Andi's Dream - All Ashore

by Duleigh

©Copyright 2024 by Duleigh

Chapter 1

It was a tough winter that year. The storms of January and February dumped several feet of snow on the snowbelt of Western New York every time they struck. Luckily, they had a break in mid-February on time for Valentine's Day. Paul Jarecki was excited about this "Hallmark Holiday" because for the first time in years, he was in love. He found Andi Roberts stuck in a ditch near his cabin during a snowstorm and rescued her and her daughters. They spent five days in his cabin and emerged madly in love. Paul's brother John did everything he could to dissuade Paul and Andi from marrying but in the end, on Christmas Eve, John happily officiated the wedding as pastor of the Springville Congregational Church.

As Valentine's Day neared, Paul Jarecki had lunch with his brother John at Worzils Bar & Grille. "Are you sure you won't join us at the Fallsview Sheraton?" asked Paul. "I have a room reserved for you and Macy, a room with a view of the falls."

"We can't afford a frivolity like that," said John. A viewer would immediately see that John and Paul are brothers, even though Paul is seven years older than John and a half head taller.

"It's a gift," said Paul. Paul can afford gifts like that. He's the owner of 10 very successful car dealerships, and is a doctor, and has a law degree. Money is something that seeks Paul Jarecki, not the other way around. It seeks John also, but he refuses gifts, he doesn't want the temptation. The closest John comes to accepting gifts is spending the occasional week in Jupiter, Florida, but he and Paul inherited that house from their parents.

"You know Macy and I don't accept extravagant gifts like that, what will the church board say?"

"They'll say that Pastor John is getting his gears lubricated," said Paul, knowing that John would blush. "I truly understand, but our wives are getting along so well, they're with each other constantly."

"And that is the perfect reason why I shouldn't accept your offer. We should be paying attention to our wives, not to each other, and they should be paying attention to us, not their sister-in-law," said John as their lunches arrived. Their wives couldn't be more different if they tried. Paul's wife Andi was tiny, four foot eight inches tall with blond hair and a beautiful curvy figure, 32DD breasts, a narrow waist, and round hips and ass. She's vivacious, outgoing and quite funny, but when she's at work, she's all business. She's a pulmonologist and runs a pulmonary clinic for the VA.

Macy, however, stood six feet two inches, had a slender build and was black. She was a fashion model in Montreal in her youth before going on to divinity school and getting her Ph.D. in Theology. It was there that she met John Jarecki, all five foot seven of him. Macy was bright and cheerful and very outgoing when she was around Andi, and in private, she was playful with her husband. Like Andi, when she was working, she was all business. She works part time as Paul's assistant at Jarecki Motors

"We really and truly do want to spend Valentines Day like we always do, in the cabin with a pleasant fire in the wood stove, and an awesome dinner we make ourselves," said John.

"We cater you know," said Ayato Tanaka, the bartender, who was listening to every word the brothers said from behind his bar. It was said that his hearing was so sharp that if you drop a bottle cap on the road outside, he could tell what brand of beer it came from by the sound it made when it hit the road.

"We'll keep that in mind, thanks Ayato."

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Chapter 2

The winter weather in Western New York got more and more severe, but John and Macy Jarecki were not deterred by it. They never bothered with Valentine's Day in the past, but as Macy outgrew her early trauma, she and her husband became skilled lovers and grew fond of the holiday. About the time they decided they were ready for children; Macy and her new sister-in-law, Andi, challenged each other to see who would be the first Jarecki woman to have a baby in over 30 years.

"First one to the delivery room wins!" said Andi.

John and Macy always celebrated Valentine's Day at the cabin that John shared with his brother, Paul. The February storm was dumping large amounts of snow on the snowbelt, but Macy and John were warm and comfortable in the cabin. A cheery fire crackled in the wood stove. John put on some soft jazz and lit a few candles before dousing the electric lights. Dinner was roast duck with cranberry pecan stuffing, grilled asparagus, and mashed sweet potatoes. Being a former model, Macy still doesn't eat much, but when John cooks a meal like that for her, she'll never say no.

He led her to the couch that faced the wood stove and eased her into the cushions. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she purred. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders and glistened in the candlelight. His fingers tangled in her silky hair, and he pulled her close for a sweet kiss. Then he presented her with something she can never say no to as well. Chocolate.

She opened the gaudy heart shaped candy box and selected a delectable looking candy. In the candlelight, John noticed how the candy was the same color as his precious French-Canadian love. "Ouvrez la bouche," came her breathy request, and John happily opened his mouth. She put the candy in his mouth, and he bit chocolate butter cream, her favorite. He bit off half of the candy and placed the other half in her mouth.

Their eyes remained locked on each other, her rich dark brown eyes locked to his light, shimmering blue eyes, then their lips met, their tongues sought each other out and their arms wrapped around each other. Ever since that evening on Judge Nicoletta's Island when they decided it was time to have a child, sex had become different. It became more passionate, the romance that was only rarely part of their relationship flooded in and suddenly John couldn't touch her enough. In the ten years they've been married, he has never loved this woman so much.

