“Ah, no.”
“Fine, I brought you one. It folds out bigger than it looks.” She pointed off to the west. “That’s our hotel. We’ll check in after our day on the floor and we’re too exhausted to go any farther. We can even do room service for supper if we want.”
“You have it all planned.”
“Major campaigns require major plans. We have our first Make It and Take It at ten o’clock.”
“Make It and Take It?”
“You’ll see. Since I already have our name tags”—she pulled them from her purse—“all we need is that big program with all the maps and things. I assume it’s basically laid out as the last time, so…” She grabbed two of the newspaper-like eight-page programs and, handing one to Judith, led the way.
Never had Judith seen so many excited women. Why, the walls could bulge out and back in with all the energy in this huge hall. While her eyes would rather stop and look at each booth, she knew better than to lose Melody, who was plowing through the crowd with iron determination. Thank goodness her cousin was tall and wearing a bright red jacket.
In one of the hallways off the main floor, the relative quiet felt like a balm. Judith blew out a breath; it seemed like not enough air to breathe as they hustled on their way.
“Did you see anything you want to go back to?” Melody checked the program to make sure that the room number and class matched. “Some of the demos are really worthwhile, not that most anything here isn’t.”
Most of the chairs were already taken. To get two together took some doing. An assistant came around with kits and greeted each of them, inviting them to come look at the finished samples.
By the time the hour had disappeared, Judith’s speed-quilting project was nearly half finished, like most of the others. She now knew how to sew together strips accurately, then offset and sew them together, creating a tumbling blocks pattern. It was so easy when one knew the tricks.
“I have included complete instructions in each of your packets. I hope you have a great convention, and I am teaching another class tomorrow at eleven. No, it will not be the same.” She held up the sample of lovely ribbon embroidery on, of all things, a pillowcase. “Hope to see you back.”
As the women filed out of the door chattering and laughing, Judith felt like she might just bob above the others, she was so filled with delight. I’ve not had this much fun in years, and to think I hesitated about coming. They headed back to the main convention floor.
“The quilting section is over there, if you would rather do that next.” Melody pointed to the far end of the football-field-length hall.
“I—ah…” Judith had no idea what she wanted, and it was so crowded.
“What I thought we would do was make a quick tour of the whole thing, then come back to the places where we want to spend more time.”
Judith stared at her. “You have to be kidding, right?”
“No, why?”
“Because my brain is already on overload. We saw that there was a demo on stabilizers back there.” She pointed to where they had come from. “I would like to watch that, and besides, there were chairs there.”
“Of course, but surely your feet don’t hurt already?”
“When you said comfortable footwear, I didn’t know you meant hiking shoes.”
Melody shrugged and grinned at the same time. She’d perfected the action. But she led the way back to the demo site, this one on various kinds of stabilizers to use. Since cross-stitch did not use stabilizers, Judith was curious as to what they were used for.
“This is all new to me,” she said as they sat down. The woman next to her had a cart like Melody’s. Many women had them in various designs. “Did you buy that here?” Judith asked.
“By the door as you come in. They have a pickup room where you can leave your bags and get them at the end of the day, too.”
“Really? People buy that much?”
The woman pointed at her cart. “More than half full. This afternoon I will probably pack all that in one huge bag and leave it at pickup.”
“I see.” Watching the demo, Judith realized that the product could help her and decided to buy the sample pack, along with all the info on where to purchase or order the product should she want more.
By the time Melody allowed them to stop for lunch, Judith’s bag was nearly half full, a lot of it free samples. “You didn’t tell me about all this.”
“Why should I? You wouldn’t have believed me.” That shrug-grin thing again.
“Right. When’s the next Make It and Take It?”
But Melody was obviously thinking lunch, not about making anything. “Turkey sandwich okay? And a bottle of flavored tea?”
“Whatever.” Judith glanced across the table. A woman over there had a really good-looking salad. “How about that?”
“Will do.” She set Judith’s bag on the chair, her cart beside it, and away she went, no lagging in her steps.
“I’m exhausted. Are these chairs taken?” asked a woman beside Judith’s right shoulder.
“No, they’re free. Please join us.”
“Thank you.” The two women sat down, one older, one younger, both looking a bit jaded.
“How about I go get our food?” the younger one said. “What would you like?”
“Anything and a superlarge coffee, I have the sweetener here.”
The younger woman left.
Judith smiled. “Sounds like you feel the same way I do.”
“If you mean in need of a chair and a drink, you are right on.”
“You been before?” Was Judith the only one in the world overwhelmed by all this?
“I take it you haven’t?”
“No, and I am amazed beyond anything I even thought of.”
“My name is Lynn Lundberg.” The woman extended a hand. “Welcome to your first quilt and needlework show, and I hope you love it so much you have to come again.”
“Judith Rutherford. And I have a feeling that if I live anywhere in Minnesota, my cousin is going to force me to come again. Not that it will take much force.”
“Why, Lynn, you came after all. Those chairs taken?” a new woman said with a smile.
Lynn waved a hand. “Join us. Just leave these chairs free.”
“I can only stay a minute. Need to rest my feet.”
Judith smiled at the lady and her friends across the table and reached for her cell phone. But instead of checking for messages, she shut it off and slid it back into the assigned pocket in her purse. If someone did happen to call her, she’d not be able to hear them in here anyway.
