Sam stepped off the jet on Saturday afternoon, immediately aware of how crisp and clean the air was. The sun was warm, its late afternoon rays pouring over the mountains in the distance. She inhaled deeply, thinking maybe Cameron and Carla had the right idea, coming here every year. The smell was fresh, invigorating even. She greeted the driver who would take her to the ranch and climbed into the small SUV while he loaded her luggage.

They left the small, municipal airport and headed north towards Montgomery and the Hartstone Ranch. Sam felt herself relaxing with each passing mile as the scenery rolled by. It was like nothing she'd ever seen. Rolling fields of green as far as the eye could see, mountains rising in the distance, strong and unmovable, dark and inviting. She imagined those peaks white with snow and smiled to herself. She'd had her fair share of snow, living in New York, but she'd never enjoyed it. Right now, she wished she could see those majestic peaks covered in a blanket of white.

The car suddenly clattered over something in the road, startling Sam from her revere.

"What was that?"

"Cattle guard, ma'am. We've crossed into Montgomery. It’s all working ranch from here on in. The grates in the road keep the cattle from crossing over."

"Wow.” She said thoughtfully. “I had no idea you could keep animals in with just a grate in the road."

"No ma'am," The driver responded. “Just the cattle and only on the roads. The fence comes right up to the edge, but we can't block the road, so the guard keeps the critters from going astray."

“Learn something new.” Sam mused softly.

She continued looking out the window, mesmerized by the beauty surrounding her. She lost herself so thoroughly in the peacefulness of the ride, she didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until a light touch on her shoulder caused her to jump awake. The driver looked kindly at her while she tried to get her bearings.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, didn't mean to startle you. We've arrived now. I'll wait here while you see about your accommodations, then I'll help you with the luggage."

"Thank you.” She barely managed, slightly overwhelmed by the wonder of the place she would call home for the next two weeks. The driver had stopped at the top of a circular dirt drive. The road they’d come down was lined with lush pastures on either side as far as she could see in the waning light.

She turned to face the house. Inn? Mansion? Certainly, it couldn't be called a cabin. It was a massive structure, at least two stories, and had to be thousands of square feet.

Sam suddenly felt tense and uncomfortable. She was out of place here. Totally out of her element. It was a feeling she didn't like at all. Never show vulnerability. Own everything around you. Her father's voice, no matter how much she hated it, still rang in her ears at times like this.

She squared her shoulders and walked up the steps, through the wraparound porch, to a set of huge double doors. An oversized welcome mat proclaimed,

Sam lifted her hand to knock on the gigantic door just as it swung open.

"Hello Lovey!” Exclaimed the petite woman who stood in front of her. “You must be Sam. Carla called to tell us you were on your way."

Sam smiled at her. The woman was older, yet stunningly beautiful. Her jet black hair, pulled to the back of her head in a loose knot, boasted silver strands running through it. Kind, blue eyes sparkled, smiling back at Sam. Faint lines around her mouth and eyes said this woman laughed often and laughed much.

"I am. It's a pleasure to meet you...." Sam cocked her head at the woman whom she towered over.

"I'm Naomi Montgomery. My family runs this wonderful place and we're so happy you're here."

Naomi led Sam to a massive space that looked like a reception area and dining hall.

"Carla and Cameron have been coming here since their kids were just tiny things and we absolutely love them!” Naomi told her enthusiastically. “When Carla told us she was booking a friend who was in desperate need of some downtime, well we were plum thrilled!"

Not being much of a people person herself, Sam didn't quite understand those who were best friends with everyone they met. It seemed Naomi was that type. Maybe you had to be, she thought, to run a ranch where you entertained hundreds of visitors every year.

"OK." Naomi was saying as she reached a large chart on the wall with keys hanging under various numbered boxes. "Let's get you settled in before it gets too dark."

She grabbed the biggest flashlight Sam had ever seen, a set of keys from the box numbered "2", and set off toward the front door.

“George!” She called to the driver, “Bring us around to two, please”

"Sure thing, Mrs. Montgomery." He answered with a salute, and then they were all climbing into the SUV and George was driving into the thickening darkness as Sam once again wondered what Carla had gotten her into.

* * *

"I'm sorry, there must be a mistake.” Sam gently told Naomi when they arrived at cabin two. Telling herself to stay calm, in control, to politely point out that Carla wouldn't have booked her into a place she would be sharing. Sam didn't share. Ever. She didn’t sleep with other people and she didn’t sleep without a door she could lock.

