Falling for the Forest Ranger. Leigh Bale

the lights back on. “And, of course, wildfire also creates an environment for erosion, though we’ve been taking precautions to help alleviate the possibility of wildfires.”

      Zoë’s chair creaked as she sat back. “But the environment seems to recover more quickly from wildfire erosion than it does from timber-harvest erosion.”

      “That’s correct, Ms. Lawton,” Tanner agreed, surprised that she knew this. “Nothing’s changed from what you already know. We’ve got a lot of problems to deal with.”

      “What would you say is the biggest problem the endangered fish are facing?”

      Tanner didn’t hesitate to respond. “That’s easy. The hydroelectric dams. They’re impregnable for fish to pass through.”

      Her eyes crinkled as she thought this over. “Unfortunately we can’t do anything about that.”

      “You’re right, Ms. Lawton. Saving our endangered fish has proven to be a challenge we’re determined to meet.”

      She smiled politely, speaking in a soft, confident tone. “I don’t see why the solutions are complicated. We just tell the farmers, ranchers and loggers what they can and can’t do. Then we enforce it, giving the streams and fish time to recover from the abuse. And please, call me Zoë.”

      Not if he could help it. Instead, he cleared his throat. “The farmers and ranchers only care about their livelihoods, not a bunch of fish that have landed on the endangered-species list.”

      “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?”