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He shook his head “No need to apologize” He understood grief whether it be the loss of a person or a lifestyle

“I’ll go start unpacking” As she rushed over to her pack, he couldn’t help but wrestle with the anger slowly dissipating Lilac didn’t set this up He knew Alexa could be flaky She had a string of broken engageth than hiether The chemistry between them was effortless Perhaps he’d confused that with co Lilac’s easy acceptance of his life ot it At the least, the next month would be pleasant

Chapter Three

Lilac

She couldn’t call Thorn mean or unpleasant but he was quiet and distant His orders were always clear and concise, as he remained firmly placed in business only mode It made the days stretch on His authoritative tone reminded her of the men in her family With his clean-shaven face, he reseh school His features had ly handsome

His jaas more prominent and chiseled like the rest of his body Hard work certainly does a body good She felt like an interloper seeing the changes she knew he must’ve made for Alexa The ruffled pillows, flowers, and updated appearance s It stuck in her craw that the woain

The h hell and back Wasn’t one Dear John experience enough? She’d been in a few serious relationships, but none had taken Yet here was a wo the interest of two men and she couldn’t care less Peter could be a bit sleazy, but Thorn was one of the good guys

Her quads, calves, and hahs ached Running on a tread on uneven terrain She rolled her shoulders to loosen the all the sticks and leaves she’d need to build a nest of sorts to keep her warive her shelter from the elements

It was the first lesson he taught Tonight she’d be in charge of starting the fire, and gathering food for their meal under his supervision He wanted to test her skills

“Now that we have our piles ready for tonight, I want to talk a bit e of the woods” He rested on his haunches a few feet away

“I kno to gather some edible and medicinal herbs and such I knohat to avoid, what’s poisonous, and sons of animals … like bear, coyote, and deer tracks”

“So e person,” he mumbled more to himself than her

She shrugged “I guess?”

“Trust me you do Can you set a snare?”

“Umm no That I don’t kno to do”