A Man Who Takes Risks

Working for the Forest Service, Tanner Bohlman knows the dangers of Idaho’s untamed lands and rivers. It’s certainly no place for a dainty woman like widowed mother Zoë Lawton, even if she is a capable marine biologist. But Zoë is new in town and could use a guide. When Tanner discovers her young son has never been fishing, he quickly becomes a father figure. Suddenly one sweet child and a woman with more grit than he gave her credit for are tugging on this man’s heartstrings. And before long, he’s questioning his vow never to love again.

“Hey, Tanner, will you be my daddy?”

Tanner’s mouth dropped open in surprise and he felt as though he’d been slugged in the gut.

“Jonah!” Zoë looked at her son as if he’d just slapped her, too.

“Um, what do you mean?” Tanner almost choked on the words. How he wished he could be this boy’s father. But that would mean he’d have to be Zoë’s husband. And that was impossible under the circumstances.

“For the church’s father-son outing. I need a dad to go with me.” The boy smiled happily, completely unaware of the consternation his request had caused the adults in the room.

Zoë gave him an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry, Tanner. I didn’t know Jonah was going to ask you to do this. He’s just a kid and doesn’t always think things through before he jumps in with both feet.”

Yeah, a cute little kid Tanner had grown to love in spite of his vow never to do so.

LEIGH BALE

is an author of inspirational romance who has won multiple awards for her work, including the prestigious Golden Heart. She is the daughter of a retired U.S. forest ranger, holds a B.A. in history with distinction and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She loves working, writing, grandkids, spending time with family, weeding the garden with her dog Sophie and watching the little sagebrush lizards that live in her rock flower beds. She has two married children and lives in Nevada with her professor husband of thirty-one years. Visit her website at www.LeighBale.com.

Falling for the Forest Ranger

Leigh Bale

www.millsandboon.co.uk

When I consider thy heavens,

the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?... Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast

put all things under his feet... O Lord our Lord,

how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

—Psalms 8:3–9

For Steve, the love of my life, my all

and everything. My garden of Eden.

And many thanks to Bruce Smith and Dan Baird, who actually lived it.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

Chapter One

“Jonah, be careful with that!”

Too late. The six-year-old’s careless playing had alreadly sent the shopping cart careening across the parking lot, and the boy’s little legs couldn’t run fast enough to stop it. As the cart slammed into the door of a blue pickup truck parked near the main entrance, a loaf of whole-wheat bread fell from the shopping bags and thumped to the black asphalt. Three oranges and an apple rolled beneath the truck that now bore an impressive four-inch scratch across the side of the door.

Zoë Lawton dropped the sack of potatoes and the package of toilet paper she was carrying and chased after her son. The strap of her handbag slipped off her shoulder and hung around her forearm, hampering her efforts. The purse hit the ground, its contents spilling across the pavement.

This day just kept getting worse.

A tall man stood a few feet away where he’d been placing his own groceries into the back of the truck. In her brief perusal, Zoë caught a glimpse of his firm mouth, piercing brown eyes and a glacial stare that could have coated Death Valley in ice.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to,” Jonah wailed.

The culprit stooped beneath the truck, scrambling to pick up two of the oranges. His sparkling blue eyes were filled with remorse. To add insult to injury, he pushed the shopping cart out of his way, gouging another mark across the left front fender of the truck.

“Jonah, stop already!” Zoë clasped her son’s hand and pulled him away so he couldn’t do any more damage.

“I just wanna help,” the boy said.

“I think you’ve helped enough.” The man’s deep voice sounded low and angry, like rumbling thunder. He stalked over to stand in front of them, placing his hands on his lean hips as he perused the scratches with an irritated scowl.

Not brown. His eyes were amber, with a dark coppery ring around each of the irises.

Looking up, Jonah’s chin trembled. “I’m real sorry, Mister. I didn’t mean to.”

For a fleeting moment, Zoë saw a flicker of compassion in the man’s eyes. Then he raked his fingers through his short, dark hair, showing his frustration. “I just bought this truck three weeks ago.”

His growled words showed his annoyance but seemed to be for himself alone. A passing comment that made Zoë feel even worse. If some little kid banged a shopping cart into her new truck, she wouldn’t be happy about it, either.

Zoë pasted her most apologetic smile on her face and met the man’s gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m going to pay for this. I’ll take care of the damage.”

He turned and she caught the scent of his spicy cologne, mingled with spearmint. A short lock of sable-brown hair fell over his high forehead, just above one arched brow. Though Zoë was tall for a woman, she had to look up to meet his eyes. Strong, athletic shoulders covered by a black ribbed T-shirt blocked her view of Jonah. The man braced his legs, his muscular thighs sheathed in worn blue jeans. Scuffed cowboy boots topped it all off. A completely masculine man.

And highly annoyed.

As she gathered up the contents of her purse, Zoë wished she’d changed her soiled shirt and faded denims for a clean set of clothes before heading to the grocery store. Having just arrived in town three days earlier, her time had been spent setting up summer child care for Jonah and straightening up the three-bedroom house she’d rented along the bench bordering Bingham River. In spite of the morning rain and May breeze sweeping through the valley, a rivulet of perspiration dampened the back of her neck. She’d worked hard today and felt grungy and exhausted. There’d been no time to fix her hair or apply makeup. Now she felt mortified to be seen looking like a street urchin with a hooligan child. She brushed a hand over her short hair, self-conscious about her bedraggled appearance.

“Just forget about it,” the man said with a rasping voice.

“What?” Zoë took Jonah’s hand and blinked, trying to concentrate on something besides the man’s full mouth and blunt chin.

“I said, let it go. The damage isn’t worth bothering with. Besides, every work truck worth a dime has a few good scratches on it.” He gave her a half smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Did he mean it or was he just trying to get rid of her? Jonah wriggled against her side and she released his hand, thinking he’d stay put this time. She was wrong. He hurried over and clasped the edge of the truck, jumping up to peer over the side. The rubber soles of his tennis shoes squeaked as he braced his toes against the man’s truck to get traction.

“Jonah! Come away from there.” She glanced at the man, her cheeks burning like road flares. Now was not a good time for her son to misbehave.

“I just wanted to see what’s inside,” Jonah said.

“Nothing but sacks of groceries.” The man heaved a disgruntled sigh and shook his head at the boy.

“He’s normally a well-mannered child. He usually minds me.” Zoë rushed to reassure the man, wondering why it mattered so much to her. She hated the thought of this handsome stranger believing she couldn’t control her own son.

“I can see that.” He pursed his lips, looking skeptical.

“He’s just a bit excited. You see, we just moved to town, and he’s been helping me get settled in our new home.”

“Yeah, hyper kids act that way sometimes.”

She stiffened, fighting off bristles of anger. Calling her son hyper pinched a nerve in Zoë’s composure. “Jonah’s not hyper. He’s just curious and energetic.”

A miniature replica of his deceased father, Jonah was now kicking the tires. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. She certainly wouldn’t tolerate anyone assigning him a derogatory label.

The man looked doubtful, but she wasn’t about to carry this conversation any further. He had a right to be upset, after all.

She dug into her purse, searching for a pen and paper. “I want to pay for the damage. It’s the least I can do.”

He held up a hand, his expression darkening. “Don’t bother. Right now, I just want to get my ice cream home and in the freezer before it melts.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Zoë thought about her own perishables wilting in her shopping cart. She also wanted to get home, if only to get Jonah into a place where he could run around and burn off some energy. With the boy bouncing around the house, she doubted there’d be much relaxation until bedtime. Rather than try to cook dinner, she’d pick up hamburgers at the drive-through on the way. Since their move, Jonah had been wound as tight as a top. If only she could bottle and sell her son’s energy, she’d be filthy rich.

“Hey, do you like fish?” Jonah pointed at the rear bumper of the man’s truck. Zoë craned her neck to see a blue sticker with two Pacific salmon on it that read Save Our Salmon.

The man didn’t move but responded impatiently, “Yeah, I like fish just fine.”

Jonah flashed a wide grin. “My mom does, too. She knows everything about fish.”

The man eyed Zoë as a dubious smile creased the corners of his mouth. “I’ll just bet she does. You got a goldfish at home, do you?”

“Yep. How’d you know that?” Jonah screwed his face up in curiosity.

“Just a lucky guess.”

