Wildly, Boldly (Return to Culloden Moor #4)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

#AlaskaLife #GhostHunting #CozyCabinVibes #DayInTheLife

“ G ood morning, ghost squad!” Sophie whispered to her phone camera, still wrapped in her quilt as golden morning light spilled through her cabin window. “It’s 6 AM in Alaska, and you guys have been begging for a day-in-the-life video, so...”

She paused, frowning at the playback. Her usual peppy delivery felt wrong somehow, too artificial for the peace of this place.

Delete. Start over.

She took two deep, calming breaths. “Hey everyone.” Her voice was softer this time, more genuine. “So many of you have asked what it’s like here at Kirkham Lodge, and I thought I’d show you a typical morning. Though to be honest, nothing feels typical anymore.”

The camera followed her as she moved to her window, capturing the mist rising off the mountains and the first rays of sun painting the sky in watercolor shades of pink and blue.

“This is what I wake up to every morning,” she narrated. “No filter needed. Though usually there’s a raven or two trying to steal my breakfast if I eat on the porch.”

As if on cue, a large black bird landed on her railing, cocking its head at her through the glass.

“Speaking of breakfast...” She switched to her front-facing camera as she pulled on Wyatt’s jacket—which she still hadn’t returned—over her sweater. “Let’s go see what Whitney and Nukak are cooking up.”

The main lodge was already humming with activity. Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen, and Sophie’s camera caught Whitney arranging fresh flowers on the long dining table while Connor “helped” by redistributing the silverware.

“Morning!” Whitney called out. “You’re up early.”

“Filming a day in the life for my followers.” Sophie panned across the room, capturing the morning light streaming through the big windows. “Mind if I get some kitchen footage?”

“As long as you don’t reveal Nukak’s sourdough secrets.” Whitney rescued a fork from Connor’s mouth. “He guards those recipes like gold.”

In the kitchen, Nukak was pulling fresh muffins from the oven, the warm scent of cinnamon and apples filling the air. He gave Sophie a friendly nod, used to her documentation by now.

“And this,” Sophie told her camera, “is where the magic happens. Nukak makes the best breakfast in Alaska, though I’m pretty sure he’s secretly a wizard. No normal muffins should taste this good.”

Nukak’s quiet laugh followed her as she headed back to the dining room, where Johnny was setting up an intricate Hot Wheels track under the table, complete with loops, ramps, and a gravity-defying jump.

“Watch this!” He launched a car nearly taking out Professor Manning’s coffee cup in the process.

“Wow! You got some lift there!” Sophie settled into what had become her usual spot by the window, balancing her phone to capture the scene. But as she watched the lodge come to life through her camera screen, something felt off.

Delete. Start over.

She lowered her phone, really looking at the moment unfolding around her. Whitney was teaching Connor the names of the flowers as she arranged them. Johnny’s cars raced around the track while Professor Manning offered engineering suggestions. Through the kitchen door, she could hear Nukak humming as he worked.

It was so different from her childhood breakfasts made by the housekeep and eaten alone while her parents worked or traveled. Different from her years of hotel room coffee and airport snacks as she chased stories across the country.

This felt like...

Delete.

Home.

The thought stopped her cold.

“Everything okay?” Whitney asked, noticing her expression.

“Yeah, I just...” Sophie looked around the room again, trying to find words for the warmth in her chest. “I’m trying to show my followers what it’s like here, but I don’t know how to capture...”

“The feeling?” Whitney smiled knowingly.

“Exactly.” Sophie ran a hand through her hair. “How do you film something that feels like coming home when you didn’t even know you were looking for one?”

Whitney squeezed her shoulder as she passed. “Maybe that’s the story they need to hear.”

Sophie considered this, then lifted her phone one more time.

“Hey everyone,” she said softly. “I was going to show you a typical morning at Kirkham Lodge, but the truth is, nothing about this place is typical. I came here looking for ghost stories, but I think I might be finding something else entirely.”

The camera panned across the room one last time—catching Whitney’s knowing smile, Johnny’s concentrated face as he rebuilt part of the track, the way the morning light turned everything golden and warm.

“I don’t know what happens next,” she continued. “But for the first time in my life, I’m not in a hurry to find out. Sometimes the best stories are the ones that unfold slowly, in quiet mornings and shared meals and the way a place works its way into your heart when you’re not looking.”

She ended the recording and posted it before she could second-guess herself. Within minutes, comments started rolling in:

“This is so different from your usual content but I LOVE it! ??”

“The way you talk about this place...I can feel how special it is ??”

“Girl, are you falling in love with Alaska? Because same ??”

Sophie smiled, putting her phone away as Darrow arrived with fresh coffee. For once, she didn’t feel the need to document everything. Some moments were better lived than shared.

Though she did snap one quick picture of her muffin, because her followers would never forgive her if she didn’t show them Nukak’s latest masterpiece.

#BreakfastGoals, after all.