him. "Her?"
"That naked girl over there behind the tree."
It took only a second for Jack to fully understand the implication of the young boy's words. It wasn't that he saw one nearly naked man and one very naked young woman. It was that he saw them. Both of them.
He and Kelly Jo had each returned to human form.
That couldn't be good news.
Chapter Fourteen
"What?" Jack jerked his head in the direction the boy pointed but saw nothing. Then Kelly Jo slowly stuck her head out from behind the tree, a forced, bright smile pasted squarely on her face.
"What are you doing?" he demanded. "How long have you been back there?"
"Not long," she said evasively.
"Kelly Jo..." Jack warned.
"Oh, okay," she exploded, still hugging the tree. "I didn't want to stay there alone. Daylight is beginning to fade and it's a little spooky," she said, then glared at him. "And shame on you for leaving me at the creek all alone."
"You're insane," he informed her flatly. "First you browbeat me into walking around soaked, in my boxers, to find clothes, and now you're ticked because I left you sitting in the water." He threw his hands in the air and shouted, "There's no way to get it right, is there?"
Kelly Jo opened her mouth to protest, but Jack, in surprise, turned toward the giggling young boy.
"You sound just like my dad," the youth told him. He looked at Kelly Jo. "And you sound like my mom."
Kelly Jo sniffed. "I'm hardly old enough to be your mother."
Jack watched Kelly Jo. She might be hiding behind a tree, but she was plenty cold, even if she had controlled her teeth chattering.
He turned toward the boy and held out his hand. "My name is Jack and this is Kelly Jo," he said warmly, hoping to get the young man's trust.
"I'm Wylie," the boy answered.
"Like the coyote?" Kelly Jo asked.
Jack turned to stare at her. " What is wrong with you?"
Wylie shrugged. "That's okay. I get that a lot." He glanced at Kelly Jo. "Mostly from girls."
Jack's attention returned to Wylie and in what he hoped was a sign of camaraderie, rolled his eyes as though to say, "Girls!"
Wylie grinned.
Jack tried to be inconspicuous when he again tugged his boxers from his butt, but he heard Kelly Jo snicker and saw Wylie's grin widen.
Jack frowned. "Our clothes...well, it's a long story," he told Wylie. "Especially the part about Kelly Jo's," he added, his hazel eyes casting laughter into Kelly Jo's unamused blue ones. "But the point is, they're gone and we're on what I think is a luckless quest to replace them. Any chance you could help?"
The boy studied him with a stony look. "You mean will I help you break back into my parent's home?"
"No!" Jack said quickly. "Nothing like that," he assured him. "Is there, maybe some clothes in your house that won't be missed, at least for a little while?" He raised one hand. "I promise I'll find a way to either get everything back to you or to replace whatever you can lend to us."
Wylie looked thoughtful. "I don't know if they'll fit you." He looked thoughtful again. "But I do have an idea."
"Make sure it includes underwear," Kelly Jo called from behind the tree, and this time her voice shook from her chill.
Jack grinned, enjoying Kelly Jo's plight but still wishing she'd had the cold, clammy underwear stuck-to-and-invading every nook and cranny experience that he'd had. She deserved no less.
"Well," Wylie said when Jack again looked at him. "My parents had an argument last night and my mom put her costume in a box and took it to the attic, said she'd never put it on again because of what my dad said. I can get that for you."
Indignant, Kelly Jo said curtly, "I am not wearing a Halloween costume!"
"Why not?" Jack asked gleefully. "Truthfully, I look forward to seeing you in it."
Wylie sighed. "That's what my dad said and that's why my mom put it away."
Puzzled, Jack said, "What?"
"It's not a Halloween costume," Wylie
"That naked girl over there behind the tree."
It took only a second for Jack to fully understand the implication of the young boy's words. It wasn't that he saw one nearly naked man and one very naked young woman. It was that he saw them. Both of them.
He and Kelly Jo had each returned to human form.
That couldn't be good news.
Chapter Fourteen
"What?" Jack jerked his head in the direction the boy pointed but saw nothing. Then Kelly Jo slowly stuck her head out from behind the tree, a forced, bright smile pasted squarely on her face.
"What are you doing?" he demanded. "How long have you been back there?"
"Not long," she said evasively.
"Kelly Jo..." Jack warned.
"Oh, okay," she exploded, still hugging the tree. "I didn't want to stay there alone. Daylight is beginning to fade and it's a little spooky," she said, then glared at him. "And shame on you for leaving me at the creek all alone."
"You're insane," he informed her flatly. "First you browbeat me into walking around soaked, in my boxers, to find clothes, and now you're ticked because I left you sitting in the water." He threw his hands in the air and shouted, "There's no way to get it right, is there?"
Kelly Jo opened her mouth to protest, but Jack, in surprise, turned toward the giggling young boy.
"You sound just like my dad," the youth told him. He looked at Kelly Jo. "And you sound like my mom."
Kelly Jo sniffed. "I'm hardly old enough to be your mother."
Jack watched Kelly Jo. She might be hiding behind a tree, but she was plenty cold, even if she had controlled her teeth chattering.
He turned toward the boy and held out his hand. "My name is Jack and this is Kelly Jo," he said warmly, hoping to get the young man's trust.
"I'm Wylie," the boy answered.
"Like the coyote?" Kelly Jo asked.
Jack turned to stare at her. " What is wrong with you?"
Wylie shrugged. "That's okay. I get that a lot." He glanced at Kelly Jo. "Mostly from girls."
Jack's attention returned to Wylie and in what he hoped was a sign of camaraderie, rolled his eyes as though to say, "Girls!"
Wylie grinned.
Jack tried to be inconspicuous when he again tugged his boxers from his butt, but he heard Kelly Jo snicker and saw Wylie's grin widen.
Jack frowned. "Our clothes...well, it's a long story," he told Wylie. "Especially the part about Kelly Jo's," he added, his hazel eyes casting laughter into Kelly Jo's unamused blue ones. "But the point is, they're gone and we're on what I think is a luckless quest to replace them. Any chance you could help?"
The boy studied him with a stony look. "You mean will I help you break back into my parent's home?"
"No!" Jack said quickly. "Nothing like that," he assured him. "Is there, maybe some clothes in your house that won't be missed, at least for a little while?" He raised one hand. "I promise I'll find a way to either get everything back to you or to replace whatever you can lend to us."
Wylie looked thoughtful. "I don't know if they'll fit you." He looked thoughtful again. "But I do have an idea."
"Make sure it includes underwear," Kelly Jo called from behind the tree, and this time her voice shook from her chill.
Jack grinned, enjoying Kelly Jo's plight but still wishing she'd had the cold, clammy underwear stuck-to-and-invading every nook and cranny experience that he'd had. She deserved no less.
"Well," Wylie said when Jack again looked at him. "My parents had an argument last night and my mom put her costume in a box and took it to the attic, said she'd never put it on again because of what my dad said. I can get that for you."
Indignant, Kelly Jo said curtly, "I am not wearing a Halloween costume!"
"Why not?" Jack asked gleefully. "Truthfully, I look forward to seeing you in it."
Wylie sighed. "That's what my dad said and that's why my mom put it away."
Puzzled, Jack said, "What?"
"It's not a Halloween costume," Wylie
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