Aly wandered around the hotel lobby waiting for Trace and Shadoe to arrive. They had all converged here for the last convention and had had a royal blast!!
Each of them, in their own right, had *bumped* into the one and only Roy Dupuis!! He wasn't even expected to be at the convention, but had managed to arrange his schedule so that he could surprise his throng of adoring fans.
Aly smiled as she remembered her shyness and insecurity when she had encountered him in the bar. She had ducked in there after stumbling on the high heeled shoes she was wearing, courtesy of Trace, and one of the heels had broken off. Making her way into the darkened bar area she had actually been assisted by the man himself!! And they had ended up having quite a night out on the town!
She was snapped back to the present when she heard her two best friends, who happened to be cousins, approaching. For goodness sakes, how could anyone NOT hear them!! Aly turned towards the duo and shook her head laughing.
"For Pete's sake Cat... come ON!! I don't have all day you know!!"
Shadoe huffed ahead of Trace and spied Aly lurking in the lobby. Trace had a wicked gleam in her eye and she reached into her side carry-on bag and pulled out a small sack and held it up for a last jibe at her favorite cousin, Shadoe.
"Oh Sha-Doe!!!" Trace said in her best sing-song voice. "I think you forGOT something!!" Trace was dangling the small bag by its tie-string and Shadoe spun around and lunged at the bag. Trace dissolved into peals of laughter as Shadoe stuck her toy bag into her duffle.
Fixing Trace with her most withering glare, Shadoe turned her back to Trace and gave Aly a covert wink. Aly nodded her understanding and tried to stifle her laughter behind her hand... to no avail.
Shadoe dug around in her duffle once more and produced a small plastic box. Turning slowly towards Trace she smiled in an almost *Operations* kinda way, and motioned for Trace to come closer. Trace looked askance at Aly, who merely shrugged her shoulders. Finding no answers there, Trace sidled up to her cousin and waited. She did not have to wait too long before Shadoe opened the small box revealing the snails inside.
"SHADOE!!! OhmyGAWD!!! Get those away from me!!!!!" Trace screamed as she ran across the lobby to hide behind Aly. Aly, on the other hand, was laughing so hard at the antics of her two dear friends, that she was drawing the attention of the hotel personnel.
The trio tried to control themselves and at least appear mature, but it was quite a struggle. Finally managing to check in and access their suite, they unpacked and planned for their vacation. They had decided to come back to Canada for a vacation to check out the sights that they had not had time to visit during the Convention back in October.
The only problem they knew of was the fact that it was now much colder and there was a possibility of some pretty bad weather. Hoping against hope for the weather to be agreeable, they had booked their reservations anyway due to the discounted air fares and hotel rates. They all felt they deserved this break from their hectic lives and were looking forward to having a really terrific time!
Having a quick snack, they each took to their rooms and tried to get a good nights sleep for their first real day of sight-seeing tomorrow.
Meanwhile...
The late evening news had an emergency broadcast: The weather was growing unstable. Snow was predicted for later the following day. All non-essential travel was recommended postponed until the weather cleared. Updates posted as new information available.
The three vacationers slept through it, completely unaware.
************
The three young women awoke surprisingly early and immediately set about preparing for their day. Trace had spent the previous three weeks surfing the 'Net and planning their escapades.
However, here in the Province of Quebec, there was so much to see and do that they were really just planning to go wherever the wind took them.
***Little did they know***
Roy was having a truly horrible start to what he had hoped to be a very productive day. He could not get his tractor to start due to the extreme temperature. Then, he could not get his thermostat to regulate the heat in his house and he felt he would be fried alive if he stayed there any longer.
The final straw was the large hole in the roof that was left after the gale force winds this morning toppled a tree onto his roof. Once the debris had been cleared, a large gaping hole was exposed and he was unable to get the materials to begin repairs until next week.
*Mon Dieu!* He thought to himself, trying hard not to let his entire day be ruined. Rubbing his hand across the nape of his neck to ease the building tension, he lifted his face to the sky and breathed the cool, crisp air in deeply.
He so loved his house here in the Canadian countryside. He truly felt one with nature when he was here at home. With a last look at the horizon, Roy decided to head to the nearby Bed and Breakfast for the week. He certainly couldn't stay here under these circumstances. Throwing a bag into his Jeep, he whistled for his dogs and headed down the road.
Meanwhile...
"Trace! I KNEW this would happen! All that planning and for WHAT?!" Shadoe was beyond patience.
Aly pulled the car over to the shoulder while they tried to figure out where they might have missed their way. She had been selected to drive while Trace navigated. Shadoe decided that she preferred being *Chauffeured* as she liked to call it!
"Gimme a royal break would-ya Cuz? I will get us out of this mess... no problem-o" Trace tried in vain to comfort her irritated cousin. She pulled the map out of the glove box and studied it once more. She just KNEW they didn't miss that turn... did they?