Macy's feelings toward John were similar. Their marriage was one of intellectual convenience at first. He practically dared her to marry him, and he was her student! And now they were going to have a child. With trembling hands, she struggled with his belt as his fingers clumsily unbuttoned her blouse. He urged her to her feet, and it was easier for both to stand and undress each other. The couch was quickly converted to a full bed with warm comfortable flannel quilts, and John slowly lowered Macy to the couch. She shivered nervously. So many times, she pushed him away. So many times, they tried and failed to please each other. No more! He has been so kind and understanding over the years. Tonight is his night.

As he climbed over her, she grabbed his hips and pulled him closer until his cock was at her mouth. She sighed and swallowed his cock. Macy sucked and licked his cock, getting him so hot and ready for sex. Soon he began panting and sweating as he fucked her mouth. With a mouthful of cock, she looked up at her man, who was trying desperately not to hurt her, but he could never do it, not with his cock. "Si bon," (so good!) she moaned around his cock.

As she sucked and swallowed his cock, her hands caressed his ass cheeks. She pulled and urged him deeper into her mouth as her fingertips probed his asshole, driving him insane with lust. "I can't hold back," he growled.

"Then don't," she said and swallowed him again as she smiled around his cock with her luscious lips.

John got into position between her legs and lined his cock up with her pussy. He rubbed the head up and down, smearing her juices on it. "Dépêchez-vous," (hurry) she cried, and he pressed into her, her chocolate brown arms and legs wrapped around him as he fucked. "Give me your baby," she whispered as he fucked into her as hard as he could. Soon she was cumming, driven over the edge by his excited, maniacal fucking, and he soon followed, emptying into her. With a kiss, they snuggled next to the fire. There will be more fireworks that night.

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Chapter 3

Andi finally made it to Canada! She and her young daughters traveled to Western New York in early December to visit a friend and spend Christmas in Toronto, Ontario. Things didn't work out, and she ended up meeting and getting rescued by Paul Jarecki. They eventually married, and he turned out to be a millionaire.

Andi and her sister-in-law Macy became inseparable. With Andi's tiny twin daughters trailing along behind, she and Macy went everywhere together and shared everything. Both were overjoyed to finally have a sister in their lives. On Christmas, they were relaxing in the hot tub, teasing each other and challenged each other to have a baby, the first Jarecki baby in decades, something both women dearly wanted. The baby race was on.

On Valentine's Day, Paul and Andi Jarecki crossed the Niagara River in downtown Buffalo on the Peace Bridge to Fort Erie, Ontario. From there, they followed the Niagara River north by taking the Niagara Parkway. "This is amazing!" gasped Andi as she watched large chunks of ice flowing down the Niagara River. "I've never seen a river this big! Rivers back in Colorado are tiny compared to this!"

Paul chuckled as he drove. "Most rivers in Colorado would be called creeks down here." They arrived at Niagara Falls, Ontario as darkness fell and entered the Tide and Vine for dinner. They had amazing dishes like salmon gravlax, beef carpaccio, lamb with potato pave and battered cauliflower, roasted halibut bouillabaisse, followed by a passion fruit custard tarte.

"I've never had a meal that was anything like that!" gasped Andi as they went for a snowy after dinner stroll.

"I take it that there's not a lot of French cooking in Colorado?"

"French fries," said Andi with a grin as they gazed at Niagara Falls. Millions of gallons of water thundered over the precipice just a few feet from where they were standing. Andi found herself hypnotized by the sheer power of the roaring cataract. Mist rose from the plunging water, froze, and added to the snowfall that they were getting.

"Come on, I know where there's a better view," said Paul. Soon they were in their suite at the Fallsview Sheraton. He poured two glasses of wine, then went to the curtains that dominated the entire back wall of the room. He pulled the chain, and the curtains opened, revealing the entire falls, both the American and the Canadian falls.

As she gazed at the natural marvels, Paul stood behind her and unzipped her beautiful dress and slipped it off her shoulders, revealing Andi's natural marvels. She stood in awe of the amazing waterfall, and as she watched, the floodlights illuminating the falls changed color, turning the cataract and the mist a cheery Valentine's Day red.

Andi couldn't tear her eyes away from the natural beauty of the thundering waters. Andi gasped, a jolt of sexual desire shot through her at the thought of all that power, of feeling it spread through her body. She couldn't believe how turned on she was over the power of the Falls.

Paul hugged his tiny wife from behind, squeezing her breasts and pinching her nipples as she stared in awe at the falls. His hand crept down to her pussy and two fingers began circling her clit while his lips and teeth nibbled at her neck. She leaned back against him and grasped his cock and stroked it. As she did, she hissed, "Is there a baby in there for me?"

"I don't know. I'm sure there's a climax or two for you," he said as he continued to nibble at her neck.

She spread her legs wider, giving his fingers more access to her pussy, and Paul took full advantage of it. With two fingers sliding in her pussy, a hand on her breast, his mouth at her neck and Niagara Falls in sight, she began to cum. Looking at Paul's reflection in the window, she gasped, "Now! I can't wait."

She planted her hands on the window and bent over, spreading her legs. Paul stood behind her, grasped her hips and eased his cock into her sopping pussy and, when he sensed she was ready, he began fucking his darling wife. Her eyes were locked on the thundering waters as she gasped and cried out. His slamming thrusts shook her body, driving her to a quick, powerful climax. Andi and Paul slumped to the floor, kissing and caressing sweetly. He'll get his chance soon, because the baby race was on.

