Dace unfolded his long legs from the small truck and got out. “There you go,” he said with a grin as Kerrie kept her distance.

“Thank you, Dace. I really appreciate your help. I should get one of those gizmos so I don’t have to stand by my dead truck like a helpless female.”

His eyebrows shot up, and he tilted his head inquiringly. “I doubt you’re helpless. I’ve discovered you women are pretty handy when you need to be. Goodnight, Kerrie.”

Dace climbed in his truck and watched Kerrie pull out of the parking lot. Her taillights disappeared into the night. What was with that woman? For that matter, what was with him? He had better things to do than stalk an unwilling female. Didn’t he? A vision of his sterile, lonely apartment in government housing popped into view. Okay, so maybe he didn’t have anything better to do.

Still, there was something in those beautiful brown eyes of hers that compelled him. Loneliness was turning him into a hopeless romantic, for Pete’s sake. Every now and then, he caught her looking at him with an expression of... What was it? Longing? Dace bit his lower lip. If anything, Kerrie acted like she would be happy to see the last of him. For the most part.

He smiled at the last thought. There was something about her, and he wasn’t going to be satisfied until he knew what it was...or she gave him firm marching orders. With a sigh, he pondered the night ahead, hoping he would be able to get some sleep...though that seemed unlikely. Images of the silky dark curls of a complicated woman had been interrupting his sleep for the past few nights.

A moose! Baby mooses! Was that the right word? Kerrie had never seen moose before in real life. They were magnificent! The dark brown mother so tall, her long stick-like legs seemingly incapable of bearing her great weight. The dark blonde youngsters, though lighter in color and smaller in scale, were perfect mirror images of their mother.

She turned to face an approaching vehicle, casting a last glance over her shoulder to make sure the moose cow and her calves did not reenter the road.

A large silver truck pulled up to the kiosk and Kerrie wished she could have slid down to the floor of her booth. The driver was Dace and he wore the same Smokey Bear hat as she, except as one of those outdoorsy men, it looked so much better on him. He worked for the Park Service. Her summer had just gotten much, much longer.

Kerrie’s heart tapped an excited rhythm against her chest. If this was any indication of what the summer promised, her hiding place suddenly looked a lot like Paradise.