Page 7 of Extreme Romancing in Idaho

I might end up running into him since I was here foras long as it takes,according to my father. Some of the real estate deals I’d worked on had taken over six months to come to an agreement. With Idaho being an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, I didn’t mind the time I’d spend here getting this job done.

First, I’d BASE jump the bridge. Then I’d go to City of the Rocks to rock climb and rappel. Or I could rent an off-road vehicle and drive up a mountain.

“Y’all ever been to City of the Rocks? Myles and I were going to try to go there next week.” I couldn’t resist asking the Johnsons about the lesser-known treasures in this valley.

“We were?” Myles eyed me in the rearview.

I half-grinned. “I hadn’t told you yet.”

“It’s one of my favorite places in the whole world.” Angie spoke so quietly I almost didn’t hear her.

“We camped there as a family once or twice a year. Maybe we should head up there next week too. What do you think, Angie?” Tony looped his arm over the seat.

His face tightened. Even such a small movement caused him pain. Angie must have also noticed.

“I don’t know if I can, Papa. I have a lot of shifts,” Angie said.

Her comment sat in the car’s silence for a good ten minutes. Both Nora and Tony dozed, and Myles focused on the road. After struggling with my pocket, I pulled my phone out and took it off airplane mode.

It immediately started vibrating with a dozen text alerts. Names flashed across my screen under numbers I hadn’t saved to my contacts.Hey, Remi it’s Kathryn/ Mindy/ Taylyn/ Crystal …the texts would end in some variation of “I had a great time last night.” The rest of the messages were from my parents and brother checking up on my trip progress.

Too late, I shielded my screen from Angie, having no idea how many texts she’d already seen. After typing a quick response to my brother, Matthew, I tucked my phone back in my pocket, pressing against Angie even more, and bumped my head on the ceiling of the compact car.

“What kind of work do you do?” I kept my voice quiet so I wouldn’t disturb Tony and Nora, who were doing the sleepy head bob. She shifted against me again, and I had to restrain from outright admiring her cleavage.

She overtly rolled her eyes and angled away from me as best she could but answered me anyway. “I’m a nurse. I work in the NICU.”

“You save little babies’ lives?” I was surprised by how attractive I found this information.

“When I can. On the good days.”

“That’s pretty amazing,” I said. And then I did the unthinkable. I tucked one of her stray hairs behind her ear.

This never worked in my playbook, which had a ninety-five percent success rate.

Step one: draw her interest, then walk away, forcing her to come to you.

Hadn’t I learned this most basic rule after years of practice? But I’d never felt this kind of instant chemistry with a woman.

She stiffened and turned her wide eyes to me. In her stare, I could tell she felt what was going on between us too. Our faces were mere inches apart. All I had to do was tilt my head toward her and my lips would touch hers.

How wonderful would that feel? It’d compare to the rush of jumping off a bridge, especially if it progressed into my bedroom.

“Where do you live again?” Myles asked, ending the moment.

Angie leaned closer to her mother.

Dammit, Myles.

She rattled off her address. The numbers she’d said sounded vaguely familiar. I rested my hands on my knees. Myles turned onto the small yet well-kept street a few miles west of Main Street. We passed the groomed gardens around the neighborhood signMountain Meadows.

Oh. Hell.

Nora lifted her head and opened her eyes. “We’re home.” She smiled. “Sorry you couldn’t have seen our farm a few years ago. It used to be surrounded by endless fields.”

“Then some jerk-off company bought every farm touching ours and planted these ugly houses here.” Tony wrenched his thumb at the identical houses lining the freshly asphalted streets.

“They want to buy our farm too. But we’ll never sell.” Angie’s voice came out as hard as stone.

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