Abruptly, she turned and clung to him. “I hate to admit it, but I’m glad you brought me.” She found she wanted to continue clinging, continue holding, so that there wouldn’t be a time when she had to let go. Pushing away all thoughts of tomorrow, Lee told herself to remember the wildflowers. “I’m starving,” she said, able to smile when she drew away. “It’s your turn to cook.”

“A small blessing.”

Lee gave him a quick jab before they cleaned up the dishes they’d left out in the rain.

In his quick, efficient manner, Hunter had the campfire burning and bacon sizzling. Lee sat back, absorbing the scents while she watched him break eggs into the pan.

“We’ve been through a lot of eggs,” she commented idly. “How do you manage to keep them fresh out here?”

Because she was watching his hands, she missed the quick smile. “Just one of the many mysteries of life. You’d better pass me a plate.”

“Yes, but—Oh, look.” The movement that had caught her eye turned out to be two rabbits, curious enough to bound to the edge of the clearing and watch. The mystery of the eggs was forgotten in the simple fascination of something she’d just begun to appreciate. “Every time I see one, I want to touch.”

“If you managed to get close enough to touch, they’d show you they have very sharp teeth.”

Shrugging, she dropped her chin to her knees and continued to stare back at the visitors. “The bunnies I think about don’t bite.”

Hunter reached for a plate himself. “Bunnies, fuzzy little squirrels and cute raccoons are nice to look at but foolish to handle. I remember having a long, heated argument with Sarah on the subject a couple of years ago.”

“Sarah?” Lee accepted the plate he offered, but her attention was fully on him.

Until that moment, Hunter hadn’t realized how completely he’d forgotten who she was and why she was there. To have mentioned Sarah so casually showed him he needed to keep personal feelings separate from professional agreements. “Someone very special,” he told her as he scooped the remaining eggs onto his plate. He remembered his daughter’s comment about simmering passion and falling in love. The smile couldn’t be prevented. “I imagine she’d like to meet you.”

Lee felt something cold squeeze her heart and fought to ignore it. They’d said nothing about commitment, nothing about exclusivity. They were adults. She was responsible for her own emotions and their consequences. “Would she?” Taking the first bite of eggs, she tasted nothing. Her eyes were drawn to the ring on his finger. It wasn’t a wedding band, but … She had to ask, she had to know before things went any further.

“The ring you wear,” she began, satisfied her voice was even. “It’s very unusual. I’ve never seen another quite like it.”