“You can’t?Does this have anything to do with Lord?”Enzo asked.
“No, no, it’s just that I don’t go to dances and I have a lot to do here.”She’d been setting up the driveway so kids would come trick-or-treating.Also, she had made sure to buy a lot of candy.She was not going to eat it all herself.
She had prepared little gift boxes for the ranchers who had kids, as well as their families.She liked doing the little extra pieces.One day, if she ever had a husband and kids, she wanted to celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving along with all the festivities.It probably sounded lame to some people, but she felt it was fun.
“Thank you,” Astrid said.She didn’t want to be mean, and she had never strung Enzo along.
Enzo nodded.“You can’t blame a guy for trying.Well, if you get bored or Lord pisses you off, give me a call.”
She doubted Enzo would be alone tonight.He was a good-looking man, clearly looking for a date, but she was not the person for him.
Finishing up her gathering of beans and herbs, she made her way into the house.Chicken stew and dumplings were in the last stages of cooking.She’d made a pumpkin pie for dessert, and prepared the vegetables for tomorrow.She liked to get ahead.Spending her time in the kitchen was her favorite thing.She always knew she loved to cook, but now it was her job, and she loved feeding people.
She cleaned the house within an hour.With just her and Lord, there was barely any mess.He had created an amazing ranch.It was really beautiful and scenic.She loved it.
Dinnertime came and went, with the ranch hands needing to get home and get their kids out to have fun.The ranchers all promised to stop by with their kids.They loved their Halloween package, and once the dishes were done, Astrid went to her room and changed into her witch costume.She added some freckles to her face, along with a deep red lipstick.She had already done her eyes, and just as she put on the finishing touches, the doorbell rang.
Rushing downstairs, she did not expect to see Lord at the door.He opened the door to the kids, and she partly expected him to start growling, but he looked a little confused.
“Here you go, kids,” Astrid said, making her way to the large pot of sweets, and lifting it down for them to take their candy.
Their eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but laugh.This is what she loved about Halloween.A holiday that encouraged sugar rushes and rotten teeth.
“You’re serious about this?”Lord asked.
He was still in his ranch clothes, and she was shocked to see him at all.They lived together and she worked for him, but she rarely saw him.
“Of course.It’s fun, and I did carve all those pumpkins and put out all the decorations.”
She didn’t ask for any help, however, several of the ranchers did help her, and not just Enzo.They told her she was a good woman.They liked her.It was the first time in her life she was actually ...liked.
“Besides, Blake said he’d stop by with his kids, and other ranchers did as well,” she said.“I hope you don’t mind?”
Astrid did ask, and she had taken his acceptable grunts as approval.That is what she had assumed they were.Now, she wasn’t quite so sure.Had she overstepped the mark?She nibbled her lip.
“I will go and get changed,” Lord said.
She didn’t have a chance to ask him what he meant, as the doorbell rang again.There were more kids, and she just loved the costumes.There were a lot of spooky ones, some from movies, others just the usual monsters people dressed up as at Halloween.
The doorbell rang six more times before Lord joined her.He wore some kind of old garments that were torn at the cuffs and hems with fake blood on them.He literally looked like some ravaged old lord.He’d even put a hairpiece on.
“We’re taking this outside.If I hear that fucking doorbell ring again, I’m going to destroy it, and it took me hours to install.”
She did have every intention of taking this outside as she knew from past experiences how annoying the ringing bell could be.The only reason she hadn’t done so was that it had gotten seriously cold in the past few hours.As she stepped out, she felt the chill go right through her.The costume she wore was not exactly made with thick material, and she felt herself starting to freeze almost instantly.
Astrid was not a complainer.
Fall and winter were her favorite times of the year.She just happened to love being cold when she was snuggled under a thick sweater.There was no time to be cold, though, as the kids came.
Lord didn’t show any sign of the cold affecting him, but after an hour, and even seeing Blake and his lovely family didn’t help.
Astrid tried to hide her shaking hands, or the fact her breath kept coming out in waves of mist.
“You’re cold,” Lord said, removing his jacket and placing it over her shoulders.Some of the kids had asked what he was, and he said, “an old person,” which they all laughed at but were freaked out about.
No one knew Lord’s age, and everyone knew wolves aged slowly.He could be a couple of hundred years old.He had thick black hair with a few streaks of grey.He was grumpy a lot of the time.It wasn’t like he talked about the good old days.In fact, for the most part, he was quiet.
The kids seemed to also love the fact he kept them guessing whether his outfit was really his from a past life, or not.
