beside the falls, enjoying a summer day with them.
Before she could answer, Ian winced a little, as if only now remembering to whom he was speaking. “You will probably be working in your store, though, won’t you? Forget I said anything.”
It was a logical assumption. Between all the custom dress orders she was sewing mostly at home in between overseeing daily operations at Fremont Fashions, she was working every single day without a vacation. She had been since her mother died.
Suddenly the idea of spending a few hours with Ian and his children was undeniably appealing.
Not the smartest idea, her mother’s voice seemed to whisper in her ear. She had to admit, this time that voice was probably right.
She was already concerned about growing too close to Ian and his children. After all, they would be leaving in only a few more weeks. Spending the afternoon with them hiking through the backcountry was not a good way to maintain boundaries around her heart.
She was about to tell him no when she caught herself. Was she really still letting the thought of what her mother might say in a given situation dictate her actions and tell her who she should associate with and when?
Linda was gone now. If Sam wanted to hang out with Ian and his children for a few hours in the mountains on her day off, what was the harm? She had been working endless days, harder than she had ever worked in her life. She deserved a few hours for herself.
“I hope to be finished with Gemma’s dress and another one I’m working on by Sunday. A hike in the mountains to celebrate finishing the work sounds lovely actually.”
He looked delighted and a little surprised that she had agreed. “Great. Let’s plan on it. How long do you figure it will take us to reach the waterfall?”
Katrina would die laughing if she knew Ian Summerhill was looking at Samantha, of all people, for backcountry guidance.
“Again, I’m not the expert on local hikes. I hope you don’t expect that from me.”
“Not at all,” he assured her.
“I can ask around to be certain. I have friends who have done it many times. As I recall, it’s a little bit uphill at the beginning and then the trail levels. I believe it usually takes the average hiker about an hour. With the children, you might want to give it an hour and a half, since there are interesting things to see along the way.”
“Not to mention that Thomas can literally drag his heels if he gets the slightest bit tired.”
She smiled at the visual imagery. Again, he gave her that intense look that made her skin feel hot and itchy.
“Let’s plan to leave around ten thirty in the morning. Does that work with your schedule?”
She could fill her day with a thousand things to do. None of them appealed to her as much as taking a short hike into the mountains with Ian and his children.
“Sounds perfect. It’s still cool enough on our June mornings that we should be comfortable. Can I pack a lunch?”
“I’ll have Mrs. Gilbert fix some for us, as it was my invitation.”
“All right. I’ll look forward to it. Meanwhile, please convey my thanks to your children for their loving care of my puppies, won’t you?”
“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