Sapphire Falls: Going Haywire (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  Lying about their divorce. Why did he care what his parents thought? He obviously didn’t care when he left town and put money in front of them. She well remembered him grousing about the lack of opportunity at Sapphire Falls as opposed to San Francisco and the rest of the whole wide world.

  Max’s hand tightened as the door opened even before he’d knocked on it. Was it her imagination or was he nervous?

  Honey had briefly met Max’s parents at her wedding in San Francisco, but because of Max’s workload at the investment bank, he had never brought her to Sapphire Falls before. About all she knew were their names, Carl and Anne.

  “Maxy!” his father, Carl, shouted as two gigantic wolfhounds bounded out of the house, barking and wagging their tails. “Come in, come in, and oh, look at these two, so big now.”

  “Maxy’s here?” Anne, his mother, wiped her hands on her apron and threw her arms around her son, including Sara who he was carrying.

  Max’s father hefted Mattie in his arms and threw him in the air. “Mattie, my boy. How old are you?”

  “Oh, Honey, we’re so glad you came.” Anne grasped Honey’s hand and led her into the house. “Max was worried you had a writer’s convention.”

  He’d lied so easily.

  “Actually, I wanted to see Sapphire Falls, especially since he has such fond memories of Halloween here.” Honey smiled as she handed her jacket to Anne.

  She was aware of Max’s appreciative glance, and oh well, this wasn’t her battle to fight. If he wanted to trick his parents, then it wasn’t her business to prick his bubble.

  She was reintroduced to Max’s brothers and sisters, none of whom had left town. So typical. Everyone was warm and friendly, and truthfully, Honey couldn’t complain. They seemed to genuinely like her—but then, they had no clue what she’d done to their brother.

  Dinner consisted of pot roast and root vegetables, but dessert was completely off limits—apple cobbler, sugar cream pie, and caramel popcorn balls.

  “Can you believe Honey’s quitting sugar?” Max commented as he cut himself a huge piece of apple cobbler, just as Honey was about to sneak a cinnamon crumble from his plate.

  “Whatever for?” his mother’s eyebrows knitted. “Is it a medical condition?”

  Well, duh, it was a medical condition for everyone: adult onset diabetes, metabolic syndrome, blood sugar problems.

  “I’m trying to be more healthy,” she said, hoping they weren’t offended. “Besides, the food was so filling, I couldn’t stuff anything else into me.”

  “Well, you’ll need plenty of energy for all the fun this weekend,” Carl said. “Has Max shown you your costumes?”

  “Costumes?” Honey sipped black tea to stave off the scent of baked apples and caramel swirling around the table.

  “Yes, everyone spends the rest of the weekend in costumes,” Carl replied. “It’s a lot of fun. Gets cold by the riverside, so be sure to wear lots of layers.”

  “Oh, you young ones will have a wonderful time.” Anne gave Carl a knowing look as if remembering a particularly sweet time they’d had together.

  He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “Sapphire Falls is the perfect place for your second honeymoon.”

  “Ouch!” Honey felt Max’s swift kick under the table. Second honeymoon? They hadn’t even had a first honeymoon, unless the hasty night at Vegas counted.

  “We’ll watch over the children, of course,” Anne continued. “They’re going to have a ball.”

  “Yes, they are.” Carl glanced indulgently at Mattie who was making a mess with the apple cobbler, and Sara who had fallen asleep in the highchair. “The town square’s a kid’s Halloween dream come true.”

  Honey kicked Max hard. Not only was he not taking care of Mattie and Sara and letting her have her “bachelorette” weekend, he was now pretending this was their second honeymoon?

  “I think it’s time to tuck them in.” Max rose quickly from the table. One of his sisters got up, too, and picked up Sara.

  “Hey, buddy.” Max patted Mattie’s head. “Time for a ghost story in bed.”

  “Ah, I don’t want to go to bed.” Mattie yawned and rubbed his eyes.

  “But how will we see any ghosts unless we hide under the covers?” Max took a napkin and wiped up Mattie’s face. “I’ll even let you have a flashlight.”

