Page 5 of Christmas at Wolf Creek

“First time?” His brow furrows as he looks down at Nora again. “How old are you, kid?”

“Eight,” she answers quickly. “But Mom says we couldn’t go before because we live too far away from people.”

Something flickers across Jake’s face—surprise, maybe, or understanding. He runs a hand through his dark hair, then sighs. “Wait.” His voice stops us. He disappears from the doorway, leaving us standing awkwardly on the porch. A moment later, he returns with something in his hand. “Here.”

He drops a package of beef jerky and what looks like peanut butter cups into Nora’s bucket. “Best I can do.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jake!” Nora beams at him as if he’sjust given her diamonds. “I love jerky! Do you like my costume? I’m a cowgirl, see? I have jeans, a lasso, and everything!”

His expression softens slightly. “Nice hat,” he says, nodding at her cowboy hat. “Looks authentic.”

Nora practically glows with pride. “Mama got it for me. She’s a witch, but not a scary one.”

His eyes meet mine briefly, and I think I see the ghost of a smile. “I gathered that.”

An awkward silence falls between us. I clear my throat. “Well, thank you for the treats. We should get going—we’re heading to the main house next.”

“Main house?” he repeats, frowning slightly. “Thought nobody lived there except when the old man visited.”

“My family is visiting,” I explain, keeping it vague. “My... siblings.”

He studies me for a moment, and I have the uncomfortable feeling he’s piecing things together. “MacGallans,” he says finally. “You’re one of them.”

I nod, surprised he knows the name. “Yes.”

“Huh.” He doesn’t elaborate, steps back from the door. “Drive safe. Road gets tricky in the dark.”

It’s a dismissal, but a gentler one than I expected. As we turn to leave, Nora calls over her shoulder, “Happy Halloween, Mr. Jake!”

For a moment, I think he won’t respond. Then, soquietly I almost miss it, he says, “Happy Halloween, kid.”

Back in the car, Nora chatters excitedly about the peanut butter cups as we drive toward the main house. I listened with half an ear, my thoughts lingering on Jake’s chest and how good he looked in his jeans.

The main lodge comes into view, and I gasp in surprise. The entire front is decorated with orange and purple lights. Jack-o’-lanterns line the steps, and what appears to be a life-sized skeleton sits in a rocking chair on the porch.

“Wow!” Nora presses her face against the window. “Look, Mom! They decorated!”

I park beside Kane’s truck, stunned. When I left this morning, the house had been entirely normal. Now it looks like Halloween exploded all over it.

As we approach the front door, it swings open dramatically, and I nearly trip backwards in shock. Kane stands there dressed in full pirate regalia—complete with eye patch, bandana, and what appears to be a plastic parrot attached to his shoulder.

“Arrr, who goes there?” he growls, then breaks into a grin at Nora’s delighted squeal.

“Uncle Kane! You’re a pirate!”

“The fiercest pirate of the seven seas,” he confirms, bowing low. “And who might you be, young lady?”

“I’m a cowgirl!” Nora twirls to show off her outfit. “And Mom’s a witch!”

Kane’s eyes meet mine over Nora’s head, twinkling with mischief. “A beautiful witch,” he says with a wink that makes me roll my eyes.

“What is all this?” I gesture to the decorations. “The house was normal this morning.”

“Ah, that would be Wren’s doing,” Kane explains, ushering us inside. “After you mentioned you two had never properly celebrated Halloween, she went a bit... overboard.”

The interior of the lodge has been transformed. Fake cobwebs stretch across the ceiling beams. Orange and black streamers hang from the chandelier. A table laden with Halloween-themed food and drinks dominates one corner of the great room.

And my siblings—all of them—are in costume.