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Chapter 4

It was a tough winter that year. The storms of January and February dumped several feet of snow on the snowbelt of Western New York every time they struck. The only actual break they got was in Mid-February when Paul and Andi spent the evening in Niagara Falls while John and Macy had a romantic tryst at the cabin for Valentine's Day. After that break, the frigid weather returned.

The storm hit during the third week of February, when seven feet of snow fell from Wednesday to Friday. Andi's job started on the following Tuesday, and she was afraid of being housebound by the storm. Every three hours Andi or Paul would man the snow blower and blow the driveway clear with the "Baby Deere," which is what they called the John Deere X540 Lawn Tractor.

Normally the Baby Deere would have a plow attached, but the snow was coming down too fast and too heavy, so Paul broke out the 44 inch snow blower attachment that he bought years ago and only used once. With a little bit of instruction, Andi was clearing the driveway, front walk, and sidewalk in front of the house on Howard Street, and on the north side of the house on Second Avenue.

For the twins, this was real excitement. They couldn't get enough. When Andi pulled on her parka and goggles and headed outside, followed by the roar of the Baby Deere, the Twins followed her progress, running from window to window to watch her blow the driveway and sidewalks clear of snow. "Why don't you guys go out and help her?" asked their governess Yi.

Both twins gave her a disapproving look, eyebrows furrowed, angry pouts on their lips. "Poppa's tractor will eat us!" cried Sandy. Madeline nodded in agreement, then they went right back to watching out the window.

"We can shovel the stairs for your mom and dad," said Yi, who had never seen snow before and now couldn't get enough of the white stuff. "When we're done, I'll pull you on your sled."

"K!" and the twins went and grabbed their snow pants, parkas, hats, mittens, scarves, and boots and threw them in a pile in the middle of the kitchen. Then they sorted through the pile and got dressed. Yi helped the twins with their cold weather gear, and it didn't take long. Throwing everything in a pile worked out somehow and soon the only twin skin visible was around their eyes.

"Let's go twin-o!" called Yi, and they stepped outside, and Yi had to lift them down the four steps that were covered with snow. The twins had little snow shovels they used to clear a small section of the stairs while the chocolate lab Wonka bounced around and tried to catch the snow that the twins were flailing around while Yi used a full-sized shovel and cleared the steps in moments. "Good Job girls, let's go find more snow!"

As Yi led the twins to the front of the house, Andi continued to clear the driveway with the snowblower. It was actually a lot of fun. Paul called it 'shaving the driveway' and Andi saw the similarity to shaving her legs. Just bigger, noisier, and colder. Wearing headsets, she grooved to the song that she loved to listen to while on the Baby Deere: John Deere Green.

She couldn't help it. It was a silly song, but it was such a sweet song; it made her happy, and she sang it every time she got on Baby Deere, and the bridge of the song always brought a tear of joy and she hoped it described her and Paul's love. The bridge spoke of Billy Bob climbing the water tower and painting a huge heart in John Deere Green and how every time they paint it over, the heart keeps showing through.

As usual, she wasn't paying enough attention to Baby Deere and snow was spilling out of the auger, leaving a line of snow down the cleared section of the driveway. That meant she was going too fast, and the big auger couldn't ingest the snow she was feeding it. As she adjusted her speed, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Hi babies!" she called as she saw the twins flailing away with their snow shovels. They paused for a moment and waved to mom and went back to their version of shoveling which spilled snow onto the driveway.

Andi finally finished the driveway and turned to clear the sidewalk that was just outside of the ornate iron fence around the front yard while the twins started shoveling snow off the front porch with Yi. Paul had asked that she didn't blow the snow onto the lawn if she could help it, so she adjusted the chute to throw it toward the street, but she aimed it low so the stream of snow pouring out of the chute splattered against the curb.

They live on a corner lot, so she had a long sidewalk on the north side of the house, and she purred along impatiently, enthusiastic to see what their backyard looks like in full summer bloom. There was a big white privacy fence around the in-ground swimming pool and above ground hot tub. But behind the garage was a large yard, almost a full lot in itself with trees and grape arbors. Paul has a zero turn John Deere for cutting the yard in town. Baby Deere goes back to the cabin when the weather clears to cut the lawn there.

When she finished the sidewalk, she came back up the middle of Second Avenue and went past Howard Street and went a couple of houses up the street to find Josh and Veronica trying to clear their driveway. Josh was digging with a shovel and Veronica was fighting with her snow blower. "Need a hand?"

Veronica set her machine to idle. "If you don't mind, this storm is crazy! We can't keep up!"

"Tell me about it," said Andi and she lowered the auger and chewed a path through the hill that the village snowplow left, then backed into Veronica's driveway. Veronica's driveway was two cars wide. That meant less lawn to cut but more snow to shovel. Andi backed the Baby Deere to the garage behind the house and engaged the auger. Then she reset her headphones and cranked up the music.

Western New York, snow belt momma, take me home, pothole road.

