Falling for the Forest Ranger

“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.