Bearclaw Valley remember me,

in all but a moment cole had stolen the breath from her lungs.

a warmth crept upon her cheeks, nerves tingling on the edge of her toes. she would not deny the feelings that grasped her just then. she’d known they’d been there, lingering in the background as some candlelit flame.

she swallowed a lump in her throat, a soft voice appearing soon after.

"would you wait for me?" she asked of him, eyes warm with affection but knowing in what she asked of him. "i would not be so selfish as to hold your heart hostage for long, i just…” she glanced away, back toward the old oak where she had slept.

she turned to face him again, breathing in his scent and holding it there in her chest. "i just need to convince myself i'm allowed to have this."