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It was Monday morning, and because of the snow, instead of taking Nora to school, Cal was getting the little princess out into the winter wonderland, with the intention of chopping down a Christmas tree. Thanksgiving was only days away, and according to Mackenzie, Benton could come home on Wednesday if he continued to improve.
Cal meant for it to be the best Thanksgiving the Bridgestones had seen in years. He had Rose grabbing all the food and fixings they’d need and had wrangled some of her best recipes, including the green bean casserole with honeyed ham. It had been a while since he’d tackled cooking, but hell, considering he had Ryland and Scarlett to help, the outcome couldn’t be that bad.
“Do I have to wear my brown boots?” Nora stared up at him, cheeks flushed with excitement, thought a small pout touched her lips. “I want to wear my cowboy boots.”
“Those aren’t warm enough.”
“But I like them better.” She glared down at the practical boots on her feet and made a face. “These don’t have any sparkles.”
God. His niece was the girliest girl on the planet. How in hell Bent had managed to raise a daughter who thought rhinestones and glitter were the best things ever, Cal had no idea. He glanced up at the cubby above the coat rack and spied a pink scarf with shiny threads of silver and emerald running through it. He grabbed it and wound it around Nora’s right boot, tying it tightly. Then tried not to smile at the dubious look on her face as she rotated her foot.
“It sparkles in the light,” he said cajolingly as he straightened.
“Not super bright,” she said, but he knew he’d won this particular battle. “I guess it’s okay.”
“I’m coming too.” They both looked up as Ryland walked into the mud room. At the look of surprise on Cal’s face, the teen shrugged. “Carly was supposed to come over, but she’s not dug out yet. Besides, I know where the best trees are.”
Cal didn’t point out the fact he already knew this. Instead, he pulled on a hat and grabbed his gloves.
“We taking the sleds?” Ryland asked. At Cal’s nod, he headed outside. “I’ll bring them up from the shed.”
Nora helped Cal pack a bag of snacks and water. His and Ry’s contained granola bars, ham sandwiches, and fruit, while Nora’s had a bag of Froot Loops and a caramel candy apple that was left over from Halloween. He wasn’t sure they’d need the food, but the Montana wilderness could be an unforgiving place, and he’d learned at a young age that you had to be prepared whenever venturing out into it. He grabbed the shotgun from the cabinet, and they joined his brother outside. Scarlett was still in bed, and though Cal was more than a little worried about her, he knew she was dealing with some heavy things and needed time to work her way through them.
She’d come around. With a baby on the way, she had to.
Ryland led the way toward high country, and with little Nora sitting in front of Cal, pretending she was driving the snowmobile, he followed behind. The sun was high, brilliant, and so bright they needed their goggles. Without a cloud to mar its blue perfection, the sky seemed an endless horizon.
It took a couple of hours to get to where suitably sized Douglas fir grew, and by the time Nora trekked through a patch of them, it was nearly an hour after that. She sang along as she hopped from tree to tree and finally picked one for Cal to cut down. He got out the axe, and with Nora off following a rabbit trail, Ryland keeping track behind, Cal cut down the tree, covered it in burlap, and then secured it to the back of his sled.
By now, it was early afternoon, and they had an hour or so before they’d need to head back to the house. Hot from all the chopping, he slipped out of his coat and leaned back against the sled, munching on a granola bar. He was about to dig into a sandwich when movement caught his eye. He paused, narrowing his gaze on a patch of darkness that slithered between the stand of pine off to his right.
Unease slid through him. Cal slowly eased himself up off the sled—his shotgun was in its holder on the other side. Snow had begun to fall, big fat flakes that had come from nowhere, making it hard to see exactly what was out there.
He heard a low rumble and swore silently as he looked over his shoulder at his rifle. He leaned back and managed to grab it just as a growl made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. A lone wolf peered at him from the shadows, a big animal from the looks of it. Carefully, he readied the shotgun in case he needed it.
Cal was more than a little nervous. He hadn’t shot one in a long time.
Seconds ticked by as he and the wolf stared at each other, until they were both startled when Nora came crashing into the clearing, her squeals accompanied by her gleeful voice.
“Uncle Cal, I’m catching snowflakes on my tongue. Look!” The little girl in the parka had her face raised to the sky, tongue lolling out. “Can you see it?” she shouted.
The wolf took two steps forward, and Cal raised the rifle, his heart pounding at the thought of something hurting her. He exhaled slowly, had a clear shot, when Nora shouted once more.
“Penny, you silly girl. What are you doing there?”
Astonished, he took a step forward, unsure, as the large wolf bounded toward the girl and accepted her hug without pause. The animal turned its head toward Cal as if to saydumbassin a sarcastic way, and then ignored him completely.
Cal placed the rifle back in its holder and grabbed his cell. No one was going to believe this. He took several photos and had just put his phone away when Ryland walked toward him, arms laden with greenery.
“For the stairs,” he mumbled, walking by Nora and the wolf as if it wasn’t weird to see his little niece playing with a hundred-pound wolf. His brother unpacked their sandwiches, and they ate in silence, watching the little girl roll around in the snow, and giggle like a hyena.
“You’re sure the wolf is good with her?” Cal asked, dubiously.
“Penny would protect Nora with her life.” Ryland shrugged. “They’re bonded. We all are. It’s like we’re part of Penny’s pack.”
“She’s far from the cabin.”
“She’ll go back to him. She always does.”
