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Her lips twitched as he opened the passenger door for her. “I think she’s sweet.”

“You wouldn’t if you had to live with her.”

“I don’t know. I think I’d enjoy watching her torment you on a daily basis.”

He rounded the SUV and got behind the wheel. By the time he started the engine, Rissa’s maroon S-10 was already disappearing down the road. He pulled out onto the road, heading in the opposite direction she'd gone.

For the first few miles, Amanda seemed content to watch the scenery passing outside her window. Grady tried to focus on the road, but his thoughts kept drifting to the woman sitting beside him and the kisses they'd shared earlier in the hills.

They were alone now, with no daughter around to interfere—or comment on whatever had happened between them. Not that he had any idea what would happen.

He wanted her. There was no point pretending otherwise. He hadn't wanted a woman this much since Leah died, and after kissing Amanda earlier, keeping his hands to himself for the rest of the day was becoming less appealing by the minute.

But wanting her was the simple part.

In a few weeks, she'd be going back to Los Angeles and the life she'd built there. His life was here. His job was here. Rissa might be heading off to college soon, but Antelope Rock was still his home. Whatever was developing between him and Amanda came with an expiration date neither of them could ignore.

And he wasn't foolish enough to convince himself they could make a long-distance relationship between Wyoming and California work.

“Rissa wasn't subtle,” she said at last.

A laugh escaped him. “Not even a little.”

“She loves you, you know.”

That wasn't what he'd expected her to say. He looked at her for a few beats, then returned his attention to the road. “Yeah. I know.”

And he did. He also knew where the meddling came from. Rissa had spent years watching him make his life about raising her and doing his job. Apparently, one date had been all the encouragement she needed to decide her father should start having a personal life again.

He just wished she'd let him handle it himself, especially as ideas about how he wanted to spend the rest of his Saturday became harder to ignore.

His fingers flexed around the steering wheel before he forced himself to loosen his grip. He wasn't ready to end the day with her yet, and he had no reason to rush it. “You hungry?”

“A little. Why?”

“I was thinking about making dinner tonight.”

She turned toward him. “What’s on the menu?”

“I haven't gotten that far yet.”

Her mouth curved. “So this dinner is still mostly theoretical.”

A laugh escaped him. “I have plenty of food in the house.”

“That’s reassuring.”

The teasing note in her voice made him smile. Whatever uncertainty had existed between them when they'd first started spending time together seemed to disappear more with each day they spent together. He liked this—the banter, the way she gave as good as she got, and how comfortable it had become.

“You doubt my ability to feed you?”

“I’m reserving judgment until I see what ends up on my plate.”

What had started as a casual offer to make her dinner suddenly felt like something more.

“You could always take your chances and come over.”

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “I think I can handle the risk.”