Chapter 5

Lyle shuddered from head to toe and willed his mind to get out of everybody else’s beds.

“You guys look wiped!” Henry exclaimed, letting go of Randy to shake hands exuberantly with Isaac. “How was the flight? Was this your guys’ first time on a plane? Did you have any trouble?”

While the chitchat got into full swing—led, to no great surprise, by Hannah, who regaled Henry with everything from her new Nook to how many A’s she’d received on her report card—Lyle’s thoughts drifted back to paws on snow and the weird tension left behind from the dream he’d had on the plane. It wasn’t until Randy and Vaughn were getting the kids into the van and Lyle was trying to shove his suitcase into an already stuffed cargo space that Lyle’s head finally came back into focus.

“How are you doing, kiddo?”

Lyle startled, and Henry dropped his hand casually and yet firmly on Lyle’s arm. “Have you been well?”