“I’ll do that.”
They gazed at each other and she could see the memory of their kiss flicker in his eyes. The butterflies in her stomach seemed to flutter out of control.
“Ms. Fremont,” he began, but she cut him off.
“Samantha. Or Sam, even. I don’t think we need to be so formal with each other, do you? I mean, we’ve kissed. Remember?”
A little frown formed between his eyebrows. “Remembering isn’t a problem. It’s forgetting that seems to be the struggle.”
The air between them seemed to crackle with awareness and she didn’t know what to say.
“I’m glad you brought up our, er, kiss actually. I feel as if I should apologize for my inappropriateness that night.”
She had to laugh at his formal tone. Conversely, it made her suddenly feel far more at ease. “You make it seem like we’re stuck in Victorian times and you’re some stuffy lord horrified to find himself messing about with a downstairs scullery maid. This isn’t Queen Victoria’s time, Ian.”
He blushed more, which she had to admit she found quite adorable.
The truth was, she found him adorable. She wasn’t sure she had ever made a man blush before.
“I’m aware,” he said stiffly. “It was still inappropriate on my part. I want to assure you that my invitation to go hiking with me and the children shouldn’t lead you to surmise that I expect...more kissing.”
Would that be so terrible?
The thought slithered through her consciousness. With no small degree of shock, she realized she wanted more kissing between them. Quite desperately actually. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his waist, stand on tiptoe, bury her hands in that slightly disordered hair and kiss him until she couldn’t breathe.
She straightened her spine, vertebra by vertebra. No. Stop that, she told herself, clenching her fingers into fists before they could reach for him. She didn’t need more heartbreak right now, when she was in the middle of trying to rebuild her life.
She would go on this hike with Ian and his children. They would have a lovely time appreciating the gorgeous scenery around Haven Point and perhaps enjoy a nice picnic lunch together, packed by his children’s nanny.
He and his children were her neighbors and she owed them much more than a little guide service for helping her with the puppies. Showing him a few of the local sights was the least she could do for them.
She was strong enough to spend a few hours with him, especially if she continued to remind herself that he and Thomas and Amelia would be leaving in a few weeks.
She couldn’t allow herself to care about them more than she already did. It would be a disaster and would prove once and for all that her mother was right about her—Starry-eyed Sam still led with her heart and not her common sense.
Not this time.
“I’ll see you on Sunday,” she said, trying not to wonder how she would make it through the next few days until then.
AN HOUR INTO the hike with Samantha on Sunday morning, Ian knew inviting her along for this outing had been a grave mistake.
Oh, she was wonderful company. He couldn’t complain about that part. The children both seemed to adore her and vied for her attention, taking turns telling her in quite astonishing detail about other hikes they’d gone on together at home or when Ian or their mother or both had taken them on holiday.
Samantha, in turn, was warm and friendly to them as they walked, pointing out landmarks along the way, like a spot local Native Americans tribes still considered sacred and an almost-buried foundation of one of the early European settlers’ cabins.
The children were captivated by her stories. Thomas had warmed to her more than any other woman Ian could remember and Amelia was obviously impressed by her fashion sense and style. Both children loved her puppies, of course, which went without saying.
No, the problem had nothing to do with how she was interacting with the children and everything to do with the trouble he was having controlling his growing attraction to her.
He was well on his way to becoming besotted. Every moment he spent with Samantha Fremont only increased his desire to continue spending time with her. She fascinated him on so many different levels. He liked everything about her, from the way the sunlight caught in her hair to the patience she showed with Thomas’s endless questions to her rather chagrined acknowledgment that she wasn’t much of a nature enthusiast.
If he wasn’t extraordinarily careful, he was in danger of making a complete fool of himself.
When the children hurried ahead on the trail a short way, leaving him and Samantha walking alone together, Ian had to fight the urge to tug her into the trees and kiss her senseless.
What was happening to him?
“Gorgeous day, isn’t it?” she asked after a rather awkward moment.
“Lovely,” he answered, which was nothing less than the truth. He couldn’t remember a prettier June day. The morning was cool at the higher elevation and birds seemed to follow them in the treetops.
The sky was so open here in this part of Idaho, a vast blue peppered with only a few clouds, and the air had a sweet, citrusy scent as they walked through groves of pines and ancient aspens he knew were probably hundreds of years old.
“Do you have many trails like this near where you live?” she tried again.
“England has an extensive walking trail system but nothing quite like this. If you want this sort of wild and untamed mountain terrain, you have to typically go north to the Lake District or into Scotland.”
“Those of us who live in the Rocky Mountains sometimes take the wilderness outside our door for granted. At least, I do. When all I see is my house and my shop and the road between them, I often forget I live in such a spectacular place. It’s good to have this reminder. I should make more of