  “To scare the ghost away?” Mattie scrambled off the chair and put his hands up, wanting Max to pick him up.

  As the rest of the family gathered around the TV, Honey was left alone with Anne in the kitchen. How much more awkward could this be? She put on rubber gloves and moved to help with the dishes.

  “I’m so glad I’m going to get to know you better,” Anne said as she filled the huge sink with detergent. “Max is always too busy these past few years, making a name for himself at the bank.”

  “He’s definitely a hard worker,” Honey muttered. What else could she say to not give away Max’s secret?

  “How’s your writing going? Max tells me you’re a romance writer.”

  “I try, but you know, I’m usually too busy with the kids to do any writing.”

  “That’s a shame.” Anne nudged her. “You must make sure Max gives you time. Have him take the kids to the park.”

  “He already does that.” On the weekends he has custody.

  “Wonderful. I’d like to read your books. Have you published anything yet?”

  “Not yet.” Honey’s shoulders sagged. “Maybe when the kids are older.”

  “I’m sure Max will give you enough time to finish up your book. He’s a wonderful father, isn’t he?” Anne handed her a dish to dry. “I’m so glad he brought all of you here. How do you like our little town so far?”

  “It’s nice.” What else could Honey say? Anne was, after all, Max’s mother and in her imagination Max was the perfect husband and father.

  “Well, I hope you have a wonderful time here. It’s hard to believe my son is back and with such a beautiful bride. Now that Max has made partner, I’m hoping he’ll visit more often.”

  Max made partner at the bank? Strange. He’d never told her that. But then again, maybe he didn’t want to raise his alimony amount.

  For the next twenty minutes or so, Honey and Anne talked about this and that, mostly things going on in Sapphire Falls. Honey was heartened at the amount of environmental activism in the countryside: farming without GMOs and the development of clean energy, the wind turbine being an example.

  Anne seemed to believe Max had a role to play with raising capital for the farmers around here to go green, but with the way Max lied and told tall tales, Honey was sure this was another bit of wishful thinking. Max only cared about the almighty dollar, and Honey doubted he could even relate to a down-to-earth farmer with dirt under his fingernails.

  “Mom, let me get the dishes.” Max charged into the kitchen and rolled up his sleeves. “We can’t have Honey doing anything but look beautiful on our second honeymoon.”

  “Oh, you’re so romantic.” Anne laughed. “You know, Honey, I never dreamed Max would be the first of my children to have a happy family. He was always a loner growing up, but looking at the four of you, I’m officially worried about my other grown sons and daughters.”

  Honey forced a smile and took off the rubber gloves. “Max is definitely one of a kind.”

  Chapter Five

  All Max had to do was find his way to Travis Bennett’s farm without Honey suspecting a thing. The entire town was going to be gathered there for the annual Haunted Hayride and bonfire by the river. There was also a hay bale maze for the kids, but his were too young to enjoy the scary things that jumped out in the dark. He’d take them in the morning to the park where they had a pumpkin patch and Halloween costume contest for the little ones.

  Instead of turning on Fuchsia Street, where the bed and breakfast was located, he picked Crimson Street, the direction toward the farm.

  Fortunately, Honey was too busy giving him the silent treatment to
notice. Times like this, he loved the silent treatment. Oh she was pissed all right, and she’d cussed a mean streak once she was out of earshot of his parents.

  But the kids were settled in for the night, and there was no way she could have made a scene without disturbing them. She’d been surprised to hear that he’d flown his parents to San Francisco to visit several times. See? He wasn’t that heartless to keep his kids from Grandpa and Grandma Wolff. When they’d wondered why Honey wasn’t around, he’d simply lied and said she went to a writer’s conference.

  His secret was safe—for now, and if all went well, Honey would be safely his again with no one having to know anything different.

  The winding lane ended in an empty field just off Travis’s farmhouse where rows of pickups and SUVs were parked.

  “Wait, where are we?” Honey elbowed him. “This doesn’t look like the Rise & Shine. Don’t tell me this is another one of your tricks.”

  “Trick or treat.” He reached over and gave her a gentle noogie.

