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instead of waiting on you to get us into deeper trouble, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand….”
    Her voice trailed off, as if she realized what she said came out different than intended. True, his procrastination in enlisting professional help to deal with the ghost allowed the haunting to escalate far beyond what either one expected.
    “ Yeah… I’ll never forgive myself for that,” said David, his mood immediately depressed.
    “ Honey, I’m so sorry. That’s not what I—”
    “ It’s okay,” he interrupted her; grimacing as he thought of Norm. The best friend he ever had aside from her was gone forever. Before he fell any deeper into despair, she moved in close, clasping his gloved hand in hers.
    “ It’s not what I meant, and I’m really sorry it came out like that,” she whispered huskily, pressing her bosom against his shoulder.
    He looked at her and mustered a weak grin.
    “ I know,” he replied, forcing a wider smile. “It’s Christmas. Everything will be fine.”
    Ruth glanced over her shoulder at them and smiled, perhaps admiring how they seemed so much like true lovebirds, hand in hand and leaning into each other. They drew in even closer once outside the terminal building, everyone walking briskly to where the Chrysler waited.
     
    ***
     
    The minivan pulled up the circular driveway of the Hobbs’ Littleton home just before six o’clock. The grand Cape Cod stood majestic, decorated in colorful holiday lights Tyler plugged in when they left that afternoon.
    “ Now… that’s a beautiful house. Very fitting for ya’ll,” observed Ruth, once the van stopped and everyone else began to pile out. “It’s much roomier than the townhouse ya’ll lived in the last time I was here…wasn’t it in the foothills someplace?”
    “ In Lakewood,” said David. “With the kids getting older, we wanted a place where they could have room to run around.” He turned off the ignition.
    “ Plus, the schools are a little better, and I’m fortunate to have my practice just a few miles down the road,” added Miriam, referring to the pediatric clinic she co-owned with two other doctors. Both she and David had arranged their winter vacations to coincide with Ruth’s two week stay in Colorado, with David getting the longest reprieve. He didn’t need to return to Johnson, Simms & Perrault, the accounting firm he worked for as an auditor, until after New Years.
    “ I’ll grab Auntie Ruth’s bags and join everybody inside,” said Tyler, handing the PSP back to Christopher and climbing out before anyone else had removed their seatbelts.
    He ran around to the rear of the Chrysler, waiting for his dad to open the back hatch. He grabbed both of Ruth’s suitcases and her coat bag. She continued to keep her carry-on with her, which became increasingly mysterious to Jillian and Christopher.
    The scent of cinnamon-apple and pumpkin spice candles greeted them all upon entering the house, along with the powerful aroma from the decorated Douglas fir standing in one corner of the darkened living room. Unlike the unearthly chill David expected, the main floor was warm and cozy. The soft drone from the furnace pushing warm air throughout the house gave him a sense of well-being he hoped was genuine.
    Jillian and Christopher raced each other for the privilege of turning on the Christmas tree lights. Meanwhile, David helped Tyler with Ruth’s luggage. Together they moved upstairs to the guestroom prepared for her earlier that day. She and the younger children settled downstairs in the living room while Miriam fixed everyone a cup of hot cocoa in the kitchen.
    The temperature along the upstairs landing seemed much colder than earlier, as if someone had left several windows wide open. Yet, when David and Tyler checked, every window remained shut. Tyler followed his dad’s s lead into the guestroom. The deep chill that pervaded everywhere else upstairs gave way to warmth rivaling the living room’s