“My name’s Jonah, like Jonah and the whale. Mom’s told me the Bible story over and over. Jonah was disbedient to the Lord, so he got swallowed up into the whale’s belly. Only when he pented did the Lord cause the whale to throw him up.”

Zoë stared at her son, stunned by his version of the tale. “Dis-o-be-di-ent and re-pen-ted.” She enunciated the words slowly for her child.

The man coughed, a suppressed smile twitching his lips. “I’ve never heard the story told in quite that way.”

“I’ve never been fishing before,” Jonah continued. “My daddy died when I was just a baby. Mom promised to take me someday soon, once she learns how.”

Zoë shifted her weight, wishing Jonah wouldn’t spill their entire life out for a stranger. But she’d raised him to be honest, so she shouldn’t be surprised by his candor.

A disbelieving laugh slipped from the man’s corded throat. “You’d better be prepared to hook your own worms. Most women are squeamish about that.”

“Not Mom. She can do anything.”

Jonah’s spoken confidence touched Zoë’s heart. How she loved her little boy. His enthusiasm for life affirmed for her that there was so much good around her. After Derek, her husband, had died five years earlier, she’d wondered if she’d ever be happy again. But Jonah served as a constant reminder of how much she still had to live for.

“I’ll just bet she can.” The man’s gaze traveled the length of her, as if sizing her up. His disbelieving expression told her what he really thought about her. Which made her feel incompetent and silly. And she wasn’t. Not at all.

As a National Marine Fisheries biologist for the federal government, she’d worked hard in a male-dominated field to earn her graduate degree and advance in her career. With Derek’s death, she’d been forced to expand her earning base to provide a living for her eleven-month-old baby. With a day job, night classes and a little boy to raise, she’d worked hard to get where she was today. She was used to people, mostly men, telling her she couldn’t succeed, but she’d learned to ignore them. Her knowledge certainly wasn’t limited to goldfish in a bowl, but she wasn’t about to expound on her training and experience in this parking lot.

Not with an irate stranger.

* * *

Tanner Bohlman wanted out of this parking lot. Right now. He didn’t care that Jonah’s mother had a gorgeous smile that lit up her dazzling blue eyes, and he certainly wasn’t interested that the lady was trying to give him her name and phone number.

“At least take my contact info in case you change your mind.” She thrust a scrap of paper at him with her information scrawled across the top.

Against his better judgment, he glanced at her name. Zoë. Pretty and delicate, just like her. With short, blond hair and a lean, graceful figure.

“Thanks.” Without looking down, he crumpled the paper in his fist.

“My goldfish’s name is Rocky,” the boy said.

“Is that right?” Tanner stepped over to the truck door, desperate to make an escape. Trying to keep from staring at the woman’s full mouth and confused frown.

“You ever see some salmon?” the boy persisted.

“Jonah, quit with all the questions.” The mother spoke the reprimand softly, but a warning glint filled her eyes.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a few salmon in my day.” Tanner jerked open the door to his truck, trying to ignore the pretty pink flush of color highlighting the woman’s cheeks. He didn’t want to make small talk with them. He had to leave. Had to get out of here now.

“Mom’s gonna take me fishing for trout,” Jonah persisted.

“Good for you.” He stepped up into the driver’s seat but couldn’t slam the door. The kid was in the way.

“Come on, Jonah.” The woman pulled her son back, then glanced at Tanner. “Be sure to let me know if you change your mind about the repairs.”

Tanner shook his head. “Thanks, but I won’t be calling you.”

Not ever. The last thing he wanted in his life was another woman, even if her cute little son had accidentally bashed a couple of scratches into the side of his truck. After what his former fiancée had done to him two years earlier, Tanner wouldn’t take the chance of falling for another woman ever again. It hurt too much.

He paused, tossing a quick glimpse at Jonah. “You stay back with your mom, now. I don’t want to run over you when I back out.”

Taking the cue, Zoë gripped the little guy’s hand, tugging him out of the way. Satisfied that the boy was safe, Tanner slid the key into the ignition and started the engine. He paused just a moment, giving Zoë time to retrieve her potatoes and the wayward cart. Watching her struggle between holding onto her son’s hand and maneuvering the weight of the heavy cart, Tanner almost hopped out to help her.

Almost.

He resisted the urge, giving her time to move aside so he could drive away. He didn’t like being rude but figured it was for the best. He just couldn’t reciprocate her pleasant mood.

A twinge of regret tightened in his gut when he saw that she’d replaced her apologetic smile with a glare of disapproval. Under the circumstances, she’d tried to be as nice as possible. From what the kid had said, she wasn’t married, and a boy like Jonah was bound to be a handful for a woman on her own.

But what had happened to Jonah’s father?

Tanner couldn’t help wondering. According to Jonah, the man had died. Tanner reminded himself that it wasn’t his business.

He didn’t like being so curt. But being friendly would only lead to him looking at that scrap of paper she’d given him. Then he’d be tempted to call her. And he wouldn’t. Couldn’t.

Checking his rearview mirror, he saw that she was still standing there, holding her purse and Jonah’s hand, watching Tanner pull out of the parking lot. As he turned the corner and drove away, he forced himself not to look back again.

When he reached the first stoplight, he blew out a harsh breath, his pulse settling back to a normal beat.

He still remembered the color of her eyes. Electric blue, with a subtle midnight ring around each iris. Yeah, he’d noticed, in spite of her little boy’s constant chatter and his desire not to like either of them. But noticing that a woman was attractive didn’t mean he had to act on it.

As he navigated through traffic and headed toward his lonely apartment on the south side of town, he tossed the crumpled piece of paper she’d given him on the floor. He’d throw it away when he got home. Holding it served as a reminder of how lonely he was.

That couldn’t be helped. Better to be lonely than to lose someone else he loved. First his parents, then his grandparents, then his fiancée. He’d been alone most of his life. He liked his solitude and doing what he wanted.

Sometimes.

Tanner shook his head, trying to clear the painful memories surging through his mind. Cheryl telling him she loved him. Hugging him tight. Smiling so sweetly. And then, when she’d broken off their engagement, her sneer of contempt. She’d claimed she’d never loved him or his line of work. Not really. She’d only tolerated all their trips into the mountains. All the fishing excursions and hikes. Waiting until someone better came along.

That someone had been Tanner’s best childhood friend.

Ex-best friend now. The hurt of Cheryl’s betrayal sank deep into Tanner’s heart, like a barbed fishhook. And every time he thought about them, it ripped his heart anew.

Tanner flipped on the turning signal and heaved a giant sigh. It was better to remain a bachelor and throw himself into his work instead. Much more rewarding and something he had control over. Being alone suited him just fine. Then he’d have no one to insist he do things her way. No one to destroy his relationship with his best friend.

No one to love.

Bah! He didn’t need love to feel complete or to lead a full, happy life. He’d finally begun to make peace with his past. He’d focused on building his career, which had paid off. He’d recently been promoted as the Fisheries and Wildlife staff officer over the Steelhead National Forest. It kept him plenty busy. In fact, his career was his life.

No, Tanner didn’t have the time or the desire to complicate his solitary existence with another superficial romance. Especially with someone like Zoë. The widow came packing baggage. A cute, precocious little troublemaker named Jonah.

As Tanner pulled into his driveway and killed the motor, he realized he had everything he needed. A good education, a comfortable place to live, a challenging career and a few coworkers to hang out with once in a while.

Stepping out of the truck, he glanced back at the wad of paper lying on top of the floor mat. Against his better judgment, he reached inside, picked it up...and tucked it inside his pants pocket.

Chapter Two

No, it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t.

Tanner Bohlman stared across the conference room in the Steelhead National Forest supervisor’s office, unable to believe his eyes. Striding through the door wearing a violet-colored skirt and matching jacket was the woman from the parking lot.

The very same.

It’d been a week since her son had creamed his new truck with a shopping cart. Even with her now wearing makeup and a business suit, he couldn’t mistake the apologetic mother who’d offered to pay for repairs to his truck. Zoë was her name. As much as he’d tried, he couldn’t seem to forget it.

Instead of flat and tired-looking, as it’d been that day in the parking lot, her short blond hair had been given a sassy style, spiked slightly in the back with gel. Her pretty mouth shimmered with pink lipstick, her blue eyes accented with a subtle hint of mascara, liner and shadow. Her pale skin showed a healthy glow, her high cheekbones dusted with a hint of blush.

