Lying in the hammock, I closed the book and held it against my chest. e branches above looked like hands and arms reaching in all directions. e white u y clouds beyond appeared to be tangled in the trees but I knew they weren’t. at was the thing about point of view—you saw things the way they presented themselves but that didn’t make them true. I wondered if this ranch was how I saw the tangled clouds.
ere was a sense of dread I had been carrying with me since I arrived. is place was di erent. Was I being paranoid or was there really cause for concern?
ere were too many coincidences. Too many things going wrong or just not how I thought they’d go. I should be completely relaxed, not on edge with thoughts running through my brain like a Rolodex. e scream I heard. e lack of Wi-Fi and cell phone service. My car acting up. And the missing girl.
e sheri said she never checked in. He veri ed it himself. But then why did he come here asking questions he already had the answers to? Unless he didn’t believe the answers.
Swinging my legs out of the hammock, I decided I was going to nd Calvin. I needed to at least ask him about the car. It’d been three days and his brother still hadn’t shown up. I got the feeling that maybe there was a reason for that. I knew I couldn’t just go marching around, demanding he x my car. I needed to be tactful, and despite everything, I liked Calvin. I was drawn to him like a cat to a mouse.
Lunch was a perfect excuse to approach him. Before running into the
house, I glanced at the eld, spotting an idle tractor and Calvin nowhere in sight. My eyes icked to the barn, the pond, the pasture. He was around here somewhere. Inside, I quickly threw together two PB&J sandwiches and snagged cold beers from the fridge.
Walking out to the pasture, Calvin was now driving the John Deere tractor with a lawn mower attachment on the back of it. I wondered where he’d been before. He mowed the area the sheep and cows didn’t get to, where the grass was longer than the rest of the eld. I knew the moment he laid eyes on me— because his face went from expressionless to excited. His smile was big, and he sat up a little straighter. He wore cowboy boots and a pair of ripped-up jeans that were torn from working on the farm. I held up the beers and the plate just as he pulled up in front of me. He immediately killed the engine.
“What are you doing out here, miss?” Calvin lifted an eyebrow and turned up the corner of his lip.
“Figured you needed a drink and something to eat.” “Well, climb on up here.”
I handed over the beers and plate of sandwiches. He placed them beside him and grabbed my hand, pulling me right up onto his lap. His skin was wet, hot to the touch.
“What do you got here?” he asked, holding up the plate. Jelly oozed out of the corners and part of the bread was torn from trying to spread the thick peanut butter.
“PB&J,” I said.
Calvin grabbed one and handed it to me. “My favorite.” He smiled and bit into the other sandwich. We didn’t speak until we nished eating. Calvin wiped o his hands and popped the caps o the beers on the side of the tractor. I clinked mine against his.
“ ank you, Grace,” he said just before taking a swig.
“I presumed you needed some taking care of too.” I tipped back the beer and drank.
Awe transformed his face as if I had struck a chord. I assumed no one had
taken care of him in a long time. My back still ached, not as bad as yesterday, and my head felt a little full but maybe that was because it was bursting with worry.
“Shall we ride?” he asked. “Yeah.”
e tractor came to life and jolted when he put it in drive. He drove it slow and steady through the pasture while the mower cut and spit out grass behind us.
“Calvin, I wanted to ask about the car. It’s been a few days.” My face was
expressionless, carefully hiding the fear I had of feeling stuck.
“I phoned my brother, Joe, last night after you went to bed to remind him and again this morning. He’ll be over today to take a look at it.”
I nodded.
Calvin glanced at me, tilting his head slightly “Joe forgets things sometimes. Hence why he doesn’t come around as often as he used to. But he’ll be here. You trust me, right, Grace?”
I hesitated but forced my head to go up and down. “Yeah.” “Good.” He pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal.
e change in speed caused me to fall back into him. Calvin caught me and
kept me steady, our faces only a few inches apart. I thought for sure he was going to kiss me right then and there, but he didn’t. He pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and looked ahead, leaving my eyes lingering, staring at his pro le—a strong chin, a carved jawline covered in stubble, and full lips that I was sure told lies.
