While tending to the horses, Colt feels conflicted. He knows his time with Layla is limited, but he cannot deny his intense feelings for her. He mulls over having sex with her without a condom (something he has never done after accidentally getting Kayce’s mother pregnant) but concludes that it feels right with her. Back at the house, Colt makes Layla explicitly state that she wants him to have sex with her without a condom and they have sex again. Afterward, as he holds her, Colt is overwhelmed by a powerful, possessive feeling that Layla belongs to him, creating a painful internal conflict with the knowledge that he must eventually let her go.

A week has passed, and Layla has fallen in love with Colt. She is painfully aware that the mountain road will reopen soon, and she accepts that Colt will ultimately choose his relationship with his son, Kayce, over a future with her. While gathering firewood behind the barn, Layla accidentally triggers a bear trap hidden under the snow. She is unharmed but terrified that more traps may be nearby, leaving her frozen in place. Colt finds her and calms her down, safely guiding her back to the house. 

At the house, Colt explains that he has security cameras on the ranch. While the bear traps have clearly been in place for weeks, buried under the snow, this incident has made him suspicious about the injuries to the cattle a few weeks earlier. He has reviewed the footage and while he doesn’t have any clear images, he has seen some indicators that someone might have been trespassing on the ranch. He shares his theory that the Pierson brothers are responsible for both the traps and the injuries to the cattle (the cattle were injured the day after Henrick Pierson accosted Layla in the barn). When Layla urges him to report the incident to the sheriff, Colt refuses, alluding vaguely to a complicated history between their families.

Colt is dreading the imminent reopening of the mountain road, which will end his time with Layla. He dreads losing her but remains committed to protecting his son. Colt is thrilled when he learns that a rockfall has blocked the road leading to the ranch: no one will be able to reach them for one more week. 

Now that he has more time with her, Colt tells Layla he wants to take her on an overnight trip to a special place. They joyfully have sex in the backseat of his truck.

Colt and Layla journey on horseback to a remote A-frame cabin at the far edge of the ranch property. The cabin, which sits near a naturally heated stream as well as an outdoor hot spring, is a place of deep personal significance for Colt. He reveals that he built it himself after his grandfather passed away, when he was feeling ambivalent about what to do with the ranch. Spending time at the cabin grounded him and prompted him to realize that he did not want to give up the ranch, despite painful memories: instead, he rebuilt the main farmhouse. Colt admits that “this little patch of dirt saved my life” (289)

That evening, as they sit by the fire, Colt gives Layla his black hat as a permanent gift, telling her it looks better on her. Later, they soak naked in the hot spring and share more about their pasts. Colt confesses that on the day they first met, he had almost turned his truck around and driven back to the gas station to find her.

Layla and Colt’s playful conversation turns passionate, and they return to the cabin. They deepen their intimacy by engaging in anal sex, something Layla has never done with anyone else.

Colt and Layla return to the main house and Colt learns that efforts to clear the rockslide are on schedule. The road should reopen in four days. Colt is dismayed, calculating that he only has three nights left with Layla. He reflects that perhaps he is undeserving of their relationship and worries that the Pierson brothers could target her. Colt tries to radio Kayce but gets no response. He is surprised to feel a deep sense of relief that he did not have to speak to him and lie about his relationship with Layla. Colt realizes that while the cabin is one place where he finds peace, Layla has become another one. He heads toward the barn to rejoin her, grappling with the impending end of their time together.