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“No occasion, other than it’s a beautiful day, and I enjoy being with you.”
Her smile softens, and she reaches out for my hand and then turns her face to the sun setting behind the mountains.
“We always manage to catch sunsets,” she murmurs.
“It’s our time of day.” I pull her hand to my lips and kiss it. “There’s no better way to end the day than with you.”
“You’re extra sappy today,” she says. “But I like it. What’s for dinner?”
“I don’t know. Let’s see what Mom made.” I open the cooler and grin. “Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, and it looks like some kind of cobbler for dessert.”
“Wow. This feast with that view? Priceless.”
And delicious.
There’s not a morsel left when we’ve finished eating. We’ve just finished loading everything up into the truck, thanks to the flashlights on our phones, when we hear the call of some coyotes somewhere on the ranch.
“That’s wildlife,” Summer says with wide eyes and hurries to jump into the truck, making me laugh.
Before starting the truck to leave, I reach over and tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Thanks for today.”
Her gaze whips over to mine in surprise. “You have it backward. Thank you for today. I had a great time, and I always love being out here on your property. Specifically, your spot on the lake. It’s just so beautiful out here, Chase. When will you start building the shop?”
“Tomorrow morning, first thing.”
That has her blinking in surprise. “You move fast.”
“We’re already into September, and the snow could decide to fall anytime. I figure I have six weeks, tops, of reliable weather, so I’d like to get it started right away. I’ll be out here on most of my days off, but hopefully, you can join me sometimes, if you’re up for it.”
“I can’t build anything.”
“No, but you can help in other ways, and that’s only if you want to. And if you don’t want to, no problem.” I just like having her close by, no matter what she’s doing.
“I’m sure I can find ways to be of service.” She takes a deep breath and leans her head back on the seat. We’re just sitting here, in the dark quiet, enjoying each other. I don’t know why, but I’m not ready to head back to town quite yet. “It’s so still out here. I bet there are no loud fireworks on the Fourth of July or New Year’s Eve.”
“No, we’ve never done that out here. Fire hazard. It would suck if we had a forest fire erupt, especially if it can be avoided.”
“Has it ever happened before?”
“We’ve had lightning strikes that turned into fires,” I confirm with a nod. “I was a kid, but I remember it was scary, only about three miles from our house, and we had most of Bitterroot Valley out here helping to keep the fire at bay. It took three weeks to put it out.”
“Wow. That’s intense.”
“Hence, the no-fireworks rule. Honestly, we never missed it.”
She sighs happily, and I can see that her eyes are getting droopy. After a long hike and a full stomach, she has to be exhausted.
“Let’s head home.” I start the truck and drive us through the property and out to the highway.
We’re about halfway into town when I see a vehicle pulled to the side of the road with its hazards on. And when I slow down as we pass, I see that they’re not simply pulled over.
They’ve hit a tree.
“Shit.” I turn around in the middle of the highway and immediately reach for my phone to call the station. “This is Wild. I have an accident on Highway 98, approximately seven miles outside of town, eastbound. They’ve hit a tree. Red Ford Explorer, Montana license plate 48-92631.”
“Copy that,” the dispatcher says in my ear. “I have officers responding. Do you need an ambulance?”
