Page 17 of Love in the Time of Wildfires

“I told you, it’s endangered and hard to find. It’s like trying to find an animal treasure, and I’m extremely interested in them.”

“But why?”

She didn’t want to tell him everything because she worried it might come off as silly, but he seemed genuinely interested. Perhaps if she opened up, he would as well. “Oh, um.” River cleared her throat. “Well, it all started when I was a kid and my family decided to take a camping trip near Yosemite—Sonora Pass. Absolutely beautiful there too. Before the trip, I created a little bingo card for myself of common animals I hoped to see on the trip. I was interested in wildlife even back then and had done my research. One of the animals was the Sierra Nevada red fox but, as I said before, they’re really elusive and hard to spot.

“And while I saw a few of the animals on my card, I cried with disappointment that we had to leave before I was able to check all of them off my list.” She allowed a self-depreciating laugh at the expense of her young mind back then. “I mean, I was only seven years old, and my only experience had been zoos at that point. My family teased me because I really thought I was doing something and hadn’t grasped the concept that animals weren’t eager to be found by us. This only made me more determined to observe them in the wild at some point. Guess which animal is the only one I’ve never been able to mark off.”

River reached into her back pocket, removing the original creased index card she had created, lifting it between two fingers to show him. She was about to slip it back, but he held out a hand.

She didn’t need to prove herself to anyone, even when recounting such an unimportant story, but River handed the card to him anyway. She couldn’t read his expression, fully expecting him to tease her like her family had done, as he delicately unfolded it in his big, tan hands. The bingo boxes she’d created with different colored felt-tipped pens remained visible even if the index card itself was worn, dirty, and had bent edges. Each square had common California wildlife like mule deer, coyote, river otter, and so on. Inside every box was a smiley face beside the name, all except for the one in the bottom right corner with the label Red Fox.

Logan returned the card without a word.

For some reason, his lack of response made her more nervous than if he had laughed outright. “So, yeah, I know it’s ridiculous, but it’s just become something I’ve felt I needed to complete. It’s nice to have goals in your life, right?” She tried to offer a smile to lighten things, but the sun was directly in her eyes, and it had to come off as more of a squint. Whatever. Why did she care what he thought?

“I want to get a cabin in the middle of nowhere.” No one was more surprised than her to get any tidbit, let alone something that sounded like a dream of his.

“Oh yeah? Are you close?”

“Getting there. Trying to save as much as I can. Just want to get away from everything.”

That last part wasn’t at all surprising. If anyone was going to be an old man who goes his own way eventually, Logan seemed to be the perfect candidate. “How long have you been a firefighter for?”

“Right after high school.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s a job.”

River frowned. Okay, so he still wasn’t much of a conversationalist. “I thought firefighters weren’t allowed to have facial hair. Do you just grow stuff out between jobs or something?”

“That’s mainly for city firefighters.”

“Oh,” she replied. “Why?”

He sighed. “Why do you ask so many questions?” His exasperation was somewhat hilarious considering he started the whole conversation.

“I just like to learn about things and study wildlife in their habitat. And right now you’re the closest thing I have.”

He eyed her. “How many times are you going to compare me to an animal?”

“Well, you’re not exactly like an animal. You can at least answer back. No matter how many times I try talking to Goldie, she never replies.”

It might have been her imagination, but the corner of his mouth tilted. She wondered if she’d ever get lucky enough to see the full thing. His good humor was more elusive than the Sierra Nevada red fox.

“So you were talking to that squirrel.”

“Have you always lived here?”

“Changing the subject?” he asked.

“No. It’s related.”

“Yes, I’ve always lived here,” he responded.

Overheated, she took off her hoodie, tying the arms around her waist. “Then you don’t know how hard it is to make friends in a new place, especially as an adult. So, yeah, sometimes I talk to a squirrel.”

“And feed it?”