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Arthur loved the fall.
He'd always liked it, really. He liked the way the leaves turned orange and gold and the cool crisp air; so much easier to work in than the cold of winter or high heat of summer.
But since marrying Tess and starting the ranch, he loved it.
Firstly, this was when baking season really kicked off. Arthur'd always had a sweet tooth and damn if that woman couldn't make a pumpkin pie that'd knock your socks off. But, what he loved most was the end of October. That was when Tess (along with Sean, Molly, Kieren, and Javier) would begin cooking, decorating, and preparing to welcome their dead.
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The first year on the ranch had been a bit tense when October rolled around. Sean, Molly, and Kieren had begun placing Jack o' Lanterns all around the place. They were just putting a few around the big chowhall doors when Javier had asked about them. He hadn't been very happy with the answer.
"I know the veil between worlds is thinnest now, but we should be welcoming the spirits, not chasing them away! How will mi familia reach the ofrenda now?"
"Reach the what?"
"The ofrenda! Our offering to the departed, how will they reach it if you're trying to scare them away?"
"Wait just a minute," Sean had replied, now starting to get angry himself. "Offering? Yer tellin' me you want the spirits to come here? Are ye mad, boyo?"
Javier narrowed his eyes and took a step toward Sean as Molly and Keiren hovered nervously in the background. Before he could say what was on his mind though, Tess had walked up, followed by Arthur. Each carried a large bundle of dried orange flowers in their arms.
"Their you are Javier!" she greeted him brightly, "I have the cempasuchil for the ofrenda." Then with a big grin to Sean, Molly, and Keiren, " Oh, and the Jack o' Lanterns look wonderful, very scary."
"See!" both men said in unison, thinking that Tess (being half Mexican and half Irish) had backed their side of the argument, before Javier's brain caught up to the rest of what she'd actually said, "Wait. What?"
"What do you mean?" Tess asked as Arthur pulled open the big barn style door to the chowhall and they all went inside.
"Yeah, somethin' wrong here?" Arthur asked the two still angry young men as he laid his bundle of flowers down on the nearest table.
They both started talking at once, Javier slipping back into Spanish in his frustration.
"¡Quieren asustar a mi familia!"
"He wants to put out food for ghosts!"
"¿Cómo visitará el abuelo?"
"We're trying to scare away evil spirits, not feed 'em!"
Arthur was still trying to make sense of what the hell was going on when Tess stepped in.
"Alright, enough!"
Both men stopped shouting and looked at her warily. Tess might have been small, but they both knew she could be tough. She put up with Arthur, after all.
"First of all, Javier. The Jack o' Lanterns are only to scare away the evil spirits - the ones that would wish us harm. And Sean, the ofrenda is an offering to our dearly departed. Only the spirits that are invited may come to it. There is absolutely no reason to not have both."
Comprehension dawning on their faces, the two grinned sheepishly at each other.
"Ach, Javier, I'm sorry. I thought ya just wanted to let everyone in."
"I'm sorry too, hermano, I thought you wanted to keep everyone out."
"Good," Tess said looking from one to the other, "now that that's settled, come help us with these flowers."
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From that point on, the end of October was one of the most festive times of year on the ranch. Every year Tess and Javier would put up a large ofrenda in the chowhall; one that was soon laden with pictures and memories of not only their departed loved ones, but everybody's. Jack o' Lanterns decorated every doorstep and porch. On All Hallow's Eve Sean and Molly would dress up in costumes with the children and go from door to door on the ranch demanding treats under the threat of soaped up windows. Arthur loved it all.
But his favorite part was the food.
Along with the cookies and other treats the ladies would bake to keep their windows safe, were the offerings. It seemed everyone's dearly departed had different favorite foods and they all were made for the ofrenda, and usually a little extra for the living, besides. There were skulls made from sugar and chocolate, sweet Pan de Muerto, and a thick hot chocolate drink Javier called champurrado to wash it down. There was Irish Tea Cake and soda bread, and possibly a few more bottles of fine Irish whiskey than were strictly necessary.
The preparations started at least a week ahead (partly because keeping Beau away from the ofrenda was proving to be quite a challenge and inevitably something had to be remade) and during that time Tess seemed to suddenly channel the spirit of her Abuelita, threatening anyone who came near her kitchen and then practically force feeding them while fussing about how thin they were.
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Arthur unloaded the wagon, excited at the implications of what he'd been asked to pick up from the general store. The chocolate, along with the extra sugar and flour meant the sweets would start flowing soon while the big bag of corn meal Tess had requested could mean only one thing - tamales, and God, Arthur loved her tamales.
As he walked in the door Tess whirled around wielding her wooden spoon like a weapon, ready to tear into whomever dared disturb her cooking. Seeing Arthur and the bag of cornmeal he toted on his shoulder she lowered the spoon and smiled at him.
"Oh! Arthur, thank you, just leave it there on the table," she told him. "You work so hard, sweetheart, you must be famished."
Practically before he knew what was happening Arthur found himself ushered into a chair with a big slice of pumpkin pie and a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of him.
As he tucked in Arthur asked with a grin, "Darlin', do we still have that pair of pants that was too big for me lyin' around? I think I might need 'em."
Tess came back to the table with a big spoonful of whipped cream which she deposited on Arthur's pie, before kissing him on the cheek.
"You just might, you silly man."