Page 70 of Extreme Romancing in Idaho

“Well, she seems mighty fond of him.” Nora let her lips split wide into a grin and opened the oven to check on the bread.

My mind spiraled. Angie marrying Smoot? After the way she responded to my kiss, she couldn’t be this sure about another man. The thought sliced through my peace of mind, and I swallowed the bile burning my throat. Yet, I wasn’t exactly a fan of until death do you part. Was I?

More and more, I’d begun to yearn for something … different. Something like what Tony and Nora had. But a relationship like theirs was as likely as a cowboy riding a bucking unicorn.

With her face glistening, Nora fumbled the full bread pans while I got things situated under the sink. The metal pans clanked on the speckled, cream laminate counter, golden-topped loafs tipping onto their sides.

“Ah! Fart nuggets!” She shoved her oven-mitted hands on her hips, then set about righting the loaves and flipping them onto the cooling racks.

I couldn’t stop my short snort of laughter. Like mother, like daughter. Nora didn’t react to my laughter and continued to fuss over the dent in her freshly baked loaves. I lost sight of her as I maneuvered into the cramped space under the sink. Cleaning supplies and odds and ends littered the floor around me.

I’d thought about convincing them to call a plumber since I had absolutely no experience, but then fixing a sink sounded way more appealing than spending the afternoon in the fields.

“Don’t forget to put the crimp ring on the pipe before you connect it!” Tony yelled from the table; his voice less boisterous than it’d been a week ago. “Also, shut off the water supply before you start removing the broken fitting.”

“And when you’re ready for a break, I’ll have hot, buttered bread and jam waiting for you.” Nora ducked to look at me as she wiped her hands on her apron, which had a picture of two eggs as eyes and a slice of bacon for a smile on it.

“Hey, Papa. How’re you feeling today?” Angie’s voice reached me.

My hands stilled with the pipe cutters clutched in them. Hidden by the bar counter, I remained tucked under the sink, unabashedly eavesdropping.

I missed Tony’s response but hung on Angie’s. “Don’t worry over these bills. I have a good feeling about this harvest. We’ll manage like we always have.”

Maybe Smoot had only asked for permission to marry her and hadn’t popped the question.

“It’s sure been nice with Remi’s help around here.” Nora giggled and tapped my foot with hers.

I briefly closed my eyes and then returned to what I was doing.

The fridge door opened and closed. “He’s about as helpful as a foxtail in my sock.”

The hell I was. I did everything she asked me and more. This was the appreciation I got … she compared me to a sticker weed in her shoe? Infuriating woman. Whatever, Angie. Be my guest. Marry Smoot and pop out a gaggle of Smoot babies for all I cared. I clamped the pipe between the cutter.

“But I wouldn’t be able to manage without him. He’s turned into a decent farmer.”

What? She said something positive about me? Doubters, mainly my family, could keep hating on me, but Angie believed I made a good farmer. Bolstered by her admission, I snipped the blue plastic pipe clear through, releasing the water it’d contained. A lot of water. It sprayed at my face, onto my shirt, and flooded the floor. I’d expected a few drops to come out of the pipe, not this deluge.

“Oh, shh—” I cut off my expletive, not wanting to curse around Angie’s parents. I’d forgotten to shut off the main valve. I blocked the pressurized stream with one hand and twisted the valve closed with the other. Relaxing my head and upper back on the bottom of the cabinet, I took a couple of breaths.

Way to go, Remi.I ducked out from the cabinet and sat in the puddle around my waist.

Angie stood above me with her eyes wide. She’d dressed in her work jeans and a rattyNirvanaT-shirt. She must not be on shift at the hospital tonight. Two golden ringlets slipped free of her elastic band and framed her face.

“Hey, Angie,” I said, likely looking like a drowned rat. I rubbed at the water on my face and flicked it to the ground.

“Hi.” She chuckled once … twice … then let her laughter flowed down on me as fast as the water stream.

“What happened?” Tony asked from the table. “He forgot to shut off the water supply, didn’t he?” Though I couldn’t see him, I imagined him doing a solid facepalm.

“Oh dear. I’m gonna go get a bath towel.” Nora rushed from the room.

I should be humiliated, but hearing Angie’s laugh again satisfied me immensely. “I’ve got everything under control.”

“Sure, you do.” She tilted the glass of lemonade in her hand to her smile, and I couldn’t help but follow this movement with my eyes. The glass pressed against her full lips as she drew in the liquid, licking the leftover droplets after she swallowed.

Did it get hotter in here? Nora returned and dropped the towel on me. Grateful I had it to cover my flushed cheeks, I wiped the water off my face and neck, then used it to sop up the mess I’d made.

It’d been two weeks since Angie and I’d kissed. Sightings of her had become rare. Instead of giving a rundown of what she expected throughout the day, she’d taken to leaving lists of things needing to be done on the counter for me to find, with instructions if I had any questions to ask Tony. My time with her had been limited to watching her do tractor work from a distance.

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