Return to Hollow Inn

by Tara Ellis

  “The central cabin has bathrooms, a kitchen, a fireplace, and a game area,” Tori explains. “This is designed to simply be a place to sleep. Nothing fancy.”

  “We love it!” Ally exclaims, confirming Sam’s feelings. “I feel like we’re back at camp.”

  Nodding, Tori leans against the doorjamb and crosses her arms over her chest. “Exactly! That’s what Mr. and Mrs. Clark are going for. I think the idea of families getting away for a few days and getting back to basics is brilliant.”

  “Is that why you’re here?” Sam questions. “I mean, if you’re retired from the Air Force, I’m sure you could do pretty much whatever you want.”

  Tori’s pleasant features cloud and she pushes away from the door. “Sure. Something like that. Let’s go see about that food. I’m sure your uncle will drop your bags off.”

  Sam exchanges a quick look with Ally, who shrugs and widens her eyes in an “I don’t know” gesture. They shut off the light and rush to keep up with the older woman, who is already headed for a larger cabin in the middle of the clearing.

  Looking around in the rapidly spreading darkness, Sam is impressed with everything her aunt and uncle have accomplished the past year. The four guest cabins are set apart with several large pine trees between them, giving a sense of privacy. There are scattered picnic tables, with the main cabin in the middle of it all. Some distance from the main structure is a vast campfire area, complete with a stone fire pit and wooden stools and benches.

  Tori is opening the door to the main cabin as Sam and Ally reach her. When she turns to acknowledge them, Sam is relieved to see she’s smiling again. “This is the best part,” Tori says as she steps inside.

  Following, Sam’s eyes adjust to the bright indoor light, and she gasps with delight. The spacious interior is decorated like a mountain chalet. A huge river rock fireplace takes up one entire wall, two overstuffed leather couches arranged in front of it. A pool table graces the middle of the room. The surrounding area offers open cupboards with board games, jigsaw puzzles, and books. A dartboard hangs on one wall, and a foosball table—Sam’s personal favorite—beckons from a corner spot.

  “The bathrooms are through that door,” Tori explains, pointing to their right. “The other door leads to a full kitchen. You guys make yourselves at home. I’ll go get us some food.”

  Smiling at Ally, Sam takes her friend’s hand and leads her through the cabin. “Ally, isn’t this great?” She heads for the foosball table but stops when Ally tugs her hand.

  “Look!” Ally exclaims, dragging Sam in the other direction.

  Sam turns to follow Ally, and she smiles when she sees a display case. Inside is Shawn Hollow’s journal, the man who built the inn. It’s displayed on a wooden stand. In front of it is an old velvety satchel, the same one Sam and Ally discovered the summer before. It held the Hollow Inn treasure. Laid out next to it is a yellowing piece of paper.

  “It’s Shawn’s will,” Ally says.

  Three framed photos hang on the wall behind the journal. Each has a small gold placard with a name etched into it: Christopher, Thomas, and Michael, the three older Hollow boys. Sam isn’t surprised to see that Joseph, the youngest, wasn’t included since he was essentially an outcast in his own home. It wouldn’t surprise her if Shawn Hollow never even took a picture of his fourth son. It was a sad family history.

  Before Sam can comment on the arrangement, the cabin’s front door bangs open. Spinning around to see who’s making such a dramatic entrance, her spirits plummet. Standing there in dirty jeans and a disheveled T-shirt, his shaggy black hair in disarray, is her cousin, Kevin Wolf. With all the excitement, she’d forgotten that her aunt had mentioned him. Her face burning with a sudden anger, Sam squares off with the boy she’s sure will make it his personal vendetta to ruin their trip. He responds with an arrogant sneer.

  “Hey, cuz.”

  5. COUSIN OF MINE

  “What are you doing here?” Sam knows she’s being rude. She should say hello and introduce Kevin to Ally. After all, it’s been over a year since she last saw him and he is her cousin. But of all her relatives, he’s the only one she doesn’t get along with.

  “What am I doing here?” Kevin counters, walking slowly toward the two girls. “I was invited. I’m staying the whole summer and helping Aunt Beth and Uncle Bill. What’s the matter? Afraid I’m going to ruin your Girl Scout reputation?”

