She’d never seen a sky so dark.
The clouds had rolled in fast, swallowing the sun. Rain threatened on the edges of the wind. Her GPS was dead. The ranger map had led her to a dead end. And now she was alone, somewhere deep in the northern ranges.
Then she saw it.
A tower.
Tall. Narrow. A silhouette against the coming storm.
She climbed.
Each step up the metal ladder was slick with mist. Her pack banged against her spine. The sky cracked with thunder above, and she was only halfway up.
By the time she reached the top and knocked on the lookout door, her fingers were frozen and her teeth chattering.
No answer.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Just as she turned to descend, the door creaked open.
And there he was.
Backlit by firelight. Shirtless. Silent.
He had a hunter’s stillne
