Chapter Six

I set my book down and pulled the covers up higher, telling myself there was nothing to worry about. They were just animals doing what animals do. The howls continued, like they were having some kind of midnight conversation right in my backyard.

I reached over and turned off my bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Somehow, it felt safer not to advertise my presence, even though that was ridiculous. I lay still, listening to the wolves, wondering if one of them was the same animal that had stood next to Ryder in the woods.

It was probably something that happened when you lived out in the boonies, but it was definitely not something I was used to. In the city, you heard cars and horns, out here, I guess it was crickets, owls, and wolves.

The howling continued, sometimes sounding like it was right outside my window, other times fading into the distance. I pulled my pillow over my head, but it did little to muffle the noise.

Tomorrow, I’d stop by Courtney’s place and ask her about the wildlife. If she’d lived here her whole life, she’d know what it was all about and whether I needed to worry.

My eyelids finally grew heavy around three in the morning when the howling tapered off. I drifted into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of glowing eyes watching me through the trees.

The warm spring morning sunlight streamed through my curtains, pulling me from a deep sleep. I groaned and rolled over, glancing at my phone. Nine thirty and I was still tired. It was also a lot later than I’d planned to wake up, but after last night’s wildlife concert, I needed the extra sleep.

I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled into the living room to tackle the last few boxes before heading to Courtney’s house. By eleven, I’d finally emptied everything, broken down the boxes, and stacked them by the door. My new house was officially unpacked, but I still had a lot to put away. At least, for the most part, it felt like home.

I grabbed one of Courtney’s cookies for my early lunch and headed out the door. The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and fresh wildflowers. Since the weather was more than pleasant, I decided to walk instead of driving the mile to her place.

Her house was easy to find since it was the only other house on the stretch of country road. It was a normal white two-story building with the most whimsical yard I’d ever seen. Cute lawn ornaments were scattered everywhere — cheerful garden gnomes, spinning flowers, a plastic flamingo, and more. Near one of the trees stood a black silhouette of Sasquatch, positioned as if he were trying to hide.

I walked up the stone path to her front door and knocked. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal a small boy with Courtney’s green eyes and a mop of light brown hair. He looked about four or five, if I had to guess.

“Mommy!” he called over his shoulder. “There’s a stranger at the door!”

“Mason!” Courtney scolded as she appeared behind him. “What have I told you about opening the door?”

“She knocked,” the boy said with wide eyes.

Courtney gently pulled him back, but smiled when she saw it was me. “Oh, Everly! Hello! I didn’t expect a visit so soon. It kind of seemed as though maybe I was bothering you when I stopped by. I’m pretty good at reading people.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for disturbing you this early.”

“Early?” Courtney said, looking down at the boy. “I’ve been up since five. This is not early.”

“Well, sorry for dropping by unannounced.”

Courtney waved her hand in the air. “Are you kidding? I invited you… I said anytime, remember? I’m so glad to see you. It’s been quite a busy day here already, and I need to talk with an adult.” She looked down at the boy again. “No offense, Mason.”

He stared at me without blinking.

“Mason, this is Miss Everly from down the road. She just moved in and now she’s our neighbor,” Courtney said, a smile brightening her face. “She’s not a stranger, okay? She’s our friend. Well, at least I hope she will be. Oh, gosh. I’m doing it again.”

“Mommy, you are good at talking,” the boy said, his head bobbing.

“Nice to meet you, Mason,” I said, shocked at how easily I went from stranger to friend.

In Chicago, no mother would tell their child a neighbor they’d just met wasn’t a stranger. I wasn’t even sure it was a good idea out here in the middle of nowhere.

“Come in, come in!” Courtney sang as she stepped back. “Please, make yourself at home and forgive the mess. We played with blocks, then colored, drove cars, and were going to settle in for a TV show with our lunch. Would you like something to eat?” Her nose wrinkled. “It’s just mac and cheese. Although I have coffee. Want coffee?”

“Coffee would be great, but I can’t stay long,” I said, following her into the kitchen. The floor plan was open, and she could see Mason on the couch from behind the kitchen counter. “Wow, this is nice.”

“Thanks,” she said, pouring coffee into a to-go cup. “It was remodeled like four years ago. I have these handy to-go cups for when I had to rush off with Mason and needed my morning coffee. Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat? Do you take cream? Sugar?”

I shook my head. “Really, I only stopped by to ask you about the area. And black, please.”

She handed me the cup and eyed me as I took a sip. “Too cold? I could pop it in the microwave?—”

“It’s fine, thank you.”

“What did you want to ask me?” she asked, leaning back against the counter.

I let out a quick breath. “This is probably going to sound weird, but like, did you hear those wolves last night? It sounded like there were a lot of them. Is that normal for this area?”

“Oh!” Courtney’s face lit with recognition. “You heard them, huh? They can get pretty vocal some nights. I guess you are a lot closer to the woods than I am over here, but we hear them some night, too.”

