As eagerly as he’d anticipated the moment that had just occurred, Cody had anxiously anticipated the one that followed—the moment when a naked Cassie rose from the bed, and, after flashing a confident smile his way, opened the door of his tiny closet thinking it was the bathroom. She turned and glanced around, confused.

“Um, where’s your bathroom?”

“Yeah, about that …” Cody fought off the urge to apologize. “It’s not technically a room. It’s in the back. And it’s an outhouse.”

“You’re shitting me,” she said, her mouth open in disbelief.

Cody laughed at her unintended joke. “Good one.”

“Ha, ha. But really, I need to use the bathroom.”

“I’ll walk you there.”

He got up from the bed, reached into his dresser for a fresh pair of briefs, jeans, and a sweatshirt, and offered her a blanket from the bed. When she looked like she didn’t know what to do with it, he wrapped it around her body.

“It’ll be chilly out there. You’ll want this.”

The look of horror on her face was comical.

“Seriously? Your bathroom’s outside?”

For the first time in his adult life, Cody wondered if indoor plumbing was an investment he should have made.

“I told you it’s primitive. But don’t worry, it’s very clean. Hey, just look at it as another Alaska experience. A pretty common one, actually.”

Cassie took a deep breath and stepped into her high-heeled shoes. “Okay,” she said with steely resolve. “Let’s go.”

“You want to wear a pair of my boots?”

“These are fine.”

He knew better than to argue with her. As they went outside into the now-full darkness, Cody clicked on the flashlight and walked alongside Cassie as she picked her way across the yard. She walked slowly and unsteadily across the grass, and then hit a patch of mud. Both sharp heels sank with a slooping sound. When she tried to lift a foot up, her shoe was left behind.

“Cody!” She looked at him in desperation. “Could you, um—”

“Sure.” Cody knelt and swept her up into a fireman’s carry over his shoulder.

Cassie shrieked, laughing. “I meant get my shoe!”

With her slung over his shoulder naked underneath the blanket, wearing only one shoe, Cody hoped she could see the humor of the situation. Hoped, too, that the sex they’d just had was the most memorable part of the evening, not this.

When they reached the outhouse Cody opened the door, and while it smelled like an outhouse, there was also an obvious scent of the Pine-Sol he used to clean it regularly. The wooden floor was swept clean and there was a little solar-powered light inside. He set down Cassie on her feet and turned on the light.

“I’ll wait for you outside.”

He retraced their steps and retrieved her shoe. A few minutes later, she emerged into the moonlight, holding her single shoe in one hand, and holding the blanket closed with the other. Her good mood seemed to be wavering, which worried Cody.

“Hey,” he said. “Let’s get you inside where it’s warmer, and we’ll have another glass of wine. Or spiced cider—would you prefer that?”

She nodded.

“Want me to carry you?”

“Yes, please.”

She giggled as he slung her over his shoulder again, and as she clung to him, he was very aware of the curve of her hips and her taut legs. I have Cassie Holt, KFLS news anchor, slung over my shoulder. The thought struck him that her viewers would be quite amused to see her predicament, and he started to laugh, and then so did she when he told her why, and by the time they got back to the cabin, they were laughing uncontrollably.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” she said, wiping her eyes and still grinning after Cody had deposited her safely in the kitchen.

He used an old kitchen rag to clean off her shoes.

“Good as new,” he said, and set the shoes down.

“Thanks.” She gave him a sheepish look. “Yet again, I should have listened to you and worn something more …”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” he said. “This way, I got to impress you with my fireman’s carry skills.”

She looked him up and down. “Trust me, Cody—I’m impressed.”

His heart swelled as he went to his bedroom and brought back one of his flannel shirts for her to wear, figuring she’d be more comfortable in flannel than in her dress—plus, he intended to get her naked again, so why bother with the dress?

He multi-tasked between kissing her and heating up cider on the stove. He reached into the cabinet he used as a pantry and pulled down the bottle of Venezuelan rum his captain had given him for Christmas the previous year.

“Want some rum in your cider?”

“Definitely,” she said. “And I’m actually up for that documentary now, if it’s not too late.”

Cody glanced at the clock. It was late, and he was scheduled to work the next morning, but no way would he pass up the chance to cuddle with Cassie on the sofa, especially when she wore a flannel shirt of his and nothing else.

With such easy access, it was highly doubtful they’d end up watching the whole film—but that was all right by him.