She heard footsteps and turned toward the sound. It was dark, so she couldn’t see anything, couldn’t find a way to escape.

“Izzy?”

Relief allowed her to breathe again. “Nick.”

“What are you doing out here?” he asked.

“Hiding,” she admitted. “Aaron and I had a fight.”

“How is that possible? He loves you.”

“He thinks I should get the surgery so I can tell him how great he looks.”

“It’s as good a reason as any.”

She dropped her feet to the floor. “Very funny. Look, this is my body and my decision. You both need to lay off about the surgery. It’s not for you to say.”

“I’ll agree, but only for tonight.”

“Great. I’ll take what I can get. Where have you been for the past couple of days?”

“Here.”

“Okay, yes. You’ve physically been on the ranch, but you’ve been hiding out. What’s going on?”

“Nothing I want to talk about. Want to go for a run?”

“What? Now? It’s dark.”

“It’s barely dark and there’s a full moon coming up. Come for a run with me. You’ll be exhausted and you’ll sleep better.”

“I don’t have any trouble sleeping,” she grumbled, but she stood as she spoke and followed him down the two stairs to the front of the house. “Where are we going?”

“To the main road and back. It’s barely three miles. You up to it?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never been much of a runner.”

“I’ll go easy on you.”

“Like I’ll believe that.”

She didn’t like that it was dark. There might be a moon but it wasn’t like the sun as far as illuminating the world around her. Everything was blurry and menacing. But then she remembered Rita’s words about taking life one scary dark place at a time and moved next to Nick.

He jogged silently at first, setting a pace that challenged her without being impossible. They were in the center of the paved road that passed as a driveway. It was wide and relatively flat.

“Is Aaron already gone?” she asked. “I’m not in the mood to get run over by a man eager to be on his date.”

“He left a while ago.”

She nodded.

He’d left without trying to find her. Without saying he was sorry. She told herself their fight wasn’t important, but was the larger message that she wasn’t significant to anyone here?

“Focus on your breathing,” Nick said. “Feel it moving in and out of your body. Steady breaths. Match it with the sound of your feet and the way your body feels with each step. The energy flows through you. Every beat of your heart makes you stronger. Can you see the moonlight at all?”

She squinted at the sky. “Maybe. A little.”

“The glow is there, even if you can’t see it. The moon moves, goes through its cycle, regardless of what we do here on Earth.”

“Why are you talking like this?” she asked.

“Because it’s what you need to hear.”

“I gotta tell you, this is a little Zen for me. I’m not especially spiritual.”

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

“Do you want me to hit you? Because I can. I’ve been working out. I can hit you really, really hard.”

“If you can catch me.”

Who was this guy?

“Did you fall and hit your head?” she asked. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

“I’m showing you there’s another side of life. There’s a pattern to all that happens. You’re a single part of a greater whole. At the same time, you are the greater whole all on your own.”

She slowed, then stopped. “Now you’re freaking me out.”

He stopped in front of her. “What are you most afraid of in the world?”

That was easy. “The dark.”

“There’s no moon tonight, Izzy. Even you would be able to see it. It’s completely dark and yet you weren’t afraid.”

She shoved him as hard as she could. It was like trying to push down a house. “What? You lied to me? That’s really nice. Because I wasn’t already having a bad enough day?”

“You have it within you to be anything you want. You have the power. You always have. You’re not afraid of the dark. It’s not a wild animal that can hurt you. What you’re really afraid of is how you’ll deal with being in the dark. What you fear is yourself.”

She glared at his blurry shape, then pushed past him and headed back toward the house. “I liked you a lot better when you were just a guy.”

He followed her, staying behind her, but always close enough for her to hear his steps. Probably a deliberate act, she thought, furious with him for misleading her and herself for falling for it.

She wanted to scream at him that she was tired of the games. She just wanted to go home. Except where was home? Not Glory’s Gate. Even if she wanted to go back there, which she didn’t, Jed wouldn’t let her. So what was left? Living with Lexi and Cruz? Talk about three’s a crowd. She could get her own apartment. Except how would she get around? How would she buy groceries and find a job and support herself?

Maybe Skye would change the trust she’d created for Izzy out of her inheritance, allowing Izzy access to the money now. Only then what? She would be a semi-wealthy blind woman living in an apartment she couldn’t leave? What was she going to do with her life?

Suddenly it wasn’t the dark she wanted to escape, it was the uncertainty. She started to run again, only faster this time. She ran and ran until she saw the house in front of her. She dashed inside and took the stairs as quickly as she could. She raced into her bedroom and shut the door. Then she carefully turned on all the lights.

BETWEEN HER LAST CONVERSATION with Aaron and with Nick, Izzy didn’t know what to do with herself. She seriously debated getting the address of the ranch from Norma and calling a cab for a ride to Dallas. The only thing that stopped her was what she would do when she got there.

She sat at the breakfast table, sipping on coffee, staring out into the bright light of the morning. She could almost convince herself last night hadn’t happened. But what was the point in that? She might not appreciate Nick’s tactics, but she understood the purpose behind the message.

Someone entered the kitchen. She recognized Aaron’s footsteps.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he approached the table. “I was bitchy because I was nervous about my date. I just want you to be able to see, if only to be able to compliment me on my tasteful ensembles.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t think so. You look pouty. And puffy. Were you crying last night?” He sank down next to her and took her hand. “Did I make you cry? Say that I didn’t. I couldn’t stand it if I did. Izzy?”