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Chapter 5

Yi walked up Howard Street to Main Street. She had a venison roast in the oven, and she wanted a few things for the side, so she loaded the twins onto a plastic sled and pulled them up to Main Street, where Bee Quik IGA stood ready and waiting. The parking lot was an unplowed madhouse, and the crowd inside was snagging bread, milk, and toilet paper like it was the end of the world. Yi shrugged. They had enough fresh milk to last the twins a full week of drinking nothing but milk, and they had enough flour to make bread for months. She needed the things this group wasn't looking at. Like endive lettuce and fresh asparagus

"Do not run off!" demanded Yi, and she hung the twins on the sides of her shopping cart. The twins knew Yi's limits by now and knew exactly how many buttons they can push before getting in trouble, and it wasn't many.

"We need chicken wings," said Sandy.

"You don't like chicken wings," said Yi. She learned quickly that what the twins liked was to get the Franks hot sauce on their hands, then dip their fingers in the bleu cheese dressing and lick it off. (some Frank's hot sauce + melted butter mixed with bleu cheese dressing makes the twins' favorite salad dressing)

"What else do we need for dinner?" asked Yi.

"Ummm… Gummi bears?" suggested Sandy.

"Bacon?" suggested Madeline.

"No Gummi bears, and we have bacon at home. No suggestions?"

The twins saw a display and gasped, their favorite vegetable. "GREEN TREES!" shouted Sandy.

"Green trees with holiday sauce!" gushed Madeline. The twins will eat hollandaise sauce like it was soup if you let them. Yi considered making instant hollandaise because they would eat it so voraciously, and even if they didn't notice, Yi would. Andi and Yi discovered that when one or both of the twins got in a picky mood and not eat anything but a single item, the application of a little hollandaise on anything they turn their noses up at would cure that mood.

Yi inspected the asparagus, then put a cluster held with an elastic in the cart, then she got some "pointy lettuce," and a head of "white trees" (cauliflower) and a few more items, then headed over to the deli. "Half a pound of capicola, half a pound of provolone, and a pound and a half of roast beef sliced as thin as humanly possible and some au jus."

"Havin' beef on weck?" asked Martha, the counter manager, who seemed to know everyone.

"Yeah, tomorrow. This storm is going to last a couple of days so I want quick and ready meals."

"NOOOOODLES," cried the twins as they peered through the deli case at all the salads and hot dishes. A huge tray of mac and cheese called to them, taunting them.

"Where did you two come from?" Martha asked the twins as she handed Yi a sample of the roast beef to share with the twins.

"My mommy," said Sandy without taking her eyes from the mac and cheese.

"We used to live in her tummy," added Madeline, causing Martha, a twin mom herself, to whoop with laughter.

"These are Doc Jarecki's daughters."

"Poppa," agreed Sandi and Madeline, as they tore into the roast beef slices.

"Oh, I heard about you guys!" cooed Martha. "You moved here from Denver. Is it cold there?"

"No," said Sandy.

"It's cold at GG's house," said Madeline.

"We're going to see GG next week!" said Sandy.

"Oh God, I forgot about that," groaned Yi. "Their great grandmother lives in Bismark North Dakota. We have to go to Minot for a ceremony, then down to Bismark, to meet GG, then down to Denver to close out their mom's apartment."

"Strawberry Shortcake," said Sandy, naming her favorite doll she left in Denver.

"What do you like better," asked Martha. "Springville or Denver?"

"Springville!" cheered the twins.

"We have chickens here," said Madeline.

"And a dog," added Sandy.

"Here's your roast beef, your provolone, and your coppa," Martha said as she laid out the packages. "And have fun in the great white north."

Yi wheeled the twins to the bakery to get hard rolls to make kimmelweck before checking out. "Look who's here," the twins said in a sing-song voice. Yi didn't have to look. It was Kenny. Yi really, really liked Kenny Johnson. If she were honest with herself, she would say that she was in love with Kenny. But Kenny was the first man she met in Western New York (other than his grandfather Archie) and it just didn't seem right to settle down with the first guy she meets and not see what else was available.

They had fun at the Jarecki's cabin, and it was really wonderful to snuggle with Kenny overnight under a warm comforter with Pastor John and Pastor Macy just inches away behind a curtain. They giggled all night long and kept John and Macy up, wondering what was going on. He taught her how to cross-country ski and how to snowshoe and they were working on shooting bow and arrow when it came time to return home.

She was terrified of him. No, she was terrified of his eyes. When she looked deep into his eyes, she saw wedding bells. It can't be! She just met him. She's not like Andi and Paul, who accepted their feelings and proposed to each other just hours after meeting each other. Yi saw herself more like Josh and Veronica, who chatted civilly with each other, reigning in their feeling and desires until the time was right. And she wasn't looking for a guy who runs a feed store! She wanted someone more like Doctor Jarecki, a successful businessman with an enormous house and a yacht. Not some working man with yellow fever.

"Hi Yi," came his voice. She turned to Kenny, trying to be cool and civil.

"Hi," she said, and her throat went dry. Don't look in his eyes! But she didn't listen to her own warning. Those wedding bells were there, and they were louder than ever. Before she could stop herself, she whispered, "Yes."

"Huh? I didn't ask you anything," said Kenny.

"You will," she said as their lips met.

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Chapter 6

Seven feet of snow in three days… and it wasn't a record. The record for the area was eight feet in two days. With the snow blown clear from the driveway and the sidewalks, the Jarecki family posed for tons of pictures in front of the snowbanks. "What do you normally do when the weather is like this?" asked Yi at lunch on the third day of the blizzard.

