She pulled on a thin blue cardigan, just enough to keep the late-August night chill off her skin. Slipping into her outdoor clogs, she followed Isaac down the steps.
“We’re going to the Looms, do you want to take the ATV or walk?”
Above them stars sparkled in the indigo expanse, still holding on to the sunset in the far west. Ripening apples scented the air with their fruity aroma, and crickets lazily sang to one another. A faint breeze whispered in her hair, more a reminder that she was outside than a discomfort. A few lingering fireflies blinked in the darkness. If ever there was a perfect night for walking the orchards, this was it. And, if she was being honest with herself, this was the perfect night to walk the orchards with Isaac.
“Walk, definitely walk.”
They headed into the trees.
“I have a flashlight if you want.” He held it out toward her, but she gently pushed it back to him.
“Not on a night like this. It would make it harder to see.”
“You aren’t a little creeped out by the dark?”
“Are you implying you are?”
“Not at all. I’m saying I’m a grown man and I like to know what’s out there.”
Sanna smiled.
“I know exactly what’s out there. Using a flashlight only helps if you have it pointed in the right direction. You’re better off letting your eyes adjust to the starlight and using your other senses. Not that there’s anything to worry about. The most dangerous critters out here are the raccoons looking to steal my apples—and they’re too fat to move fast.”
“Raccoons? Sounds dangerous.”
“Only if you trip over one. And they’ll waddle off to the next tree before we even know they’re there.”
They walked for a few minutes in silence, each enjoying the night sounds around them.
“I’m surprised you aren’t asking questions about what I’m doing,” Isaac said. “Aren’t you curious?”
“I like surprises. My dad’s horrible at them, so I like to savor them when I get a chance.”
“You’re one of those people who carefully unwraps presents, aren’t you? Rather than shred the paper like a Tasmanian devil.”
“There’s nothing wrong with restraint and patience. Anticipation is half the fun. It’s one reason I like making cider—the delayed gratification of months of growing, harvesting, and fermenting.”
Isaac looked at her in a way she couldn’t interpret in the dim light. She fiddled with her necklace.
“It can be. But it can also be torture.” Isaac pointed to her necklace. “You play with your necklace a lot. What’s the significance of it?”
“It’s a cross section of a branch from one of the trees that was girdled. I made it before I went to college so I always had a bit of the orchard with me. It reminds me of what’s important.”
They were entering the Looms now and the branches were wilder, taking over all the open spaces.
“We’re almost there.”
Sanna nodded, but she wasn’t sure he noticed in the dark. He took her hand and led her under the branches of one of the trees she’d spent hours repairing, one of the oldest in the orchard. The one, actually, that her necklace came from. The arching branches created a room. Just in case it didn’t survive, she savored stepping under its leaves.
“Close your eyes.”
“If I close my eyes, I might fall asleep.”
He squeezed her hand and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Trust me. I just need a few moments.”
And she did. Full dark took over her senses. She heard Isaac tapping on his phone, then orange light seeped through her closed lids.
“Open.”
Isaac had moved behind her so all she saw was her beloved tree lit up like a party. At least twenty mason jars hung from the branches filled with delicate strands of lights that blinked like fireflies, and Isaac controlled from his phone. He’d even tied a pretty blue ribbon around the tape holding the tree bark together. While she basked in the beautiful view, he fumbled more with his phone until a soft song crooned over the crickets.
“It’s stunning, Isaac. Perfect.”
He propped the phone in the crook of a branch and held out his hand to her.
“What?” Sanna looked at him blankly, unable to fathom what he wanted her to do.
“May I have this dance?”
Sanna covered her mouth with her hand. He had remembered her silly confession. “You don’t have to do this.” Protesting felt natural, even as she felt overwhelmed by how thoughtful he was.
Isaac still held out his hand patiently.
“I’m not going to dignify that nonsense with a response. Dance with me.”
She licked her lips and set her right hand in his. He pulled her gently in, so barely an inch remained between them. He set her hand on the back of his neck and moved his now free hand to her waist. With his other hand he clasped hers tightly, but without force. His hand trembled at the small of her back, revealing the nerves he’d almost kept hidden. As they swayed to the gentle singing, Sanna resisted the urge to melt into him. She never melted.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for a pity dance,” she said softly in his ear.
Isaac moved his head back so he could look in her eyes.
“What?”
“I’m a thirty-two-year-old woman who’s never slow-danced—”
“Before now,” Isaac interrupted.
“Before now. This was too much work just because I mentioned that all the boys were too embarrassed to dance with me.”
“You are striking and tall, yes, and all those boys were fools because you are gorgeous. I can’t take my eyes off you. While I may not have thought of this without you mentioning it, that’s only because I’m not that clever. If anything, it gave me the excuse I wanted, but didn’t know I needed.” He took a deep breath, deep enough that his chest pressed into hers for a brief, wonderful moment. “I came here to get away from complications, but I found so much more than an escape. I care about you, Sanna. I don’t know what that means when Bass and I go back to California, but I know it means I want to spend more time like this with you. As much as I can.” He brushed his thumb on the inside of her wrist, weakening her knees.
Before she could respond, he went on. “You’re honest to the point of blunt, but I never question where I stand with you. Your love for this land is so deep, I want to be included in it, even if it’s just for a moment. I’ve never met a woman so certain of herself and of what mattered most to her. When I’m with you, I want to make you smile, ease your worries, and solve your problems, but I know you’d hate most of that. Watching you suffer the last day has been torture, but I gave you space because I knew you wanted it.” Isaac pressed his cheek to hers and softened his voice to a whisper in her ear. “Holding you in my arms right now is like holding a wish. You are magic to me.”
The words filled her heart. It was too much. She’d accepted a life alone, even embraced its simplicity, but now this thoughtful and gentle man scrambled her all up inside.
“I don’t know what to say to that.”