Yer a good woman, Charlene Brown...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 4
 

“Gabs? …. Ummm … what time is it?” Maddy wearily asked.

“Hmm … I’ve got good an’ bad news. The bad news is that it’s just past nine ... the good news is that it’s still Thursday ... but we’ve missed the first two shuttles into Banff,” Gaby whispered as she strained to prop herself up on an elbow to look over her wife’s shoulder at the bedside clock.

“Guess we should get up, then. Cor! … I feel like I’ve only had 15 minutes sleep!” (yawn)

“Funny … we weren’t tired when we got back…” Gaby playfully joked with a huge grin as she returned her head to the pillow and resumed holding her wife.

“I wonder why that is?” Maddy suggestively asked.

“No idea … an’ I think it’s closer to 10 minutes … not 15…”

“Sweetheart?” Maddy’s mood took on a more sombre tone.

“Maddy ... we agreed...” Gaby softly commented as she saw the moisture building up in her wife’s eyes.

“I keep thinking about last night. If Jules wasn’t watching out for you back in the States...” Maddy whispered as she wrapped her arms tightly behind Gaby’s neck, pulling her into a long embrace.

“Forget about it … okay? It’s just going to eat you up if you keep thinking about it,” Gaby softly pleaded.

“You don’t mind if I keep rememberin’ how much I love you … do you?” Maddy innocently wondered.

“I knew I made the right decision back when you talked me into going to that ‘Obicon’ thing-y…” Gaby softly commented.

“…an’ what decision was that, pray tell...” Maddy mischievously wondered, still hugging Gaby.

“You were the girl I was going to marry…” Gaby softly replied.

“You really that knew back then?”

“Never a doubt.”

“Even after ... you know?”

“Nope,” Gaby sharply whispered.

“Not even a little bit?”

“Uh uh.”

“What if I...?” Maddy whispered as her right index finger gently traced figure-eight’s around her wife’s breasts.

“Then I would’ve been very upset...” Gaby softly pouted before she gently rolled Maddy onto her back and proceeded to smother her with kisses.

Much later, after several false starts to get out of bed and a long shower where both girls had trouble concentrating on the task at hand, they were finally dressed and ready for a day on the ski trails.

“Why do we have to go into Banff, again?”

“…To get the bus for Mount Norquay.”

“We can’t just go there from here?”

“Nope … we have to catch it at the Banff Springs Hotel” Gaby cheerfully replied.

“Oh…”

After making sure they had everything they’d need, the girls left the room and soon found themselves on the next shuttle, heading for the town of Banff.

“I text’d Cheryl and told her we were running late. She suggested that we met them for lunch at a place called ‘Lone Pine’ in the Cascade Lodge. Oddly enough, that’s where the shuttle drops us...”

“What time?”

“About half twelve an’ we’ll figure out what we’re doing after skiing.”

“Will we get there on time?”

“The schedule says we get there shortly before noon. If we get our connection … that should give us time to get sorted before we hafta meet the girls.”

“Sounds good,” Maddy agreed.

“I also think it’d probably be a good idea, if we both had a proper lesson before we hit the trails. It might be more of a refresher for me, but I know it’s been a while since you were up on skis … right?”

“Uh huh…” Maddy quietly agreed.

“We’ll have to sort that out when we hire our ski equipment.”

“Wot about daily passes? You said we might want to go back…”

“Maybe ... but that’s only if you want to, okay?”

Maddy nodded her head and took a quick glance around at her fellow passengers before deciding to chance giving Gaby a quick kiss on the lips. As they parted, Maddy settled back in her seat and closed her eyes.

“Wake me when we arrive...”

Gaby just looked at her wife and slowly shook her head side-to-side. With a smile on her face, she set the alarm on her mobile to vibrate and then zipped it inside the pocket of her ski jacket before settling back in her seat for the remainder of the one hour ride.

Later, the movement of the bus gently shook the girls back to the real world, as it slowed to negotiate a rather sharp turn when it entered the Banff Springs property.

“Sweetheart? What we said last night about your ‘rents … you really think we can do it?” Maddy quietly asked, still leaning against Gaby.

“We survived on our combined incomes without having to touch my sponsorship money ... an' only a portion of that paid for all this … so, barring any major money problems, I'm pretty sure we can.”

“Maybe we should ask Jules and Gerhardt if they’d like to come in on it. That way, it’d be something from all of us,” Maddy wondered as the bus slowly pulled up to the hotel.

“Good idea!” Gaby enthused. “We should talk to those two as soon as we can after we get back. I don’t expect that they’ll be able to put in too much … but as you say, it’d be from all of us…”

“The more I think about it … the more I really want to do this,” Maddy softly confirmed.

“So do I...” Gaby began.

