The trail cut a hard vertical right, and I couldn’t suppress my curiosity. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a decommissioned ranger station a quarter of a mile west of us. You and I are going to spend the night there, if that’s all right with you.” His excitement was impossible to miss. “I have a camp stove, a few sleeping bags I stack for extra cushion, lanterns, and other necessities. I usually hunt fresh meat for my dinner, but I have canned goods in the pantry too.”
“You must come here often.”
“Not as often as I would like, but yes. I enjoy the quiet. No one bothers me here.”
“Not even Liam?”
“Especially not Liam.”
“So, you’re telling me this is paradise. What did I do to earn a ticket?”
“I’ve never brought anyone else here, but I want to share it with you. Anytime you’re overwhelmed, you can come here. With or without me. You can even bring Sloane if you want. There are several deer herds that could use thinning.”
“Does that mean I’m the first girl you’ve brought to your tower?” I cocked my head. “And since you’re the one with the tower, does that make you the princess and me the dragon?”
“Currently I have rainbow toenails, and I’m wearing a purple pinkie ring with a dollar sign stamped on it. Two years ago,Goldie used a crimson lip stain on me that lasted three weeks.” He huffed softly. “I’m not afraid to embrace my feminine side.”
Content in his arms, I concluded that my feminine side was no longer afraid of embracing him either.
eight
The ranger stationhad been kept in pristine condition, and it was, as promised, fully stocked with all the comforts of home. Minus electricity. And an actual bed. And a kitchen. But the view more than made up for roughing it. Not sure it was good enough to distract from using an outhouse, since we were so far off the grid, but I wasn’t about to complain. Out loud. Thoughts were fair game, though.
“There’s a herd of deer half a mile south of us. Lots of rabbits and smaller game too.”
Rían, his cheeks flush from exertion, bustled inside the circular room with his announcement.
“You don’t have to go all out for my sake. You’ve got enough in your pantry for me to make do.”
“Are you sure?” He anchored his hands on his hips, causing his crop top to rise higher. “I don’t mind.”
A thought occurred to me, and I couldn’t shake it loose. I believed Rían about this being his private retreat, but that didn’t mean others didn’t sneak up here when he was away for long periods.
“If no one else comes up here, what’s the deal with your outfit?”
“The Walsh clan owns about fifty acres in this area, but the tower is almost on the property line. There’s a clan of black bears next door, and we allow them to hunt the property when we’re away. Most of their members are female, and they’re famous for stealing the oversized clothes I cache in our communal bin. It’s easier for me to borrow a pair of their sweats or shorts and change into my own clothes after I reach the tower. Then I return the loaners, without washing them, and it’s a win/win for everyone.”
“That sounds…” Like he was keeping an ursine harem in the wilds. “Explain this to me again?”
“It’s the male predator scent they’re after. Nothing personal. They swear it lingers through washings. They’ll tear my tees and pants to ribbons then hang scraps in trees to ward off males of the species.”
“Huh.” I leaned against the edge of the built-in table. “There’s no greater predator than a dragon, so I could see that.” I couldn’t help my smile. “Does that mean you’ll be switching out your ensemble?”
“I’m a confident man, but I’m not sure I can pull off a belly shirt.”
The temptation to encourage him topull it offhad me biting my bottom lip, which drew his eye like a magnet. “Paired with the capri sweatpants, it’s definitely a look.”
“Then I’ll be brave and stand by my fashion choices.” He waved me over to him. “Let’s go to the roof.”
With the sun setting, the sky was bathed in pinks and oranges, and I had to admit, it was beautiful.
Mounted on the far side of the building, on the end opposite the covered chute we climbed to reach the platform, a small ladder led up to the promised roof. I hadn’t realized it was accessible, but the second I peeked over the edge, I couldn’t restrain my grin.
“You’re a stargazer.” I could tell from the industrial mount screwed into a compact viewing platform and the bulky telescope case anchored against bad weather and theft with metal straps. “I bet you time your visits with meteor showers and thoseonce in a lifetimemoon events that seem to crop up more like once a month.”
“Guilty as charged,” he said from behind me, his breath warm in my ear.
