart to him
.

Except it was too late and she knew it. She'd gone over the cliff
long before she contemplated the edge. And under an anemic hospital
bathroom light she was forced to acknowledge a truth she'd been
denying for some time now. She was in love with Shane Zadopec.

Faith allowed the truth to be fully absorbed. Her red-rimmed eyes
stared back from her reflection.
Would've been nice to realize
this in a slightly more romantic moment
. She blew her nose one
last time, washed her hands, and took a cleansing breath before
returning to Shane's bedside.

He appeared to be asleep, but when she sat down and took his hand in
hers, his eyes twitched slightly. She wanted him to rest, so she
didn't speak. There would be time for words...or whatever came next,
later. Right now it was enough to be near him.

Hoping to avoid detection by the nurse for as long as possible, she
pressed her cheek to the back of his hand, curled up in the chair,
and closed her eyes.

Chapter Eighteen

“I'm starting to think you might have a crush on me.”

Shane watched Faith's reaction to his words with sleepy amusement as
she walked into his hospital room. To his surprise, she didn't
contradict him. She settled in the chair next to him, her face shiny
and her clothes not rumpled. She must've gone home and changed while
he was asleep.

“I just went home to grab a shower,” she said, her cheeks
darkening. “Wanted to freshen up for your homecoming.”

“I can't believe I've been here for three days. I wouldn't have
made it without your company.” Here he'd had her by his side for
seventy-two hours and he'd been unable to do more than sleep or
complain about his Jell-O. Must've been riveting.

She smiled, her expression tremulous. “I can't get any details
from anyone around here, and I'm curious how many vials of antivenin
it took.”

“Six, I think. I'm already dreading the hospital bill.”

The news seemed to wind her. “Oh my goodness, Shane. Yes, that
bill will be a doozy.”

A nurse walked in. “All ready to be discharged, Mr. Zadopec?”

Shane looked down at his street clothes—he wouldn't bother telling
Faith how difficult it had been to get dressed with a gimpy leg.
“All ready.”

The nurse went over a checklist of treatment care and had him sign
the discharge form. She handed him his prescription meds with a
smile. Finally he was on his feet and allowed to leave the hospital
room. He stifled a grin when Faith's arm slid around his waist.
Allowing his arm to rest along her shoulders, he leaned on her a
little bit so she felt like she was helping. He grabbed his bag and
they were soon heading down several hallways and out the main doors.

The sunlight hit him full force and he inhaled deep, craving fresh
air after the stuffy hospital conditions. “Ah, that feels good.”
He looked down at Faith.

She merely smiled and led him to her Nissan that she had parked near
the front. “I thought my truck would be easier to get into since
it's a little lower to the ground—unlike you ranger types, who
always seem to have four wheel drives.”

“Good thinking,” he said, wondering if he should act infirmed
longer than necessary in order to keep her so close. Did she plan to
just drop him off at home? She'd been by his side every day at the
hospital, but perhaps she was motivated more by guilt than
affection. However, pretending wouldn't get him any closer to the
truth. Maybe, just maybe, her feelings for him had grown a little.

Once he was settled in the passenger seat, she climbed into the
driver's seat and fired up the truck. Sending him a misty look, she
pulled away from the hospital and headed in the direction of his
house. Shane wished he had the guts to ask her outright how she
felt. Would it be taking an unfair advantage to ask while he was in
this condition? He'd almost rather hear her answer after a rousing
argument. She wouldn't hold back then. He looked out the window,
gaining perspective in the sun-washed sights around him.

When she pulled into his driveway, he watched her slide out of the
cab and come around to his side.

“I can walk okay,” he said.
There, I'm not abusing the
situation
. Still, she put her arm around his waist and led him
onto the porch. After keying open the front door, he watched her
closely as they entered the foyer. In the days before their last
outing, he'd spent a lot of time updating the interior of the house.
What would she think of the changes he'd made?

Faith dropped his bag onto a foyer chair then led him into the
living room. She stopped and looked around. He'd taken her advice
and applied the wallpaper and used the paint color she'd suggested.
Faith looked up at him, hints of tear stains lining her flushed
cheeks. “You've been busy.”

Shane took the last steps to the couch under his own steam and sank
onto the cushions. His leg throbbed but he ignored it. “What do
you think?”

“It looks fantastic!”

She twisted around to take it all in, then gasped. Shane followed
her line of sight to the large, professionally framed photograph of
three pairs of sisters' knees, positioned above the fireplace
mantle.

