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“This is so fun!” Doris said from behind me on her mare, Milla. “I’m so glad we got to do this before the storm arrived.”
I looked up at the sky, noticing the darkening clouds crowding together, then looked at my watch. “We should head back. They said to be in before noon since the storm starts at one, and it’s already starting to snow.”
“Good idea. We don’t want to get stuck out here in a storm.”
I turned Lumi around, and Doris turned with me, then we started back the short ride to the resort. All day everyone had been buzzing about over the massive blizzard heading our way. Though they were prepared for such weather as it happened often, and they assured us there was a generator to keep the main lodge warm and functioning, Olavi, Johanna and the staff were taking all precautions necessary to make sure the guests and animals around the resort were comfortable no matter the weather. Olavi had been hard at work chopping wood to keep the fires burning warm, and Fiona had been busy cooking up extra meals to keep us all warm and fed. We were grateful they’d put so much time into ensuring we wouldn’t get cold or hungry if things went south.
As Doris and I strolled back to the stables, we turned to see the snow tank trudging through the high drifts. When it rolled to a stop, a plume of dark smoke rolled out of the engine, and it stalled with a loudbang!
Our horses jumped, but a few strokes of the neck and soothing words calmed them back down.
“That didn’t sound good,” Doris said as she steadied her mount.
“No. It didn’t.”
Olavi got out, and after he kicked the treads several times and spat some words I assumed were swearing, he looked over when he noticed us.
“Sorry! Didn’t see you there! Darn thing is broken. We barely made it back.”
“Yeah, but we did!” Marge walked around the other side of it with a huge grin as she held up a big, dead fish. “And we brought dinner! While Olavi was on the shore whacking wood up, I caught it myself like Davy freaking Crockett!”
“That’s a big one!” Doris said as she hopped off.
“Your friend is a good fisherman.” Olavi gave Marge a pat on the back. “She caught three while I was gathering wood.”
“Only kept one though. The biggest one.” Marge lifted her big fish again.
“Well done, Marge!” I smiled as I jumped off my horse. “At least we’ll never go hungry with you around.”
She strolled over with an extra swagger in her step. “Never. Snakes. Gators. Fish. Varmint. I’ll find us food anywhere. And tonight, we’re smoking this beauty!”
“Sounds delicious.” Doris rubbed her belly.
“Where’s Alice?” Marge asked when she looked around and didn’t see her.
I pulled the reins over Lumi’s head and started leading him to his stall. “She was taking a nap then going to the sauna, I think.”
“Pansy.” Marge huffed.
“Yeah. You called her a pansy yesterday, which goaded her into getting on the dog sled. And we all know how that turned out. I think it’s best we leave her to soothe her bruised body in the sauna today.”
“Sorry about all that,” Doris whispered.
Marge waved a hand at her. “Ah, that’s old news, Doris. And even though it hurts like hell when I bump it, I think the big horn on my head really rounds out my new look.”
The protruding lump on her head was impossible to ignore, and I cringed when I looked at it. With the two black eyes and the missing tooth, Marge looked like she’d been in boxing match on our vacation. “What are we going to tell Roxie when we get you home in a few days? She’s gonna be horrified and never let you travel with us again.”
Marge shrugged. “What I’ve been telling everyone else. Surfboard. Kangaroo. Doris. And now, well, tree.” She finished as she pointed to the big goose egg on her head. “I don’t want to worry her while we’re away, so I’ll just show her my new battle scars when we get back. No worries, though. She knows I’m tough, and she wouldn’t dare stand in the way of our annual Wilder Widows trips. Those are non-negotiable. Even put it in our marriage vows.”
I chuckled. “That list you have to rattle off is getting rather lengthy. Maybe we need to bubble wrap you for the rest of our stay, so we don’t add anything else to it.”
She laughed out her nose. “I’ll be fine. Hopefully Roxie just thinks I look like a tough badass.”
“We’ll cross our fingers for you,” I answered, and Doris lifted her hands and crossed her fingers tight.
Doris looked at her hands then tucked them inside her pockets. “Oh. My fingers are cold. I can’t feel them.”
I slipped off Lumi’s saddle and said, “You know, I’m frozen too.”