“Banff Springs Hotel! Those continuing on to Mount Norquay … your bus should be here in about twenty minutes,” announced the bus driver in a loud professional voice. “Buses returning to the Chateau Lake Louise leave here on the hour … with the last one departing at 1AM.”

Following his announcement, everyone left the coach with many of the passengers waiting to get their skis from the bus’ storage compartments.

About a half hour after they left the Banff Springs Hotel, the girls found themselves walking into the Mt. Norquay reception area to see about equipment rentals and the other necessities of the day. After arranging their Nordic lesson and generally getting sorted out, they then made their way into the lower level of the ‘Lone Pine’ restaurant.

“Let’s grab some lunch and take it outside,” Gaby suggested.

“Outside?”

“The girls said they’d meet us on the outdoor patio on the upper level,” Gaby revealed as she handed Maddy a tray when they joined the line at the buffet. “Relax … we’ve got lots of time. Our lesson isn’t set to start until one.”

“How long’s this lesson?

“Two hours. It’s private, so no one will laugh at you … much,” Gaby smugly replied. With her hands full carrying her lunch on a tray, Maddy’s only retaliation was to playfully stick her tongue out at her wife. “We’ll still have plenty of time to do the smaller trail at a comfortable pace.”

“Define 'smaller trail,” Maddy quietly shot back.

“The map at the reception desk lists it as three kilometres.”

“Is that all? Oh well, then!” Maddy sarcastically voiced. Walking out onto the patio, she quickly spied an empty table with four chairs and a marvellous view of the slopes.

“There’s always the ten or fifteen kilometre trails,” Gaby smirked.

“Like I said ... the three kilometre trail sounds like a nice one to start with,” Maddy sweetly replied.

It wasn’t too long after they got seated when they both spotted two familiar figures slowly walking aimlessly amongst the lunchtime surge of skiers, all the while balancing their lunches on trays and searching the now crowded patio.

“Diane … over here!”

“Hi guys! See you made it,” Cheryl enthused as she and Diane joined the girls at their table.

“Hey, guys … snow’s great! Perfect conditions,” Diane chipped in as she started to take her lunch off her tray and arrange it on the table in front of her.

“How’d you two make out yesterday ... you know ... dogsledding?” Cheryl impatiently wondered as she pulled her chair in.

“Fantastic! The scenery was breathtaking and the company couldn’t have been more beautiful ... all in all ... a truly memorable experience,” Maddy quickly volunteered.

“Did you both get to drive?” Diane asked.

“Naw ... I decided to ride in the sled both ways ... but Doug let Gaby take it all the way back.”

“Was she any good?” Cheryl inquired.

“Depends ... you talking about the ‘sledding ... or later?” Maddy mischievously offered while linking her free arm with Gaby’s.

“Too much information,” Diane chuckled as she watched Gaby turn beet-red.

“Ummm ... how late you two figure on skiing, today?” Cheryl asked a short while later, successfully changing the direction of conversation.

“Well, we have a refresher lesson at one … then it’s off to the trails … but I figure we’ll be back here by 4:30 … 5:00 at the latest. We’re only doing the three kilometre trail today,” Gaby replied as she outlined their plans for that afternoon.

“Ummm ... you’re gonna miss the last return shuttle into Banff if you get back that late. Listen ... I’ve got my car, here … so don’t worry,” Cheryl commented. “Maybe we’ll grab some dinner at our hotel or somewhere else in town, if you want ... before you head back to yours.”

“Sounds good! Maybe even wander around town before the stores close tonight … if there’s time?” Maddy hinted as she gently squeezed Gaby’s hand.

“You thinking about any store in particular?” Gaby quietly asked although she had a good idea of Maddy’s answer.

“Well … I’d kinda like to go back to that lingerie shop we went in last Monday,” Maddy coyly suggested.

“You really don’t think I’d say ‘no’ to that … do you?” Gaby playfully asked.

Diane glanced at her blushing sister before taking another forkful of her own salad and then in a deliberate effort to change the subject, she asked the girls, “Any plans for tomorrow?”

“I dunno … she’s the one with the itinerary,” Maddy joked while looking at Gaby.

“Not really. We were thinking of making this a two-day pass,” Gaby answered while indicating the day-pass clipped to her zipper. “…But that’s not cast in stone, yet. Other than that … Friday’s wide open as far as having anything scheduled. Why?”

“How about Saturday?”

“Same … wot’s up?”

“Ummm ... after we met you two last Monday, I phoned Mark and told him about meeting you guys. I thought he might try to come out to join us for some skiing and to meet Gaby, here … but he told me that he can’t get away. However, he did come up with an alternative plan,” Diane explained.

“Go on...” Gaby cautiously prompted.

“It would mean you two would have to come back to Calgary with us tomorrow. You'd stay the night at our place … and then Diane and I’ll bring you back to Lake Louise sometime Saturday,” Cheryl added. “Mom and Dad won’t mind.”

