by Vella Munn
According to the gossip, Sig fancied himself a womanizer. More than one woman had told him to keep his hands to himself. Garret wasn’t sure how Henry, Werner, and Doug felt about their friend’s reputation. For all he knew, the lot of them bragged of their sexual conquests. She didn’t need to have to deal with that nonsense.
“I’m not sure we can get someone to wait on us,” he said once she was seated. “If you know what you want to drink, I’ll get it and grab a menu.”
She treated him to an all-in smile then ducked her head as if shy. “Promise you won’t hate me, but I’m not much for beer. White wine if they have it.”
“Not a problem.” He patted the back of her hand. “There. That wasn’t so hard was it?”
“What wasn’t?”
“Being honest.”
Obviously he’d said the wrong thing because her smile disappeared. Not sure whether he was disappointed in her, himself, or both of them, he walked away. Didn’t she understand he’d been joking? Either she hadn’t or he’d hit a nerve he’d been unaware of. One thing he’d learned from the exchange, he couldn’t assume he knew her.
That went both ways.
Returning without spilling the drinks with a menu tucked under his arm took concentration. He slid her wine to her and sat. For a man who grew up in a household consisting of his mother, grandmother, and two sisters, he should know how to talk to the opposite sex, but Amber Baum wasn’t a relative accustomed to his take charge approach.
“Look.” He ran his fingers down his frosty glass. “I’m sorry I said what I did about being honest. It was stupid.”
“No, it wasn’t.” She brought her glass to her mouth and sipped. “Oh, that tastes good. I overreacted.”
“To what?”
She pressed her palm to the side of her head. “Everything these days it seems like, including your offer to make sure I reached this table with my toes intact.”
“Why did you?”
“That was direct. All right, I think I need to explain something. I went after this job in part because I needed to get out from under my family’s influence, their micromanaging. I saw some of that in your offer. I shouldn’t have.”
His former fiancée had been into self-analysis. Carole didn’t just open a refrigerator, pull out some items, and throw dinner together. She first needed to dissect why she was drawn to certain foods while others were on her “don’t like” list. At first, he’d found her detailed approach to life intriguing but by the end he was worn out. Not everything had to be a big deal. He hoped Amber wasn’t like that.
Instead of asking Amber to explain herself further, which Carole had expected him to do even if she didn’t always like his answers, he swallowed some beer. Amber glanced at the menu.
“Hamburger.” She sighed loud enough for the people at the adjacent table to hear. “I can’t remember when I last had one. It sounds wonderful.”
“Hamburgers are a rarity where you come from?”
“Yeah. Pathetic, isn’t it?”
Her smile was back. Maybe it was the result of two sips of wine, but he didn’t think so. Like when they’d been in the parking lot, he was having a hard time thinking of something to say, not because he didn’t care but because he wanted to know so much about her. It was too soon to ask if there was a man in her life, but their offices were in the same building. He might actually spend some time in his.
“Burger and fries works for me,” he came up with. “Let me go order—”
She silenced him by resting her fingers on the back of his hand. Feeling a little disconnected, he stared at what she’d done.
“You bought the drinks,” she said after a brief silence. “Dinner’s on me.”
“All right.” Even though he preferred to pay the bill when he was out with a woman, he didn’t want to get into a discussion about equality. They’d just started figuring out the directions their conversations should and shouldn’t go.
Instead of getting up, she slid her fingers down and off his hand, causing his pulse to jump a bunch of times. She had to know he’d react, didn’t she?
“I’d like to know more about what you do for a living,” she said. “You know what my job calls for. What you do has to be more interesting.”
“It isn’t always. There are a lot of rules and regulations.”
“I’m sure.” She sighed dramatically and took a healthy drink. He liked that she wasn’t one of those sip-a-half-ounce-at-a-time women. “Guess I was wrong to tell myself that moving to Montana would be like living in the wild west. There’s no getting away from civilization.”
“Do you want to?”
“Not really, but while you were getting these—” She indicated their drinks. “I tried to imagine what you’ll do tomorrow. You’ll put on your hiking boots and strap a pack complete with tent and freeze-dried foods to your back. You’ll park your truck at the end of the road and head off into the great unknown. You haven’t told anyone when you’ll be back because you don’t know. Probably not until you’ve run out of food and clean socks.”
He didn’t say anything as a couple of college-age girls walked past. One of them stopped and looked over her shoulder at him then nudged her companion who also stared at him. Giggling, they headed toward a table with more young women at it.
“You have to be used to that,” Amber said.
“Used to what?”
“Come on. You know what I’m talking about. The attention.”
“It is what it is.”
“That’s all you have to say? I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.” She frowned and stared into what was left of her drink. “So was I right about you staying away from civilization until you’re reduced to eating pine cones and grubs?”
Tonight he didn’t want to talk about what drove him to stay with the job that for the most part was his determination to protect the creatures that lived within the forest. He wanted to ask why she’d commented about the gawking girls and whether their interest in him mattered to her.