Gary Drummond, the watershed specialist sitting next to Tanner, whistled low beneath his breath. “That’s the new marine biologist? I think I’m gonna like her.”

“Yeah, me, too,” agreed Ron Parker, one of Tanner’s fishery biologists.

Both men were married, but you didn’t have to be single to appreciate an attractive woman. Tanner admitted silently to himself they were both right. What a looker!

As she shook the forest supervisor’s hand and smiled, Tanner remembered the color of her eyes. A vivid shade of blue.

Tanner tried to imagine this feminine woman dressed in hip waders, toddling out into the middle of a stream to take water samples. How could she be the new marine biologist? Where did she think the fish lived? In a high-rise office building?

Not likely.

Right now, Tanner was afraid to breathe too deeply for fear of soiling her pristine business suit. All the other marine biologists he’d ever met before wore blue jeans, tennis shoes or boots, a plain shirt they didn’t care about getting dirty and not a hint of makeup, much less a carefully styled hairdo. Of course, he’d never worked with a female marine biologist before.

Until today.

A series of business meetings that morning might account for her professional attire. But why would the National Marine Fisheries Service send this little scrap of lace to the wilds of Idaho to work? Tanner wondered if she even knew how to swim, much less how to help solve their fishery problems. He wasn’t about to play nursemaid to a marine biologist who might be afraid of rumpling her silk blouse.

“Hey, everyone. This is Zoë Lawton.” Chuck Daniels, the forest supervisor and Tanner’s boss, smiled expectantly as he made the introductions.

“Hi, there,” Gary called with a wave of his hand.

“Glad to meet you.” Ron grinned like a fool.

Tanner just nodded, biting his tongue to keep from speaking. He didn’t trust his voice right now. Instead, he mechanically stood and held out his hand, highly conscious of her soft, manicured fingers as they tightened around his...and the moment she met his gaze and recognized him, too.

“Oh!” she said.

Just Oh! Nothing more.

“Do you two know each other?” Chuck asked, glancing between them.

Tanner spoke up fast. “No, we don’t.”

Zoë. Even her name sounded exotic. And too fragile to be traipsing around the untamed Idaho river systems. Her name suited her. Sweet and feminine. But those weren’t the traits she’d need once he took her up on the mountain to view the various creeks and streams connecting to Bingham River. Tanner wasn’t certain, but he figured if a bear attacked her, she could use one of her spiked heels as a weapon. That was just about the only useful, practical aspect he could spot in her outfit.

“But we’ve met before.” Zoë withdrew her hand and gave him an uncertain smile. “I’m sorry again for what happened. I haven’t heard from you, so I guess you haven’t changed your mind about letting me pay for the damage.”

“That’s right.” He turned and moved around the room, taking a seat on the opposite side of the wide oak table.

She smelled even better than she looked. Like bottled springtime.

As the Fisheries and Wildlife staff officer, Tanner had been assigned the task of giving this woman a tour of Bingham River and its tributaries. Which would take all summer long. He had to cooperate with her in any way he could.

What rotten luck.

“Why don’t we get started?” Tanner glanced at Ron, trying not to sound irritable. The fact that Ron gave him a worried look told Tanner that he’d failed in that endeavor.

“Right.” Ron grabbed the overhead clicker. With a punch of his finger, he brought up the first slide to the PowerPoint presentation he’d been asked to prepare. A brief overview of the Steelhead National Forest and the fishery problems they were dealing with.

“Will you get the lights, Chuck?” Tanner called over his shoulder.

A click sounded and the room went dim. Tanner focused on the screen at the front of the table, glad to have an excuse to take his eyes off Zoë.

The first slide showed a brilliant picture of Bingham River, the rushing waters bordered by willows, sedges and Kentucky bluegrass.

With each slide, Ron narrated in an overly loud voice. “The elevations of Bingham River range from nine hundred to over five thousand feet. The river and its tributaries are home to numerous animal species, but our focus today will be on the steelhead, bull trout and Chinook salmon. All these fish are on the endangered-species list.”

“Don’t you have a serious problem with the sockeye, too?” Zoë asked.

Ron’s expression wilted along with his confidence. “Um, yes, and sockeye, too. But the only population of sockeye is located at Redfish Lake in the upper Salmon River basin.”

“Yes, I’d heard that. But I’m hoping we can work on introducing them to the Bingham River arena.”

Tanner interceded, trying not to sound defensive. “We’re already working on that. In fact, Ron’s done some great work with the Sawtooth Hatchery to help establish the sockeye in Bingham River by using Clear Lake at its head.”

Ron showed a broad smile of gratitude for the praise.

“I see. And how many hatcheries do you have?” Zoë asked.

“There are twenty-one salmon and steelhead hatcheries owned or operated by the Service.”

The Service was short for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Okay, good. Thank you.” Zoë turned her serene gaze back to the screen, not seeming ruffled in the least. In fact, she seemed genuinely interested in what they were saying.

And that’s when Tanner had an inkling that she wasn’t here as some sort of practical joke. She was just doing her job. He’d seen her résumé, which indicated an educated, qualified professional. Maybe he should reserve judgment until he saw what she was capable of.

A picture of Grand Coulee Dam flashed across the screen. A monolith of concrete and steel, the dam stood 550 feet tall. “Large hydroelectric dams and floodgates along the Columbia River have completely blocked the water, so fish can’t swim upstream to spawn.”

The biologist brought up another slide of the now-abandoned Moses Mine, located ninety miles outside of town. “Tailings from copper mines have poisoned the creeks. It’s taken thousands of dollars and decades of work to clean up the mess, and we still don’t have it cleaned up. Every time we have another flooding rain, it just brings the poisons back into the creekbeds.”

Ron pressed the button again. Another slide of dozens of salmon lying dead across a local farmer’s potato field appeared. “Water diversion for irrigation causes numerous problems. Without screens, fish get lost and bypass the canal, ending up in irrigation ditches with nowhere to go. Irrigation usage lowers the water level in creeks, so fish can’t swim upstream. With less water, the temperature increases to critical levels. Pollutants become more concentrated. All these things kill off fish fry and smolt by the thousands.”

Zoë shook her head, her lips pursed in disgust.

A slide showing a barren mountain once populated by tall ponderosa pine flickered overhead and Ron continued his dialogue. “Many logging operations have been allowed to overharvest trees in some areas, causing massive erosion into the streams.”

Ron’s last slide showed several red Angus cows standing in the middle of a stream while their owner sat on his horse on the edge of the bank and looked on. “Ranchers allow their cattle to roam freely along the creekbeds, denuding vegetation from the stream banks as well as stomping on the fragile redds.”

Ron clicked off the presentation. “That’s it.”

Tanner nodded at Chuck to turn the lights back on. “And, of course, wildfire also creates an environment for erosion, though we’ve been taking precautions to help alleviate the possibility of wildfires.”

Zoë’s chair creaked as she sat back. “But the environment seems to recover more quickly from wildfire erosion than it does from timber-harvest erosion.”

“That’s correct, Ms. Lawton,” Tanner agreed, surprised that she knew this. “Nothing’s changed from what you already know. We’ve got a lot of problems to deal with.”

“What would you say is the biggest problem the endangered fish are facing?”

Tanner didn’t hesitate to respond. “That’s easy. The hydroelectric dams. They’re impregnable for fish to pass through.”

Her eyes crinkled as she thought this over. “Unfortunately we can’t do anything about that.”

“You’re right, Ms. Lawton. Saving our endangered fish has proven to be a challenge we’re determined to meet.”

She smiled politely, speaking in a soft, confident tone. “I don’t see why the solutions are complicated. We just tell the farmers, ranchers and loggers what they can and can’t do. Then we enforce it, giving the streams and fish time to recover from the abuse. And please, call me Zoë.”

Not if he could help it. Instead, he cleared his throat. “The farmers and ranchers only care about their livelihoods, not a bunch of fish that have landed on the endangered-species list.”

“That’s true,” Chuck said. “Two years ago, we had four hundred angry farmers and loggers picketing our building like a pack of sharks. They were furious with the changes we were trying to make because it jeopardized their incomes. Now Tanner and his team have them at least listening to our ideas. But progress has been slow.”

Zoë crossed her long legs. Her lovely eyes narrowed, her soft mouth hardening with determination. “We can’t afford to make slow progress. Something must be done now. I have instructions to put a stop to the abuses and improve the situation along Bingham River. My boss in Portland expects nothing less. And that’s what I intend to do.”

