Page 36 of Off-Limits to the Grizzly

I follow his gaze. There’s a little orange glow showing at each window, but no more. “Very strange.”

We raise an eyebrow at each other.

When Zach swings open our big wooden front door, the house is as cozy as ever, but silence greets us. And the hallway is dark. But when I go to flick on the light switch, I hear something—a little squeak of rubber soles on tile, perhaps. Zach touches my shoulder, and puts a finger to his lips.

I drop my hand from the light switch and we keep walking into the house.

“Where are the kids?” I say loudly.

“Maybe they’re taking a nap,” he replies.

Suddenly, there’s an eerie wail, and two white shapes hurtle out of the darkness and wrap themselves around me. I let out a scream.

A moment later, Zach yells and collapses on the ground as a tiny skeleton jumps on his chest. “Arghh! We’re being attacked!” he hollers.

“Jessie, Riley, come save us!” I wail.

Three little monsters explode into hilarity.

“I’mJessie!” says the little white sheet that’s now staring up at me. Through two little round eyeholes, I can make out my daughter’s earnest blue eyes.

I frown. “You’re not Jessie. You’re a little ghostie. What have you done with my daughter?”

“She’s here!” Jessie tears the sheet off her head, cackling uproariously.

“But who’s this?” I turn to the other ghostie in mock confusion.

“Liam!” he yells, tearing off his own sheet.

“Thank goodness! I thought you’d been kidnapped.”

The kitchen light flicks on. Kayla and her mate, Enzo, are standing behind the island, grinning broadly.

“Surprise!” she says.

“They’ve been planning that all afternoon,” Enzo says, as the kids tear off, chasing each other, accompanied by blood-curdling screams.

“And you’ve been baking.” My mouth waters at the sight of a huge pumpkin pie cooling on a rack.

“Thought we should get in the spirit of things.” Kayla takes out a knife and cuts four slices. “They’ve been asking if they can go trick-or-treating tonight.”

“Oh, yeah!” Zach jumps in before I have time to reply.

I shoot him a look of surprise.

“I’ve always loved Halloween.” He rubs his hands together. “I’ll take them around Twin Falls this evening.”

Kayla smiles at me with a glow of pride. Zach is such an amazing father to Jessie, Riley and Liam. He’s so energetic and involved in everything. And Kayla loves him for it. She says he was a great father to her as well. At the time, she thought he was this huge disciplinarian, but now she recognizes that if he hadn’t been like that, she would’ve gotten into real trouble. And he took care of her all those years, even though she wasn’t his own.

“I’ll come with you?” Enzo offers.

“That’d be great,” Zach says happily, clapping him on the shoulder.

The pumpkin pie is delicious. Still warm and perfectly spiced. It reminds me just how much I love this time of year, when the nights are drawing in, and everything turns orange and gold. And it’s so much more fun when we’re celebrating with our kids.

Kayla puts down her fork and narrows her eyes at me. “So, you gonna tell us where you’ve been all afternoon?”

I copy her expression. “If you tell me where you went this morning?”

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