“You told your mother you’ll take a picture of where you’re staying. Where is it?”
Judging by her puzzled expression, she was having trouble keeping up with the change of topic. Being with Amber had him off-balance. Maybe she felt the same way. If so, what did that mean?
As he pondered his questions, she named a local motel that had several units with kitchens and living rooms. “I’ve recommended it to feds here on business,” he said. “It beats having to eat all your meals out if you’re in town for several days, but as I recall, the rooms are pretty small.”
“They are.” She finished her drink. “Okay, I’m feeling that. I’m not sure how long I’m going to be here. Several months at least so I’m looking for a place where I can spread out. Do you have any suggestions?”
Last year he’d bought a place a little north of Sweetheart because he’d fallen in love with the view. He’d done some remodeling but not as much as he’d hoped because he hadn’t had the time and winter and outdoor work didn’t often go together. Living near Sweetheart called for a longer commute to his office and into the forest than he’d prefer, but he liked the small town’s feel.
After finishing his beer, he told her about the town, pointing out the nearby cherry orchards and the town’s proximity to the lake provided a reliable economic base. He’d found most residents to be friendly and thought the historic Montreau Hotel would impress her. He touched on the dance held there during the Cherry Festival in July but didn’t mention that he’d spent the night with one of the area’s single women. They’d dated for several months before agreeing they didn’t have much in common.
“If you find a place to rent in Sweetheart, you’d be less than an hour from the cabins,” he said. “It should be far enough away that owners won’t drop in on you. Safe.”
She frowned. “Are you saying my safety might be a concern?”
Not if I have anything to do with it. “The cabins are in an isolated area, and as you saw tonight, t
he owners aren’t crazy about what you represent. I wouldn’t put it past some of them to try to intimidate you.”
“And I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let them,” she said then asked what he wanted on his burger, making a face when he said he wanted double pickles. As she walked away, he debated buying her another glass of wine then decided he’d better ask first. He didn’t want her thinking he was trying to get her inhibitions lowered.
So how could he determine whether there was a man in her life? He couldn’t just ask. Darn it, one beer and he was having trouble thinking—only he was fairly sure hops had nothing to do with where his thoughts were taking him. He couldn’t say why getting to know Amber mattered. Maybe there was no rational explanation, nothing but basic sex appeal. He didn’t mind that, at least he wouldn’t at first, but thanks to his family structure, he knew how complex women were.
Some men, like his friend Jake went to great lengths to keep relationships with the opposite sex simple. He understood why Jake was like that, but Jake was destined to go through life alone if he kept his emotional barriers up.
Tonight, Jake’s situation was his. Garret had enough to deal with trying to figure Amber out, or rather determine what she was doing to him, why, and what, if anything, he intended to do about it.
He might have spent the time between her leaving and returning pondering those weighty issues if one of the young women hadn’t appeared at his elbow.
“I don’t usually do this kind of thing.” She held up a piece of paper with some numbers on it. “But you’re hot and I like hot. Unless your date has you roped and tied, well, you know what you can do.” She placed the paper on the table near his beer glass and walked away. He heard giggling.
“I saw,” Amber admitted as she handed an overflowing plate to him with a flourish. “You have an admirer.”
“Yeah, well.”
“You don’t have to answer but did you say anything to her?”
“No.”
Amber sat. Their table was pretty small. Still she wished she was sitting next to him so the girl would understand that Garret was taken.
Except he wasn’t, at least not by her.
Determined to keep her thoughts from running away with her, she cut her hamburger in half and took a bite. The lettuce started to slide out, prompting her to put the burger down and rearrange the contents. She should have considered how messy eating it would be before giving into the kind of temptation she rarely allowed herself.
Who cared? She wasn’t at one of her mother’s formal dinner parties or at a fundraiser for the hospital where her oldest brother worked as a surgeon. People with money and connections weren’t watching her, and if Garret couldn’t handle a woman with pinkish sauce on her fingers—
Of course he could. He was that kind of man.
As he squirted catsup on his plate and dipped a fry in it, she wondered how long it would take before she thought she knew what kind of man he was. He was responsible, that she had no doubt of. Not only did he protect hikers from wild animals, he’d run interference when she was addressing the cabin owners.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said.
He looked at her. “Do what?”
“What you did at the meeting.” The bar was brightly lit, not conducive to romance. She wished they had privacy, but at least she could study his eyes and memorize his features. Watch him smile.
Realizing he’d said something, she gave herself a mental shake. This wasn’t the first time she’d lost track since meeting him. She had to stop it from happening again.
“I know I just said this but I’m concerned about you meeting with some of those people when you’re alone,” he said.
Then maybe this isn’t the job for me. “I represent an agency. It isn’t as if they’re after me.” Even though she was hungry, she couldn’t concentrate on eating for the knot in her stomach.