“We’re interested in the same thing,” Tanner assured her, feeling protective of his efforts with the farmers and loggers. Over the past three years, he’d made a lot of progress in helping the endangered fish. They didn’t need this woman’s interference. The last thing he wanted was for an outsider to come in and mess up all his hard work.

“That’s right,” Chuck agreed. “And I think you’ll find that Tanner is the one man who has the acumen to deal with all our water users. He has a special touch for getting the ranchers and loggers to cooperate with us in helping improve the spawning runs.”

Chuck tossed Tanner a smile full of confidence, but in his eyes, Tanner detected a glint of warning. As the forest supervisor, Chuck didn’t want to upset the marine biologist from the National Marine Fisheries Service. Tanner reminded himself they were all working for the good of the endangered fish, but he was also smart enough to know that politics weighed heavily in this equation. Any failure on Tanner’s part would trickle downhill. It could make Chuck look bad, which would bounce down onto Tanner’s head.

So Tanner must not fail. Even if it meant working with an attractive marine biologist like Zoë Lawton.

“We obviously want the same things. So where do we start?” Zoë asked.

Tanner unrolled a large map and pointed out particularly troublesome areas along the river. The group discussed each issue at length.

“When can we go out to look at some of these sites?” Zoë asked.

Tanner couldn’t help being pleasantly surprised. At least she seemed eager and willing. “I’ve already set up some interviews with a few farmers on Saturday morning.”

She hesitated, her forehead creasing with a frown. “Does it have to be on Saturday?”

“That’s the best time for the farmers. When we accommodate their schedules, they’re more friendly and willing to hear us out.” Tanner hoped she wouldn’t demand the farmers meet her timetable.

“I can go, but my son will need to tag along. I don’t have child care on Saturdays. Is that okay?”

Oh, no. Not the kid. A sinking feeling of dread settled in Tanner’s stomach. The last thing he wanted was to spend his weekend with this lovely woman and her talkative little boy.

“That’ll be fine,” Chuck said.

With his boss sanctioning it, Tanner had little choice but to agree. “We’ll leave from here. Meet me in the parking lot at eight a.m. and plan to be gone most of the day.”

“Will do.” Zoë scooted back her chair and stood gracefully before turning to shake first Gary’s, then Ron’s hand. When she reached toward Tanner, she met his gaze without flinching. “Thank you for this enlightening discussion. I look forward to working with you.”

Tanner pasted a smile on his face, but inside he was screaming. Why did she have to be so friendly and stunning?

As he left the conference room and sauntered down the hall to his office, he couldn’t help feeling sabotaged by his boss. Over the next few months, there were a myriad of creeks and streams along the river that he and Zoë would have to traverse. But Tanner didn’t have to like it. He could be civil but remote and professional. Above all else, he must protect his work.

Chapter Three

“Jonah, we’re late!” Zoë kept her voice calm as she stood at the front door holding her son’s jacket.

Though morning sunlight streamed through their living room window, the boy yawned and stumbled down the hallway as if it were the middle of the night. Wearing a pair of blue jeans, a sweatshirt and tennis shoes, he rubbed his sleepy eyes. Zoë handed him his jacket, then bent down to tie his dangling shoelaces. The boy’s blond hair still stuck up in back, despite her best efforts with the spray bottle and comb to flatten it down.

“Why do we have to go so early?” He slipped his little arms into the sleeves of the jacket.

Zoë stood and zipped it up. “I told you already. I have to work, but I thought we could make it a fun outing.”

Not much fun getting up early on a Saturday morning.

“But I wanna watch cartoons.”

“We may see some fish and I made us a picnic lunch.” She lifted her brows, trying to coax a smile out of him.

He didn’t disappoint her. His startling blue eyes widened. “Great! Are we going fishing, too?”

She shook her head. “Not today, but soon.”

To make their day a bit more fun for Jonah, she’d tucked a canister of homemade chocolate-chip cookies into their lunchbox for dessert.

“Where we going?” His fingers tightened around hers as they walked out to the car.

“I’m not sure. You remember the man whose truck you hit with the shopping cart?”

“Yeah. He didn’t like us much.” He gave her a dubious frown.

“His name is Tanner Bohlman and it turns out he’s the man I’ll be working with this summer.”

“Uh-oh.” Jonah’s eyes widened with worry.

“Don’t fret about scratching his truck anymore. It’s been dealt with,” she insisted.

He gave her a trusting smile and she couldn’t resist kissing his forehead.

She opened the car door and he hopped inside before she helped him with his seat belt. She then pressed a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich into his hand for him to eat along the way.

Jonah bit into the sandwich and chewed vigorously. “He’s with the Forest Service?”

“Yes, and he wants to take us out today to show us some of the irrigation ditches where salmon are getting lost.”

She closed his door, then rounded the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. As she clicked on her own seat belt, she glanced at Jonah and noticed a crumb of bread clinging to his chin. She gestured toward it and he wiped his mouth. She started the engine and put the car into gear.

“What if he’s still sore with me about what happened?” Jonah said.

As they backed out of the driveway and pulled into traffic, Zoë lowered her sun visor and tried to reassure her son. “Don’t worry, I think he’s gotten over that.”

Or had he? Jonah was right. The man didn’t seem to like them very much, and she hoped he wouldn’t hold a grudge. No matter what, she had a job to do and didn’t want anything to get in the way of her work.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the supervisor’s office thirteen minutes later, Tanner stood outside, wearing the spruce-green pants and drab olive-green shirt of a forest ranger. His bronze shield gleamed in the morning sunshine. Since it was Saturday, she was surprised to see him wearing his uniform. She’d expected casual attire like she was wearing. But then she thought better of it. They were on official business today and Tanner looked the part.

Leaning against his truck, he folded his arms and crossed his ankles. A deep frown marred his high forehead. If not for his gruff manners, he’d be a strikingly handsome man. And she couldn’t help wondering what had made him so grouchy.

Barring the door on that thought, Zoë parked her car next to his truck and killed the motor.

Jonah peered out the window as he unbuckled his seat belt. “He don’t look too happy, Mom.”

“Doesn’t look happy.” She corrected his grammar. “And his mood might have something to do with the fact that we’re almost ten minutes late.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

She got out and opened the back door, leaning over to press a kiss against Jonah’s warm cheek before gazing lovingly into his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We’re not in a hurry today. Let’s just have fun, okay?”

“Work can be fun?” he asked.

“Absolutely. I have fun working all the time.” Which was true. She loved her job. Except for Jonah and the Lord, it was the most important thing in her life.

“Then let’s go to work.” Jonah returned her smile.

As she drew away, he zipped out of the car so fast she didn’t have time to stop him. “Jonah, wait.”

Too late. He was gone.

With a deep sigh, she reached for the picnic basket and another bag of towels and dry clothes she’d brought just in case she got wet taking water samples. She locked the car and followed as fast as she could.

Like a stealth bomber, Jonah headed straight toward Tanner. Zoë hurried to follow, unsure of Tanner’s mood.

The man unfolded his arms and stepped away from his truck. As Jonah approached, Tanner held his hands up as if to protect himself. A flash of uncertainty filled his eyes, then was gone so fast that Zoë thought she must have imagined it. Maybe Tanner wasn’t used to being around little kids. Surely he wasn’t afraid of Jonah.

“Hi, Tanner!” Jonah called.

“Mr. Bohlman.” Zoë corrected her son’s rudeness.

“He can call me Tanner.” Tanner’s voice sounded low and nervous as his gaze flickered over to Zoë.

“I’m sorry we’re late. My little sleepyhead couldn’t seem to get up this morning. But I told him you wouldn’t mind.” She ruffled her son’s hair and smiled fondly, hoping her declaration would ease Tanner’s tension just a bit.

It didn’t work. If anything, his shoulders stiffened more.

Jonah jutted his chin toward the ugly scratches still marring the side of Tanner’s truck. “You’re not mad at me anymore, are you?”

Oh, the innocent sincerity of a young child.

“No. Forget about it,” Tanner said.

Zoë gazed at the man, trying to see the truth in his eyes. His blank expression gave her no clues. She hated playing games and decided to take Tanner at his word. If he said he wasn’t bothered by the scratches, then she shouldn’t be, either. But she sure wished he’d let her pay for the repairs.

