As the sun slowly dipped beyond the mountains, a golden shadow fell upon the Ranch Hill. The ground, heated throughout the day, hadn't fully cooled, but the wind felt noticeably fresher.
When the wind had passed, and the sun had completely set, the moon and stars filled its place. In the dead of night, they left the house.
“Ethan, this way!”
On the prairie, where the sound of bugs humming softly, Lynette, holding her skirt hem slightly, ran barefoot through the grass.
Perhaps the touch of the grass on her toes was ticklish and cool, for she carefully lifted her skirt hem a little more and stretched her legs deeper.
Ethan followed her leisurely, but when her legs were revealed beyond her skirt hem, he couldn't help but let out a dry cough.
“Be careful. There are many bugs.”
“It's okay. On a day like this, it's fine to be bitten a little.”
A small, clear laugh that cut through the night air.
The grass brushed against her white feet and ankles, and night fell silently between the strands of her fluttering hair.
“This feels nice.”
The edge of the prairie, where cows had grazed during the day, was now a quiet space enjoyed only by people. A moderate breeze, making the summer heat bearable, blew, and the night sky, clear of a single cloud, was full of stars.
Lynette, her chest heaving as she caught her breath, took a deep breath of the night air and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was a sparkle in her eyes, and a red hue tinged her cheeks. And at that moment—
“—Ethan!”
She suddenly ran towards him. Ethan's eyes widened for a moment.
“What, why——”
Lynette jumped into his arms. Her small body nestled into his embrace, and she clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Ethan lowered his knees to receive her stably, but his bewilderment was undeniable in his gaze. Unlike him, Lynette in his arms was so radiant.
“Just because. I wanted to be held like this.”
"...You're cute."
Only then did Ethan fully embrace her body tightly, and atop that, his wife bestowed kisses filled with love wherever her lips landed.
“Before I returned here... I didn't even know where it would be warm to be held, but now I know. Ethan is the most dependable and cozy.”
At those words, Ethan couldn't say anything. He just silently wrapped his arms around her waist and patted her back very slowly.
“Thank you. For being by my side.”
The starlight fell silently, and the cry of the bugs grew clearer.
For Ethan, the way to become the happiest in the world was not far away. The woman in his arms was the warmest wife in the world, one who knew how to be held by the person she loved, and all he had to do was hold onto that person tightly.
"That's what I wanted to say."
With a smile, he continued their stroll at a slow pace, holding Lynette even when she asked to be put down. Chattering softly, they walked their own world, and at some point, lay side by side, feeling the breath of the prairie as the grass tickled them.
The grass, moderately moist and not dry, was not rough but plush. The sky above the softly pressed grass was covered with stars that seemed about to pour down, and the small, sparkling flow of the Milky Way trickled gently into their eyes.
Ethan supported his head with one arm, and offered his other arm to Lynette. Lynette, using his arm as a pillow, turned her body halfway to hug him and murmured with a small smile.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah.”
Ethan’s reply was short, but not dismissive.
If he had to think about it, Ethan had never attached much meaning to the sky that had always been with him.
Besides, even now, he thought Lynette lying beside him was far more beautiful than the sky, but seeing her eyes full of stars, his heart melted without him realizing it.
In the end, was his wife the beautiful thing to him? However, no one was here now to question the overflowing emotion.
“Ethan. There, do you see that constellation?”
"Where?"
Lynette raised her hand and slowly pointed to the sky.
“This star stream that extends north from here, that's the summer Milky Way. It's the densest and brightest because we're looking towards the galactic center.”
"Is it different from other seasons?"
Ethan silently followed her pointing gaze. He enjoyed listening to her chattering voice, explaining various things about the stars to him.
“In the old days, Astronomy was connected to Astrology and Magic, so reading the night sky was one of the virtues of a mage. That's how I learned a lot, but... if I hadn't been a mage, I might have dreamed of becoming an astronomer.”
"Really?"
