When she heard Mary suggest the walk, Kate knew when Shade asked she would say yes, so she had a little bit of time to compose herself while the children were saying goodnight.

"Would you care to walk to the waterfall with me? It isn't far."

Hoping that she looked calm and in control, she slowly nodded, "Yes, I think that would be nice. It will give me an opportunity to talk to you about the children and their education."

The last bit was for the benefit of the Pastor and his wife. She didn't want anybody seeing more into the situation then there really was. It was still early days and this flurry of excitement could dwindle away quickly. There was also the question of why Shade was paying so much attention to her. Was it because he was just being a good host or was there something more?

Her own feelings throughout the day had gone up and own so many times, ranging from caution to wanting to fully embrace what was happening to her. All this was happening very quickly and what she wanted to do was to make sure of his intentions. Hopefully, the walk to the waterfall would answer all her questions.

Shade smiled, hoping his expression wasn't as dopey as it felt. Just as he was about to head for the door with Kate, Mary handed him a beautifully made knitted shawl, "The rain may have stopped for now, but the wind is still blowing," she told him.

Taking the garment, Shade draped it around Kate's shoulders. "We won't be outside long," he assured Mary and held up his hand to forestall the older woman's next spate, "and we will stick to the walkway."

Shade led Katherine toward the main stairway but bypassed it in favor of taking her out the back door to the side courtyard. If they turned to their left, they could see the guest wing where Quentin lived. Instead of heading in that direction, Shade turned right and through a wrought iron gate and onto a cobbled walkway. Already, they could hear the sound of the waterfalls. They were louder than normal due to the recent rain.

Once they were in the shelter of the forest, Shade offered his arm. The cobbled walkway had been carefully engineered for water drainage, but some of the stones could still be slick. "I hope I didn't put you on the spot when I asked you to the dance this weekend," Shade said. "I know you barely know me."

Kate smiled, "No, you didn't put me on the spot. Even though it was unexpected, I am glad that you did ask me and as for me barely knowing you, I can say the same thing about you barely knowing me."

As she waited for his response, she walked a few steps ahead of him. The sound of the waterfall was very loud but the thoughts and emotions running through her now were even louder. Now that she was out here alone with him, she didn't want to be too bold but she didn't want to be too missish either. She still wasn't certain if this was just some of sort of game for him or if it was something more.

She turned to face him, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that during this visit, we have gotten to know each other but in a way, we still have a long way to go and I'm not sure where it is leading us."

Shade glanced over at Katherine as they walked along the cobbled walkway. For a moment, he was mesmerized by her loveliness and felt tongue-tied. He gave himself a mental shake. It wasn't like he had not met beautiful women before, even romanced some of them, broken their hearts and had his broken in turn. However, this was different...very different. Shade felt his emotions far more engaged than he would have expected for such a short acquaintance. Katherine's allure was not in just her looks. He felt an odd connection to her, like someone was weaving a fine strand of silk between them.

"We do have a lot to learn about one another," Shade said in response to her statement. "I don't know where this will wind up, I only know that, if you are willing, I want to see where it goes." Shade offered her a gentle smile that lit the depths of his eyes. "In fact, I am hoping that after Saturday's dance, you will be amenable to me calling on you when I can come to town?"

Kate smiled, "I'm willing," she answered. The fact was that she was more than willing. Now that she knew that he felt the same as her, she wanted more.

Taking a step closer to him, she nodded, "And yes, you can call on me whenever you can."

Hopefully, she had told him what he wanted to hear and now all she had to do was wait for him to make the next move.

Having Kate that close to him was a heady sensation. He inhaled her subtle fragrance, wondering how she managed to smell as clean as the recent rainfall. Without hesitation, Shade reached for her hand, astounded at how small it was. Who said that spring was for romance had never gone for a walk after an autumn thunderstorm with Katherine Bowen!

As they walked toward the waterfall, Shade would point out items of interest. Trees that were native only to Montana, the tracks of animals coming out after the storm to forage, and where the lodge's mountain home dropped away to the vast crater lake below. Speaking about these things brought home the love he felt for this land, and it showed as he played tour guide for the lovely Kate.