“Shall we go?” she asked.

“Yeah, let me help you with that.”

He reached to take the picnic basket and bag from her. His fingertips felt warm and roughened by calluses as they brushed against her hand. He jerked back, as though he’d been burned. She couldn’t read his expression as he turned and opened the door of his truck so she and Jonah could climb inside.

“We’re not taking a Forest Service vehicle?” she asked as she settled into her seat.

He shook his head, staring at the basket with pensive eyes. “No, it wouldn’t look good with Jonah along. Someone might complain that we’re using a federal vehicle for personal use.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Why would they do that?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Beats me. One of my friends almost got fired over such a trivial thing.”

“Because he had one of his children in a government vehicle?”

“Yep. People don’t stop to realize the long hours a forest ranger works. Sometimes they take their family with them up into the mountains just so they can spend some time together. Since we’ll have Jonah with us today, I figure it’s best to take my own vehicle. Better safe than sorry.”

She never knew. But then, she figured she had a lot to learn on this new assignment. She’d lived in large cities all her life, spending the majority of her time in a lab. She’d never worked out in the field with farmers, ranchers, or logging and mining operations. As long as she helped resolve some of the fishery problems, the inconvenience of moving to this tiny town would be worth it.

“What’s this?” He gestured to the basket.

“Our lunch. Since we’ll be gone most of the day, I thought we might get hungry.”

He frowned. “I didn’t think about that.”

She laughed, trying to lighten him up with a bit of humor. “You must not have any kids.”

“Nope.” His jaw hardened as he stashed the basket in the backseat.

Oh, dear. This wasn’t working out the way she’d hoped. Was he like this with everyone he met or just her?

She glanced at his ring finger and found it bare. Not even a hint of a shadow. That didn’t mean he wasn’t in a relationship, but he didn’t have the manners of a married man. Maybe he just liked to keep to himself. Or maybe, from the way he kept tossing covert, grumpy looks in her direction, he just didn’t like her. She didn’t know why that would be, but maybe keeping things between them professional would be best. She didn’t want a romantic entanglement right now. She had her hands full with her job and raising her son.

She jerked her thumb toward Jonah. “With this kid always asking for food, I learned to always have snacks on hand. Don’t worry. We have plenty for you, too.”

He hesitated, a look of open amazement on his face. As if he couldn’t believe she’d provide for him, too. Then he rounded the truck and got into the driver’s seat before addressing her comment. “You don’t need to feed me.”

She gave a soft laugh, wishing he wasn’t so handsome. “Don’t worry. We’re happy to share.”

“Wait till you taste Mom’s cookies.” Jonah leaned close to Tanner’s side and shielded his mouth with one hand as he whispered loudly, “But she thinks I don’t know about them, so act surprised when she gets them out, okay?”

Tanner laughed, a spontaneous sound that rumbled deep in his chest. “I think the cat’s out of the bag now.”

He indicated Zoë with his chin. Jonah glanced at his mother and realized that she’d overheard every word.

“Ah!” the boy groaned and covered his face with his hands.

She gave him a scolding look. “I take it you did a little peeking this morning while I was getting dressed.”

“Just a little,” Jonah said.

And yet, she hadn’t been able to get him out of bed. She shook her head, never understanding the workings of a child’s mind.

Tanner chuckled and Zoë couldn’t deny that she found the sound delightful. Finally. Finally they’d broken through his harsh exterior.

“You should do that more often,” she said.

“What?” Tanner inserted the key into the ignition and started the engine.

“Laugh.”

He flushed a deep red color, looking mortified. Which made her laugh, in turn.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” she said. “We wouldn’t want to ruin your fierce reputation.”

As if trying to ignore her comments, Tanner glanced at Jonah. “How old are you?”

“Six. I play T-ball. I can hit the ball clearrrr across the field.” He opened his little arms wide to make his point. “Next fall, I’ll be in second grade. Do you like to fish?”

Tanner blinked, as though trying to keep up with the changes in conversation. “Yeah, I like to fish.”

“Can we go fishing today?”

Tanner put the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. Over the top of the boy’s head, he met Zoë’s gaze. “I’m afraid not. We’re going to meet with some farmers today. Do you like to fish?”

Jonah shrugged, gazing over the dashboard and out the windshield. “Don’t know. Remember? I already told you I never been before. But I’d sure like to go sometime.”

Tanner looked straight ahead as they approached the intersection.

Jonah kept talking. “My dad used to go fishing when he was a kid. Mom told me so. Even though he died, Mom says he loved me like crazy.”

Oh, that hurt. Zoë had never heard Jonah speak so freely about his father. It still left her breathless with pain every time she thought about Derek’s death in a skiing accident only eleven months after Jonah’s birth. Without warning, all their hopes and dreams had been dashed to pieces. And poor Jonah, left without a father. He didn’t even remember his daddy, outside of the things she had told him.

Life could be so unfair.

“Is that so?” Tanner’s gaze slid over Zoë, as if seeking the truth in her eyes.

“Yeah, but me and Mom get along just fine. Someday, I suppose she’ll get married again. But not without my approval. She told me so.” Jonah sat between them, smiling with anticipation.

“My dad died when I was eight and my mom when I was ten,” Tanner said.

Zoë hadn’t expected him to confide something so personal. Not to them. Her heart went out to him. Being orphaned so young couldn’t have been easy.

“Really? You lost both your parents?” Jonah peered at Tanner, his mouth hanging open in astonishment.

“Yep, so I didn’t have anyone to take me fishing, either.”

Zoë absorbed every word like dry sand soaking up rain. How she wished Jonah could have known his daddy. Knowing that Tanner had faced the same loss left her feeling melancholy.

“Then who taught you to fish?” Jonah asked.

“At first, my grandpa taught me,” Tanner said. “We’d go fishing and then come home and eat my grandma’s homemade apple pie. It’s one of my fondest childhood memories. But he died when I was thirteen. Grandma died a year later.”

“Who raised you after your grandparents died?” Zoë asked.

“Foster care.” His jaw hardened, as though he’d rather not talk about it.

She didn’t blame him.

Jonah heaved a little sigh. “I wish I had a grandpa, but me and Mom are all alone, just like you. Except for God. Mom says we’re never really alone, as long as we have the Lord with us.”

How profound. In that moment, Zoë realized that all their discussions, all the bedtime prayers and taking her son to Sunday school classes, had actually paid off. In spite of his wiggling and talking during lessons, part of what Jonah had been taught had actually sunk in.

Tanner frowned and turned away, making a pretense of adjusting his rearview mirror. “Some people just use God as a crutch.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zoë couldn’t help asking.

“Never mind. It’s not really an appropriate business topic anyway.”

Zoë hesitated to push. It wasn’t her business, after all. She worked in a scientific field and had met her share of religious skeptics before, but something in Tanner’s eyes told her he’d believed in God once but had somehow lost his faith. “It’s Saturday, we’re not in the office, we’re in your personal truck, so go ahead and talk. I don’t mind. Don’t you believe in God?”

“Occasionally.” He didn’t meet her eyes.

“What does that mean?” How could you occasionally believe in the Lord?

“God and I leave each other alone for the most part. It works better for us that way.”

She’d never heard such a cynical statement in all her life. She opened her mouth several times, a myriad of comebacks stinging her tongue. But then she remembered that she barely knew this man and had no right to judge him.

“You sound hurt,” she said.

“Uh-huh.” The firm set of his mouth told her he would say no more.

“Maybe we can go fishing after work,” Jonah said, seemingly oblivious to their discussion on Deity.

“We’re not going fishing today,” Zoë said.

“Then when can we go?” he persisted.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Zoë thought Jonah had said enough for one day.

“Is he always like this?” Tanner asked as they headed out of town.

She decided not to be offended by the question. From Tanner’s earnest expression, she didn’t believe he meant it as a criticism. “Yes, but he’s also an excellent student and gets along with everyone at school.”

“Except Brian. He bosses me around all the time. I don’t like him much.” Jonah made an ugly face.

Tanner chuckled and Zoë thought perhaps she’d misjudged the man. Maybe he wasn’t such a hard case after all.

Tanner’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel and he took a deep breath, as if he were about to submerge his head underwater. “Tell you what. I like to go fishing, too. How about I take you to Kids’ Creek Park in town? They have rainbow trout there and we just seeded the pond with hatchery-raised steelhead salmon. Since it’s illegal to catch steelhead in the wild, that’s a real treat. I’m sure we could catch your limit.”