“And you’re not worried about it?” I asked, glancing toward her son.

“Not at all. They hang out in the woods behind your place. I think they like to be near that lake or something,” Courtney said, turning to the stove to scoop some mac and cheese onto a blue plastic plate. “It’s been like this my whole life. Just more wildlife out here in the country. Nothing to worry about. I mean, I wouldn’t let Mason play outside at night alone, but I wouldn’t do that even without the wolves.”

She brought the plate to Mason and set it down on the coffee table. “Thank you, mommy,” he said, smiling up at her. “Can I have yogurt too? And a banana?”

“Sure,” she said, placing a kiss on his head. She was smiling as she came back into the kitchen and collected the requested items. “His eyes are bigger than his stomach. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, the wolves.” She took out a knife and started chopping the bananas into discs. “They’re mostly harmless, really. Just big dogs. They don’t like being around humans. I mean, I wouldn’t recommend going to the lake at midnight, but Old Man Harrison lived in that house for as long as I can remember and never once had a problem with them. There were rumors that he used to feed them, and that’s why they hang out in those woods, but I doubt that’s true.”

“Mommy? Juice!” Mason shouted from the living room. “Please?”

“Sure, honey. Just a minute, okay?” She turned back to me. “The wolves really keep to themselves. Some locals even consider them protectors of the town, believe it or not. I like to think that’s true, too.”

I frowned. “The real estate agent never mentioned anything about a wolf pack living in my backyard.”

“Probably because they’re not actually living there,” Courtney said, flicking her eyes to me. “Did you actually see one in your yard?”

“No, but it sounded like they were?—”

“Well, there you go,” she said, bringing the rest of her son’s meal to the coffee table. “They will leave you alone. I know they will. They just sound closer than they are. Try to think of them as protectors.”

I nodded and took another sip of coffee. “Sounded like they were just outside my window.”

“They won’t come onto your property,” Courtney said, coming back into the kitchen.

My eyes narrowed. “Well, they could.”

“They’re probably more afraid of you than you are of them,” she said, turning to the counter to wipe it down with a clean towel. “Really, they’ll respect your boundaries. I bet you won’t actually even see one.”

Mason dropped his juice box, sending red liquid across the tile floor. He stood facing the kitchen with wide eyes.

“Oops,” Courtney sighed, grabbing a dishcloth. “The joys of motherhood. Good thing I got that stain-resistant carpet when I had this redone. It’s not perfect, but I bet you can’t find where he spilled the last juice box.”

I watched Courtney kneel to clean up Mason’s spill, feeling a bit like I was intruding on their family time. She seemed so certain about the wolves, but her confidence didn’t completely erase my unease.

“I should probably get going,” I said, holding up my cup. “Thanks for the coffee and the chat.”

“You’re leaving?” Mason asked, looking up from his mac and cheese with wide eyes.

“I am, but it was nice to meet you,” I told him with a smile.

Mason turned to his mom. “Can she stay and watch the cartoon with me?”

Courtney stood, tossing the wet cloth into the sink. “Sorry, baby, Everly is very busy today.”

“Maybe another time,” I said, giving him a smile. He just stared at me, but it wasn’t surprising since I wasn’t very good with kids.

“Seriously,” Courtney said, drying her hands on her shirt. “You don’t need to worry about the wolves. If anything, they’re good to have around. They keep the more dangerous predators away from the area. I know it’s probably a lot different from where you lived before, but there were probably other things you had to worry about there. It’s safe here. You’ll like it. I know you will.”

I paused at the door. “I suppose that’s true, but what do you mean by other predators?”

Courtney stared at me for a long moment, something flickering behind her eyes. “Oh, bears, I guess.” Her hesitation made me wonder if she’d been about to say something else. She shook her head slightly and waved her hand as her bright smile returned. “Thanks so much for stopping by. It’s so nice having another woman in the neighborhood. Please come back again whenever. My aunt babysits for my son a lot while I work, so he’s over there sometimes while I bake. I don’t know why I told you that. Say goodbye to our new friend, Mason.”

“Goodbye, lady,” Mason called without turning from the screen.

“I don’t let him watch TV all day,” Courtney said, noticing he’d turned into a little zombie. “Just while we eat, so I can get a little cleaning done.”

“Perfectly understandable,” I said, drawing in a breath. “I’d do the same. Have a good rest of your day.”

Courtney stepped up to the door and held it for me. “You too. Really, it was great of you to stop by.”

I waved and headed back out onto the road, the sun overhead burning down mercilessly on the top of my head. I was about halfway home when a truck came barreling down the narrow road, forcing me to jump toward the ditch. It roared past, kicking up a cloud of dust that hit me right in the face. I coughed, squinting through watery eyes at the receding vehicle.

Black Construction. Of course.

I raised my middle finger. “Asshole!”

Good thing I threw away that application because now there was no way in hell I’d get that job. His loss. Bastard should look where he’s going.