Aly turned to Shadoe and tried to help out. Shadoe hated to be lost in an unknown place, and Aly wasn't too keen on it herself. But at least Trace was pretty good with the map so she had confidence that they would find the nearest... whatever!! Aly tried talking about the book Shadoe was working on.
"So Shadoe. How is your book coming along? I know you have been having a bit of a writers block lately. Any progress?" Aly was so excited for her friend. To be writing a book! How completely thrilling!
Shadoe just shrugged and looked out the window. At least Aly had managed to distract her. She spoke softly, as if she were far away. "I don't know Aly. It seems almost like the book has become my life lately. That is why I was ready to have a break. I need to regain my... focus. My creative muse so-to-speak." Shadoe turned back to Aly and smiled. The tension had been eased and she was more relaxed. Aly could see that the creative muse was beginning to kick in on the Shadoe!
"Okay you two nubbin-heads!! I think I can get us out of this mess." Trace was happy with her discovery of a nearby Bed and Breakfast where they could possibly regroup and get a bite.
Aly started the car back up and merged with the light flow of traffic. They had been listening to their CD's the whole morning... still in the dark about the approaching storm.
************
Aly spied the cozy Bed and Breakfast nestled back into the small wooded area at the end of the dirt road they were traveling on. With a smile on her face and a quick glance into the rear-view mirror, she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally!! They needed a break from the confines of this car, and Aly wanted to stretch her legs.
Trace and Shadoe piled from the car once they had parked in the small courtyard parking area. The place looked almost deserted. There were no other cars visible, but the sounds of someone chopping wood could be heard from behind the large house.
Shadoe, taking control of the group for the moment, led the way up the front stairs and into the roomy foyer. Aly and Trace were so worn out from the drive that they just needed to *chill* a bit. They headed into the sitting room while Shadoe made some inquiries about the possibility of them staying over. They had seen the darkening skies and finally heard the weather predictions on the radio.
Luckily, Trace had insisted that they each bring a small overnight bag just in case their sight-seeing led them to be away from the hotel for more than a day. Good thing Aly and Shadoe gave in, grudgingly though it was!
Trace and Aly went on into the sitting room where a fire was crackling heartily in the fireplace. Aly went over to it and held her cold hands towards the flames. "Man. This is just what I needed! This place is great, right Trace?" Aly looked back over her shoulder to find Trace studying an intricate quilt rack and making notes in the notebook that seemed to be permanently attached to her. She was always on the lookout for new ideas in woodworking for her business.
Shadoe rejoined them and made the announcement that there were indeed some rooms available. Most of the reservations had been cancelled due to the approaching storm. There was only one other guest, a local, who had had some damage to his house and needed temporary shelter.
Trace and Aly digested this information and were relieved to know that they had a roof over their heads for the night.
Shadoe wanted to go up and check out their rooms before supper was served and Trace went in search of the owner of the house. She wanted to ask some questions about the crafts and woodwork that she had discovered in order to attempt some reproductions for her shop.
Aly could feel the stiffness in her legs so she decided to take a quick stroll around the grounds before the weather became too unbearable. *Just a quick walk to stretch my legs...* she thought to herself, heading out of the house.
She could still hear the chopping coming from behind the house. *Good thing... looks like we will definitely be needing the firewood tonight!* she thought to herself as she slipped her gloves on and zipped her parka up snugly.
As she wandered across the small clearing towards the woods, she could see the movement of the dog from the corner of her eye... right before he lunged at her. Knocking her to the ground, the dog wagged its tail happily and sniffed her face curiously. Aly lay as still as possible, waiting for the dog to familiarize itself with her scent, before trying to get up.
Oddly enough, the wood chopping had stopped. From behind the house she heard a man call out, "Hasard NO! Down! "
*Strange..* Aly thought. * That voice sounds oddly... familiar.* Waiting for the dog to move, Aly breathed a huge sige of relief when the weight of the dog was finally pulled from her body. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to still her pounding heart when she saw the hand that was thrust before her face.
"Here. Let me help you up, ma petite."
Aly grasped the hand and was pulled to her feet so quickly that she fell against the chest of the man standing before her. Taking a few seconds to regain her composure, she eased back against the arms that had encircled her and lifted her eyes to the face above her. Taking in the darkened green eyes, the wind-blown chestnut curls, the straight proud nose, the sensuous lips that were curling even now into a smile, she finally realized who it was.
Clamping her mouth shut from where it had fallen open in shocked surprise, Aly stepped back and declared, "Roy!?! What in the world are YOU doing here?"
Laughing together, they hugged each other, and Roy placed a kiss on each of her cheeks in the traditional French greeting. He placed his arm around her shoulders and called Hasard to heel. They headed back towards the house as he explained, "The strong winds from last night caused some damage to my house... so...."
Aly stopped and whirled on him. "So YOU are the local who has the damaged home! I would have never guessed!! " Roy laughed with her and they continued towards the house.
As the two walked along in companionable silence, Aly smiled wickedly to herself as she imagined the looks on Trace and Shadoe's faces when they saw who they were to be snowbound with for the next few days!! OMG!! LOL!!
The End :)
