“Autumn, it’s so good to see you! You were just a cherub the last time I saw those cheeks. Say, do you think you could put me down for five jars of Cedarwick Apple Butter this year?”
“Oh, me too!” Another chimed in. “And a few gallons of cider.”
“Youaremaking cider right?” Yet another woman chimed in. It felt like a thinly veiled threat wrapped in a smile and teasing. At least I hoped she was mostly kidding. “It’s so nice to have you here! The Fall Festival wouldn’t be the same without you.”
The onslaught of questions one after another caught me a bit off guard, leaving me unsure for a moment of where to start first. Sure the harvest was well underway, but I still needed to sit down with Riley and see what we could realistically come up with in time for the festival.
I didn’t want to promise something now then let these ladies down in the future. They were just genuinely excited to see me and trying to be helpful, it wasn’t their fault that I couldn’t really give them the answers they wanted right now.
“Alright ladies, back it up,” a woman called, cutting through the group. Yet another omega in this town with authority. Impressive.
Her light brown hair was twisted up in a cute clip and her cardigan had an official looking button on it that made it clear she held an important position around here.
“But Janet, we’re just trying to make sure she gets settled.”
“I know,” Janet reassured, placing a hand on the woman’s arm. “But why don’t you let me get her all checked in for the Fall Festival first. We wouldn’t want Autumn here to miss the sign up when she’s clearly worked so hard to make it here in time to participate. And I haven’t gotten to welcome her to Holiday Hollow yet.”
The group surrounding me nodded in agreement, clearly respecting Janet’s words and heeding them as they dispersed around us, leaving me to breathe freely once again.
“You must be Jack’s mom,” I said with a wide grin. “Thanks for saving me back there. I got kind of overwhelmed with all the questions.”
“That’s what mothers are for dear,” she said, giving me a kind look. “We’re all thrilled to have you here, some people just need that extra bit of perspective sometimes. I know my boys both do from time to time.”
“Boys?” I questioned. “I didn’t know Jack had a brother.”
Janet grabbed a cup, placing it under the thermos and filling it up before passing it to me. The smell of pumpkin and caramel filled my lungs, making my mouth water before I dove in for my first sip, the perfectly spiced pumpkin juice instantly brightening my day once more.
“I’m surprised you haven’t met him yet,” Janet said, answering my earlier question. “Him and Jack are close. If he’s not working or fishing, you can usually find them together. Although he has been known to chase a holiday honey or two, the man rarely sits still.” She gave a playful eye roll at his expense.
“Do I even want to know what a holiday honey is?”
“A limited edition treat that is only available for a brief moment every year before it's gone,” she said drolly, shaking her head. I’d never heard a quick tourist tryst referred to that way and I found myself adoring her that much more for it. “I love my son to death and he’s a fantastic man, I won’t have anyone thinking otherwise, but sometimes I wish he would take a second and slow down and enjoy the small moments around him. I’ve only told him so half a dozen times.”
The love was clear in her voice and it had me sighing. “Speaking from experience, I’ve needed to hear that five or more times myself. I’m sure one of these days either your son or I will get it through our heads.”
Her eyes brightened in recognition as she looked over my shoulder. “Looks like I’ll get a chance to nag him again and you’ll get a chance to finally meet him.”
She waved her hand, gesturing to someone I presumed to be her son, only when I turned around to see who was heading our way my eyes rounded in disbelief.
Crossing the sidewalk like he owned the place, was none other than the man who’d given me an entirely different kind of welcoming party. The aviators that sat just below the brim of his hat, and that wide, cocky smile gave the impression that he owned the place. That, or the shiny sheriff badge that was pinned to his chest.
“On the second hand, maybe I take back everything I just said,” Janet countered, studying the expression on my face.
“Hi mama,” he greeted, taking off his hat and placing a kiss on her cheek. His eyes darted back and forth between mine and hers, realizing a second too late that maybe he had walked into something.
“Hunter Elias Halston—why does this sweet woman look like she wants to take her apple peeler to your hide?” Janet asked with her hands firmly on her hips.
A wave of warmth spread over me, her fierce love and affection shining through even when she was reprimanding her oldest son. It made me miss my own mom a little bit, wishing that she wasn’t taken from us too soon. My dad tried his best, but he was a very hands off alpha who didn’t know the first thing about pack life much less how to raise a young daughter.
“Mama,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender while looking contrite. “Ms. Cedarwick and I just had aminormisunderstanding.”
“What did you do?” she asked again, each staccato word causing him to grimace.
“I may have thought she was trying to break into the farmhouse and attempted to arrest her,” he relented, looking slightly petrified of his own mother.
“Even had me in cuffs and everything,” I added helpfully, shooting him a shit-eating grin.
I was loving every single second of watching a grown man like Hunter squirm under his mother’s inquisition. It brought a warm joy to my heart.