  Gritting her teeth, Sam bites down on the retort that springs to mind. She’s learned a lot about dealing with teasing from her brother, Hunter. The irony is that Kevin is the one who taught Hunter how to best torment her. The two boys are the same age, fifteen, and are inseparable at family get-togethers. When they team up against her, they know how to push her buttons. Sam has a temper that she can normally keep in check, but Kevin has a way of bringing it out. And somehow she’s the one who ends up in trouble.

  Ally looks timidly back and forth between Sam and the newcomer. He doesn’t look much older than them, but he’s a lot taller. He’s got the Wolfs’ dark, good looks but with an edge of… mystery. The mischievous twinkle in his brown eyes lands on her, and she isn’t sure how to react. It’s not often that Sam is so quarrelsome. Except with her brother. “Wait,” Ally says while squinting at the boy. “Is this the cousin you’ve told me about, Sam?”

  “Kevin Wolf.” Sticking out his hand, Kevin steps within a couple of feet of Ally. “And don’t let Sam’s stories fool you. I know she’s good at spinning an exciting tale, but I’m sure whatever she’s said about me is greatly exaggerated.”

  Ally giggles in response as she accepts the handshake, and Sam rolls her eyes. “Oh, please,” Sam groans. “Don’t flatter yourself. Your name came up maybe once, and it certainly wasn’t anything exciting.”

  “Kevin Wolf, what did I tell you this morning?”

  Kevin drops Ally’s hand and turns to face Tori, his charming smile replaced with a frown. “I believe it was something about staying on the trails and possibly not getting dirty. Again.”

  Tori sets a platter of food down on the largest of the two dining tables in the room before crossing her arms. Squaring off with Kevin, she doesn’t look amused. “You know the state of your clothes is the least of my concerns, although it’s a clear indicator you’ve been out foraging around again. I thought your uncle made it clear. I know you’re fifteen, but this is a large piece of property, and he’s responsible for you. You didn’t bother checking in with me even once today. You didn’t haul the firewood, rake the cabin trails, or wash down the dock. And we could have used your help searching for a lost little boy today, but since you didn’t take your radio with you, I had no way of contacting you.”

  Sam has an overwhelming urge to point out Kevin’s earlier remark about being there for the summer to help their aunt and uncle. He clearly isn’t holding up his end of the deal. But gauging his reaction to Tori’s lecture, she recognizes a brief flash of guilt in his eyes before the mask drops and he laughs it off. It’s the same charade her brother often uses when he tries to hide his real emotions. It took a long time for Sam to understand that, but she’s grown up a lot in the past year.

  “I’ll get it done,” Kevin says with enough arrogance to make Tori’s frown grow.

  “You’re right. You will.” Pushing the tray back beyond Kevin’s reach as he leans forward to snag a hot dog, Tori points a finger at him. “I won’t tolerate you showing any disrespect to Mr. and Mrs. Clark. Get some dinner and then stack that wood before going to bed. The trail and dock will be done in the morning before anything else. Understand?”

  “We can help,” Sam blurts out. When Kevin looks at her suspiciously, she shrugs. “Ally and I enjoy working outside. Besides,” she adds while stepping between Kevin and Tori to slide a hamburger onto a paper plate, “we’re staying here for a week. We might as well do some chores.”

  Ally nods in agreement, relieved to have a break in the tension.

  “Suit yourself,” Kevin says flatly. Reaching across Sam,
he grabs the hot dog. Without another word to anyone, he stomps across the room and disappears out the back door.

  Watching him go, Sam has a bad feeling their vacation just took an unexpected turn for the worse. She might be able to play tourist with only herself and Ally to worry about. But having two Wolfs on the prowl? They were bound to run into trouble.

  6. SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR

  Saturday morning dawns with a clear blue sky and the promise of a hot afternoon. Sam and Ally are more than happy to follow Aunt Beth’s suggestion that they spend it on Florence Lake.

  After enjoying a hearty breakfast at Hollow Inn, they rush back to the cabins to get the trails cleared before the heat catches up with them. Kevin was uncharacteristically quiet while eating and left right after the meal. But as Sam hands a rake to Ally, the unmistakable sound of a pressure washer erupts, and they know it’s Kevin. The noise echoes so much that she and Ally give up on conversation. Fortunately, the Carsons left early that morning, so there aren’t any other guests to be annoyed by it.

