Five days later, Elijah led Gia into the small town at the base of the mountain, Ray’s body slung over his shoulder.

His thigh was bleeding again. No surprise, since he hadn’t given it enough time to heal before getting Gia off the mountain. She’d spent three days tending him, following his directions on how to care for both of them while they healed enough to make it the rest of the way to town. She’d applied a tourniquet to his wound, found all the moss and herbs he asked her for, and worked on the gash in his thigh with his first aid kit until he was no longer in danger of bleeding out.

All with an awful sprain of her own.

It filled him with awe and admiration, and made him fall in love with her more and more every second.

He hadn’t told her that, though. Because all she talked about was leaving him. Reassuring him she’d soon be out of his hair.

After everything she’d been through on the mountain, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to escape.

But it still broke his heart.

Because Elijah knew not only he belonged on that mountain, but she belonged there with him. Their child should be raised there.

He couldn’t force her to stay.

They stumbled into Sara’s diner and collapsed at one of the tables. She came from the kitchen at the noise and her smile died the instant her gaze landed on them, Ray’s body at their feet.

“What the hell happened to you?” she asked.

“Long story,” he told her with a weary smile.

“That’s what Aaron said when he was here yesterday.”

Elijah straightened. “Aaron’s alive.”

Her eyes grew sad. “Last I heard. They took him to General. No news since.” Gia placed a comforting hand on her arm.

“I think that’s where I need to be,” he said, swaying slightly. Gia was there in a second, sliding into the seat next to him and holding him upright.

Sara immediately hurried off to call for help, so Elijah turned to Gia. “Will you come with me?” he asked.

“I need to take care of the body. Arrangements, that kind of thing. It’s expected,” she said, kicking Ray’s body.

“I should have left him to rot up there,” Elijah said bitterly.

“He’d poison the mountain,” she said. “Besides, without a body, I’d have to declare him missing and go through all kinds of paperwork to get divorced. This way we can say he fell and broke his neck.”

He nodded. That was fair. He didn’t want her tied to that monster for any longer than necessary, either. And he didn’t want to think about Ray frozen on his mountain forever.

But at the same time, he knew this might be the last time he saw her. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but if she didn’t come to the hospital with him, he didn’t know when—or if—he’d see her again. The thought choked him with panic. He couldn’t lose her, not after everything. But what could he possibly say to get her to stay?

“Gia,” he murmured, pressing her forehead to his. “I—”

A woman and a man in uniform burst into the diner, far quicker than Elijah had expected.

“Already?” he blurted out.

They grinned. “We were nearby, waiting. Your friend Aaron told us you were lost out there and might need some help. There’s a search and rescue team looking for you, but we’ll let them know you made it back on your own.”

He turned to Gia, and she gave him a watery smile. “Go.”

“They should see your ankle first,” he declared.

She shook her head. “You were stabbed, and you’re bleeding again. My ankle isn’t an emergency. I’ll deal with it in a little while.”

“But—” he protested. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. And by the tears in her eyes, neither was she. But what could he do, or say? Someone had to stay behind to deal with the authorities about Ray’s body. They couldn’t leave it on the floor of Sara’s diner.

And Gia wanted to leave him. She’d said so on the mountain.

 The paramedics bundled him into the back of the emergency vehicle. It was a 4x4, not an ambulance, easier for traversing the tough terrain up here. Gia stopped them from driving off by knocking on his window.

“Hey,” she said through his window.

He opened the door, his heart leaping in hope.

“Thank you for everything,” she murmured, then leaned forward to place a kiss to his cheek.

“It was nothing.”

Her eyes told him she didn’t believe the words. He didn’t believe them, either, but he’d still do it all over again if it meant he’d meet her.

“We’ll see each other again,” she promised.

He didn’t know what that meant, whether she promised him a future, or a goodbye. His cheek still tingled from her kiss.

“Bud, we gotta go,” said the male paramedic from the driver’s seat.

Gia nodded and stepped back.

“I lo—” he managed, before the door shut. He had no idea if she’d heard him, because the engine roared at the vehicle pulled away, leaving Gia standing outside the diner, watching them go.

He kept his eyes on her until he couldn’t see her anymore, then continued to stare at the last place he’d seen her for an endless moment longer.

 

Weeks later, Elijah was already beginning to build his new cabin. Aaron had helped him map it out while the two of them recovered in hospital, after Aaron had told the story of him treating his own gunshot wound and making his way down the mountain.

This time, the cabin would have electricity, from a windmill. A fridge, a freezer, a stove. Geothermal heat pumps. A wider variety of fruits and vegetables in the garden, and even a small greenhouse to have plants all year around.

The cabin itself would have two bedrooms, with room for building more, as well as a root cellar to store goods. A radio, one with a signal strong enough to reach town, and Aaron’s place on the other side. No TV, but a bookcase big enough to fit all kinds of books. A fireplace, too, for atmosphere and the coldest of nights. It would heat all the rooms at once.

Everything Gia had asked for.

He’d already stocked the pantry. Coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon had been his first purchases.

He was so pleased by the designs of the building, he’d barely thought of his old cabin. In fact, it had been as freeing as it had been terrifying to have it destroyed. Gia had been right. There was no reason Elijah had to continue his father’s legacy of complete isolation. He could stay in the mountains where he belonged, and be comfortable while he did it.

All he’d need was Gia there beside him.

But, first, he needed something to offer her. So he built as fast as he could. Aaron came up every day to help him and offer advice. Even Sara had been by to offer some suggestions from a “woman’s perspective” but Elijah suspected she was there to check up on them and make sure they weren’t working too hard while their injuries healed.

And all Elijah could think about with every chop of his ax was Gia. Was she safe? Was she okay?

Was she carrying their child?

He’d made sure to put considerations into the cabin’s plan in case there was a child. Or more than one.

He wouldn’t go to her, ask her to come home, until the cabin was ready, but he needed to have it done well before the child would be due.

So, he and Aaron worked side by side for months. When the cabin was almost done, Elijah planned how he’d find Gia. How he’d approach her. What he’d say.

Every time he considered it, a lump would form in his chest. He had no idea whether she felt the same about him, whether she’d want to come home with him. But he had to try.

He had to convince her.