us, but that all three of them had to agree on the names.”
She paused and wrinkled her nose. “Which is why we’re Dakota, Nevada and Montana.”
“Very patriotic.”
She laughed. “When I used to get frustrated at their choice, my mom would point out that it could have been a lot worse. Apparently Oceania was in the running.”
“Sounds like a fun family.”
“It is.” She shifted on the sofa. “What was it like for you? Before you lost your family?”
“Good. Fun. We were close.” He shrugged. “My brothers are a lot younger than me, which influenced the relationship.”
“You must have been devastated when your parents died.”
He nodded. “I was. I didn’t know how I was going to do it. Raise the boys and not screw up.”
“Be proud of what you’ve accomplished. I don’t think I could have done it. We lost my dad ten years ago. My sisters and I were just out of high school, ready to start college. My brothers were either in college or done. There was nothing for me to do but get through the mourning. And it was hard every day. I can’t imagine having to deal with the emotional loss and raise two younger brothers.”
Finn looked uncomfortable with the praise. “I did what had to be done. Some days I think I did okay. Others, like when I’m in my hotel room here in Fool’s Gold, I think I screwed up completely.”
“You didn’t. What they’re doing now has nothing to do with you.”
He looked at her. “I want to believe you.”
“Then you should.”
“You’re bossy. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Are you kidding? With three brothers? I have a crown. I’m the queen of bossy.”
Finn laughed. The warm sound filled the room and made her smile. They continued talking until, in the kitchen, the timer dinged.
“Come on,” she said, rising to her feet. “Our tofu surprise awaits.”
FINN ENJOYED HIS DINNER. Not just the chicken and mashed potatoes, which were the best he’d had in months. Maybe years. But also the conversation. Dakota told funny stories about growing up in Fool’s Gold. He knew what small towns were like, but South Salmon made Fool’s Gold look like New York City. Where he lived, people tended to keep to themselves. Sure, you could count on a neighbor to help, but everyone minded their own business. From what Dakota said, Fool’s Gold was the town that meddled.
“If you’d come here under other circumstances,” she said, “I’m sure you would’ve liked it a lot more.”
“I like Fool’s Gold just fine,” he told her.
“This is always going to be the place your brothers ran off to.”
“Look at it this way,” he said. “When Sasha moves to L.A., I’ll hate it there, instead.”
“That’s not very comforting.”
They smiled at each other across the table. He liked how the light played on her hair, bringing out the various shades of blond. When she laughed, her eyes crinkled in a way that made him want to laugh, too. Dakota was easy to talk to. He’d forgotten how nice it could be to enjoy a woman’s company for an evening.
“How come your boss is so understanding?” he asked. “You said you had another job. What’s he doing while you’re working with the show?”
Dakota wrinkled her nose. “Not missing me,” she grumbled. “Raoul is busy playing house with his new wife. Do you follow football?”
“Some. Why?”
“My boss is Raoul Moreno.”
“The Dallas Cowboys quarterback?”
“That’s him. When he retired, he wanted to settle down and found his way here. There was an old abandoned camp up in the mountains. He bought it and refurbished it. He hired me to coordinate the various programs. He had this whole idea to use it year-round. In the winter we were going to offer math and science programs. Intensive learning for middle-school-age kids. Get them all interested in the possibilities.”
Sounded like a good idea, he thought. “What happened?”
“One of the local elementary schools burned down. It was a freak thing with the furnace. Raoul offered the camp to the school district. That was last September. Until the new school is built and the kids move back, the camp is full. Our big plans are on hold. Which is one of the main reasons he didn’t mind me helping out with the reality show.”
She leaned toward him. “The other reason is, he recently got married. Pia, his wife, is pregnant with twins. She’s due in a couple of months, and that’s keeping him busy.”
“What are you going to do between the end of the show and when the school is done using the camp?” he asked.
“Raoul wants me to keep working for him. There’s plenty to do. We have to apply for grants, find corporate sponsors, come up with a curriculum.”
“All of which you’d rather be doing,” he said.
She smiled. “Absolutely.”
“Is leaving an option? Do you ever think about living anywhere else?”
“I’ve lived other places. Got my undergraduate degree at UCLA, my masters and Ph.D. at Berkeley. But Fool’s Gold is home. It’s where I belong. Do you think about leaving South Salmon?”
At one time he had. When he’d been Sasha and Stephen’s age he’d dreamed of seeing the world. But then his parents had died and he’d had two brothers to raise. There hadn’t been time for dreams.
“I have a business there,” he said. “Leaving is impractical.”
“And you’re a practical guy?”
“I’ve learned to be,” he admitted.
“You said you were wild before.” Her gaze locked with his. “Would I have liked you?”
“I would’ve liked you.”
He felt the awareness crackling between them. Everything about Dakota appealed to him. Sure, she was pretty, but it was more than that. He liked listening to her. He liked her opinions and how she looked at the world. Maybe part of him liked that she was as firmly connected to Fool’s Gold as he was to South Salmon. They couldn’t make a mistake because it couldn’t go anywhere.
Wanting stirred. It had been a long time since he’d had the time or energy to be interested in a woman. Given how concerned he was about his brothers, it was extraordinary he was interested now. Which begged the question—what did he do next?
“I have dessert,” Dakota said, coming to her feet. “And it’s not soy-based. Interested?”
He
