Kathy and the kids arrived home well after dark, just as Colt was cleaning up his dinner plate and dumping his unfinished beer.
He helped his daughter in the bath as Kathy packed the kids lunches. When it was time for bed, he climbed in alone. Kathy stayed up, watching TV on the other side of the house. He felt her slip under the covers just before sunrise.
Colton did not see the woman in the woods for the rest of the week. Nor did he see much of his wife. She was there, in bed when he woke early, her back always turned to him as she slept.
Early Saturday morning, Colt woke with the sun to find the bed empty. He laid there listening to the quiet house, listening for sounds of his wife awake within its walls. He checked his phone; no texts from her.
He got up and opened their bedroom door, moving quietly down the hall so he didn't wake the kids. When he entered the kitchen, he saw her.
She was sitting on the patio, her curly hair in a halo around her head, with her back to him. She was wearing only a short nightgown which sat high on her hip, her shapely legs were parted and her knees fell to the side. She was staring at the trees, Roscoe laying at her feet.
Colt slowly pried open the sliding glass door, not wanting to startle either of them. Roscoe looked up, his tail thumping against the porch. Kathy straightened her posture and turned to look at him.
"Hey, hun. What are you doing out here?" Colt asked as he put his hands on her shoulders. Her exposed skin was cool to the touch.
She patted his hand with hers. "I just couldn't sleep. It was a rough night at work."
Colt bent down and kissed her head, her tousled curls tickling his nose. "I'm sorry, hun. I'll make some coffee and we can chat about it."
Kathy shook her head and stood. "That's ok. Thanks though." She headed for the door.
"I'm going to try to sleep. I'll try to see the kids before work. You'll be home?" she asked as she stepped inside the kitchen and turned to him.
She looked ravishing in her short silk nightie. It hugged her sensual curves, especially at her chest. Colt's gaze lingered at her large peaked nipples. He wondered if she'd been running again. She looked...healthy.
"Yeah, sure. I'll make sure they're here." Colt bent down and ruffled the shaggy fur on Roscoe's rump. The dog rolled onto his back, begging for belly rubs.
She said nothing more as she turned and padded down the hall to their room.
Colt sat down in her empty chair, feeling the still present warmth of her body. He looked up into the trees, still bathed in darkness. He could see something on the fence post but the sun wasn't yet high enough yet, the shadow of the house shrouding it.
He stood and walked across the lawn, Roscoe whining at his side. He picked a stuffed black cat off the post, turning it over in his hands. It was his daughters, one she kept in a basket in her room. She had gotten it for her birthday one year from her friend, Megan.
"Kitty," he grinned, wondering how the woman of the woods had gotten her hands on it. Lily must have left it outside this week. He put the stuffed cat back on the post and went back into the house to start his day.
***
After Kathy had left for work, their son, Derek, got picked up by his friend, planning to spend the night at his house eating junk food and gaming with their friends. Lily begged him to spend the night at Megan's across the street. He agreed and watched as Lily and Megan skipped across their quiet street, hand in hand.
Back in his now silent house, he texted Kathy letting her know where the kids were then slumped down into his recliner with a cold beer. He flipped through the channels, finding nothing interesting, before settling on a new horror movie.
Roscoe slept curled up at his side, unbothered by the intense music and startled screaming coming from the screen.
After about an hour, Roscoe bolted upright, his ears pricked, staring beyond the kitchen to the back door. He whined then took off, blasting through the doggy door into the back yard.
Colt stopped the movie and opened the sliding door, peering out to see what had gotten Roscoe's attention.
Roscoe was across the yard, trying to dig his way under the newly mended fence. The woman stood smiling a few feet from the gate, clear of the treeline.
She was wearing his son's button down baseball jersey, white with thin red stripes. The tails of the hem barely covered her pussy and cut up her curved hips. Her sandy blonde hair was freshly washed, hanging damp over her shoulders.
She held out her hand, beckoning for him to come to her. Colt opened the back gate and Roscoe flew by, circling her bare legs before plopping down at her feet. Colt closed the gate behind him and started towards her.
As he got closer, she turned and headed into the woods. She looked back at him and Colt continued to follow her deeper into the forest.
"Where are you taking me?" Colt asked, his curiosity piqued.
She only turned and waved him on. Roscoe stayed by her side like he already knew the way.
After 10 minutes or so, they entered a small clearing. One of Lily's blankets was spread in the grass. It was light pink and dotted with purple hearts.
