The word slipped out before I had the chance to stop it. Raw, desperate hope—the kind that only comes from days caked in blood, salt, and sweat.
Lock chuckled.
“Yeah.”
He pushed the cabin door open.
“Finn’s got a full solar setup here. Electricity, hot water, refrigeration.” He ticked them off casually.
I turned slowly toward Callan, eyes wide, mouth open.
“Oh my god, we can take a shower.”
He laughed softly.
“Yes, love. I heard.” I kissed her softly, aware of Lock looking at me.
Lock added over his shoulder, “The main cabin’s fully wired. The smaller one out back has power and heat, but no bathrooms.”
That was enough.
We stepped off the porch, moving across the clearing toward the guest cabins. Up close, the place shimmered with quiet care: timber siding, small porches, rocking chairs, lanterns on the corners, solar lights along the path already waking to dusk.
Jeff and Ethan appeared from the dock, hands scrubbed clean.
“Boat’s tied down tight,” Jeff announced, wiping his palms.
Ethan stretched. “It’s weird being on solid ground again.”
Callan nodded at the line of cabins. “Pick whichever you want.”
Jeff scanned the row. “These all your brothers’?”
“Yep,” pride in my voice.
Jeff whistled. “Nice setup.”
Callan pointed to the cabin nearest the tree line. “Sloane and I’ll take this one.”
Jeff nodded. “Works for us.”
They wandered off, bickering toward the next cabin.
Callan and I climbed the little wooden steps of the one he’d chosen. The door creaked softly as he pushed it open. Inside, simplicity stood out against the day’s chaos: a queen bed with thick quilts, a wood stove tucked in the corner, a dresser, a small table with two chairs, and real lights.
I turned slowly, soaking it in as if I’d stepped into a hotel room rather than a cabin in the woods.
“Callan,” I whispered.
“Yeah?”
I looked at him, a real smile spreading across my face for the first time in days. “I think we made it.”
* * *
Dinner was simple—potatoes fried in a cast-iron pan, thick slices of sausage from the freezer. After tuna and crackers, it tasted divine. The cabin glowed with warmth from the stove.
I finished the last bite, a small groan escaping me. “That might be the best meal I’ve ever had, though we seem to be saying that a lot lately.”