"Go to the cabin," said Paul.

"How?" said Andi.

"That sounds like a challenge. Who's up for a picnic in the cabin tomorrow?"

"ME!" shouted the twins.

"Let me see if I can get a ride…" Paul pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "Hey, you busy today? … Cool, can you give me a lift to the cabin? Great! See you in a few minutes." Paul rose and pulled on his snowmobile suit and dug up his Easy Rider Captain America helmet. "I'll be back in a few hours," as the sound of a snowmobile pulling in the driveway was heard.

"Hey, that's Kenny," said Andi as she looked out the side window, but Yi didn't turn to look. "Is everything ok?" asked Andi.

"She's mad at Kenny," said Sandy.

"They played kissy kissy in the grocery store yesterday," said Madeline as she picked at her bologna sandwich.

Outside, Paul climbed on the back of Kenny's snowmobile and Kenny turned it around in the wide driveway, then opened the throttle and headed out of town. Snowmobiles were purring all over Springville. The village hadn't plowed the snow in a long time except for the main storm routes, which were US39, US240, and Main Street. And none of them were plowed very well.

They were back in time for dinner. Paul had the Snowcoach trailer attached to the back of the gutsy Yamaha VK 540, and when they pulled their snowmobiles up to a stop, Paul started emptying the firewood out of the Snowcoach and piling it on his home wood pile. When they finished, they came into the house.

"Kenny volunteered to help us dig out the cabin tomorrow, so I invited him to dinner and stay the night, if no one has any objections."

Yi sighed. Her willpower weakened any time Kenny was near. Now he was here, and she's got that enormous bathtub that was built for two… what's a girl to do?

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Chapter 7

"Di Domissio Contracting, this is Lucy, how may I help you?"

"Lucy? I'm used to hearing Carole, is she OK? Did Gus get a new secretary?"

"No, Carole is fine. The schools are closed so she's home with her kids and I'm filling in for her. How can we help you?"

"This is Buddy over at Concord TruValue, is there a chance Gus can hit my parking lot before eight?"

Lucy turned to Gus and said, "Buddy wants to know if you can get his parking lot before eight."

Gus thought for a moment then shouted, "Hey Buddy, I think I can get there at six, is that good?"

"That'll be great," said Buddy. "Thanks Gus."

"Don't thank me now," said Gus. "Let's see if we can get there on time first."

As Lucy entered Concord TruValue on Gus's clipboard list, he took a sip of coffee and wheeled into the local Circle K to fill up his truck. This is the second gasoline stop of the evening so far. As Gus filled the truck, Lucy took his thermos into the station and topped it off with fresh hot coffee. She grabbed a few cheese and sausage snacks and a couple of sandwiches and was back at Gus's truck in a matter of moments. Gus returned from his "pit stop" and checked the gas pump. "Thank you so much for doing this," said Gus as he hung the nozzle back on the gas pump, then turned and gave Lucy a big hug.

"My vacation is almost over, so I might as well do something," she said as she tried to hug him with both hands full. Their lips met and the thrill of kissing a man that is really worthy of her love coursed through her. Gus has been the most respectful, thoughtful, helpful man that she ever met, and she had a giddy feeling rushing through her every time their lips met.

Lucy's vacation was a sabbatical between jobs. She had left her position as surgeon at a local hospital and signed on to work at a new VA clinic that had opened up and continue to perform thoracic surgery at the VA hospital downtown. But right now, she wanted to spend as much time with Gus as she could, even if that meant acting as his co-pilot and his secretary. They climbed into his truck and Gus sipped the coffee Lucy poured and he headed to the next job.

It was dark, which was good. In snow country, low clouds would reflect the village's light back down, illuminating the area. However, with high clouds or no clouds, it was much darker out. It was also much colder. Low clouds trap the heat, high clouds let the heat rise. Low clouds also mean snow, and they've been getting a lot of snow this week. "Ok, the Bee Quik is usually pretty quick, then we'll get Archie's feed store." Archie has been retired for years, but everyone still calls it Archie's Feed Store.

As they pulled into the Bee Quik parking lot, Lucy asked, "Were you ever in the military?"

"Sure was," said Gus as he lined up his big F-550 truck. "Navy, Aviation Boatswain's Mate, Animal By Habit. I wasn't a hero like Doc or his buddy Josh, I did four years on the USS Forest Fire, did my job, and came home." He fiddled with the controller a little bit, then pushed the handle forward and his big Western V plow dropped to the pavement.

"I didn't understand a word of that," said Lucy.

Gus put the heavy truck into low range and hit the gas. "I was an aircraft handler on an aircraft carrier. I moved planes around, took them down to the hangar, brought them up on deck, chained them down, unchained them, stuff like that." He had the V plow straight with the two-foot wings spread straight out, giving him a twelve foot wide plow. He angled it a bit, so the snow rolled off to the right as he pushed the snow into a huge pile at the far end of the parking lot.

"What is with the forest fire?"

"That was the nick name of my ship the USS Forrestal. It had several bad fires, its first one was while it was being built at the Brooklyn shipyards then a really bad one in Vietnam, so folks eventually called it the Forest Fire and the name stuck."

