Once he’d gotten over the surprise of her appearance, Thomas started plotting.  The ranger’s wide-brimmed hat and dun-colored uniform could not hide her erotic beauty.

“I thought these cabins were supposed to be isolated,” he said.

“Remote and primitive,” she corrected.  Then reminded him about the dry conditions.  To be cautious and alert.

“Remote enough,” he teased, “so I could get away with murder?”  Pine trees darkened the mountain in every direction, except for the far ridge, higher, where they gave way to rocks.  A scream would carry some distance and no one would hear it. 

“—Or theft, or kidnapping, or rape.”  She smiled.  “We draw the line at self-immolation.  Fires are too risky.”

“That’s good to know,” he said.  He liked her smile.  She had come up to the cabin from the southwest, along the path that Thomas had followed two days before, a mile and a half from the trailhead, where he’d parked his Jeep.  What had surprised him was how she could have hiked that distance without breaking into a sweat, without mussing her uniform.  “And you—?”