“Mark wants me to invite both of you to his cycling club’s annual dinner tomorrow evening. It’s being held at the Calgary-Marriot,” Diane disclosed.

“They also hand out a few awards to the deserving … and if you two agreed to attend … it was suggested that maybe Gaby could even present one or two of the more prestigious awards to the girls?”

“Just the girls?” Maddy inquired.

“All the annual awards are presented to both a male and female recipients. Normally the club’s president would give out all the ‘big’ awards ... but this time he agreed with Mark and thinks that the ones that’ll go to the girls might have more meaning for them, if Gaby did the honours,” Diane explained.

“Sounds logical,” Maddy smirked.

“Sounds like Mark’s already run this by the club president,” Gaby observed.

“He was talking to Bill ... and kind of mentioned we met you two...” Diane admitted.

“Kind of?” Maddy smirked.

“Uh huh,” Diane timidly agreed.

“How big’s this club?” Gaby asked.

“About 80 members, but last year they seated over 200 at the dinner. As long as Mark and I have been going, it’s always been well attended by the club’s supporters.”

“What’s happening on Saturday?” Maddy inquired.

“We thought we could play it by ear,” Cheryl replied. “If nothing else, we can just sleep in and head back here at our own pace.”

“It could be fun, sweetheart … and you said we have nothing planned … can we go?” Maddy sweetly asked as she put her hand on the table and gently covered Gaby’s hand with her own.

“I promised Maddy ‘no bikes’ while we’re on our honeymoon, but you heard her. What time you leaving?”

“That depends … do you have something nice to wear tomorrow night?” Diane asked.

“Seems I’ve heard that somewhere before…” Gaby jokingly whispered to Maddy.

“It’s not terribly formal or anything like that ... but it’s not exactly casual either,” Cheryl offered.

“No jeans!” Diane stage whispered.

“Sis and I usually go with a nice skirt, top, heels … that kind of thing,” Cheryl added.

“Also … there’s usually a silent auction of things donated by various people and businesses, along with raffles or some such thing. All the money raised goes towards some annually designated charity,” Diane added.

“Other than wot we wore on the plane, we didn’t bring much in the way of dressy clothes…” Gaby confessed. “An’ ... I certainly didn’t bring anything that I could donate towards this auction.”

“Nothing?” Diane asked in a mildly disbelieving tone.

“Uh uh ... we didn’t think we’d be going anywhere fancy,” Maddy sheepishly added.

“You think that we could find some time to pick up something more suitable to wear, than what we have with us?” Gaby wondered.

“It’s possible ... I know a few places in Calgary that might work. If we pick you up at your hotel at around seven in the morning, that’ll get us back in town somewhere between nine-thirty and ten. That should give us a few hours to do some serious shopping before we have to get back to my parent’s, to get ready for the boys.”

“Sounds good,” Gaby voiced.

“What’s this about ‘the boys’?” Maddy wondered.

“Wayne’s driving in later and he and Mark will pick us up for the dinner,” Cheryl mentioned.

“Hmmm ... I guess this means the ‘full Indian’, sweetheart,” Maddy playfully taunted her wife. “After all … it is sort of a public appearance for the World Champion.”

“You look for every opportunity, don’t you...” Gaby smugly stated as she tried to suppress a smile while looking into her wife’s eyes.

“Only because I think you look so sexy…” Maddy playfully countered.

“What’s this?” Cheryl wondered.

“For some time, Gabs has had an interest in North American Indian jewellery ... to the point where it’s become her trademark look. If you’ve ever seen photos of her off the bike in cycling magazines or such, chances are you’ve seen her wearing her feathers…” Maddy pointed out.

“This I gotta see,” Diane declared, obviously intrigued by Maddy’s explanation.

“Crikey … it’s going on a quarter to one! We best get going Mad, or we’ll be late for the start of our lesson,” Gaby remarked when she caught a glance at her watch as she was reaching to finish her drink.

“Sorry to eat an’ run, guys … but…,” Maddy stated as the two girls took their trays and got up from the table.

“Before you go … five o’clock ... same place the shuttle dropped you when you arrived!” Cheryl quickly got in.

“We’ll be there … Auf Wiedersehen,” Gaby cheerfully replied. When they were out of earshot heading down the stairs to the lower level and their rented locker, she turned to Maddy.

“Don’t say anything to the girl’s in case nothing comes of it … but I’m calling Dad tonight. It may be too late to courier a couple of Team jackets to add to whatever the girls get as an award ... but if these girls are serious about the sport ... maybe I can help open the door for them.”

“The Youth Program?”

“Won’t be the first time that Dad’s talked to a girl outside of the EU,” Gaby flatly replied. “Anyway ... enough of that ... let’s go skiing!”

A short time later, the girls gathered up their rental equipment and had ventured outside to join their instructor before hitting the cross-country trails on their own.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...