Lucy chuckled as Gus told her about his career in the navy and how he could feel that big ship rolling even in the calmest of seas. "I was a born land lubber; I never should have gone to sea."

"Did you see any foreign ports?"

"Oh yeah, Rota Spain, Sigonella Sicily, Naples, Crete… there was a lot of fun but in the end it wasn't for me. Airplanes smell funny. I prefer the smell of sawdust and wood."

All night long they plowed parking lots and driveways in Springville. The big Ford scraped the lots right down to the pavement even after cars had been in and out all day. They talked about their past. Gus was passionate to hear about Lucy's races, all of them, on foot, swimming, and biking, and Lucy wanted to hear about Gus's daughters. Finally, Lucy said, "Paul told me you like to race, too."

"Yeah, it's nothing heroic like you out there riding your bike across the entire country, my races are much shorter."

"How much shorter?"

"They go a…" he looked embarrassed to say it. He finally let out, "quarter mile."

"You drag race?" Her eyes got huge. "What class?"

He started another plowing pass. "Super Stock." He looked over at Lucy, who was almost drooling. "You like cars?"

"Oh God yes! My dad and my brothers raced. I worked on dad's pit crew, he had a powder blue 1940 Willys gasser, my brother had a 1964 Mustang."

Gus finished that pass and turned around to make a pass in the opposite direction. Here at the Bee Quik, he could push snow in both directions and get out of there quickly. "My super stock is a 67 Camaro SS, I have a 1962 Ford Econoline pickup for show, and my street cruiser is a 69 Olds 442 and I'm working on rebuilding a 1962 Ford Falcon Ranchero. Paul and I occasionally cruise main street in our cruisers."

"Can I drive the Ranchero?" she asked, hoping to hide the excitement in her voice.

"If you help me get her on the road."

"When can we start?"

They talked about cars and biking. As much as Lucy was excited about Gus's cars, Gus was excited about helping Lucy with her bike races. The Olympics trials are only two years away and he's been egging her on to try out for the team.

"I can't put time like that into the team again," said Lucy.

"Then try out, beat everyone, then announce to the press, 'I want to concentrate on working at the VA, we owe it to our veterans.' The VA will make you employee of the year."

Lucy laughed at his comical suggestion at first, then she sighed. It would send a powerful message, but she wasn't sure if she still had it in her to beat those kids. "Let's see what spring brings when I break out the bikes."

Archie's feed store lot was quick, just a strip that took two passes and a driveway around back to the storage building. As they left, Gus hit the button for the salt spreader that was sitting in the dump bed of his big ford. "Springville Feed, plow and salt…" muttered Lucy as she wrote that down on the clipboard.

"No. This is pro bono, like the Humane Society thrift store."

"It's a business," insisted Lucy.

"It's a friend. If I didn't drop my plow on occasion, Kenny would be out here shoveling by hand. Thanks to Wehrle Holloway bumping up their rent constantly they can't afford a plow on occasion. The farmers count on this business, so if there's no cars stalled in the parking lot, I'll move his snow and if he says anything I'll say I took a short cut through his parking lot."

Tears filled Lucy's eyes as Gus talked about treating his friends and fellow Springville businessmen right. Why couldn't she have met him years ago?

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Chapter 8

Kenny followed Paul's lead as they headed to the cabin. They took Zoar Valley Road out of Springville, then cut over US 219, which was empty due to the storm, then followed the road past some incredibly old farms. The farmhouses looked like they were built well before 1850, and the barns looked older.

Paul's sled, the Yamaha VK 540, was a workhorse. It was built for working in the backwoods in northern Ontario. It even has reverse gear, so you can back the sled up to whatever you plan to haul. Kenny had a workhorse also, his Ski-Doo Skandic had a super wide track meaning that he had incredible traction and pulling power. He and Yi purred along behind Paul and Andi, traveling in trail until Paul pulled to a stop. He got off of his sled and went to his trailer and checked on the twins. They had stuffed lobsters and were having a lobster fight. "Are we there?" asked Sandy.

"Nope, I just need to pull this lever, so you don't get there first." And Paul pulled a lever that set a drag brake. Back on the sled, Paul started ahead, and the treelined road started going downhill. They turned a corner, and it started going downhill steeply. "This is why I set the drag brake on the girl's trailer," said Paul to Andi. "I was worried that the snow coach would push us down the hill, and we'd jack knife." Pulling the trailer with the brake set, they headed down an incredibly steep hill. The twins were hanging in their seat straps, pretending to be falling out as they went down the steep hill. The rock wall of the valley was on their right, and on their left was a sheer drop with occasional metal traffic guide rails.

"This is a road?" shrieked Andi. "It's a cliff!"

"Yeah, when you drive a car up the hill it feels like you're going to flip over backwards," said Paul. Andi couldn't see his grin, but she knew it was there.

"I never saw anything like this in Colorado!"

"This is a back road," said Paul. "Tertiary roads are engineered differently."

As they came down the steep road, Kenny pointed out the stream at the bottom of the steep road to Yi. "That's Cattaraugus Creek, that's where the trout are waiting for us."

Yi immediately forgot about her fear as she looked at the creek as it curved its way down the length of the deep valley. "Is this the Sore Valley?" she shouted.

