said we could use his snowmobile to deliver coffee and cookies, but I don't know how to drive it. Keith Hauge said he'd do it, but he ran up to the inn to call Shelly Merkeson, and I don't think he'll be back in time.'
'Do you want me to go up and get him for you?'
Pam shook her head. 'I'm not sure I want him driving in his condition.'
Hannah was surprised As far as she knew, Keith was about as squeaky-clean as they came. 'He's been drinking?'
'Heavens, no! It's just that he had a fight with Shelly last night and now he's apologizing to her. And from what Renee tells me, it's going to take a while before she lets him off the hook. Do you know anything about snowmobiles?'
'Sure. My father had one and we used to go out every weekend in the winter.'
'Have you ever driven one?'
'A couple of times,' Hannah said, remembering the rare occasions when her father had held her on his lap and let her steer.
'I'm really glad to hear that. Do you think that you could drive Mayor Bascomb's snowmobile for us?'
'I don't know why not.' Hannah agreed with a smile. She'd be very careful starting out, until she got the hang of it. Once she got the mechanics down, it should be a snap.
'That's great!' Pam looked very relieved 'I'll have a couple of the girls load it up and you can get going.'
'Okay. Where am I going?'
'Out to the ice-fishing houses. I promised to deliver hot coffee and cookies to all the contestants, and I'm already ten minutes behind schedule.'
Hannah continued to smile, but she knew it was slipping. 'You mean you want me to drive it out on the ice?'
'Yes. Can you do it?'
'Absolutely,' Hannah promised, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. She'd assumed she'd be delivering coffee and cookies to the crowd that lined the lakeshore.
'There's no black ice,' Pam assured her. 'Keith Hauge checked it out when he drove Mayor Bascomb's snowmobile back to shore.'
Hannah's smile slipped even further. Anyone who'd grown up in Minnesota knew that black ice was thinner. But how could you spot black ice if it was covered with a blanket of snow?
'Are you sure you can do it, Hannah?'
'Positive,' Hannah responded, setting her smile on straight 'Let's load it up and I'll get going.'
Hannah watched as Mrs. Baxter's girls loaded the sled that was hitched behind the snowmobile. It was outfitted with an insulated box, and they packed it carefully with bags of cookies and containers of coffee. She was just settling down on the driver's seat, hoping she wouldn't make a fool of herself, when she spotted Andrea running toward her. Her sister had changed clothes since the snowman contest. Now Andrea was wearing a cherry red parka coat and a pair of matching moon boots.
Andrea arrived a bit breathless. 'What are you doing on Mayor Bascomb's snowmobile?'
'I'm driving it out to deliver coffee and cookies to the contestants.'
'That sounds like fun. I'm sorry I'm late. I stopped by the office to pick up my other coat. You were right. I was freezing.'
Hannah gave her a smile of approval. 'Good. I've got to get going. Why don't you wait in the warm-up tent until I get back?'
'No, I'll go with,' Andrea said, climbing into the passenger seat. 'I've never been inside an ice-fishing house before.'
'That's not a good idea.'
'Why not?'
Hannah glanced back at Mrs. Baxter's girls. They were within earshot, and she wasn't about to admit that she'd never driven a snowmobile before. 'Because it could be a bumpy ride.'
'You're crazy. The lake's as smooth as glass.' Andrea grabbed the strap and buckled herself in. Then she leaned over and whispered, 'I know you think I'm pregnant, but I'm not. And if you wait much longer, that coffee's going to get cold.'
Hannah knew that she wasn't the only sister to inherit the Swensen stubborn streak. Once Andrea had dug in her heels, that was that.
'Are we going, or what?'
'We're going,' Hannah said with a sigh, driving forward onto the icy surface of Eden Lake.
SHORT STACK COOKIES
DO NOT preheat oven ' dough must chill before baking
1 ' cups melted butter (3 sticks) 2 cups sugar 2 large beaten eggs, any brand (just whip them with a fork) ' cup maple syrup *** 4 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 cups flour (not sifted) ' cup white sugar for coating the dough balls
*** To measure maple syrup, first spray the inside of measuring cup with Pam so that the syrup won't stick to sides of cup.
Melt the butter and mix in the sugar. Let it cool and add the beaten eggs. Add maple syrup, soda, salt, and vanilla. Mix it all up. Then add the flour and mix thoroughly.
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour (overnight is fine, too).
Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. Roll the balls in white sugar and place them on greased cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them with a spatula.
Put oven rack in the middle position. Bake at 350'F for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on the cookie sheets for no more than 1 minute, then remove the cookies to the rack to finish cooling. (If you leave them on the cookie sheets for too long, they'll stick.)
Edna Ferguson says these taste exactly like pancakes that are slathered with maple syrup and butter, and she wishes she could get away with serving them instead of real pancakes at the annual faculty breakfast.
-23- It was a great day to be out on the lake with a snowmobile. The ice was covered with a light blanket of snow that had fallen the previous evening, and it sparkled in the pale rays of a sun that had peeked out just in time for their deliveries. It was cold, but both Hannah and Andrea were dressed for the weather, and they zipped along from ice-fishing house to ice-fishing house, taking cookies and coffee to the contestants. Everyone was glad to see them. It was a break in a sport that could get rather boring if the fish weren't biting.
'I've never seen the inside of an ice-fishing house before, but they remind me of something familiar,' Andrea said, buckling her seatbelt and waiting for Hannah to drive to their next stop.
Hannah looked over at her sister and grinned. 'I know exactly what it is. Just think of the buildings on Grandma and Grandpa Swensen's farm, and that should jog your memory.'
'What good will that do? Grandpa Swensen didn't go ice-fishing.' Andrea thought for a moment. 'You mean the corn crib?'
'No.' Hannah pulled forward across the ice. 'Guess again.'
'The shed where he kept the tractor?' Andrea raised her voice so that Hannah could hear her over the sound of the engine.
'Nope.'
'Then what? Their farm was nowhere near the lake, and I know they didn't have an ice-fishing house.'
'You're right. They didn't. But there's another thing they didn't have ' indoor plumbing.'
Andrea's mouth dropped open and then she started to laugh. 'Really, Hannah!'
'Well, it's true. An ice-fishing house looks a lot like an outdoor privy. It's got four walls, a roof, and a bench. The only difference is, the hole is in the ice.'
'It's true,' Andrea admitted, still cracking up. 'I wish you hadn't told me. Now I'm not going to be able to think of anything else.'
Hannah grinned and headed across the lake at a good clip. They'd decided to start with the farthest ice- fishing houses and work their way back to shore. So far, they'd visited six, and they still had over a dozen to go.
'Don't tell me Pete's fishing from his car!' Andrea looked utterly amazed as they pulled up next to Pete Nunke's old Ford.