Naomi just smiled at her with a motherly smile.

"No mistake. We always book cabin-mates. It's safer that way. If you have to go to the bathroom,” She explained. “There's someone to make sure you come back. And after dinner, there's someone to walk with you in the dark. We never have first-time visitors stay by themselves."

Sam counted backward from ten, and took a deep breath, doing her best not to exaggerate it. The first rule in negotiations was to make it seem like you could take it or leave it. She'd already messed up with her initial statement, so she started again.

"Mrs. Montgomery,” She began calmly. “I appreciate the consideration you give to your guests’ comfort and safety. That is so important. I appreciate that you've put me in cabin two and not cabin ten. I saw the numbers."

She gave a small laugh.

Naomi just smiled.

“I would really prefer to have a space to myself. If,” She added quickly, “it is at all possible. I don't mind paying extra, just let me know and I'll give you my card."

Way to take it or leave it, Sam.

Mrs. Montgomery studied her for a moment, then nodded.

"OK. We're not fully booked, since it's the end of September, so stay here tonight and let me talk to Greg. We'll see what we can do about getting you other accommodations.”

Sam sighed in relief and smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery. I really appreciate it."

"No worries, Love. The orientation is at ten tomorrow, breakfast at eight. We'll get you squared away after that. OK?"

"Yes, that sounds great. Thank you again."

George left Sam’s luggage inside the front door and he and Naomi disappeared into the pitch-black night. Suddenly Sam was very alone. Naomi had lit a lantern on the table standing to the left of the main area, but it wasn't providing any great amount of light. Sam searched every wall, but found nothing. No electricity. Great. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. She wasn't proud of it, but the great Samantha Covington was afraid of the dark. Now, she was stuck in a place that had zero electricity.

One of the reasons she'd chosen her high-rise apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows, was that it never left her in total darkness. It didn’t matter what time it was, in the city that never slept, there was always light shining somewhere. Sam took full advantage of that fact. The ways her father had used darkness to torture her would never allow her to coexist peacefully with it.

Checking all the cabinets and drawers, she found a few candles, an additional lantern, and matches. Sam opened the door to one bedroom, then the other. She placed the candles in the first one and took the lantern into the other where she would spend the night. She pulled her phone out, rolling her eyes when she turned it on. No signal.

"Carla.” She spoke out loud. "You are either really trying to push my comfort levels, or I did something to royally piss you off. Either way, you will never book a trip for me again."

Sam walked back to the front door, checked that it was locked, shoved a chair under the handle for good measure, and then checked the windows twice before carting one suitcase to her bedroom.

Once in her pajamas, she crawled into the bed, pleasantly surprised to find it satisfactorily comfortable, if a little on the small side.

* * *

Sam woke to the aching throb of a bladder demanding immediate attention, and then groaned in agony, remembering there was no bathroom in the little cabin. Carla was the subject of more cursing as Sam gingerly pulled on the boots she'd set out the night before and grabbed her big, warm coat from the bed. Opening the front door, Sam was pleased to see streaks of grey beginning to appear in the sky.

To her relief, she'd slept through the night without incident. Now to give her bladder some relief. She looked across the wide-open field to the big house, then side to side, but didn't spot anything resembling a bathroom. Were the guests meant to go to the main house? Surely not... even if so, she wasn't going to make it that far. She looked around at the relative darkness that still lingered and made a decision she hoped she wouldn't regret.

Squatting on the cold ground on the back side of the little cabin to relieve herself, Sam cursed Carla more vehemently. She decided this had definitely been a revenge move for something. She just needed to figure out what she’d done and make sure to never do it again.

Once her bladder had been relieved and she could stand, she dabbed as best she could with tissues from her toiletries bag, then quickly and re-covered her now freezing behind.

Sam knew the odds of being able to sleep again were slim. Looking around, she caught sight of a trail leading up the hill. She decided a run in this brisk, mountain air would certainly lift her spirits. Breakfast didn't start until eight, and it was just barely six, so she'd have plenty of time to get back and changed before then. After quickly changing into her running clothes, she started out at a slow pace, letting her lungs adjust to the cool air that was also much thinner than the New York air she was used to. The trail shoes, which she'd thought were clunky looking, even though they were quite light, were going in the win column for Carla. She'd insisted Sam buy them, knowing she wouldn't skip out on her runs just because she was supposed to be on vacation. The shoes were incredibly light. Also, they were waterproof and made with enough grip that she didn't have to worry about losing her footing or getting her socks wet while traversing the damp earth.