  Two hours later, the trails around the cabins are free of debris and both Sam and Ally have worked up a sweat. The irritating roar of the washer blessedly ceases around the same time, the ensuing silence a welcome relief.

  Glancing at the sky, Sam guesses it’s close to noon. She’s okay without knowing the exact time. What her uncle said makes sense: people choose to disconnect from the outside world when they come to Hollow Inn. Not having instant access to the internet, news, and phone allows guests to relax. Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes and tilts her face up to the sun.

  “Ready for a swim?” Ally asks, slapping her work gloves onto the picnic table nearest their cabin. “Because I’m getting scorched!”

  Laughing, Sam nods eagerly and drops her gloves next to Ally’s. “You bet! Wanna take the kayaks out? They’re the cool fiberglass kind with built-in coolers. Tori said we could grab some sandwiches from the kitchen to take with us.”

  “I haven’t been in a kayak for over a year,” Ally says. “But the ones here look easier than the long wooden kind I’ve used before. It’s too bad Tori can’t take a break and go with us.”

  “Yeah, hauling and spreading gravel on the upper road won’t be much fun in this heat,” Sam agrees. She leads the way to the main cabin, hoping that Kevin doesn’t have the same idea. Something tells her he won’t be thanking them for their work.

  “I wish she would have let us help her,” Ally answers as they step inside. “Or that Kevin would offer to.”

  Sam grabs a couple of premade sandwiches and bottles of water for their picnic lunch. They plan on rowing over to the far side of the lake. “Tori insisted we go have some fun instead. And good luck getting Kevin to do anything more than the dock today. I don’t think he would have even done that if Uncle Bill hadn’t reprimanded him in front of everyone this morning.”

  The girls hurry to their own cabin to change into swimsuits before racing down to the beach. The sun is directly overhead now, and the day is quickly becoming uncomfortably hot. Montana isn’t where you want to be in late June if you don’t like the heat.

  Sam secures the food in the kayak’s built-in cooler before donning her life vest and pulling the kayak into the water. It’s surprisingly cool, and she remembers that the lake is fed year-round by glacier runoff. Although cold, the crystal-clear water makes it worth enduring.

  “Where do you think Kevin ran off to?” Ally asks after they settle into the boats and paddle away from the shore.

  Sam does her best to hide her frustration. She’d rather pretend that her cousin isn’t there. “I’m sure he ran into the woods as soon as he was done, before Tori or my uncle could give him another chore to do. He’s good at avoiding responsibility.”

  Ally stops paddling and stares at her friend with narrowed eyes. She’s never seen Sam so defiant, except with her brother. “Okay, Sam. What gives? Out with it. I know you were tired last night, but now we’ve got all the time in the world. Give me the whole Kevin Wolf story.”

  Sam chuckles and then dips her paddle hard into the water on the right side of the kayak, pulling backward and causing her to spin around and face Ally. They’re about a quarter of the distance across the lake, far enough from the shore that no one will overhear the conversation. “The last time I saw him was at our family reunion, almost two years ago. We were camping at a lake a lot like this one but in a different part of Montana. I almost got sent home because of him.”

  Ally frowns. “How can you get sent home from a family reunion?”

  Sam hangs her head in humiliation. “The teasing started from the moment I got there. Hunter and Kevin always hung out together before and bugged me, but this time it was a lot worse. And I didn’t have anyone there for backup,” she adds, looking up to grin at Ally.

  “You were eleven,” Ally says. “I don’t see how anyone could blame you for getting upset.”

  Sam’s smile disappears. “For two days they prodded me. Called me names, hid my stuff, took things from me, until I finally blew up and made a big scene. Of course, when I tried to explain why, it didn’t matter. I was the one who got in trouble. Everyone was going on a trip the next morning to some nearby waterslides. I’d been looking forward to it for months, but my punishment was that I had to stay behind and wash dishes in one of those stupid plastic tubs, hauling lake water.” Sam grimaces at the memory.