She managed a smile. “I don’t believe in crying, but if I did, it wasn’t so much about you. I had a fight with Nick, too.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense. You two are circling each other like dogs in heat. Oh, wait. I don’t like that visual at all. You’re circling each other like…” He sighed. “I can’t think of anything, but you know what I mean.”

“I think so, only you’re wrong. Nick isn’t interested in me.”

“Oh, honey, you haven’t seen him looking at you. Trust me, the wanting is so there.”

She wanted to believe him, but didn’t dare risk it. After finally feeling more like herself it was icky to feel vulnerable again. Icky and uncomfortable.

“Maybe,” she said, not really believing him. “So tell me about your date with Steve.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice. It was fabulous. He made me laugh, he was charming. We talked about everything. Our past relationships, what we’re looking for in a man, the future. The time flew by. He’s very good-looking.”

“So are you.”

“Well, thank you. Although, and don’t take this wrong, a compliment from a blind woman isn’t as thrilling as you’d think.”

She grinned. “Really? Color me shocked.”

“Oh, good. Your attitude is back. Okay, let me tell you more. Steve likes his job, but he doesn’t love it. He’s into cooking and wine. We’re both from somewhere else-he’s from L.A.-but we both love Texas. We love the same wines, we both enjoy travel.” He sighed. “It was perfect. I’m so happy and completely terrified.”

“Because you’re afraid it’s not going to work out?”

“Of course. Love isn’t easy. Every time I get burned, it’s that much more difficult to take another chance. But he’s too yummy for me not to try.”

“Because the reward is worth the risk.”

“I just said that.”

“Right. Sorry. I was actually talking about myself.”

“But we already talked about you. It’s my turn.”

True, and Aaron loved taking his turn. Still, his words connected with her on another level. They could be talking about her situation.

She leaned toward him. “Will you take me into Dallas?”

“Of course. Do you want to see your sisters?”

“No. I want to see my doctor and I can’t ask them.”

“Why not? They’d take you.”

“I don’t want to get their hopes up.”

He was silent for a minute. “You want to talk about the surgery.”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Don’t tell anyone. I need to call.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Actually I need you to call. Dialing is a bit of a challenge for me.”

“Do you think he’ll see you today? Ooh, this is very exciting. I feel like a spy. Should I disguise my voice when I call?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Let me know if you want me to. I can do a British accent. Hello, this is Nigel Barker and I’m verry, verry handsome.”

“ANYTHING?” the doctor asked.

Izzy stared at the screen in front of her and shook her head. “It’s all blurry. At first I kept thinking if I blinked enough, everything would clear.”

“Sorry, that’s not going to happen.” Dr. Greenspoon moved in closer, a handheld light/lens thing held up to his own eye. “Look to your left.”

Izzy did as he requested. She’d had her eyes dilated, stared into what felt like the sun, had her eyes numbed, filled with drops, stained and now stared at.

“You’re holding your own,” he said as he straightened. “That’s a positive sign. Sometimes there’s deterioration. Your best option is still the surgery. There’s a better than ninety percent chance your sight will be restored to normal.”

Her stomach lurched. “But a ten percent chance I’ll be permanently blind.”

“I’ve never had it happen, but, yes, that’s a possibility. Izzy, if it would make you feel better, we can do one eye at a time. See how it goes.”

She shook her head. “If it went badly, I’d never do the other eye. It’s all or nothing.”

“That works for me. After the surgery, you’ll be in bandages for a week, then we take them off and witness the miracle.”

“You’re optimistic,” she grumbled.

“I’m a surgeon-it’s one part confidence, two parts ego. I need a couple of days to schedule it. I’m off next week on vacation but anytime after that.”

“Okay,” she said, oddly grateful that she couldn’t do it today, even if she wanted to. There was time. Time to think, time to assess the risk. “If the surgery fails, there’s no going back, right?”

Dr. Greenspoon hesitated. “There are always innovations,” he began.

“But I’d be dependent on a miracle.”

“Yes.”

She stood. “Okay, thanks for seeing me.”

He rose and squeezed her arm. “You’re a beautiful young woman. You have an excellent chance of fully restored sight. I know you’re afraid, but I do think your best option is to take a chance on the surgery.”

“I know.” Everyone was so free with advice. Of course no one else had to live with the consequences if things went wrong. “I’ll call the office when you get back and let you know what I’ve decided.”

“Take care, Izzy.”

Aaron was sitting in the waiting room when she walked up front. “And?” he asked.

“Nothing’s changed. I can have the surgery anytime after next week. There’s a good chance my sight would go back to normal.”

“So what are you waiting for? Why not go for it?”

“Because the alternative is being permanently blind forever. I can’t handle that.”

“You can handle anything.” Aaron put his arm around her. “You’re full of attitude. You’d manage. Look at Rita.”

“Rita’s a better person than I am.”

“It’s not about being a good person. It’s about not giving up. I would have thought you were the kind to move forward, no matter what.”

They walked outside. The sun was bright, but Izzy didn’t have to squint or put on sunglasses. It barely bothered her at all. What would it be like to be normal again? Was that possible? And if it wasn’t, could she live with the darkness?

“You face scary stuff all the time,” Aaron continued. “Didn’t you tell me you went swimming with sharks?”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“I got to pick the time and place. It didn’t just happen. And the consequences weren’t nearly this scary.”

“You mean losing an arm or a head is less frightening than being blind?”