  That earned him an eye roll, which was leagues better than the evil eye. Maybe Honey was warming up to him. All he needed now was for the town of Sapphire Falls to charm her and help him win her back.

  “What’s going on out there?” Her gaze turned toward a fire burning in the distance. “Shouldn’t we call the fire department?”

  “You’ll see.” He reached in the back seat and put a shopping bag in her lap. “It’s chilly out there, so you better dress warmly.”

  “What’s in here?” She huffed and opened the bag, pulling out a furry grey wolf suit. “Oh, no. No way. I’m not wearing this.”

  “Hey, where’s your Halloween spirit? Besides, it’s cold out there.” He shut off the car, and with it, the heater.

  “Then take me back to the Rise & Shine and my hot bath.” She slapped both thighs and threw her head back, signifying her frustration with him. “I’m tired of your games. I don’t know why you’re bothering. Second honeymoon. We didn’t even have a real first honeymoon. All I’m looking forward to is relaxation and rest. Sleeping in, breakfast in bed, reading in bed, and quiet time to get some writing done.”

  “You’ll have all that. I promise.” He leaned over the center console of the rental car and put his arm around her. “I know you’ve had it rough these past few years, and I wish I could turn the clock back and recapture all the time we lost.”

  She sighed deeply and laid her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know if we can ever go back.”

  He wanted to ask her why, but honestly, he couldn’t push her further. He’d already manipulated her into pretending they were still married and letting his parents take the kids so he’d have a chance to win her back. The fact that she was leaning against him had his heartbeat pounding with anticipation, but it could all go wrong in a split second, especially with Honey’s legendary temper and short fuse.

  He kissed her gently on the top of her head and rubbed her arm. “If you want me to take you back to the Rise & Shine and leave you alone, I will. But the entire town of Sapphire Falls is here at Travis and Lauren Bennett’s place, and I’d very much like it if you’d join me.”

  A wan smile crossed her face and for a moment, she melted into his embrace. Maybe she wasn’t as immune to him as she appeared. He’d been a fool to let work and financial success come between them.

  “Please?” He caught her eye and gave her a sad face.

  “Sure. I did come here to experience a small town Halloween. Maybe I can get material to write about. Oh, heck, I might as well put on the costume. It’s not like anyone knows me here. But you have to promise to let me sleep in tomorrow morning.”

  “Cross my heart and hope to die.” He gave her a squeeze. If he had his way, she’d be sleeping in on his chest, but then, he’d better not move too fast and blow the small amount of harmony they had.

  “Don’t die on me yet.” She yawned and really did look exhausted. “At least not until I expire.”

  * * *

  Was this entire fricking town conspiring against her?

  Honey waddled up to the farmhouse dressed in a baggy gray wolf costume, expecting to be ignored. Her plan was to hide behind her mask and fade into the background, the way she always did at the parties her sister invited her to in San Francisco.

  Being a writer, she loved to hang back and people watch, but how could she take mental notes when every person greeted her with a hug and wanted to know how she liked the town?

  Max was really hamming it up, just like a politician, shaking paws with everyone and introducing her as Mrs. Wolff. Not that she cared what they thought.

  “I hear you’re a writer.” A redhead dressed like Raggedy Ann sidled up to her. “Is it true you hang out in coffee shops and sip cappuccino all day long?”

  “I prefer the spiced chai,” she answered simply, wondering what other stereotypes these people had about the big city.

  “Then you’ll love our spiced pumpkin chai.” The woman, whose name she couldn’t recall, guided her to a refreshment stand. “We have another customer for spiced pumpkin chai.”

  Honey had just warmed her hands with the pumpkin chai when the hay wagon stopped in front of the refreshment stand.

  “Last ride to the bonfire.” A very big and tall farmer wearing a Frankenstein mask called out from the tractor.

  “Let me put that in a thermos for you,” the Raggedy Ann said. “You won’t want to spill this in the hay.”

  “I’m sure I won’t spill it.”

  “Oh, but it’s a haunted hayride, and you never know what lurks out there.” The woman took her cup and poured the contents into the thermos. “Make sure to cuddle up to your man, er, I mean wolf. It gets cold on the haunted hayrides.”

