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I laugh. “Well, I’m a little afraid there’s going to be a snake in the grass.”
“Hmm, it is copperhead birthing season.”
My heart stops at his words. “You’re kidding me. Let’s go back. Seriously, Adam.” My voice is shrill.
He starts to chuckle. “Hey, hey, I’ve got you. People rarely ever die from snakebites anyways, okay?”
I can barely make out the smile on his face. “Rarely? Okay, I don’t exactly want to take any chances!” My city-girl bones run deep.
His smile fades. “Well, if you really want to go back, we can, but we’re almost there.”
He waits patiently for me to decide as I survey the grass around us.
“Ugh, okay, only because you have me curious.”
I’m genuinely willing to risk a snakebite just to spend more time with him.
“Okay, let’s go. Here.” He lets go of my hand, but before I can protest, he sweeps me up into his strong arms.
I make a little eek sound, surprised and delighted to get spoiled twice in one night. “Okay, seriously, if you keep spoiling me like this, I’ll be ruined for every other man,” I joke.
My hand clutches his shirtfront as he easily carries me over toward the silos.
“Hmm, I like the sound of that,” he muses as we get closer.
My flashlight reveals a rusty ladder.
“Okay, so usually, these ladders are made well enough to withstand the elements, but I want to test it to make sure, okay? I’m going to set you down. We would’ve scared away any snakes, walking up.”
He waits for me to approve, so I nod. He lowers my feet down to the ground.
“What if you fall?” I ask, concern etching my tone.
“Then, I guess you’ll have to call an ambulance with your fancy phone.” He winks at me, reaching his thick arms up to grip the bar. He lifts himself onto the high ladder effortlessly, starting to climb. He pulls on each ring before going up.
Once he’s gone all the way, he comes back down, jumping to the ground.
“Okay, it’s good to go. You ready?”
He’s got a big grin on his face, and his excitement fuels me.
“Okay, but if I die, they’ll say you brought me out here for nefarious purposes and dug a hole to bury me, you know.”
I turn off my flashlight, shoving it in my back pocket.
“I’ll have to give you a boost,” he says.
I look up to see the first rung is about equal with my eyeline. He comes up behind me, kneeling down in the grass on one knee. The pose completely catches me off guard, and I stare down at him for a few seconds.
“Umm…what are you doing?” My mouth is agape. Surely, this isn’t some strange backwoods tradition of…
“I’m giving you a boost. Put your foot on my knee and climb up,” he says, confusion pinching his brow.
I let out a sigh of relief, my hand pressing against my chest. “Okay, cool. I got this.”
I step up onto his knee with my no-slip black work shoes, reaching up both hands to grip the bottom rung.
“What did you think I was doing?” he asks, grunting as he does most of the work, lifting me up onto the ladder.
