He popped the can tab and sloshed Coke into her liquor.

“Cheers,” she said, touching her Solo cup to his.

He resumed his former position across the fire from her. The flames were leaping higher now, and she felt warmth moving over her body. She wasn’t sure if the heat came from the burning wood or from looking at Wyatt. To stop herself from ogling him, she buried her nose in the wide-mouth cup to taste her drink. It was perfect, even without ice, a blend of fiery and sweet.

Wyatt fell quiet and sat cross-legged to gaze across the lake. “Look,” he said. “Fawns.”

It took Erin a moment to see the babies because of all the trees and tall grass on the opposite shoreline. “Oh, Wyatt, they’re so sweet!”

He said nothing, and she was reminded that he didn’t know she’d said anything. She sat down, too. Then she joined him in enjoying the natural beauty that abounded nearly everywhere she looked. The silence between them settled over her like a warm blanket on a cold night. Not talking allowed her to listen to sounds she rarely noticed: the soft twitter of birds as they roosted for the night, the soft whisper of a breeze in the trees, and the occasional raucous call of a hawk searching for dinner before dark. It was incredibly perfect, something she’d never experienced with any other person. She just wished that Wyatt could hear the marvelous symphony of nature, too.

After dinner, which for Erin was a roasted wiener on a bun and eight charred marshmallows, they cleaned up their utensils with water from the lake and then had an after-dinner drink.

“Did you remember to bring that solar charger for your phone that you bought last fall?” At her nod, he said, “Well, don’t forget to charge your phone tonight. It’s important up here to have a communication device in case of an emergency. The charger may not be at its best. Sit it out in the sunlight tomorrow.”

Again, she only nodded.

“The reception up here isn’t great. My phone shows only two bars. If you need to call out, you may have to find a high place for a better signal. We can text here, though. That requires less signal strength. I already let Slade know that we arrived, and he texted back, so I know my message got through.”

The rigors of the day were catching up with Erin. After telling Wyatt goodnight, she rinsed her cup with lake water and took it with her to the tent. Wyatt had given her a tiny, battery-operated lantern, which she turned on while she got ready for bed. It cast a surprisingly bright glow, filling the small area with bluish-white illumination. She’d brought sweatpants and an old T-shirt to sleep in, and she made short work of changing because it was already growing cold. Then she slipped into her sleeping bag and doused the lamp. Absolute darkness dropped over her like a thick, black cloak. For a moment, she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Then, as her eyes adjusted, she saw the light of the fire playing over the front flap of her tent. That comforted her, and she was so tired she fell asleep almost the instant her head touched the pillow.