  She made a “whoooo” sound as she handed Honey the thermos.

  “Wait, where am I to return this?” Honey asked as Max looped her arm to help her onto the wagon.

  “Just leave it at the stand when you’re done.” The giant doll waved, smiling widely.

  Obviously people around here were not worried about things walking away.

  “All on board!” The Franken-farmer tipped his straw hat. “Mr. and Mrs. Wolff, welcome home.”

  “Good to be back,” Max said. “Have you given some thought about the presentation?”

  “No business talk tonight.” The farmer started the tractor, and it pulled the hay wagon slowly over the bumpy field.

  Honey settled onto the bale of hay in the corner of the wagon, allowing Max to wrap his arms around her. For the first time since leaving San Francisco, she let go of her worries. No one out here knew her, and her friends and relatives back home would never know that she gave into being Max’s doormat again, at least for the weekend.

  Besides, there was something comforting about rocking over the ruts of a harvested cornfield and staring at the twinkling stars. Max’s arms were warm and his chest was hard, and it’d been a long time since she’d been so close to a man—last one being Max when he’d gotten her pregnant after they were divorced already.

  “Aaahhh!!!” An unearthly scream rent the air as they passed under a weeping willow tree.

  Honey gasped and dropped her thermos as three figures fell into the wagon with ropes hanging around their necks.

  She screamed, swatting at the ghostly beings while Max held her tight and laughed.

  Laughed? At her? There was a reason she hated horror movies and scary films, and Max’s idea of a good date was just that—taking her to the latest bloodfest.

  “Let me off the wagon.” She pushed off Max’s chest and crawled toward the latched doorway.

  “I wouldn’t get off if I were you,” a man dressed as a ghoul said. “There are wolves out there in the field.”

  “Aye, and strange things beyond the river. They say some go out and never return.” A green-faced witch cackled.

  “Come back here.” Max pulled her back onto his lap.

  “Then I’m not looking.” She cuddled into his arms and shut her eyes.


  A few minutes later, they passed through a patch of standing corn. The maniacal sound of laughter shrieked along with a whooshing wind. Honey willed the tractor to go faster. But it bumped along and then, crap, it shut off, leaving them stranded among a stand of uncut corn stalks.

  Eerie laughter sounded all around them, and the corn vibrated, as if a troupe of zombies were slashing through it.

  “They’re coming. Help, help, they’re coming,” a woman screamed as the laughter got closer.

  Swish, swish, crunch, crunch. The steady footsteps and wicked laughter along with moans and growls filled the night air.

  “Honey, you’re missing all of this.” Max jiggled her shoulders. “You’ve got to see this. They look so realistic.”

  She could imagine the laughing zombies. No need to look. The other people in the wagon were already screaming.

  “Start the tractor. Get us out of here,” they yelled, although some of them sounded like they were laughing or drunk.

  The motor of the tractor turned and choked to life, barely. Slowly, too slowly, the hay wagon lurched forward.

  “Is this how it’s going to be the whole weekend?” Honey trembled in Max’s arms. “You know how much I hate horror movies.”

  “And you know how much I love you shivering and clinging onto me.” He removed her mask and stroked her cheek, satisfaction gleaming in his wicked eyes.

  This was the most attention he’d paid her in years, and this was why they were incompatible.

  “I’d rather watch romantic comedies with you.”

  He shuddered in horror. “Ewee, none of that ick.”

  “But that’s what I write.” She stiffened and pulled away from him. “Is that what you really think of something I love?”

  “Wwooo!” Howling and yipping surrounded them as the tractor again came to a stop. A gray animal leaped over the rail of the wagon and everyone on board screamed.

  Honey clawed at Max and tried to crawl underneath him. More creatures thumped against the wagon’s side, their claws scratching as they leaped aboard.

  One of the creatures, who looked suspiciously like the werewolf who’d scared her at the petting zoo, growled in her face. He yanked her from Max’s arms and flung her over his shoulder like she was a sack of potatoes.