“You quit your job? I can’t believe it!”

Even though Tonya’s voice crackled a bit on the line. Lily had yet to find an apartment near Pinecrest Lodge with reliable internet and cell phone signal, so she continued to rent out her cabin for the time being. “I did. I got back the verdict of the Greendale Town Council this morning. They’ve approved my preliminary request for funding to create a town newspaper and they’ve allotted the space for an office in a corner of the town hall. It’ll take a while before the money actually comes in, but in the meantime, I have my savings, and Ethan keeps trying to get me to accept his investment in the paper. I told him no, but I will be selling him ad space whenever he sets up his mountain rescue company. Sheriff Lincoln told him that there’s a real problem during tourist season for lost dogs in the mountains. Ethan’s going to set up a rescue operation to get them back again.”

“That’s great,” Tonya said, but her voice didn’t hold quite the enthusiasm that Lily had expected. “But what about writing real news? In a town that small, you’ll mostly be reporting the same sort of news articles that I do. I thought you hated them.”

“I thought so too, but…” Lily paused, thinking through her words. “A newspaper in this town could make a big difference. It’ll celebrate people’s triumphs, hold people accountable for their less than honorable deeds. It’s worth doing.”

“And since you’re alongside someone worth doing it with…” Tonya said, her voice thick with teasing.

Lily blushed. “Yes.” She changed position on the sofa in her cabin, glancing out into the sunshine pouring through her window. “That is a factor, too.”

“He sounds like a great guy, but I’m going to miss you.”

Lily pounced on the opportunity left in her friend’s words. “Maybe you don’t have to.”

“What do you mean?”

“Running a newspaper is a huge responsibility. It’s going to be a lot of work, and I’ll need help. You’ve always championed the stories you write, celebrating the achievements that everyday people can accomplish. Working out here would be perfect for you.”

For a moment, the crackle on the line was the only sound. Then Tonya, sounding shocked, asked, “Are you offering me a job?”

“I am. There isn’t a whole lot of money in it, but if I’m going to do this, I’d feel a whole lot better if you were here doing it with me. As an equal partner.”

“I … I don’t know what to say.”

“Think about it,” Lily begged. “It’s beautiful out here and while you’re searching for a permanent place to stay, I know where you can rent a cabin for cheap.”

Tonya laughed. “Does it come with man candy, like yours did?”

“You never know,” Lily teased back, though she and Ethan were still the only occupants of Pinecrest Lodge so far. “Besides, I could use an extra pair of eyes on the lookout for any more sabotage to Ruby’s campground. If Carter Pittman—or someone else—is trying to bring down her enterprise, he’ll have to do it with the full pressure the local media can put on him. He almost killed Ethan and Wookie with his last stunt. I’m not going to let that drop.”

“It sounds like you need someone out there to watch your back. I’ll think about it,” Tonya promised.

“Good.”

Wookie started yapping from outside. Lily sat straighter.

“Tonya, I have to go. But let me know if you want to take me up on my offer.”

“Will do.”

Ending the call, Lily stood and hurried to the door. Had Wookie found another lurker in the woods? Since the bridge incident, they hadn’t seen any other signs of sabotage, but Lily wasn’t convinced that the person trying to ruin things for Ruby had given up. Whoever it was might just be using more caution since Ethan had made it clear around town that he was staying at Pinecrest Lodge and would be keeping an eye out for Ruby.

Apparently Ethan wasn’t convinced that the incidents were over either. Since his recovery, he’d been pushing for them to spend more time together, for safety’s sake. Heart pounding, Lily opened the door to search for danger.

Instead, she found Ethan kneeling in the packed dirt in front of the cabin, wrestling Wookie for a stick. Wookie growled, not seeming threatening at all with the vigorous wagging of her tail as she tried to get the upper hand.

Eyes twinkling, Ethan raised his gaze to smile at Lily. The warmth in that smile curled her toes. The longer she was with him, the more unguarded he became and the happier he sought to make her in return.

“I found her scratching on my cabin door,” Ethan admitted. “She’s over so often, you might as well give in and move in with me.”

Lily laughed and shook her head ruefully. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked, in the name of safety, but she wanted to take things slow and get to know him better first. He might be sure he loved her and with every day, that conviction in her grew stronger, but they had time to figure things out. “Maybe I will—someday.” Now that he’d officially turned his cabin into the office for his new company, there wasn’t a lot of space for two people in there, anyway. Maybe, by the time she found a decent place of her own…

They had time, and she was in no rush.

He straightened, leaving Wookie victorious with the stick. As he strode toward her, Lily tipped her face up to meet his. He cupped her cheek. “I’ll wear you down.”

She traced the new scar on his forehead. “Oh, of that, I don’t have any doubt at all.”

He gave her another toe-curling smile, followed by a languorous kiss.

The future looked bright, indeed.

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