“That’d be great.” Jonah bounced happily on the seat, then paused and quirked one brow. “But what does seeded mean?”

Tanner jerked his head toward Zoë. “Ask your mom.”

The boy promptly faced his mother and repeated his question.

She smiled and brushed a jagged thatch of blond hair away from his eyes. “It means they brought in a big truck from the fish hatchery filled with smaller steelhead fish and dumped them into the pond, just so kids like you can have fun catching them.”

“Except our steelhead aren’t small. Most of them are over twelve inches long,” Tanner said.

“Wow! Can we go, Mom? Can we?” Jonah wriggled with expectation.

She hesitated. Tanner’s invitation had come as a complete surprise. She sensed a subtle tensing in his shoulders and wondered if he regretted his offer. An outing of this sort was just what Jonah needed. She couldn’t think of one legitimate reason to say no. “Of course we can go.”

“Hooray!” Jonah swiveled around to face Tanner, his little body squirming in anticipation. “When? When can we go?”

“How about tomorrow afternoon?” Tanner smiled but stared straight ahead, keeping his eyes on the road.

“I’m afraid tomorrow is Sunday and I take Jonah to church. What about another day?” Zoë ignored Jonah’s irritated gasp. She was eager to worship God and meet their new congregation to make some friends. Then she could trade babysitting on the weekends and set up playdates for Jonah throughout the summer months.

Tanner swiped a hand across the light stubble on his chin. “I can’t go again until next Saturday.”

“That would work for us,” she agreed.

“But that’s a whole week away,” Jonah whined.

Zoë squeezed his arm gently to settle him down. “Then that’ll give you something fun to look forward to.”

“Ah,” he grumbled but didn’t argue further.

“Where are we going first?” Zoë asked Tanner, hoping to change the subject.

“Out to Harry Ragsdale’s farm.”

“It’s sure beautiful here.” Zoë gazed at Bingham River running parallel to the road, taking in the pristine view of clean, rushing water, willows and cottonwoods. Farther out, wide meadows covered with sedges and wire grass added a variety of vibrant green hues.

Tanner nodded in agreement, his expression showing pride in the area where he worked. Somehow sharing this appreciation with him gave them something in common.

They passed a sign that read Ragsdale Farms.

With their focus back on work, the frown returned to Tanner’s face. Just when Zoë thought they were making headway and becoming friends, Tanner had to go and disappoint her. She’d just have to remember not to expect anything from him—then she wouldn’t be disappointed again.

Chapter Four

The black asphalt gave way to dirt road. The tires of the truck kicked up gravel. Tanner slowed their speed and put on the blinker before turning onto Challis Road.

He must be crazy. What had he been thinking to invite Jonah on a fishing trip? He didn’t know a thing about kids. No doubt Zoë would come along. Which meant Tanner would have to be near her in a personal setting as well as at work.

No, he shouldn’t have made the offer. But remembering the fun he’d had with Grandpa had made him want the same for Jonah. He didn’t even like kids. Or at least he didn’t think he did. He’d wanted them once. Oodles of them. But his broken engagement had ended all that. Children were okay for other people, but not for him.

“There’s good riffle along the river here,” Zoë observed.

Tanner nodded and gazed at the frothing water dashing over the jagged rocks. Riffle oxygenated the spawning beds.

Zoë shielded her eyes against the bright sunlight pouring through the windshield. “How much of the water here is diverted for irrigation?”

Tanner couldn’t remember ever meeting a woman who was actually interested in his work. Zoë was quite refreshing. “All but 7 percent. This is a heavy agricultural area and they use almost all the water in the river.”

She gave a low whistle. “No wonder there isn’t enough for the fish to swim up the lower seven miles of the river.”

“We haven’t come up with an idea on how to combat that problem yet.”

“Do the farmers need to use all the water they take out for irrigation?”

He shrugged. “Probably not, but until we install farmer’s screens in all the irrigation ditches, there’s no system in place to control their outtake. Maybe you can think of something for us to do until we get all the screens in place.”

He’d kiss her if she came up with a solution. This one problem had become a real quandary for them. So far, nothing they’d tried had worked. He doubted that an outsider would be able to think of a solution.

Zoë pointed to an area along the riverbanks with no overhanging willows. “Have you had cattle grazing over there? The riverbanks are caved in and raw. No vegetation growing, which means no redds.”

Redds were spawning beds for fish. The eggs needed cold, clean, well-oxygenated water to survive. Without shade from overhanging willows and other vegetation, the temperature of the stream increased and killed off the eggs.

“Yes, the cows have tromped in the stream and broken down the banks here. We convinced several local ranchers to let us fence off parts of the streams to stop this from happening. The area should recover over time.”

Gazing out the window, he decided by midweek he could find a valid excuse to call Zoë and cancel the fishing trip with Jonah. There wasn’t enough time in his busy schedule to spend fishing with a cute little boy who talked too much anyway. Tanner had been foolish to make the offer.

No, he couldn’t do that. His guilty conscience nipped at him. Canceling would break Jonah’s heart. And Tanner wasn’t that cruel. Not yet anyway.

A kid like Jonah might be a lot of fun. And a lot of hard work, too. Tanner was gaining a new appreciation for Zoë. From his experience with his own mother, he knew that being a single mom wasn’t easy, yet Zoë seemed to do it with such calm grace.

He heaved a disgruntled sigh. Tanner hated the thought of hurting Jonah and losing the boy’s trust, though he didn’t know why. What Jonah Lawton thought shouldn’t matter to Tanner. The boy wasn’t his son. They had no connection except that Tanner now worked with Zoë. In spite of trying not to, Tanner still liked the kid.

Too much.

Maybe it was because Tanner understood the hurt of losing his father so young. Then, his mother had been busy working just to put food on the table. No quality time. No one to attend his ball games or help with his science projects. No one to confide his troubles and victories to.

Tanner shook his head, keeping his gaze on the narrow dirt road. They skirted fields of alfalfa, barley and potatoes, the outlying mountains providing a stunning backdrop for meadows and streams twining through the valley. Lovely and serene. Tanner frequently went to the mountains whenever he felt sad or lonely, which was often these days. Out here, he never felt lost or alone.

Until now. Until he’d met Zoë Lawton and her inquisitive little son. He wasn’t alone just now, but he still felt lost.

In a matter of days since he’d met them in Harper’s Grocery Store parking lot, something had changed for Tanner. Something he couldn’t explain. The fact that he didn’t know what it was left him feeling disconnected and troubled.

Yep, he’d have to go fishing with Jonah. He couldn’t retract the offer. Not without upsetting the boy, and his mother.

The mother.

He tossed a quick glance at Zoë, taking in her faded blue jeans, warm sweater and practical boots. Gone were the professional jacket, skirt and heels that’d almost made him salivate. With her slender legs crossed and her delicate hands resting in her lap, she looked too young to be a professional woman supporting a child.

And a widow.

From what Jonah had said, she’d lost her husband years ago. Tanner couldn’t help wondering if she’d loved the man. If his death had crushed her heart the way Cheryl had crushed his.

As the wheels thumped across the washboard road, he cast surreptitious glances Zoë’s way. Her head bobbed gently with the swaying of the vehicle. She looked completely at home, not at all a prissy city girl who couldn’t handle a bit of dirt on her clothes. Her smudged eyeliner made her blue eyes appear smoky and mysterious. No matter what this woman wore, she was beautiful.

As they passed the canal, Tanner slowed the truck and pointed at the trench filled with water. “You can see there’s no farmer’s screen on this irrigation ditch. Last spring, hundreds of fish took the wrong turn in the canal, got lost and ended up in the ditch instead of moving on their way through the river.”

Jonah sat up straighter to see out the window. “What happened to them?”

Surprised to find the child listening, Tanner explained, “With nowhere else to go, they ended up in the fields, dead.”

The boy blinked at that. “Dead?”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll do something to stop it from happening again.” Zoë patted Jonah’s arm.

Tanner didn’t think she should promise something she might not be able to deliver. But her confidence made him feel as though they really could resolve the problems they faced.

They rounded the bend and saw a rusty old truck parked at the side of the road. A man in his mid-forties stood near the ditch bank, wearing a baseball cap, blue overalls and knee-high waders. He waved, then propped his shovel in the dirt before leaning his forearms against the top of the handle.

