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Realizing that her presence was getting in the way of their bedtime, Charlie climbed up the ladder to the loft. The open room was mostly dark, for the loft floor shielded it from the soft glow of the fireplace, below. A wooden rail ran the entire length of the floor, while large wooden beams crossed the roof, as they supported the log ceiling. Careful not to bump her head on the beams, Charlie made her way to one of the single beds.

Even though it was dark, she felt uncomfortable about the prospect of undressing, for there was no wall separating the open room from the rest of the cabin.

To Charlie's annoyance, Adam had no need to hide, for it didn't matter who in their party saw him take his clothes off. Kevin and Chad, however, were aware of Charlie's vantage from the loft, so they dressed directly below the loft floor, for privacy.

"I know there's two single mattresses up here," grinned Adam, "but unless you tell me otherwise, we're sharing the same bed."

"Not so loud," Charlie hushed him. "Chad might hear you."

Just then, Kevin crawled onto the bed below them, the springs of the old mattress creaking beneath him as he moved.

"Do you want any help undressing?" offered Adam, seeing her indecision.

In horror, Charlie quickly covered his mouth with her hand. She could feel his lips parting in a smile.

"Let me know when you make up your mind," he chuckled softly, climbing into bed.

After giving everyone a reasonable chance to use the light, Kevin put out the fire in the fireplace. With a sigh of relief, Charlie changed into her nightgown, though, now that it was dark, she couldn't see where she was going. For a moment, Charlie pictured herself getting too close to the loft railing, and falling over-- only to be found as a large splat on the floor the next morning.

Then Adam's hand reached through the darkness and guided her forward, until she was snugly beside him beneath the covers.

"Try not to touch my arm," she whispered, as his hand caressed her. "It's making me itch."

"Sorry," came his hushed reply.

"I'm so scratchy," sighed the young woman, adjusting her head so her neck wouldn't touch the pillow.

"It'll be better, tomorrow," he assured her. "This isn't measles, after all."

"I hope you won't be sorry you married me," Charlie softly groaned. "I don't even have the sense to come in out of the mosquitos!"

"Stop scratching, Charlie," he instructed, taking her hand and pulling it away from her body. "Try to get your mind on something else for a while."

The sound of a large creature lumbering past the cabin made Charlie pause.

"I think it's a bear," she whispered. "It'll probably be gone, by morning."

"Can I count this to my wildlife score?" joked Adam. "I'm getting a little tired of hamburgers, all the time!"

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