And within a minute, we’re in blissful darkness. The town of Wilcox is small and quiet, and I love that Wild Ranch is close to the city but feels so separate from it.
“It’s so still,” I whisper.
Jared turns onto the road that I now recognize leads to the ranch.
“It is,” he agrees. “Feels like there are more animals than people out here sometimes.”
We lapse back into silence as Jared takes the long winding road lined by pine trees. Instead of turning left toward our cabin, though, he hangs a right.
“Where are we going?” I ask him as I cover a yawn.
He reaches over and pats my leg, letting his hand linger just long enough that I feel the heat of his palm through my jeans.
“This will be quick. But I think you’ll appreciate it.”
We drive for a few minutes more with the road climbing the whole way. All I see is blackness when Jared stops the car and gestures to me to get out.
“You want to take a look?” He’s already opening his door.
I shrug and follow suit.
Once I’ve stepped outside and shut the door behind me, I freeze.
“It’s pitch dark,” I say.And I hate the dark.
“I’m coming over to you now.” I feel him next to me. “You’re okay. Breathe.”
“I can’t even see my own hand in front of my face.”
I wave it in front of me. Nothing.
I clutch at Jared’s arm. “I need to go back in the truck.”
“Hold up, Ash. I’ve got a flashlight app.”
I’m still clutching his arm when light emanates from his phone, and he points it so that I can see a wooden bench surrounded by low-lying bushes a few feet away. Even though we’re clearly at the top of a hill, the area around the bench is flat. Prairie grass covers the ground.
“I thought we were like at the edge of a cliff,” I say. “This is much better than that.”
“There’s no overhang here. The road just continues around in a loop and then back down to the ranch house. If you walk through the brush over there—” He points his phone straight away—“you could find the cliff’s edge, but it’s a ways from here.”
“How high are we?”
“About six thousand feet. I wanted to bring you here so we can enjoy the night sky together. Remember how we used to climb onto my roof as kids and wish on stars?”
I get choked up and can’t answer him. Like he knows, he just takes my hand and leads me over to the bench. Once we’re seated, he says, “Is it okay if I turn off the flashlight?”
I squeeze his hand back in response.
Darkness hits me in the face first. That same darkness I felt when I stepped out of Jared’s truck a few minutes ago.
“It’s scary,” I whisper into the air. “So black.”
“Keep looking,” he whispers back. “Wait for the light.”
I squint, feeling like I’m trying to force something that isn’t there. The only sounds are nature’s—an owl hooting, crickets chirping, and the wind blowing. I shiver in my lightweight jacket.
“Cold?” Jared’s arm comes around my shoulders.