"Yeah, close enough," said Kenny. "I grew up swimming and fishing in that creek. On those hot and muggy nights when we couldn't sleep, mom and dad brought me and my sisters down here and we'd just sit in the creek and cool off. Three naked little kids with mom and dad." He clearly missed those days.

Yi's bright beautiful eyes tried to follow the track of the creek as it wove its way under the snow, only to be exposed occasionally when it tumbled over ice-covered rocks. Yes, that's a trout haven, thought Yi. Dreams of trout almondine filled her head. From creek to pan to plate… only things that are easier to complete that journey are eggs. "The chickens!" she cried.

"What?"

"The girl's chickens! They're probably all dead," Yi gasped. "We haven't been to the cabin in days."

"They're ok," said Kenny. "We checked them yesterday; I made sure Doc had plenty of automatic feeders. They only need heat and water. There may be some extra eggs, you never know."

They reached the bottom of Zoar Valley, and the valley sides rose above them. Snowmobile tracks showed where the road was and showed how the people who lived in Zoar Valley were getting about. They stopped so Paul could release the trailer's drag brake, then moving again, they crossed a bridge over Cattaraugus Creek and turned on to Trevett road. "We're almost there," said Paul. "Wait until late September, this valley is a riot of colors!" Andi couldn't wait. Autumn in Colorado is brightly colored, but it's all yellow and green. She always was jealous of Vermont with their brightly colored maples.

"Let's take the hill!" shouted Kenny as he goosed the throttle.

"We just took a hill," said Yi as they turned on to Trevett Road and charged at the valley wall. It appeared like there was a seam in the valley wall and Trevett Road went straight into it, then started climbing. The road wove side to side as it clawed its way out of the depths of Zoar Valley. The climb was just as steep as Zoar Valley road and Andi and Yi felt like they were going to fall off the sleds so they clung to Paul and Kenny tightly.

Soon the climb eased, and they passed two large houses, one on the left, one on the right, and they waved to the folks that were shoveling their driveways. Trevett Road was only visible by the mailboxes poking out of the snow and the piles of snow from previous plowing. Then the road made a wide sweeping turn to the left.

"PIG FARM!" shouted the twins in unison and yes, they were passing Brad and Dianna Clemmon's hog farm. They turned up Brad's driveway, then cut out across the fields and were soon at their cabin. They parked behind the cabin, and everyone went straight to the big barn.

"We have to give the chickens a new bed," said Sandy with an air of knowledge and she pulled handfuls of straw from the small bale of straw that was in the henhouse. The ammonia stench of chicken shit was overpowering, and Yi gagged as she hit the exhaust fan to clear the air. They checked every coop and found dozens of eggs buried in the straw and chicken shit. As they cleaned up the henhouse, below them, engines roared to life. Kenny was first out of the barn with the snowblower, and he started clearing around the barn where the attachments for the tractors were sitting, next was Paul on the old Ford 8N tractor and he quickly coupled to the drag plow, followed by Andi on the Kubota with the plow already coupled to the front lift arms.

Andi never considered the turns her life has taken. Six months ago, she was a successful but overworked doctor at Colorado University, living alone with her babies. To her, a farm was a distant concept that provided her with food and a tractor was a toy that she would give a co-worker's son. Now she's on a tractor, and along with her husband, she was plowing out a buried driveway while her girls were showing their governess how to care for chickens. All Andi considered was that she's never been happier.

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Chapter 9

Andi spent much of her time during her second and third months of marriage preparing for her new job with the VA. The VA was a sprawling governmental monolith with sprawling governmental regulations and requirements, and she had to learn how to deal with medical issues 'The VA Way.'

Now it was her first day, and she stood in the parking lot with Paul and Lucy, looking at her new clinic. "Relax," said Paul, as he massaged her shoulders from behind. "You know how to treat you patients. Concentrate on that, let the VA worry about VA rules."

"Are you sure?"

"Honey, it's your clinic. What are they going to do, penalize you for saving a war hero's life? Not even the VA is that pathetic."

Paul kissed Andi goodbye, then she and Lucy entered her clinic. She said hello to several patients, then she and Lucy got in line at the front desk. It was a storefront operation built in a closed clothing store in a nearly empty strip mall. Some of the walk-ins were not there for pulmonary issues, they were there because the nearest outpatient VA clinic was 30 miles away. Most of the people in the waiting room were men, but there was a female veteran among them, waiting for her turn. Lucy turned to Andi and said, "We got this, boss."

"Right now, I'd rather be in the Your Host diner with Paul." Paul had been in and out of this clinic for months as it was being built, so he was known by the staff and Andi wanted to do this on her own. There were three people in line waiting to sign in, and the waiting room was filled with men waiting. There were no amenities of any kind.

Andi finally reached the woman at the check-in desk and asked, "is the line always this long?"

The woman at the desk didn't even look up and said, "It's still early, give it time."

"Buzz me in please," said Andi.

"Where ya headed honey?"

"Doctor Robert's office."

"She ain't in till later."

"She's here now," said Andi, her 'mom voice' creeping into the conversation.

The woman at the computer looked up and said, "Let's see your ID." After reviewing Andi's and Lucy's identification, she buzzed them in, and Andi found herself in a long hall with doors on either side. To her right was a large physical therapy gym with treadmills, exercise bikes, and exercise beds for the patient to lie on and perform exercises. Next was a pulmonology lab where test were administered. "I want to check this out boss," and Lucy ducked into the lab.