  “And?” Ally asks. She knows there’s more to the story.

  “And, while they were gone, I decided to take things into my own hands. My great-aunt was the only relative who didn’t go with the others. She agreed to watch me but fell asleep ten minutes after everyone left.” Sticking a hand in the cool water, Sam slowly makes swirls and watches as the rings grow in size and drift outward. It reminds her of how a person’s actions can have much the same effect. “On my second trip for water, I made a detour into my cousin’s tent. He was wearing his swim shorts to the slides, so the rest of his clothes were in his backpack, which I grabbed and threw in the lake.”

  Muffling a giggle with her hand, Ally then clears her throat and searches Sam’s face for a hint of what happened next. “Okay, so you got his clothes wet. I mean, you didn’t throw it in the middle of the lake, did you?”

  Sam shakes her head. “No, right along the shore. I just wanted him to be forced to wear wet clothes for a day. Except that it turns out clothes weren’t the only thing in his backpack.” Sam looks up from her water designs and wrinkles her nose at Ally. “He also had his brand-new, very expensive video game in there that he’d been saving up to buy for two years. It was ruined. Let’s just say it wasn’t one of my best days. We haven’t spoken since.”

  Ally’s eyes widen. “Oh. Geez, I understand the cold shoulder now. Seems maybe you were both wrong?”

  Sam’s shoulders sag. “Of course I was wrong, Ally! I felt awful. You know how I can be… impulsive sometimes, but I’d never intentionally ruin something that didn’t belong to me. I apologized until I was hoarse and paid for it with nearly all my savings. He refused to accept my apology and never once admitted what he’d done to me that weekend. At least Hunter finally told my parents, so they only grounded me for a month instead of the whole summer. Trust me. I learned my lesson.”

  “Maybe this week will be a chance to mend some bridges,” Ally suggests.

  Sam smiles again. It was just like Ally to find the one positive thing about the situation. But maybe she was right. “Possibly,” she says slowly. Turning the kayak back around, the two girls begin paddling again, side by side. “I’d like to think we can be friends. I mean, he is my cousin. I know it’d make my dad happy. I hate to think his sister, Kevin’s mom, would avoid us because of it. They normally come over and visit at least once a year, but we haven’t seen them since it happened.”

  Ally sighs. “Oh, Sam, you can’t let something so silly keep your family apart. We have to become friends with Kevin!”

  “It might not be that easy,” Sam says. “Dad’s menti
oned a couple of times that Kevin’s gotten into some trouble. I don’t think he’s here for the summer by choice, and it’s obvious he doesn’t like me.”

  “Well, that just means we’ll have to work harder at it,” Ally says with determination.

  Sam’s about to suggest s’mores around the campfire later when she catches a flash of movement near the approaching shore. Squinting against the glare of the sun, she studies the tree line.

  There! Another blur of bright blue between two big cedar trees.

  “Did you see that?” Sam asks, paddling harder.

  “See what?” Ally struggles to keep up as Sam pulls away.

  Jumping from the kayak as it enters shallow water, Sam nearly falls but manages to catch herself. Pulling the boat onto the rocky shore, she motions eagerly for Ally to follow her.

  “I saw someone back there,” she says, pointing at the trees. “I’m sure of it. Who would be out here? The Carsons are gone, and my aunt and uncle are entertaining the family who got here last night with a tour of the grounds at the inn.”

  “Maybe it’s Kevin,” Ally suggests as she comes to stand next to Sam.

  Sam shakes her head. “No, he’s wearing a red shirt. I saw someone in blue. Plus none of the other boats are gone and there’s no way he could have hiked around the lake that fast. Come on!”

  “Whoa!” Ally grabs Sam’s arm to stop her. “I’m pretty sure your uncle wouldn’t want us going too far into these woods. You know this side of the lake hasn’t been explored yet.”

  Sam hesitates and looks up and down the shoreline. “We’re not too far from where we were last night,” she observes. Going back to the kayak, she opens the waterproof compartment and digs around in it. “Here,” she announces, turning back to Ally. Holding up the radio her uncle gave her, she happily races back to the edge of the woods. “We won’t go any farther than we did last night, okay? And we’ll have the radio, just in case.”