Chapter 7

"Ginny darling!" came a loud shrill voice from across the taxi ramp, almost before Ginny could climb from the plane. It was Florence, but she didn't recognize the man with her, unless Arnie had changed quite a bit since the last time she saw him. This man was taller, and very blond, like maybe he was a Scandinavian.

"How are you, honey?!" Florence threw her arms around her as she stepped on the wheel cover, and then, shakily, onto the asphalt. "How was your trip? Was the weather okay?"

"Everything was fine, Flo... I was in good hands." Rick came around after chocking the wheels. "This is Rick Scovill... Rick, this is Florence Dennison, my sister-in-law and..."

"And this is Gus," injected Flo. "He's my husband's foreman. Arnie's out on the river checking some landings that got broken during the winter, but he said he'd be back by tonight."

Flo signed the pad Rick was holding in his hand, and Gus grabbed Ginny's bag. "Thanks, Rick... I had a wonderful time!" shouted Ginny as they walked toward the jeep parked by the landing strip. Rick waved good-bye, and headed for the hangar for a rest before the long lonely trip back to Whitehorse.

"Well, what'ya think of our little town?" asked Flo as they drove down the muddy street to the Dennison place on the northern edge of the settlement, past a surprising number of frame houses, some of the newer ones built on short stilts, like terribly fat birds perched in the melting slush of springtime.

"That's certainly a strange way to build a house, isn't it? Is your house built like that, Flo?" Ginny asked.

"No, no... Ours is just a plain house. Those stilts are kind of a new idea. It's supposed to keep the permafrost from doing any damage or something... maybe Arnie could explain it a little better."

Gus steered the bucking jeep off the main street and up a little hill, through a dense thicket of green trees. Ginny could feel the temperature drop several degrees as they left the warm sunshine behind.

The house soon came into view, and Ginny was surprised to find it so large. From their letters, she would have guessed it as half this size. It looked like an overblown log cabin, and in fact, most of the exterior was made of large, rough-cut logs; it looked quite comfortable and cozy nestled among the thick trees.

"Well, Ginny, here we are. Home sweet home," said Flo as they stepped from the jeep. "I hope you like it, but if you don't, keep your mouth shut around Arnie. He's crazy about this place. Next to Novlik, it's his favorite... I guess I come in about third or fourth." She winked at Gus as she spoke, but he didn't reply, just carried the suitcase to the front door and returned to the jeep, the motor still running.

"I don't want to seem stupid so soon," said Ginny as they entered the house, "but who's Novlik?"

"You mean I haven't written about Novlik? I should have devoted a whole letter to that animal."

"Animal?" Ginny looked puzzled.

"Animal is right, sweetie," exclaimed Flo.

"You see, Novlik is Arnie's dog... mostly Malamute and Husky... and the two of them are inseparable. Wherever Arnie is right now, you can be sure that dog is within ten feet. I swear, he'd let him sleep with us if I hadn't put my foot down. I guess you'll be the lucky one, since you'll be sleeping in his room."

Ginny was more confused than ever. "His room? What..."

"But don't worry about it," interrupted Flo. "Novlik doesn't use the bed. He sleeps on an old sheepskin right by the door. You'll hardly notice he's around. You aren't allergic to dogs, are you?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, not that I know of. When do I get to meet this fantastic dog. I'm kinda curious to see what he can do."

Flo nearly burst out laughing at that last comment, but managed to keep a straight face. "Oh, you'll be surprised, honey... You'll be most surprised."