Sarah awoke to utter silence and the vague sensation of being in a sleeping bag at overnight camp. Warmth enveloped her back and hips as a light breeze buffeted her face.

She opened her eyes to see the golden trees swaying outside, framed by the walls of the cave.

It was Max who surrounded her in warmth - Max whose breath tickled the back of her neck.

She felt surprisingly great considering she’d spent the night on the floor of a cave.

With a sense of regret, but a deeper sense of needing to relieve herself, Sarah slipped out of Max’s embrace.

He moaned a little but relaxed again when she stroked his hair.

Then she stepped out of the cave and into the grove of trees. When she was finished she stopped for a moment to admire the view.

Birds sang in the trees, and the sky over the valley was a brilliant blue.

The landscape below was a brilliant wash of scarlet and flame and gold, the sapphire creek curving lazily out of sight behind the next ridge.

The air tasted clean and crisp, thanks to last night’s storm. Every touch of her boots sent up the scent of pine needles and rich soil.

This was heaven.

She only wished Orson were here to wonder at it with her. She missed his sweet weight in her arms, the chubby little hand wrapped in her hair.

A wild fantasy sprang into her mind, herself and Orson and Max, building a cabin up here, looking out over the trees.

Maybe they could be bears together out here where no one would know.

She pictured Orson with fur and a snout and for the first time it didn’t make her panicky.

Maybe they wouldn’t want to harvest those trees in twenty years. Maybe their family forest would just be getting started.

“Sarah?” Max’s hoarse voice ripped her out of the dream.

“I’m here,” she called back.

Something crashed toward her through the underbrush and she froze in place, her heart suddenly in her mouth.

But it was only Max who exploded out of the thicket ahead of her.

“Where were you?” he demanded, brown eye flashing amber.

“I, um, I had to pee,” she admitted.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You can’t do that,” he stormed. “You can’t just wander away.”

“Like hell I can’t,” she retorted. “These are my woods.”

He opened his mouth and closed it again.

Then he turned and headed back to the cave without a word.

Sarah bit her lip and followed him.

She hadn’t meant to put him in his place exactly that way, but damn it, he couldn’t keep being so condescending. She wasn’t a child. As a matter of fact, she was an experienced hiker.

But Max was already disappearing into the trees ahead. He clearly didn’t want to hear about it.

Somehow, the birdsong was suddenly off-key to her ear and the sunlight merely intensified the headache she realized she was getting.

She was good and disillusioned by the time she got back to the cave.

Max was already packing up his bag, so she pulled down the tarp that had covered the fire and folded it neatly before cleaning up the ashes from the fire itself.

She looked up to find Max watching her.

“I was a Girl Scout. I know what I’m doing,” she said.

He nodded and offered her a hand up.

She didn’t take it.

He scowled at her and threw his pack on his back.

They headed down the ridge together a moment later.

This is it. This is your chance to talk to him. Make up your silly spat and talk to him, the voice in her heart told her.

But the voice in her head was not so sure.

Orson was Sarah’s whole world. There were so many ways in which telling Max could impact that. What if he tried to take Orson away? What if he was angry?

If she were looking at this from an investment standpoint, she had to admit that the risks might outweigh the benefits.

Maybe she’d had the right idea from the beginning. She shouldn’t complicate things. She was perfectly capable of ensuring that Orson had plenty of love and support in his life.

She had just made her final decision as they approached the banks of the creek.

“Looks like we can cross,” Max said, his deep voice calm again.

“Good,” she said.

“Listen, I’m sorry I got upset,” he told her. “I was worried about you. Those wolves last night gave me a scare.”

“It’s fine,” she shrugged.

“Was there something you wanted to tell me?” he asked.

“Oh,” she said. “No, I guess I don’t remember.”

He gazed at her searchingly, the amber flash gone from his eyes which were now a deep, soulful brown.

“Okay,” he said at last. “Well, do me a favor and let me help you down the bank.”

“You don’t even have shoes,” she pointed out.

He laughed. “That’s true, but I practically live in these woods, so humor me, will you?”

She took his proffered hand, and they half-slid down the muddy bank together.

The river was deeper than yesterday, but a few stones still jutted from the surface of the murky brown water. They leapt across as before and Sarah allowed him to take her hand as they navigated the bank on the other side.

“Don’t ever do that if you’re alone,” he cautioned her. “The water is quick, and it can be deeper than you think.”

“You shouldn’t do it either,” she said.

“Yes, but I can turn into a giant bear,” he explained.

She nodded, thinking about it. He wasn’t wrong. The bear would likely be fine even in a deep creek.

“Do you want to rest or keep going to the car?” he asked.

“Let’s keep going,” she said.

He hadn’t let go of her hand.

Sarah felt a tug on her heartstrings, as if she were pulled in two directions, toward Max and away from him at once.

Orson comes first.

She let go of Max’s hand and marched a little faster.

The sooner they got to the car, the sooner she’d get on a plane and back home.

She only hoped it happened before she could do anything she would regret.