“I’m this close to grounding the entire climb,” Easton told her. “If I can’t trust you, then I have no interest in going up there with you. It’s my life on the line, River. I’m not interested in throwing it away.”

“You can trust me. I just knew what you’d say about the gear.”

“Yeah, for good reason. There’s a limit to how much we all can carry, because that’s what’s safe. You’re underestimating what this mountain will throw at you. Not your fault, because you’ve never been up there. I have.” Easton added, “I found a second guide. He’s on his way, but he has to get someone to watch his dog.”

Ash looked skeptical. “You’re taking Ben?”

“Ben’s good. I trained him.”

“Ben’s mediocre, probably because you trained him.” Ash headed back to her helicopter, leaving Easton to face the redhead alone. Watching the exchange seemed to have shifted River’s mood for the better, if the growing smirk on her face was any indicator.

“Adding Ben to the climb will cost you an extra twenty percent,” he told his client, because it was more mature than tugging her braid or chasing her around the tarmac. The noise that escaped River’s throat was close to a growl. It was cute, even though she had been driving him crazy all morning.

“You’re running fast and loose with my credit score, Easton.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’ll live. I’m planning on bringing you back down here in one piece.”

Moving closer, Easton dipped his head to catch her eye. She frowned, a frown that probably convinced most people to do what she wanted. Easton needed more than a frown from a pretty woman to make a bad decision.

No, when it came to River, it was when she was smiling at him that he started making all the wrong choices.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

A fingernail poked him in the chest. “If you want to sexy loom, bring it on. Sexy loom to your heart’s content. You see this?” She gestured to herself, neck to knees. “Unaffected. Un…a…ffected.”

“You’re wasting a lot of effort trying to convince me of a lot of things today.”

“And you’re going to see what happens when you try to force a cowgirl into a corner. We don’t wait patiently for someone to save us. Or dance with us. Or do that Dirty Dancing lifting move. We are not doing any lifting moves, Easton.”

Barking out a laugh, he stepped back. “I have literally no idea what to say to that.”

River exhaled a hard breath, eyes lingering on his shoulders, then sliding down to his chest and abdomen. “You realize it’s only seven in the morning, and you’ve got me ready to start some hard drinking.”