“That’s Harry Ragsdale.” Tanner pulled over, then killed the motor.

They all got out and joined Harry before Tanner made the introductions.

“I must admit I was a bit surprised when Tanner called to see if I’d meet with you today. What can I do for you?” Harry’s ruddy cheeks wobbled slightly as he shook Zoë’s hand.

“It’s not what you can do for us, but what we can do for you.” Zoë spoke right up, her voice pleasant enough. “We need to put a farmer’s irrigation screen on your property as soon as possible. We’d like your permission to start work immediately.”

Harry shrugged, his doubtful gaze resting heavily on Tanner. “I already told the ranger I can’t do that. Screens are a big pain to maintain. They catch garbage and clog up. They have to be constantly cleaned. I don’t have time for that kind of nonsense.”

Zoë’s spine stiffened, her smile fading to a disapproving frown. This didn’t look good.

“We have to do something, Mr. Ragsdale. The Endangered Species Act requires it by law,” she said.

Harry lifted a hand, as if to shoo away a fly. “Then do something else. But I’m not gonna put any screens on my property.”

Zoë tilted her head and her eyes hardened just a bit. “A screen will keep wayward salmon from swimming past the canal and ending up dead in your ditch.”

“I don’t care if they do. They rot and provide good fertilizer for my fields.”

Zoë’s mouth tightened. “But so many fish are dying that they’ve ended up on the endangered-species list. If you won’t maintain a screen, we’ll have to get an injunction against you to shut off your water.”

“What?” The word exploded from Harry’s mouth like a nuclear detonation. “You can’t do that. I need water for my crops. Shutting off my water would put me out of business.”

“You’re leaving us no other choice,” Zoë insisted.

Tanner held up both hands. This wasn’t what he’d expected at all. “Now, now, that won’t be necessary. We can deal with this situation without resorting to shutting off your water.”

Zoë glared at Tanner as if he’d just slapped her face. “Then, what do you recommend?”

“I can’t afford to install a farmer’s screen.” Harry’s voice vibrated with anger. “All that cement and steel. It’d cost me thousands of dollars.”

Jonah stepped closer to his mother, sliding his hand into hers as his eyes creased with worry over their raised voices. A protective impulse swarmed Tanner’s chest and he longed to comfort the child. Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to bring the kid along. From the way Zoë patted the boy’s cheek in a reassuring gesture, she was having second thoughts, too.

“You won’t have to pay a dime of the costs, Harry. FRIMA has given us a grant to fund the project. We just need your permission to have it installed. We’ll do all the work.” Placing one hand on the other man’s shoulder, Tanner looked into his eyes, a tactic he frequently used to calm irate farmers.

“What’s FRIMA?” Harry asked in a gruff voice.

“The Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act. They’re a voluntary, nonregulatory program that provides funding to screen water diversions. All you need to do is help ensure that it’s maintained. Can you do that if it means keeping the fish out of your ditches and moving in a safe passageway?”

“Well, um, yes, I suppose if you’re gonna pay for it, I can at least help maintain it,” Harry said.

“Good! I knew we could count on your help.” Tanner smiled, hoping to lighten the tense mood.

Zoë’s face flooded with color and Tanner could tell she was upset. Didn’t she realize that angering the local farmers would never help them achieve their goals? Threats would just get everyone fighting mad.

Harry smiled and nodded at Tanner but tossed a sneer at Zoë. And that’s when Tanner realized that she’d just made an enemy who would talk to the other farmers in the area. Word would soon spread like wildfire that they had a hard-nosed federal marine biologist in town. Tanner knew how it worked. He’d been at this game a long time now.

Tanner needed to talk to Zoë in private. He should have explained things better before he brought her out here. Letting her face an irate farmer hadn’t been Tanner’s intent, but he’d had no idea when Harry resisted their proposal that she’d make such a do-or-die threat.

“Okay, I’ll set it up and be in touch with you soon,” Tanner told Harry.

“Good, you do that. You can call me anytime,” Harry said.

As they walked back to Tanner’s truck, Zoë didn’t say a word. From her narrowed eyes, he realized this wasn’t over. She was very upset. At him. He could almost imagine hot steam jetting from her ears, eyes and nose. He figured she was keeping her silence because of Jonah. But once they were alone again, he dreaded the inevitable flare-up that was sure to follow.

* * *

Zoë bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep from telling Tanner what she really thought about the way he’d coddled Harry Ragsdale. No doubt he was doing the same kind of appeasement with the other farmers in the area. And what about the ranchers and logging companies?

Glancing at Jonah, she almost wished she hadn’t brought her son along. She was angry and burned to give Tanner a piece of her mind. But she didn’t want to have harsh words with Tanner in front of her little boy. For now, she clamped her mouth closed and thought of calm, professional words she should say to Tanner later on.

Tanner drove them out to meet with two more farmers, with the same results as the first. One farmer argued, even when Tanner told him that FRIMA would cover the expense. The farmer didn’t want the nuisance of dealing with a screen. He didn’t want to be bothered.

And then Zoë stepped in with her usual blunt candor, which triggered Tanner into cajoling the man to get him to agree. The way Tanner tried to accommodate each farmer made Zoë think Tanner was part of the problem rather than the solution. No wonder so many fish were dying!

By the time noon rolled around and Tanner parked his truck near a campground at the base of the Bingham Mountains, Zoë seethed with annoyance. She didn’t want to be so hard-nosed, but she had her orders. Her employment was riding on her success here. With a young son to raise, she couldn’t afford to lose her job.

While Jonah raced ahead to play by the stream that threaded its way through the tall cottonwoods, Zoë reached for her bag and their lunch. She then walked with Tanner toward a picnic table nearby.

“Jonah, don’t go too far. Stay where I can see you,” she called as the boy bent over the shallow creek and poked the water with a stick.

Tanner tugged the picnic basket from her hand and carried it for her. Finally they were alone and she could have a private word with him. Taking a deep breath, she vowed to remain civil.

“Who do you think you are?” she asked quietly.

Okay, that didn’t come out the way she’d intended. She was so troubled that her emotions seemed to burst out of her mouth.

His response sounded just as clipped, telling her that he was also flustered by today’s events. “I’m the Fisheries and Wildlife staff officer over this national forest. We want to get these people’s attention, but we also need their cooperation. And we can’t do that with threats. If we’re gonna solve these problems, we need the support of the farmers.”

Zoë wasn’t so sure that was true. And yet, she didn’t want to cause more problems, either. She felt like an astronaut in outer space, not quite sure of herself anymore. “They’ve already taken too much advantage, Tanner. These problems didn’t happen overnight. They happened over years and years of abuse. The fish are out of time. Coaxing and being nice will take too long. We need action right now.”

“And you think threats will work better?”

“When people refuse to do what’s right, yes. We have the law on our side.”

His dark eyes met hers. “Threats only work as a last resort,” he said. “But I’ve found that we can get a lot of cooperation from these people if we show them what the problem is and offer to help them solve it. If we fix problems by cramming solutions down their throats, we just end up with a bunch of congressional inquiries.”

She tilted her head in confusion, never quite taking her eyes off Jonah. “Congressional inquiries?”

He nodded. “That’s right. The farmers and ranchers have a direct line to their senators, whom they support with reelection funds. And believe me, their senators listen to everything they have to say.”

He chuckled without humor and she realized he was serious.

“But congressional inquiries?” she said again. “They really resort to such drastic measures?”

He hitched one shoulder. “Would you really resort to shutting off their water?”

She nibbled at the end of her pinkie finger, thinking this over. “Yes, I would.”

“Well, so would they. Before I came here, we had congressional inquiries all the time. The Steelhead National Forest doesn’t need politicians breathing down our necks. Which is what will happen if Harry Ragsdale and other farmers like him start making angry phone calls.”

No, that wouldn’t be good. It’d stir up a pot they didn’t want stirred and delay getting the job done even longer. Zoë never knew working at the local level could be so complicated.

“I can certainly understand why you want to avoid that,” she agreed.

But what about her orders? Her boss in Portland had made it very clear what he expected her to accomplish this summer. There wasn’t any room for pampering.

“So you can see why I tried to be pleasant with Harry Ragsdale instead of bullying him,” Tanner said.