Finally, the cobblestone path ended in a natural grotto of stone. A small circular area had been cleared, and the natural rocks polished to make a level surface. Two stone and log benches were set to either side of the outdoor courtyard. Before them lay a large, quiet pool surrounded by a towering cliff of rough granite. On the far side of the pool, a sparkling waterfall dropped from the cliff above. Just past the 'courtyard", the pool narrowed into a wide creek that plummeted in a series of cascades to the lake far below.

Shade smiled, "It's probably still too wet for us to sit on the benches. The creek that makes this waterfall forms several more going back into the mountains as far as you can travel. In fact, I was at one of the other falls with the twins and Miss Redmond when we ran across that killer Grizzly the first time."

Kate felt a little bit disappointed at the mention of Miss Redmond. She knew that the girl was young, so it wasn't jealousy. It was more envy due to the fact that the girl was able to spend a lot of time with Shade when she had only been with him on two occasions. However, there was a silver lining in the fact that Shade was interested in getting to know her more. Maybe in the future she would be able to spend as much time, if not more with Shade than Miss Redmond.

She gave her a head a little shake. It was way too early to think of things like that. Later on down the track her feelings towards Shade would change as she got to know him. For now, she would be content in spending what time she could with him.

As she listened to Shade talk about the surroundings, she could hear the pride in his voice. To feel that way about your home must be wonderful feeling and she wondered if she would ever feel that way about any place. Her previous homes had all been temporary and so she never really took the time to enjoy them. Even her time here in Kalispell would be temporary especially since she had her teaching contract for only the current year.

Looking at Shade, she realised now was not the time to think of such things. Here she was in beautiful surroundings with a man she had started to feel deeply for. Smiling, she looked at the benches he had just mentioned, "Yes I think you are correct, they are too wet."

Facing him, she continued, "I want to thank you for being such a nice host, showing me your home and making me feel welcomed." Then on impulse, she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

When she finished, she felt a bit embarassed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward. It's just that I am very grateful and I..."

Shade felt an odd tingling in his cheek after Kate gave him the quick, light kiss. It was a good feeling, and he would have liked to hold on to it. Her embarrassed apology made him smile.

"I don't consider you forward at all," Shade replied. "Although we have a lot to learn about one another, in some ways, I feel I've known you forever. Not sure that makes sense. Maybe it's feelings versus facts."

"Thing is, Kate, I love this place, this land, even the lodge. At the same time, I am glad the house goes to the twins when they are old enough to take the reins. I want to build my own place, make my own mark on the ranch. My brother set his will and the property legacy, so that will be possible someday."

Shade stopped talking suddenly, afraid that he had said too much. He was assuming quite a bit, considering they barely knew one another. In fact, once Katherine Bowen learned about his past, there was a good chance she would prefer no more contact. Immediately, his heart dropped at that thought. Nevertheless, he would someday have to tell her everything. Keeping such secrets was no way to treat someone you cared deeply for.

Kate frowned a little when Shade stopped abruptly. It was nice listening to him talk about his home and future plans. She was also glad that he didn't think she hadn't overstepped the line. Whatever it was that made him go quiet, she knew she couldn't ask. It was up to Shade to tell her when and if he wanted to.

No really knowing what to say next, she wander aimlessly around grotto listening to the sound of the waterfall. After a few minutes, she turned to look at Shade and smiled, "It is such a lovely place. I would like to come again another day to see what it looks like in the daylight."

"I would like that too," Shade said quietly, "in fact, I would like that a lot." Although his voice was quiet and low, there was a depth of feeling in his tone. "I would like to share all of this," he waved his hand at the landscape, "with you."

Kate stood there, briefly shocked by what he had just said. In a way it was unexpected but in another way it was what she was waiting to hear. It was still early days but the promise that this could lead to something else making her feel all warm inside.

"Yes, I would like it a lot as well," she answered hoping that her voice conveyed what she was feeling.