Chapter 17

Seventeen

"You ready to head to town, baby?" Kaleb poked his head into the bedroom, where Charlie was dressing to go down into Secret Springs for Halloween.

"I guess?" Charlie sat on the bed, legs out, and wiggled his toes at Kaleb. "I can't get my socks on."

"Oh, baby. You should have hollered."

"I texted."

Kaleb dragged out his phone, but there was no signal, which was an occasional hazard up here.

"That's it. I'm ordering us walkie-talkies." He wanted Charlie to be able to get him wherever Charlie was in the house without all this no-signal nonsense.

"We have a house that requires walkie-talkies and intercoms." Charlie's chuckle seemed a little breathless.

"Are you sure you want to go to town, baby? We can always just hide out up here. Our suite is off-limits to the tour anyway."

Hank was already downstairs, setting up the refreshments and such for the tour. Jack had sent a couple of hands from the ranch to help plow and sand the road up to the house, because they'd had their first heavy snow two days ago.

Charlie had worn himself out making sure the house sparkled for Hank, so maybe they should just stay home.

"Oh. Do you think anyone would be disappointed?" Charlie flopped gently back on the bed, arms out. "I would love to just be lazy."

"I don't think anyone will mind a bit." He would call and see if someone could deliver their supper from the hotel. He'd put in an order ahead of time, but there was always a high school kid willing to make money delivering up to them.

"Okay. Then let's stay home." Charlie lifted his head just enough to look over his mound of belly. "But I would still like socks."

"You got it." He helped Charlie sit up, then got a warm pair of socks to roll onto those poor chilly feet. "Okay, let me wander until I get a signal so I can call the hotel. And I'll get the dogs up here, huh?" He'd planned to take Neo and Trin into town with them, so they were downstairs harassing Hank.

"Thanks, love." Charlie scooted back against the pillows. "I'll get us a movie to watch." He grabbed the remote and the big throw blanket that lay on the bed.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Kaleb headed downstairs, where he found Hank arranging a big vase of Halloween-themed flowers on the table in the middle of the grand foyer. "Hey, Hank. Looks like we're staying in. I'm going to get dinner delivered. Will that put a kink in your plans?"

"Of course not! It's your house, love." Hank grinned. "Fuel or the hotel?"

"The hotel. Bridget was making a special meal for us." Charlie hadn't really had cravings, so to speak, but he could eat his weight in cheese puffs, white lasagna, and cake.

"Ah, well, Noah is coming up for the tour. The waiter that hired on a few weeks ago? So he can bring it up. I'll call him."

"Oh, that would rock. I just need to call the hotel and tell them we're not coming. That way they can sell the room if they need to."

He took the dogs out to go potty while he called, then dried them off and herded them back upstairs so they could all snuggle up and enjoy their evening in.

A rush of cold air washed down the stairs at him, like a gust of wind through an open window.

Ezekiel.

"Whoa." It had been a while since he'd heard what he was sure was Augustus's voice. "It's okay, man. It's just a tour. No one is coming to hurt the house."

The wind almost knocked him off the stairs, and down below, he heard the front door slam. He also heard Hank's wordless cry, and then, "Stone, get the meter! I think we have activity."

"I hope you're just putting on a show," Kaleb murmured, but he would take the warning, too. Whatever it was that Augustus was worried about, he would watch out for it.

The dogs just rushed upstairs, waiting at the door to the master suite to be let in, so he hurried up to check on Charlie.

Who was asleep, remote in hand.

He grinned, then tiptoed over to the other side of the bed while the dogs jumped up at the foot. They'd gotten the extra-long king bed for that reason.

"Looks like we need a nap until supper gets here," he whispered, and Neo and Trin settled right in, Neo's head on Trinity's back. Their stalwart protectors.

"Did I miss the movie?" Charlie asked, his voice blurred with sleep.

"No, baby. Rest. I'll wake you up when dinner comes."

"Mmmkay." Charlie lay back against the pillows and started to snore lightly.

This might be their very last Halloween in a long time that they got to just sit at home and not be down in town trick-or-treating on Main Street.

Either way, Kaleb knew he was going to be a happy man.

As long as the ghosts behaved themselves.