“Did I bully him?” The thought made her feel horrible. She didn’t want to bully anyone. She was just trying to do her job.

His handsome mouth flashed with a brief smile, telling her that she’d surprised him today. “Yes, and you’re the prettiest bully I’ve come across lately.”

His words caught her off guard and her cheeks flushed with heat. From the sudden color in his face and the way he quickly looked away, she could tell he’d let the compliment slip out without thinking.

Okay, better to forget about his flattering remark. She’d just let it drop.

“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you before we came out here. I should have explained the situation to you better,” he said.

She appreciated his apology, but it didn’t solve anything right now. “Then what do you propose? If farmers won’t agree to let us install the screens on their property, then we’ll need to force them to comply.”

He snorted. “Good luck with that tactic.”

Zoë couldn’t help feeling bitter about the situation. From what she’d seen, most people didn’t care. They just wanted to go on with their lives, without any inconvenience to themselves. And Tanner seemed to be letting them do it. “I just don’t like the way you baby them.”

“I’m not babying them. I’m working to get results we can all live with.” He set the basket on the picnic table.

Biting her tongue, Zoë spread out a thin cloth, then unpacked their lunch. She kept her face toward the stream, watching Jonah.

Tanner stood at the edge of the table, hands in his pockets. Zoë quashed the urge to apologize. Not when she really believed he was wrong in his tactics. And frankly, she had the power to override him. She didn’t want to do that and cause more friction between them, but she’d do it if she had to.

“At least we got them each to agree to the screens,” he said lamely.

She handed him a paper plate with a turkey-and-Swiss-cheese sandwich and a handful of grapes and rippled potato chips on the side. “Three down and zillions more to go.”

His frosty gaze brushed past hers in a dismissive glance. “We’ll deal with each of them.”

“Hey, I saw little fish swimming in the stream,” Jonah gasped as he joined them. “But they don’t have any fins. Just a long tail.”

He plopped down on the bench and snatched up a sandwich, seemingly oblivious to the dark stares from the adults nearby.

“That’s nice, sweetheart. But I’ll bet they’re tadpoles, not fish,” Zoë said.

“Tadpoles?” Jonah’s brow crinkled as he took a bite and chewed.

“Baby frogs. You saw them once in Portland, remember? And we need to bless the food before we eat it.” She answered patiently, surprised at her serene voice when she was feeling anything but calm inside. Why could she maintain her composure with Jonah but not with Tanner?

Conscious of Tanner’s troubled frown resting on her, she offered a quick prayer. She and Tanner ate their lunches in silence, listening to Jonah’s happy chatter. She answered the child’s melee of questions about tadpoles with quick, succinct sentences. Only when Zoë brought out the cookies did Tanner speak to her again.

“These are delicious. They taste just like the ones my grandma used to make. Soft and chocolaty.” He held up his fourth cookie, a big bite taken out of the side as he chewed with relish.

“Thank you.” At least she’d done something right today. But she didn’t like the tension between them. She didn’t like feeling like an ogre.

Later, Zoë packed everything up while Tanner went to the creek with Jonah. At one point, she looked up and saw Tanner holding her son’s hand, assisting the boy so he could cross the water without falling in. Seeing this man helping her little son reminded her that Derek was gone and wouldn’t be coming back.

Thinking about her husband caused her throat to ache, as though an icy fist squeezed it tight. How she longed for the companionship and intimacy she’d shared with her husband. Someone to talk to who really cared.

Someone who loved her as much as she loved him.

Shaking off her black mood, she returned the basket to the truck and got out her hip waders and sample kit. At the side of Clear Creek, she pulled on the green rubber waders. Then she opened her kit and took out several empty, tubelike glass vials. She dipped some into the water and some into the muddy bank for soil samples. As she pressed the cap onto the last vial and labeled the little jar, she became aware of Tanner standing nearby with Jonah.

“You taking some samples?” Tanner said.

“Yep.” She slipped the vial into her pocket before reaching for her fishnet. Holding still as the water swirled around her knees, she waited until a trout swam by. With quick movements, she scooped up the fish with the net. Keeping the thrashing animal in the water, she leaned down and gently clasped it with her hands, turning it upside down so its gleaming white belly faced her. The fish immediately quieted as she inspected it with her hands.

“Rainbow trout?” Tanner asked.

“Yes, eight inches long and in good health.” She didn’t look up as she measured the fish against the notches carved in the handle of the net.

She let the fish go and it zipped away while she pulled out a small notebook and jotted down the information.

“You’ve obviously handled a lot of fish, yet you’ve never gone fishing.”

“That’s right.” She didn’t offer an explanation. She hadn’t thought about it until now, but she never seemed to have enough extra time for leisure activities. Until recently. Although their scheduled fishing trip was mostly about Jonah, she also looked forward to the experience. But she didn’t want to tell Tanner that. He might get the wrong idea.

“Okay, that’s it. I’m done for now.” She stowed her notebook in the pocket of her shirt, then reached for a boulder to grasp so she could pull herself out of the stream. She found Tanner’s hand in front of her, his long fingers extended. Surprised by his offering, she gazed up at his stony face for several moments. As he pulled her up, she felt his great physical strength. She didn’t look at him as she rinsed the mud from her waders, dried them off, then folded them to carry back to the truck.

Jonah sped ahead of them, hopping over clumps of grass, kicking at a rock and laughing. Having a great time.

“I appreciate your getting those samples.” Tanner spoke beside her.

An unexplainable irritation gnawed at her gut. “It’s my job.”

“I know. But I didn’t even think about it, until I saw you doing it.”

She faced him. “And why is that so surprising, Tanner?”

“I, um... It’s not.” His face flushed with embarrassment, his hands in his pockets like a little kid who’d just been caught stealing a pack of gum.

“It’s your strategy in dealing with the farmers I don’t agree with,” he said.

“Is that right?” She bit back a harsher response.

His shoulders relaxed somewhat and his gaze softened. “Look, I didn’t mean to offend you, Zoë. I don’t know many women who would tromp through a stream to gather mud samples,” he said.

His confession left her speechless for several moments. “We definitely have different methods. I’d like to take these samples to my office now, if you don’t mind.”

Turning, she kept walking, conscious of him following behind. Back in the truck, they didn’t speak much as Tanner drove them down the mountain and back to town. In the supervisor’s parking lot, Zoë gathered her bags and moved them over to her car.

Before she took Jonah home, the boy looked up at Tanner with a charming smile. “Don’t forget our fishing trip next Saturday.”

“I won’t.” Tanner spoke low.

Zoë opened her mouth to tell Tanner that she’d changed her mind about them going, but she couldn’t stand to hurt her son that way. It wasn’t Jonah’s fault that she was having an altercation with Tanner over their methods.

Tanner took a deep inhale of resignation. “I’ll pick you up at nine.”

“Do you know where we live?” she asked.

“I do. It’s a small town.”

Right. She got it. But she still didn’t know if they should go.

“Thanks for taking us out today.” She said the words mechanically.

“You’re welcome. I’ve got another trip planned for us midweek, to visit one of the logging operations. I’ll call your office on Monday to give you the exact time. I’ll pick you up at your office.”

Yeah, that would be fun. She couldn’t wait.

She nodded, her gaze glancing off his. “Fine, I’ll let my assistant know.”

And without another word, they parted company on that sour note.

Chapter Five

Midweek came much too soon for Tanner’s peace of mind. With Zoë in the passenger seat, he drove a Forest Service truck this time as they headed up the mountain. For some crazy reason, Tanner missed the incessant chatter of her son. Against his better judgment, Tanner had come to like the boy. He tried to tell himself the kid was just another coworker’s little boy, but for some reason Tanner felt different about Jonah.

“How’s Jonah?” he couldn’t help asking Zoë.

“Great. He can’t wait for our fishing trip on Saturday.”

“Good.” Tanner figured if he had to go, the least he could do was make it fun for Jonah.

Part of him wondered if he was setting himself up for more pain by letting himself care for Jonah.

But really it wasn’t that big a deal. Taking the kid fishing didn’t mean they had to be best buddies forever. It wouldn’t hurt to be nice to a fatherless child.

Or would it?

As before, the road leading toward the mountains paralleled Bingham River. Willows, sedges and grass edged the riverbanks, the frothing stream splashing over smoothed boulders in its path. The water glimmered in the sunlight, like a million translucent crystals.

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