Andi kept exploring. There were several examination rooms that had a rear door. In an empty examination room, Andi peeked through the rear door to find that it opened to an open area where there were desks and cubicles for the office staff and the nursing staff.

At the end of the hall, there was an exit and also a hall to the right. She turned right, and the hall had offices on her left and it ended with a hall to the right that went back to the waiting room. She noticed a technician following a patient who was walking toward her. The patient had an oxygen tank hanging on a strap from his shoulder and was using a nasal canula. When he got to Andi's end of the hall, he turned around and went back to the other end of the hall and turned around. "Six-minute walk?" Andi asked the technician, but she just glared at Andi.

"Don't interrupt," said the technician as she followed the patient. Andi had gotten the technician's name from her badge, Agnes Trenton. Agnes' attitude with her patient was brusk. She was harsh and ungracious when she spoke to him, and nasty to people who stepped out into the hall and almost bumped into her.

Andi watched as they came all the way back up the hall and when they got near her, she said, "Ms. Trenton. When you are done with your patient, please come see me in my office. Office one twelve." She didn't answer Andi. Agnes turned around and headed back up the hallway.

"Fat chance," muttered Agnes.

"I was not kidding Miss Trenton," said Andi, who was walking immediately behind Agnes, still investigating her clinic.

Andi then stepped into the administration area between the examination rooms and asked for everyone's attention quickly. "Hi, I'm Doctor Adrianna Roberts. I'm new to Western New York and my daughters and I are excited to be here. I want us to work together to show the VA what a caring clinic is all about. As a gold star daughter and the wife of a veteran, I want you to know that if you are not here one hundred and fifty percent for those men and women out there in the waiting room, then this clinic is not the place for you. I'll write glowing reviews for you and help you with your future placement, but from this moment forward, this clinic is dedicated to being the best at serving our veterans."

Andi saw Lucy peeking in a door and grinning as Andi briefed her troops. "If you have any complaints, you know my email address. If you have suggestions on how to serve our men and women, my door is wide open. Thank you," and she left. She wanted to speak with Ms. Trenton.

Andi finally got to see her office. It was clearly apparent that Paul decorated it for her. There were photos of their wedding, especially the picture of her, Macy, the twins and Wonka taken the moment that Andi realized she had a sister, and they could go sledding. There was a picture of Paul at the helm of Miss Arcadia, Judge Atherton's thirty-six-foot sloop and photos of Andi at the helm of Andi's Dream, and the big photo of the whole team when Yi and the Judge caught that beautiful sail fish. Prominent were photos of the twins' collecting seashells and catching mullets on the stern of Andi's Dream.

Ms. Trenton finally arrived, and she appeared reluctant to speak to Andi, and Andi had to ask some very direct questions. "Is that how six-minute walks are normally conducted?"

"Yes, that's how I was trained to conduct them," Ms. Trenton said evasively.

Andi got very serious. "We have men and women coming back from the desert with serious respiratory issues. Until the equipment I ordered from the Mayo clinic arrives, our best tool in diagnosing the condition and progress of our patients is with the six-minute walk."

"I am well aware of that," said Ms. Trenton.

"Then why were you using a twenty-dollar finger clip pulse-ox to check his O2 saturation? Where is the Wellue O2ring?" the O2 ring is a ring the patient wears that saves his oxygen data for the duration of the test and the technician can download the data. It's not the best solution, but until the new equipment comes in, it's better than the cheap pulse-ox.

"It wasn't charged…"

"And why was the patient carrying his oxygen on his shoulder? Carrying anything will skew test results for someone with respiratory conditions." Ms. Trenton looked at Andi in silence, then Andi said, "I asked you a question."

Finally, Ms. Trenton said, "the large oxygen tanks on wheels are locked up."

"Before I go I will make sure you have access to the large tanks. Unfortunately, the damage has been done…"

"What damage?" demanded Ms. Trenton.

"Forcing the patient to carry the oxygen tank, using the incorrect Pulse/Ox meter, failure to accurately measure the distance the patient traveled in six minutes, all of the tests you administered are invalid. We have no clear starting point for measuring their progress, so we have to start over again. I want a MOP, a Method of Procedure written up describing how the six-minute walk will be conducted for every patient, every time, of how you're going to measure his oxygen saturation and how you're going to accurately measure the distance the patient walked. Also, I want a circular track, I don't want them walking up and down a hallway."

Ms. Trenton looked shocked. She couldn't believe what was piled on her. "I don't know…" she sputtered.

"I have a change of command ceremony to attend in North Dakota in two days then I have to go to Denver and close out my apartment before I'm here full time. I'm expecting to be dazzled when I get back.

"Yes, ma'am."

Ms. Trenton left the office and Lucy stepped in. "What did you do to her? She looks like she just saw bigfoot, or a ghost, or something like that."

"I told her that her six-minute walks suck, and I wanted them fixed by the time I got back."

"How do you suck at six-minute walks?"

"The patient was carrying his oxygen on a shoulder sling," said Andi.

That was a preview of Andi's Dream - All Ashore. To read the rest purchase the book.

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