Page 23 of S'more Mountain Man

"Then what was it?"

I struggled to find the words. Words had never come easily to me, not like they did for her. "It was real," I said finally. "It was something I haven't felt in... a long time."

"But?"

Smart woman. She could hear my unspoken reservation as clearly as I could hear hers.

"But I can't promise you anything," I said. "My life is here, like you said. Fire Mountain. Space, quiet. It's what I need."

"I know." She pulled her knees closer to her chest. "And mine is back there. Teaching, meetings, to-do lists. Living among people who don't consider indoor plumbing an optional luxury."

Despite the tension, that pulled a small smile from me. "The cabin has plumbing."

"You know what I mean." She smiled too, but it faded quickly. "We're from different worlds, Leif."

"Yes."

"So maybe we should just... I don't know. Chalk it up to a beautiful night under the stars. A cosmic alignment that won't come around again."

The thought of never seeing her again after today hit me with unexpected force, like a physical blow to the chest. But what could I offer her? Weekends in a cabin with no cell service? Holidays spent tracking game trails instead of attending parties with her friends? I couldn't move back to civilization, not yet. Maybe not ever. And I couldn't ask her to give up her life for a man she'd just met.

So I said nothing, and my silence was answer enough.

She nodded, as if I'd confirmed something she'd already known. "The kids will be up soon. I should get ready for the morning session."

"Yeah."

She stood, brushing off her yoga pants, which still bore faint dirt stains from her adventure in the woods. "Thank you. For everything. The rescue. The tire. Last night." She hesitated, then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. "I mean it."

Before I could respond, she was walking back toward the camp, her shoulders squared with determination.

I stayed by the cold fire ring, watching the sun crest the ridge, painting the world in gold and chasing away the mist. Birds called to each other in the trees, and somewhere in the distance, a door slammed as the camp began to wake.

I knew I should pack up. Head home. Return to the quiet life I'd built for myself. It was the sensible thing to do.

Instead, I found myself helping Mandy set up the breakfast buffet, arranging camping chairs for the morning astronomy recap, and carrying equipment for Skye as she prepared for the day's activities. We moved around each other with careful politeness, never quite making eye contact, never quite touching. The air between us felt charged despite our distance, like the moment before lightning strikes.

The kids, thankfully, were too excited about the day ahead to notice the tension. They swarmed around Skye, asking a thousand questions about what they'd seen the night before.

"Did you see the meteor I saw?"

"Was that really Saturn's rings?"

"Can we look through the big telescope again tonight?"

She answered each question with patience and enthusiasm, her passion for astronomy evident in every explanation. I hung back, watching her work, struck again by how naturally she connected with these kids. Her face lit up as she described nebulae and asteroid belts, hands gesturing animatedly, eyes bright with excitement.

Tyler sidled up beside me, a piece of toast clutched in his hand. "Are you gonna teach us wilderness stuff today?"

"No," I said. "I'm actually leaving soon."

"Oh." His disappointment was evident. "But you're coming back, right? For the campfire tonight?"

"Not tonight, kid."

He considered this, taking a bite of his toast. "Is it 'cause you and Miss Skye had a fight?"

I nearly choked on nothing. "What?"

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