Chapter 11
ELEVEN
TESSA
Later, I rest my head on his chest, tangled in blankets and the kind of silence that feels sacred.
His heart beats steady beneath my ear—like it’s always been there, waiting for mine to sync up beside it.
“You can tell me,” I whisper.
I’m not even sure what I’m asking for him to say. I can just tell that he wants to speak. And I want him to know that I want to know whatever he has to say. Everything.
He’s quiet for so long I almost think he won’t.
Then his fingers thread through mine, calloused and warm.
“Before I got into animal rescue…”
I keep my head against his chest, listening to his heart.
“I lost someone,” he says. “During a fire.”
I don’t move. Just breathe. Just listen.
“My partner, Avery. We were part of a hotshot crew—Smokejumpers. We were trying to evacuate a family in Alaska before the winds shifted. We thought we could make one more trip in.”
He pauses, the weight of it landing in my chest before he even finishes.
“I made it out with the family. Barely. Avery didn’t.”
“Oh, Gage...”
His voice is low and rough around the edges. “After that, I couldn’t go back in. I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the look on his mom’s face when I gave her the news. So I came here. Figured I’d be better off alone. No one to lose. No one to fail.”
I squeeze his hand, holding on like it’ll make the memory hurt less. “But you’ve built something here. Something good.”
He turns to face me. His eyes—gray and stormy—lock onto mine.
“And then you showed up,” he says. “All sass and sweetness and that mouth—” the faintest ghost of a smile curves his lips “—and I didn’t know how to let you in.”
I reach for his face, cup his cheek. “You don’t have to do it alone anymore.”
There’s a shift between us. Something deeper. Something that can’t be undone.
Then the radio crackles from the shelf, slicing through the quiet.
“Gage. You copy? Got a situation. One of the eagles—you know the one with the bandaged wing—was spotted near the southern ridge. It looks like there was a rockslide.”
He’s already moving. I don’t even have time to process before he’s out of bed, pulling on pants, boots, jacket.
“Wait—don’t go alone,” I say, sitting up, heart already thudding.
“I have to move fast.” He grabs his pack, checking the straps. “I’ll radio in when I reach her.”
And with a kiss to my forehead, he’s gone.
No hesitation.
I’d be offended anyone else had done that, but how can I when it’s Gage? He’s such a fierce protector of the animals and… I love that about him.
So how could I resent something that makes me love him so much?
Even if what he’s doing terrifies me.
Taking a deep breath, I pull on some clothes and make myself a cup of tea. Whiskey’s curled on the couch, tail flicking in irritation.
“I know,” I say, half-laughing, half-shaking. “I know. I miss him too.”
Cradling my steaming mug in one hand, I retrieve my phone with the other. I have one bar. Barely. But hopefully it’ll be enough.
There’s someone I need to call. Someone I’ve barely spoken to in the past week.
I tap the screen, scroll to Harper’s name, and hit video call.
She picks up on the second ring.
“TESSA!” Her face fills the screen—messy bun, giant hoop earrings, and a backdrop of palm trees and pristine white curtains. “You’ve been so quiet lately. I thought you were off the grid.”
“Not completely off the grid. Just… in the woods.”
Her eyes narrow. “Okay, what the hell are you wearing? And is that… wood paneling?”
I flip the camera around, showing her the fireplace, the exposed beams, the worn-in charm of Gage’s cabin. A steaming mug on the table. Whiskey yawning like this is just another Tuesday.
She gasps. “You’re not in some murder basement—you’re in a Nancy Meyers cabin fantasy.”
I grin. “It’s not fancy. But it’s real.”
She squints. “Tessa. You’re glowing. Are those trees really outside”
“Yeah. There’s trees and mountains. And foxes. And judgmental owls named Archie.”
She laughs. Then narrows her eyes again. “You’re not coming to Las Vegas, are you?”
I hesitate.
Then shake my head. “No. I’m not. I think I’ve found where I’m supposed to be.”
“You mean the guy?”
I smile. “Not just the guy. But yeah… him too.”
Her voice softens. “Tell me.”
So I do. I tell her about the wildlife rescue. About the smell of cedar in the morning and the way I’ve started sketching again— just for me .
I tell her about Gage. About the quiet way he holds space. About the scar on his cheek and the storm that brews in his eyes and the way he looks at me like I’m the best thing in the world.
And I tell her how, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I belong. Like I’m not just surviving.
Like maybe I’ve stopped searching for some meaning in my life.
She nods, blinking fast. “Well… shit. I kind of hate how romantic that is.”
I laugh. “Thanks, H.”
“I’ll cancel the extra key to my apartment.”
“Keep it. I might visit.”
“You better. I expect updates. Full gossip. Photos of hot mountain man required.”
“You’ll get them.”
We say goodbye, and I stare at the blank screen for a long moment.
Then the door swings open and I turn. “You’re back early?—”
But it’s not Gage. Instead, Jesse bursts in, cheeks red, the badge on his shirt half-hidden by a bandana.
“Where’s Gage?” he asks.
My stomach twists. “Gone. He got a call about an eagle. There was a rockslide near the ridge. He left about twenty minutes ago.”
Jesse freezes. “Jesus. That’s what I was afraid of.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
He pulls out his phone, holds it up.
A map. An alert. Red.
“It wasn’t just a rockslide. There’s a wildfire. It started low, but it’s moving fast with the wind. The call just came in.”
He stares me in the eye. “It's heading straight for the ridge.”
The blood drains from my face. “He’s out there alone.”
Jesse meets my gaze, his own face pale. “Not if we can help it.”
Whiskey watches from the couch, eyes wide and worried.
I crouch beside him, press a kiss to the top of his fuzzy head.
“Keep the other animals safe, buddy. I’ll bring him home.”