"Ah, it wasn't a dream I had there, though... When I was there, I rarely saw the sky. Except when I went to the Tower to observe, most of the time I was inside a building, the windows were small, and heavy curtains always hung on the window frames.”
It wasn't a good memory, but even so, she could still speak with a smile now. Lynette's nightingale-like voice, though softly lowered, was a sweet tone that matched the night's temperature well.
“But when I was little, I looked at the night sky every night.”
She closed her eyes gently and then opened them again, a soft breath accompanying it as if retrieving a long-buried memory.
“Wandering here and there with Mom and Dad was always late at night, and as a child, I would fall asleep in their arms while looking at the sky.”
Lynette continued, smiling faintly. She didn't talk to anyone about leaving, but Ethan was one of the few who remembered her as a child, and also her devoted confidant.
“Even when I waited for my parents at the ranch. I used to wish the sky would shine even a little brighter so Mom and Dad could find their way back across the prairie.”
A similar scene existed in Ethan's memory from his adolescence, when he had helped a young child count.
"After looking at the stars for so long, I memorized them all without realizing how the stars move in autumn, around what time they are most numerous on a summer night...”
Ethan looked at her without a word. Clearly, she didn't need comfort right now. Lynette's delicate face held lonely memories, shadows, and the present peace.
“...It didn't come true, but I still didn't dislike the night. It's much happier to think of it as my friend connecting time.”
She turned her head to look at him and smiled brightly.
“And now, it’s also a wonderful wind chime I see with Ethan.”
At those words, Ethan closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and quietly kissed her cheek.
“That’s nice.”
At the pleasant touch, Lynette rested her head on Ethan's shoulder and wrapped her arm more tightly around his side; under the starlight, their two bodies were as close as one.
"Will it get cold if we fall asleep like this?"
"You might catch a cold."
“Huhu, what a shame.”
At Ethan’s playfully teasing voice, Lynette chuckled, her shoulders shaking. They lay in each other’s embrace, looking at the sky in silence for a while.
The night was deepening. The cows were all asleep, and the ranch was a cozy space for just the two loving people.
Lynette, in this place filled with things she loved, gently closed her eyes to the weight of the day pouring down, and at some point, she was leaning against Ethan's chest, her breathing small and even.
Ethan, watching her, slowly raised his head and looked at the sky. The sky he had looked at his whole life. And yet, today, it seemed special, just as she had said.
Lynette’s chattering words came to mind.
‘I love summer Nights with Stars like this, looking like they’re about to pour down.’
Even if he stared intently at that Sky, he wouldn't be able to embrace this Night as much as she did, but he would remember that her eyes, when she spoke those words, held Stars brighter than the Night Sky.
Ethan kissed her lovely Hair and carefully lifted his Wife. The grass tickled between his shoes and trouser cuffs.
"Ugh."
As she murmured quietly when he moved, Ethan once again showed his Bride enough Affection not to wake her and moved his feet.
"Don't wake up. If you're disappointed, we can come again tomorrow."
At his words, which soothed her sudden disappointment, Lynette smiled faintly. This was her Husband. A gentle kindness that spread pleasantly; Lynette was filled with the sensation of being loved.
As they slowly crossed the Prairie—
“Woof!”
With a short Cry, someone bounded towards them.
“Mello.”
Mello, the Sheepdog who guarded the cows and roamed near the Barn, was running towards them, a few blades of green Grass stuck to his glossy fur.
"Shhh. Shh, calm down."
In the Grass field without cows, Mello rubbed his nose against his Leg, showing his delight. However, Ethan, with no hand to spare for petting, offered a Smile instead.
As he continued walking, avoiding the dog as much as possible so she wouldn't wake, Mello trotted along behind him.
Like their bodyguard.
The Night air was still cool, and the Sky was full of Stars. Ethan and Lynette, and the loyal Mello guarding their side. The Night at the Ranch, where Love and peace resided, was deepening like that.