He looks away, his lips tense. “She went to a New Year’s Eve party and never came home.”
I set my spoon on my placemat and press my palm to my heart because it’s beating out of control. “Rowdy, that’s awful. I can’t imagine what that was like for you. And for your children. She just abandoned them.” It’s impossible to even fathom.
But Rowdy surprises me with a thoughtful smile. “We pulled through.”
I can’t help but laugh, and it releases more than just the tension in my shoulders. It adds a little more fuel to the attraction I’m failing to shut down. “You’re rather observant, aren’t you?”
He gives me an exaggerated cringe. “I can dial it back.”
“God no.”
He laughs—a hearty one, like I’ve surprised him in a good way.
Are we sharing something honest here?
“I recall you said Jesse and Sofie live close, what about Linnea?” I ask.
“Now who’s observant?” He winks. “She recently moved home for a job with Idaho Fish and Wildlife.”
I’m still spellbound by that wink. “A conservation officer like you?” I manage. “A chip off the old block?”
“Nope, she’s a biologist. We’ll each contribute to our agency’s projects, but our jobs are actually pretty different.”
“Must be nice to have them all close now.” I wipemy mouth with my napkin and set it aside, then wash everything down with a long sip of my water.
“Definitely. Though I would have never held them back if their passions pulled them away.” He tips his bowl and scoops up the final bite of soup. “You must miss your kids.”
“Like crazy.” That restless emptiness crests inside me. But I don’t want to breach such a vulnerable and sad topic with him—talk about a mood killer. “But Micah sometimes breezes through with his tribe between competitions. And many of his races are in the Rockies. I watched one last weekend, actually, at Silver Mountain. And Lily being in San Francisco just gives me another reason to visit my favorite city.”
He cocks his head. “Moving here, not knowing anyone…must have taken some guts.”
“Maybe.” I turn toward him a little on my stool, and our eyes meet. It’s not too bold to drop a little hint, right? “Or I was really ready to enjoy some of the freedom I’d earned.”
He cocks his eyebrow. “Freedom?”
“I was stuck in a marriage with lackluster intimacy for too long, Rowdy. I’m ready to have some fun.”
I can almost see the gears turning in his mind. Does he get it now? I’m not asking for a deep commitment. I’m not even asking for him to change my car’s oil or mend my fences.
“Fun, huh? How’s that working out so far?” The sultry edge to his tone sends a pleasant flash of heat through my belly.
Oh, we’re definitely flirting now.
My gaze drops to his mouth, then I bring it back to his crystalline blue eyes. “Full honesty? It’s been a little rocky.”
His eyebrow quirks. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
I can’t hide the hint of mischief in my answer. “Do you know how many guys have tried to pick me up since I moved here?”
“No.” His answer comes out a little testy. Almost like a warning. Which I ignore.
“Then imagine I meet the one guy I might be interested in, and he doesn’t call.”
He gives me that exaggerated cringe again, biting his lip. “Jeez. What an asshole.”
A laugh bursts out of me. “Right? The audacity.”
He reaches out and tucks a stray curl behind my ear. The contact of his fingertips on my skin makes my breath hitch and my heart gallop.