“Merle sold me a print,” he said when she turned questioning
eyes his way. “He said the money will be included in your
paycheck.”

Faith pressed her fingers to her lips, glancing between him and the
photograph. Finally she took a breath. “Can I get you anything? I
can make you some lunch, or get you a glass of water for your
medication.”

Shane patted the cushions next to him. “Come here and sit with me
for a minute.”
Or more
.

Faith crossed the room and sat down next to him, her features
strained.

He stretched his arm along the back of the couch. To his surprise,
she laid her head against his chest.

“I need to hear your heart beat for a minute or two.”

He touched a lock of her hair, watching the way it slid over his
fingers. “I really am okay, you know. The doctor said so.”

Faith lifted her head, apparently satisfied. “Just needing some
confirmation.”

He regarded her for a long moment. “I haven't officially thanked
you.”

“Um, no thanks needed, silly.”

He enjoyed the color mantling her cheeks. “It was impressive how
you kept your cool. I was the one who went all to pieces.”

“Trust me, I
was
going to pieces.”

He wondered what that really meant. “At any rate, you rescued me
from a bad situation.”

“Don't worry,” she said, attempting a teasing tone. It came out
wobbly instead. “I've never left anyone to die in the wilderness
before and didn't figure I'd start with you.”

Shane grinned. “Still,” he said, lowering his voice, “thank
you.”

She shrugged, her eyes shiny. “You're welcome.”

He took her hand, marveling at the contrast between softness and the
small patches of callouses on her palm. “I admit it was going a
bit far, but I think I might have finally made a dent in
your...affections.”

Dismay shimmered in her gaze. “You're crazy if you think I'd
believe you'd go to such lengths to get my attention.”

He smiled, knowing he was getting under her skin. “Actually, my
plan was more along the lines of attempting to impress you with
interior home renovation, but one hates to waste a good snake bite
or two.”

Once more she noted the new paint and wallpaper before turning her
gaze on him. She lifted her chin. “For your information, I was
getting there on my own.”

“Getting where...exactly?”

She elbowed him lightly in the ribs. His mock wince obviously didn't
fool her.

“Let the record show,” she said primly, “it was
your
usual
impatience that got you into trouble.”

“That's the trouble with faith,” he said, leaning close, “it's
so hard to wait.”

She bit her lip against a small smile and rolled her eyes.

“Then again, I'd rather not lose a leg because chasing you with
crutches would be a whole lot harder than it is already.”

Faith's mouth opened in reaction to his words. She scrutinized his
expression then said, “You should be punished for such saying
something so outlandish.”

Shane closed his fingers around hers, tugging her closer. “If you
want to punish me, you could say no to a kiss.”

Her eyes widening slightly, she eased closer to him. “But then
I
would be the one being punished, so that doesn't sound very
fair.”

He took her answer as acquiescence and pressed his lips against
hers. When she angled toward him for better access and touched his
face, he had to admit that a little poison went a long,
long
way.

***

Faith sat at home, alone, in a fog of confused happiness. She'd
spent a lovely afternoon snuggled in Shane's arms, trading banter
and kisses, until she could tell he was getting tired. After making
sure he'd taken all his medication and was able to get to bed
without any trouble, she left him and came home, trying to examine
her feelings while at the same time not wanting to look too deep.

Knowing that she loved him was the easy part. Knowing what would
happen next was what terrified her. Maybe she was just the first
girlfriend that he'd have since moving to the area. Maybe he was
feeling really loopy from opiates and hardly knew what he was
saying.

Or maybe he felt the same way about her as she felt for him. That
was the most terrifying option of all.

The phone rang. Pulling it absently from her pocket, she pressed the
receive button and put it to her ear.

“Faith? It's Merle.”

“Hi.” She twisted around and booted up her computer, stabbed by
a sharp pang of guilt. “Hey, I just want you to know I've been
working at home in the evenings, so I'm not really all that behind
at work.”

“No, no, that's not why I'm calling. And I'm not worried in the
slightest about that. You've been a good friend to Shane and that's
more important anyway.”

Faith relaxed slightly as her fingers stilled over the keyboard.
“Okay.”

“And he's doing well, I trust?”

“Yes, as long as he stays off his leg.”

“You'll have to persuade him to behave.”

Her face heated. Was Merle in the know on their relationship?

“I'm actually calling to tell you I've received the results of
your photo contest entry.”