Chase cupped the back of Lily’s neck. Her grip was firm and warm, comforting in its certainty. “It’s a rough ride back to the camp in the dark. There’s a faster route down but it takes us a bit out of the way.” She shrugged, her fingers lightly stroking Lily’s neck. “Goes pretty close to my place. It makes sense to stay there, if you don’t mind plain accommodations.”

Lily looked around. All the onlookers had left. They were alone with only Chase’s flashlight to push back the dark. That, and the warmth of Chase’s palm against her skin.

“I like plain just fine. As long as there’s plain coffee involved in the morning.”

Laughing, Chase said, “That’s a promise.”

Lily looped her fingers around Chase’s belt at the base of her spine. “Then I accept.”

* * *

“Hey,” Chase murmured softly. “Lily. We’re here.”

Lily came awake with a start and shifted to face her. “Oh, I can’t believe I fell asleep. I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Chase said. “If you could sleep on that ride, you needed it.”

Lily rubbed her face. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. Just checked out.”

“Maybe because there was always someone else waiting for you to take care of them.”

“It wasn’t always like that,” Lily said, half to herself. “I wish I could remember that.”

“Give yourself some time, Lily. And maybe for tonight, just let it all go.”

Lily nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” Chase came around the side of the Jeep and opened Lily’s door. “Sorry there’s no outside lights here. Too much animal activity. If I had motion sensor lights, they’d be going on and off all night.”

She held out her hand. Lily grasped it and stepped down from the Jeep, pausing when she reached the ground. She didn’t take her hand away, and Chase held on. Nothing could have felt more natural. The moon was high and bright, and only a few clouds streaked the otherwise clear sky. Lily’s face was illuminated in the nearly bright-as-day silvery glow, and Chase’s chest tightened with unfamiliar longing that eclipsed even desire. Lily was so beautiful, Chase had a hard time believing the moment was real.

Lily slowly turned and took in her surroundings. Chase tried to imagine it as Lily saw it: a small clearing in the otherwise unbroken forest, her sprawling single-story cabin, the chimney at one end and the small rectangle of garden surrounded by deer fence out behind the other. A porch just big enough for her to sit on with her coffee at dawn, along with an extra chair for visitors she never had.

Chase cleared her throat. “I told you simple—I guess I forgot to say rustic and secluded.”