An ashy darkness enveloped the room when Sloane woke up. It wasn't too much of a surprise to see that Carter's side was empty as she rubbed her eyes.

But there wasn't the familiar smell of breakfast drifting into the room.

Pushing herself up, she got out of bed and made her way into the living room. Nothing seemed out of place with still no sign of Carter.

After a few minutes, she remembered he had told her that he had to go into town. Since he'd started his day early, she decided that she would too. But first, a cup of coffee was a must. Her stomach could handle the lack of food for a while, but her body needed caffeine.

While the brewer growled and produced a thin brown stream of liquid into the reservoir, she got dressed and packed the bag. The aroma of the coffee filled the house and her lungs as she took in a deep breath.

"Mmm."

There was a plop as the last of the coffee dripped and she wasted no time filling the thermos. Once her coffee was made, she unplugged the machine and headed out for her hike.

Setting out, the sun casting bright rays through the branches, Sloane began in the opposite direction, just as she’d told Carter she would.

As had become her habit, she looked for the traps along the way. To test herself, she guessed where each one was before verifying it on her map. Much to her surprise, she was right about almost all of them.

And as usual, her hike was peaceful, filled with nothing but the sounds of nature.

There wasn’t any hurry as she made her way along. But despite the leisurely pace she kept, the temperature grew in intensity, causing sweat to roll down her back. Each time she swiped an arm across her forehead, a new layer of wetness formed within seconds.

This time, she didn't bother with the ravine. Instead, she rested for a few minutes and then turned around to go back. With the same pace, she challenged herself again, not missing a single trap.

Carter's truck was in the normal parking spot once Sloane got back home. Her heart did a little flip and she hoped he already had dinner ready because she much preferred his cooking skills to hers.

What she didn't expect to see or hear when she walked into the house was the cellar door open and footsteps coming up the stairs.

Sloane ducked outside, closing the door with ease, not making a sound. All she felt was confusion, her pulse pounding so hard her vision blurred. Not even sure why she felt she had to hide, she took several deep breaths to regain control of herself. Then she began to chastise herself, unsure why she felt upset about him coming up from the cellar.

"Hey." After a few seconds she pushed the door open to see that he had locked the cellar door and was standing in front of the dish cabinet.

"Hey." His smile almost made her forget what she had just seen.

"Were you about to start dinner? I'm starving. I didn't eat anything before I went hiking and didn't take any snacks."

"Yeah. Why didn't you eat?"

"I dunno. I guess I just wanted to get going." Avoiding his gaze, she began the process of unpacking and rushed into the bathroom.

By the time she finished her shower, Carter had their meal ready.

"It smells good, as always."

"Thanks." He leaned toward her, waiting for a kiss.

She gave him what he wanted and then sat at the table, ready to stuff herself.

"So, when did you get back?" Hoping to keep him from getting onto her for not eating all day, she asked the first question that popped into her head.

"Uh, maybe around eight. I saw that you were gone. Hiking, I assumed. So I went and did some work." After his explanation he scooped some of the fajita filling onto a soft tortilla and rolled it up.

"Yeah. You weren't here when I woke up, so I left early. It was hot today."

"Mmhmm."

"Have you thought of something we might be able to do with the cellar? I mean, it's an extra room that's kinda just being wasted." The question came out of nowhere. She'd had no intention of mentioning the cellar at all. But now that she had, she was interested to hear what he had to say.

"No. But yeah. You're right." They were silent as they ate until Carter asked her if she had any ideas.

"Nope. I guess it was kinda stupid for me to bring it up." A nervous laugh from her broke the tension.

"Not stupid at all." He shook his head. "Maybe we can turn it into a space for you. Like a…what do they call them? A she-shed?"

"No offense, but I think I spent enough time alone down in that room." Her lips quirked into an odd smile.

"Sorry." Embarrassment was emblazoned across his face.

"No need to be sorry. I think it's incredibly sweet that you'd think of creating me a space."

They finished their meal and decided to sit outside. Carter pulled the chairs together so they could sit and enjoy the night side by side.

"I don't need a special space for myself. If I need some time away from you, I have all of this." With a gentle squeeze on his hand and a wink, she laughed.

Relief flooded through him at her words. There wouldn't be any reason to try and figure out a new place to hold any potential victims. It didn't dawn on him that there was a reason she'd asked about the cellar before.

He returned the squeeze and wink before lifting her hand to his lips and placing a small kiss on her knuckles. "Okay."

They looked into the starry sky, each lost in their own thoughts. Carter knew he'd let the woman go soon; her leg was healing well. But he had to figure out how he'd have that chance with Sloane there.

She found herself questioning if he had been putting dishes away or getting them out when she walked into the house for good. And if he had been putting them away, why? There had been no dirty dishes when she left to go hiking that morning.

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Banner photo found at https://lakecity.com/night-skies/