“It’s a game to them. If they realize they can’t win, they’ll change their tune.”
“That’s what I’m looking forward to,” she said even though she wasn’t sure things would get to that point. For years, everything about her life had had an academic flavor. She’d chosen the career she had because she saw respecting and honoring history as a noble endeavor. No professional ladder to climb, at least she hoped not since that didn’t matter to her. “So, how will I know when they’re done playing games?”
“I’ll tell you.”
What he’d said felt off. Instead of trying to figure out why, she concentrated on tackling her hamburger. The bar pulsed with a kind of energy she’d never felt in the upscale establishments her family frequented. Now that her brothers were married and one had a child on the way, the family rarely got together, but when they did, it was at restaurants with linen on the tablecloths and waiters who knew when to approach and when to stay in the shadows. There was something exciting about the Mountain Climber, as if adventure was just around the corner. She guessed most of the people in here were tourists, but maybe there were some full-time residents, people who knew who Garret was and understood why he did what he did.
“Do you come here a lot?” she asked.
“Not this time of the year. Like I said, I work crazy long hours in summer, most of them in the forest. Things slow down in winter.”
“Then what?”
“Then I work on my place.”
I. Singular, not plural. “It needs a lot of work?”
“It was built in the forties, which makes it not that much newer than the cabins you’ll be looking at. Plus winters here are hard on everything.”
“I’m accustomed to weather that only rarely gets down to freezing.”
“Sacramento’s like that.”
A little alarmed, she focused on him. “How do you know that?”
If he was embarrassed, he gave no indication. “I wanted to know who I’d be working with. Well, not working with because we aren’t exactly colleagues.” He put down his burger, lifted the top bun and removed about half of the pickle slices. “I wanted to know how much of a pain in the ass whoever they sent was going to be.”
“Did you get the answer you were looking for?”
“Not from the Internet.” He gave her his full attention. “Watching you this evening told me a lot.”
Did watching me also tell you how much you intrigue me? That you turn me on? “I think this is when I’m expected to ask for the details, but I’m not going to.”
“Good.” He wiped his hands on a napkin and extended the right one toward her.
She wasn’t sure what his gesture was about. What she did know was that his grip was firm. Lasting.
“Amber.” His voice was low. “There’s a hell of a lot I don’t know about you. You don’t know anyone in Montana do you?”
Swallowing was hard, and her fingers tingled. She wished she’d wiped her hand before taking his, but it was too late for that and she didn’t want to free herself. “No. Not really. I talked to the forest supervisor via Skype a number of times. I know he’s about to become a grandfather.”
“His office is in Kalispell, and he seldom gets out this way.”
“He mentioned that.” Swallowing for a second time was even harder than the first. “He did say I could rely on the three local rangers.”
“There’s me, Jake, and Hunter. Most of the time we’re reliable.”
Most of the time? “Hunter? That’s an interesting name.”
“He’s an interesting man. Salish Indian.”
“Good. I’m hoping for an in with the local Native Americans. Their heritage—”
“So do you think you’re interested in finding a rental in Sweetheart?”
Wondering if he’d deliberately turned the conversation in a more personal direction, she shrugged. “I might be.” Especially if you live nearby.
“I have Thursday off. What if I show the town to you?”
He didn’t have to make the offer, had already done more than she’d expect of someone she’d just met. Instead
of getting him off the hook, she drew her hand out of his and toyed with the empty wine glass. “I’d like that.”
“All right.”
All right. The words were simple enough but she sensed or told herself she sensed layers beneath them. It was too easy to picture herself sitting next to him as they traveled.
“You’re quiet,” he said. “What are you thinking?”
That even though your impact on me scares me a little, I’m glad we’re together.
“You’re going to laugh, but I was trying to figure out what kind of vehicle you have. You’re driving your employer’s tonight.”
He named a well-known SUV brand. “If you’re here come winter you’ll understand why I insisted on all-wheel drive and heated seats.”
“Mine has heated seats, but I’ve never used them. Same with the all-wheel drive feature.” She ducked her head. “Maybe you’re wondering why I bought an SUV when I’ve never been off paved roads.”
“It had occurred to me.”
She couldn’t imagine his level of interest rivaled how she felt about him but didn’t at all mind the hints he’d given her. They’d started peeling off each other’s layers. She’d continue to do so for as long as he let her. As for the other way around—she wasn’t up to revealing everything about herself, but if he was curious about certain things such as her attitude toward sex, she saw no reason to hold back. She liked sex, a lot.
“My brothers were sure I’d buy a sports car, yellow or red with a killer sound system and skinny tires. I decided to make them eat their words.”
He indicated her wine glass and pretended to lift a drink to his mouth. She nodded because she wasn’t ready for tonight to end.
“You don’t like doing what your brothers say you’re going to?” he asked as he stood.
“They’re older than me. I’m tired of being bossed around.”
“Hmm. I think I envy you.”
