Chapter 35

“OH! IT’S SO EARLY!” Natalie moaned when Dennis’s alarm rang.

“We’ve got a long drive ahead of us,” Dennis said. “Come on, sleepyhead. We need to get on the road.” Lana moaned and rolled over.

“Kiss?”

“Just a kiss. Come on, love. We need to get moving.”

“‘K.”

The sleepy teens got out of bed, loaded the coolers with frozen casseroles and packed the car. Lana got shotgun for the first leg and Natalie rode in back. Dennis checked to make sure everyone was buckled and ready, then put the car in gear to head out. As soon as they were out of town, Natalie called Amy.

“We’re on our way,” Natalie said when Amy answered. “Can’t wait to see you tonight.”

“We’re going out for breakfast and then hitting the road. We have about a hundred miles to go, so we don’t need to rush. We can’t check in until two o’clock,” Amy said.

“Oh my! What will three horny girls do until then?” Natalie giggled.

“Well, um ... Maybe we won’t hit the road just as soon as we’ve eaten. It is awfully early,” Amy said. “Love you, Nat. And Lana and Dennis. From all three of us.”

“Love you, too, babe. Kiss those girls really good for me.”

Natalie disconnected and the crew was off. Dennis drove, stopping only briefly at a rest area, until they reached Albert Lea, Minnesota, nearly four hours later. Everyone needed a break and Dennis took the opportunity to put gas in the car. They stocked up with coffee and sandwiches and Natalie took over driving. Dennis motioned Lana to stay in the front seat as navigator and he got in back to get some rest. Natalie drove for a little more than two hours, until they were northwest of Minneapolis. She pulled in for a potty break and the kids grabbed some snacks for in the car before Dennis took over driving again. Natalie got shotgun and the navigation responsibility while Lana drifted off to sleep in the back seat.

When she woke up, Lana took their bearings and called Amy. Lana and Amy were designated as non-drivers and the contact point between the two groups so calls could be made without worrying about who was driving.

“Hey, baby. We’re following you,” Lana said.

“Right now? How close are you?” Amy asked.

“Oh, we’re not right behind you. I don’t think. We’re just coming through the town of ... uh ... Princeton.”

“You’re making great time. That’s where we stopped for the night last night. We’re only about two hours ahead of you. It looks like we have another half-hour or forty-five minutes to get to the cabin. We just stopped for a snack in Grand Rapids,” Amy said.

“We plan to get gas there, so we have a full tank when we get to the cabin.”

“Don’t eat too much snack food. We’ll go up to the cabin and get dinner started.”

“That’s great. Love you guys and miss you. It’s been a long drive,” Lana said.

“Yeah. My tushy needs some tender loving care tonight,” Amy laughed. “See you soon!”

“‘Bye, love.”

Lana disconnected and leaned forward as far as she could without disconnecting her seatbelt.

“This is where they stayed last night. They’re only about two hours ahead of us. Amy says they’ll get dinner started so not to fill up on snack food.”

“I hope they remember to follow the menu. Tonight is the only night we don’t have a frozen casserole,” Natalie said.

“Hotdish,” Dennis corrected her. “We’re in Minnesota now. Casseroles are called hotdishes. I’ve got a whole little book on my reader of Minnesota-isms. We might need it to translate from the natives.”

“Oh, seriously!” Natalie said.

“Ya sure, y’betcha,” Lana said. “Don’t forget, I’m half Swedish. Mom says that all the Scandinavians who were on their way to Seattle got tired of the trip and stayed in Minnesota.”

“It sure is pretty enough,” Natalie sighed. “I can’t believe the Kellys left this area and moved to Iowa.”

“According to Lyle, it’s almost summer here. He’s the one who pointed me to the book,” Dennis laughed. “He had all kinds of jokes about Norwegian bachelor farmers and Minnesotans. Ole and Lena are like national heroes up here. The thing is that this part of the state has so many lakes it’s a tossup to tell if you’re on an island surrounded by water or a lake surrounded by land. But you are right. It sure is pretty.”

“I’ve never seen so many pine trees and birch. It’s like we left the oak and maple when we left Minneapolis,” Lana said.

“I reckon we’re up north now.”

