Cade took the tongs and lifted the thick cuts of meat onto the little portable camping grill he’d purchased. Then he placed two corn cobs still in their husks next to them. It barely fit, but he made it work. After he seasoned the steak, he pulled one of the logs over to sit on while they cooked. As he sat, he could hear the faint strains of Meg in the great room playing her music.

When the meat was done, he put everything on a platter and brought it into the house. He lit all of Meg’s jar candles and put them on the table then set out the plates and dished up the steak and corn.

Before he finished setting the table he walked down to the river and filled the stockpot with water. Then he put it on the camping burner he’d purchased to let it heat up. He’d have to do that a few more times before Meg would have enough for a bath, but he figured he could let it heat while they ate.

After the table was set and ready, he walked toward the great room. He slowed as he heard Meg singing. It was a song he recognized. I’m Yours by Jason Mraz.

He stopped in the doorway and listened to her singing. She was curled up on the couch, strumming her ukulele. She looked so comfortable in her own skin. Her voice was amazing, and yet unique. She had a tone to her voice that he hadn’t heard before. He stood there, mesmerized.

When Meg was done, he entered the room. She yelped and put her hand on her chest. “Cade. You scared me.”

“Sorry, just wanted to tell you that dinner’s ready.”

She set her ukulele down and stood up. “Okay.”

He wasn’t sure if she’d be upset that he’d listened to her but figured it was better to let her know. “You have a wonderful voice.”

“Oh, you heard that?” A delightful blush graced her cheeks.

He pulled a chair out for her and she sat. The candlelight flickered over her features. “Yes. You could go far in the music industry.”

Meg made a face. “Singers are a dime a dozen. I don’t think I’m anything special.”

Cade wanted to argue with her but just shrugged. “I guess we’ll see. Someday when you’re famous, you’ll have to give me props.”

“Yeah, right.” She picked up her fork. “This smells delicious.”

“Thanks. I’ve been known to cook a few good meals in my day.”

She cut into the meat. “Women love a man who can cook.” Her cheeks colored. “I mean...some women...”

Cade couldn’t help it. He laughed. Meg was clearly embarrassed, but she looked adorable. “I know what you meant. You don’t have to stammer.”

“Oh, yes I do.” She fanned her face. “Is it hot in here?”

“It’s delightfully cool in here.” Cade chuckled and picked up his corn. He spread butter on it then took a bite. The flavor burst in his mouth. It was the best corn he’d eaten in a long time. Or maybe he was just hungry. He’d skipped lunch.

Meg motioned to him. “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?”

Cade chuckled. “I actually like living in Omaha. But out here, in nature, I’ve kind of fallen in love. If I can prove my innocence...” He let his voice trail off. Who was he kidding? He had a trial and everything. No one believed him. The bloody knife was in his bedroom.

“You’d live here?” Meg finished for him.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Yeah,” he said, not wanting to talk about it anymore. “What about you? Where would you live?”

Meg looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m kind of in that situation right now, aren’t I? I can go anywhere to get a job and settle down.”

“True.” Cade studied her with interest. “Where do you think you’ll end up?”

She shrugged in a non-committal way. “I don’t know.” It looked like she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Maybe she was uncomfortable with the uncertainty of her future. Cade could relate to that.

The water over the fire probably needed changing by now. He stood. “I’ll be right back.”

He poured the hot water into the tub and proceeded to fill the stockpot again. It took a few trips, but after dinner, he had filled the tub enough that he was satisfied. Meg entered the bathroom. Her eyes widened as she saw the warm water. “I can’t believe you did this.”

Before he could respond, she closed the distance between them, blinking her eyes like she was going to tear up. “It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Cade was a bit taken aback by how moved she looked, especially since she’d been asking him for a hot bath since they arrived. “It was nothing.”

“No. It wasn’t.” She wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his chest. “Thank you.”

He wasn’t sure what to do. He settled on hugging her for a few seconds, but then he forced himself to step back. He was starting to like Meg. If he was being honest with himself, he liked her too much for his own good. She was everything he ever wanted in a woman. But he couldn’t fall for her, and he needed to remember that. “Don’t drain it when you’re done. It wasn’t all selfless of me to fill the tub.”

Meg smiled and shooed him out the door. “Fine. I’ll try not to enjoy this little slice of heaven for too long.”

***

MEG DIPPED THE WASHCLOTH under the surface and then squeezed it over her knees. The warm water felt amazing. Bubbles from her soap congregated around the edges of the tub. The soft glow of the jar candles she’d placed on the tile floor made the room seem romantic. She leaned back and sighed. This was heaven. Just the right temperature, and the tub was fantastic. The perfect size to soak in.

As she let the soothing water warm her, thoughts of Cade entered her mind. She couldn’t believe he’d carried up that much water for her bath. Travis would never have done anything like that. But Cade wasn’t like Travis at all. He was kind where Travis was selfish. Cade was...Meg closed her eyes and moaned. Boy, she really knew how to pick them, didn’t she?

