Free Lights and Shadows (Oregon In Love) by Bonnie Blythe Page A

prayed God would sustain her through to
the end—and keep the awful headaches at bay.
    Julia closed her eyes for a moment. Her hands stilled over the keys.
Maybe after this assignment, she really would take a rest. A vacation
in some tropical location. Perhaps if she mentioned that to Brian, it
would ease some of the tension between them. She wanted very much to
see his smile again. His scowls were unpleasant to say the least.

Chapter Eight

    Marc pulled into the driveway of the bed and breakfast
and turned off the engine. While unloading his camera equipment, he
reminded himself the reason he’d come was not to see Julia.
    Staying the night would give him a jumpstart on the
drive up to the mountains in the morning. He hadn’t seen Sara and
Brian since the party, and an evening in their company would be nice
after a busy work week.
    And he was tired. Mentally exhausted. Not thinking of Julia for all this time had been very difficult. He
needed a chance to relax with friends. He walked onto the porch and
decided to knock rather than just head in. If Julia happened to be
present, he would nod politely in her direction and continue to keep
his thoughts on a tight leash.
    She answered the door and gave him a warm smile of
welcome. Easier said than done.
    “ Marc! Come in.”
    “ Julia.” That was all he could manage as he bumped
his way in the door with his bags.
    Brian walked past Julia and shook Marc’s hand, asking
him how things were going. While Marc made his replies he noticed
Julia returning to the living room.
    “ Take your pick of rooms and when you’re settled in,
join us for coffee,” Brian said.
    Marc nodded and headed upstairs. He chose the room he
always stayed in when it was available. It was the smallest of the
four, but he liked the cozy feel. The soft green walls, stained glass
lamp, and handmade quilt on the bed lent an air of welcome. The light
filtering through the curtains and the breeze lifting the fronds of
the potted ferns made him feel at peace after the noise and bustle of
city life.
    Marc unpacked and checked his reflection in the mirror,
all at once remembering his auspicious first meeting with Julia
Wilcox. No lipstick this time . Biting back a smile, he went
back downstairs and into the living room.
    “ Marc! Julia told me you’d arrived,” said Sara
from where she lay stretched out on the couch. “Can I get you
anything?”
    Marc shook his head and wondered where he was going to
sit. Brian handed him a mug of coffee and returned to his seat in a
brown wicker chair. That only left the loveseat, half of which was
occupied by Julia. Marc suppressed a sigh and perched on the edge
next to her.
    “ How are you feeling, Sara?” he asked after taking a
sip of coffee.
    “ Exhausted, although I don’t do anything around here
anymore. Julia goes on as if she owns the place.” She sent a rueful
smile at her sister-in-law.
    Brian made a noise that sounded remarkably like a grunt.
Marc glanced between the siblings and wondered if he sensed tension
in the air, then decided he had no interest in what the problem was.
    Julia turned to him. “I saw you bring in your camera
equipment. Does that mean you’re going on a photo shoot?”
    It had been a while since those bright eyes of hers had
been fastened on him in that unsettling way. Marc resisted the urge
to tug at his collar.
    “ Uh, yes. Tomorrow morning I’m heading up to the
Deschutes River near Mt. Hood to do some hiking and take some
pictures.”
    “ How fascinating.”
    Sara yawned. “Didn’t you mention last time you were going to be
teaching a class up there as well?”
    “Saturday afternoon I’m doing a photography class for a local 4-H
group in the town of Maupin.
    I’ll do most of my own work on Sunday.”
    “Is that far from here?” asked Julia.
    “About a two hour drive.”
    “It sounds like fun,” she said.
    He shrugged. “I enjoy it.”
    “What kind of pictures are you going to take?”
    “I’m doing an article