Grace
The ranger station sat on a ridge above the valley, a weathered cabin of dark pine logs that looked as though it had been standing watch for a century. From the porch, one could see the tributary river that wound its way down into Longtooth, silver in the waning light. The place smelled of woodsmoke and old timber, the kind of smell that seeped into a building’s bones after decades of use.
Kaleb guided Grace inside before heading back out to circle the perimeter. The door creaked shut behind her, leaving her with the silence of the mountains.
The cabin was small but had more comforts than the broken-down shack they had once sheltered in. A compact kitchenette with mismatched dishes, a square table with four sturdy chairs, and a composting toilet tucked behind a curtain gave the pl