There was Travis, the freeloader. He once milked a small injury at work for an entire six months, getting workman’s comp and everything. And trying to get him to do anything around the house was useless. And then there was Cade. The exact opposite from Travis in every way. Oh, but wait. Cade was a convicted murderer. A fugitive running from the police. Nice.

What did she do in her previous life to deserve this? She finally meets a genuinely nice guy and he’s so unavailable, it’s not even funny. Meg rolled her eyes. Who was she going to fall for next? Some mafia drug lord?

She shifted in the tub, not wanting to stand up, but she knew she had to get out before the water got too cold. It wouldn’t be fair to Cade. She wrung out the washcloth and draped it over the side of the tub. Then she stood and grabbed her towel.

She dressed and wrapped her hair in the towel before leaving the bathroom. The house was completely dark, so she picked up one of the jar candles and made her way through the maze of rooms until she got to the great room. Cade sat by the fireplace, a book in his hands. He looked up when she entered. “You done?”

“It’s all yours. What are you reading?”

He tossed the book onto her pile of blankets. “Just something I found in the library. Thought it looked interesting.”

As she neared, she saw the title. A Time to Kill. John Grisham. A shiver went through her and she couldn’t help but think of Cade’s girlfriend. She lifted her gaze to him. He didn’t seem to see her unease. He stood and crossed the room.

“I hope the water is still warm,” she said.

He didn’t turn to her. “I’m sure it is.”

Meg tossed the book onto the coffee table and made herself comfortable by the fire. It was stupid to think Cade was capable of murdering his girlfriend. Right? He was so considerate. Surely, he was wrongly accused. Or she was being stupid, like all the years she clung to Travis while he hurt her, making excuses for him.

The thought that she was doing the same thing here that she’d done with Travis didn’t sit well with her. Could Cade really have a dark side to him? A shudder went through her, and she pushed all thoughts of murder out of her head. He hadn’t touched her once since she’d been with him. Actions spoke louder than anything.

Exhaustion seeped into her bones as she piled up the pillows behind her back. She would sleep well tonight. She pulled her ukulele onto her lap and strummed it. The sound was comforting, so she continued. She played with chords for a while before a song started to form. Meg closed her eyes and let the song materialize. Once she had the tune, she worked on the lyrics, singing a verse and then reworking it in her head, and then repeating it.

When she thought she had it how she wanted it, she started at the beginning and sang it all the way through. As she finished the last of the chords, the hardwood floor creaked and she jerked her head.

Cade stood at the doorway. He held out his hand, a guilty look on his face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“That’s okay.” She’d been songwriting for a while and had gotten caught up in it and forgotten where she was.

“I’ve never heard that song before.” He joined her on the blankets. He wore a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt. They looked good on him. He must have picked them up at the store today. He sat cross-legged, and his gaze probed hers.

“I made it up.”

His eyebrows rose. “Just now?”

She nodded, feeling a bit self-conscious. How much of the song had he heard?

“It was good. Really good.”

Was he just saying that? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t know him that well. Fingering the strings on the instrument, she stared at the blankets. “How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough.”

She dared a glance at him. His gaze was soft, the corners of his eyes crinkled in an unseen smile. He motioned to her lap. “Play more.”

It was one thing to sing while Cade was in the other part of the house and have him hear her when she didn’t know he was behind her. It was another altogether to sing with him sitting right there, looking at her. Nerves shot through her and she shook her head. “I can’t.”

His emerald gaze seemed to penetrate through her. “It’s just me. Pretend I’m not even here.”

She fiddled with the corner of the blanket, studying the stitching. Maybe it would be okay to sing one song. It was only Cade, right? She slowly raised her gaze. “All right.”

Cade’s lips curled up into a smile. He nodded at her when she hesitated. Then she picked up her ukulele and started strumming. She didn’t even know which song she was going to sing until it started coming out of her. It was one she’d written six months ago as she was going through a tough time with Travis.

She closed her eyes and let the melody wash over her. The song was therapeutic, and the lyrics made her emotional. When she finished, she let the sound fade away before opening her eyes. Cade sat staring at her, an unreadable look on his face.

“That was amazing.”

“You don’t have to say that.” Meg could feel a blush cover her cheeks.

“I’m serious. Your voice is so unique and so beautiful. You’ll be a star someday, Meg. I know it.”

She wanted to laugh at him, but something held her back. He was paying her a genuine compliment, she knew it. “Thanks.”

The sound of breaking glass came from the back of the house and Cade jumped to his feet, his eyes wide. “Did you hear that?”

Meg’s heart pounded. “Yes. What was it?”

“I don’t know. Stay here. I’ll go check it out.” Cade scanned the room and grabbed the iron poker from beside the fireplace. He walked to the arched doorway, his bare feet padding on the hardwood flooring. He peeked around the corner, then he slipped into the darkness.

Meg clutched the blankets. Was there a burglar? Or maybe another animal had gotten in and knocked her water glass off the kitchen counter? She held her breath as she waited for a sound. Any sound that would be louder than the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.