They stopped only long enough in Grand Rapids to get fuel and use the bathrooms, then they excitedly got back in the car for the last thirty miles to the cabin.

“You’re here!” Amy yelled as she rushed out the door to meet the new arrivals. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“You sure are, lover,” Dennis said, picking her up and spinning around. He kissed her soundly. By that time, Ardith and Brenda were hugging Natalie and Lana. They joined the others and soon Dennis had Ardith in his arms. He looked in her eyes and saw her smile. That was all the encouragement he needed to close for a long and sensuous kiss.

“There’s time, love. We don’t have to rush now,” he said as he moved to hug and kiss Brenda.

Everyone got busy and unloaded the RAV4, packing the freezer full of casseroles. They put their packs in the ‘clothing room’ and all headed for the country kitchen.

“Mmm. Something sure smells good,” Lana said.

“It should,” Ardith said. “It’s your mother’s recipe. We picked up all the ingredients in Grand Rapids.”

“Wait till we show you the dock and the boat,” Brenda said as they gathered. “Mrs. Luoma said we’re almost at the solstice and the sun doesn’t go down until nearly nine-thirty tonight.”

“Wow! Long evenings enjoying the out-of-doors,” Dennis said.

“Early mornings, too. It rises before five-thirty,” Brenda laughed.

“I’m glad we’ve practiced making love in the daylight,” Lana said.

“Practice? You called that practice?” Dennis asked, chasing her once around the huge farm table. Then she stopped and let him catch her. They kissed.

“I was talking about Amy and me,” she giggled.

“Yeah. Please practice with me some more. I think I’m getting the hang of it,” Amy said as she started moving pans from the stove to the table. Ardith put a big salad bowl on the table and Brenda already had plates and utensils out.

“This is our first time all together,” Dennis said. “I don’t know about blessings much, but I know when I’m thankful and I love each person at this table to the depth of my soul.”

“Amen,” the others all said in response. The noodles and Swedish meatballs were fantastic and the salad had a variety of fresh greens and other vegetables that were available when the girls stopped in Grand Rapids. The meal was light and lively, as they all used food as a way to get comfortable in their new environment.

As soon as the meal had ended, they all helped get the dishes done.

“I’ve got breakfast in the morning,” Dennis said as he looked at the list on the refrigerator. “Tomorrow dinner is Nat’s surprise hot dish. We should get it out of the freezer and in the refrigerator now. I’m glad we labeled all these things.”

“What’s lunch?”

“Tuna salad sandwiches, chips, and finger veggies. We can all help fix our own and clean up.”

“And what about now?” Lana asked, rocking on her toes and heels. Her hands were locked behind her back and she looked devilishly innocent.

“Now we get to go to the dock,” Brenda said. “Um ... you might want to spray some bug stuff on you. There were thousands when we went down earlier today.”

“Oh, good. Lyle said the Minnesota state bird was the mosquito,” Dennis laughed.

They sprayed repellent on each other and headed down to the water.

“It’s so pretty,” Natalie said. “I think I’m repeating myself. Everywhere I look it’s just so pretty.”

As they walked, Dennis found himself holding hands with Ardith. It had started on the steps when he just automatically turned to her to steady her as they went down. They just didn’t let go. It was a feeling they both found pleasing. They weren’t trying to be passionate or sexy, nor were they forced to maintain distance between them. It was a simple expression of love.

“I could definitely get into a trip in a rowboat,” Lana said. “It sounds so romantic.”

“It is if you’re not the one rowing,” Dennis snickered. “On the other hand, if you were in the stern in one of your bikinis, I wouldn’t mind rowing in the least.”

“Bikini or not, remember you have to have life jackets. Mrs. Luoma recommended we sit on them,” Ardith said.

“I like the sound of the ‘or not.’ If Lana were sitting in the stern not entirely in one of her bikinis, I wouldn’t even mind rowing,” Brenda said.

The six of them settled at the kitchen table with a game of Clue spread out in front of them. It was more to have something to do while they ate their pie and ice cream than it was to test how good they were in solving the mystery. They talked about how the week had gone before they arrived and what kind of activities they’d like to do while they were in northern Minnesota.