Melody set the food on the table. “You didn’t say what kind of dressing, so I got two, raspberry vinaigrette and ranch. And I couldn’t resist the bars. They were crying out our names.” She laid down two clear-wrapped bars with chocolate chips and topped with coconut.
“I haven’t had one of those in ages. What a treat.” Judith dumped the croutons and dressing on her salad and dug in, surprised by how hungry she was. Mrs. Lundberg and her friend chatted until her younger friend returned with a tray of food.
“Good seeing you, Lynn. I’m feeling recharged. There’s a booth I need to find that I heard has some great punch needle embroidery patterns and kits.”
Mrs. Lundberg said good-bye to her friend, and she and her other friend talked as they ate their lunches.
Judith paused, halfway through her salad. For some reason she ignored her mother’s training and listened—eavesdropped, actually—because she had just heard a comment about a lake and looking for housemates. Again against her mother’s dire warning that curiosity killed the cat, she asked, “Where do you live, if I may ask?”
“On Barnett Lake near Detroit Lakes.” Mrs. Lundberg leaned back to include her. “This is my daughter-in-law Margaret Marie Lundberg. Maggie.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Judith. I know this is a crazy question, but are there loons there?”
“Oh yes. When we’re out canoeing, we often see an a
dult swimming with her babies on her back.”
Judith’s heart took a little skip. “Really? I’ve lived in Minnesota all my life and I’ve never seen that. Their call is so haunting.”
Maggie smiled. “Up where we live, it’s a way of life. Mom has remodeled her house to try something new; she’s even given it a name, like they name cottages in England. Loon Rest.”
“That’s beautiful. Trying something new?” Judith, you are so out of line!
“Well, my husband died,” Mrs. Lundberg said with a smile that trembled just a little.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Melody said.
“Thanks. But I have a big house and I feel the need to do something different.”
Maggie leaned over. “Understand, that’s in spite of having her grandchildren right across the field and the family plumbing business right there and still going strong. My husband and his brother run that.”
“Now, Maggie, you know it’s not that I’m lonely, because really, I’m not. Still sad at times, but…” Mrs. Lundberg shrugged with her hands. After a sucked-in breath, she continued, “So I read about something called shared housing, and it intrigued me.” She looked at Judith, then Melody. “Have you ever heard of that?”
“Families have been sharing houses forever; this is different?” asked Melody.
“Different in that the people who do it are usually not related. For instance, I met two women who were friends before they decided to buy a house together. But they were single and could see the sense of it. The convenience.”
“I see.” Judith nodded. “And my friend’s daughter went to graduate school for a PhD, so she and three other grad students bought a house. They anticipated being in school five years, so in the long run it was quite a bit cheaper than renting. When one graduated, she would sell her share to someone new.”
Mrs. Lundberg nodded. “Exactly. There are many ways to go about it, but the bottom line is the same. Usually there are private quarters for each person, and they share the rest of the house. That’s what I have set up. I have a big log house, so it wasn’t hard. I’m looking for two single women who want to do this.”
Maggie wagged her head. “We have no idea how to go about finding these women, but Mom insists that God will bring the right ones together.”
“I take it you are out in the country?”
“There is a convenience store, a veterinarian, and a pizza place in Barnett, about a mile or so from our house. And Detroit Lakes nearby has basic amenities.”
“One of the don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it so-called towns,” Maggie said with another smile. “Oh, and the grade school is there, too, where my three kids go.”
Judith was almost afraid to ask her next question. “How far are you from a city—not just shopping, but higher ed?”
“Higher ed? There’s a community college and a satellite of the University of Minnesota about an hour away.”
Loons! And a college! And…Judith was practically hyperventilating. “And what are your requirements of those you want to share with? Or do you already have people in mind?”
“Well, single women. I only have space for two and I have a guest room for visitors. Each suite has a fair-sized bedroom, a full bath, and a view of the lake. We’re building a second garage that will be ready before winter.”
Maggie picked up the thread. “Actually, it is almost ready now, and the view is gorgeous. We put out a dock in the spring and take it up at freezing. Flowers, gardens, and Mom has the most fabulous kitchen. We’re hoping this can become a real family kind of thing.”
Judith made sure her mouth did not hang open. Was there any possibility that this might be the answer to a dream she just discovered forty-eight hours earlier? “Now I really am asking for too much. Can you see the sunrise or sunset?”
“The house faces east. I love to sit on the deck and watch the sunrise, and the reflections in the evening are just as spectacular.” Mrs. Lundberg studied Judith. “Do you think you might be interested?”
Nodding slowly, Judith barely more than whispered, “I think so.”
Chapter Eleven
So you are serious about coming to Barnett Lake next week? And of course you are welcome to stay with me, try your room out, if you will.” Lynn smiled at Judith Rutherford.
The show was over, and Lynn and Maggie sat with Judith and her cousin at breakfast before heading home.
Judith bobbed her head. “If I change my mind, I will call you. I’m going to check with several colleges in the area regarding their classes. I am sure by this time that I will be starting from the beginning. I think credits that don’t end in a degree expire after ten years. Not that I remember a whole lot of that first year anyway; been a lot of years in the meantime.” Judith glanced at her cousin. Melody did not look overjoyed. Apparently this was an abrupt change in plans of some sort. What plans Lynn could not guess.
Lynn asked, “Do you use a GPS?”
While Judith shook her head, Melody answered, “I’ll bring ours.”
“How about I e-mail you the directions, just in case? For some crazy reason, people in our area seem to have a bit of trouble with GPS. It leads them back along a dirt track that ends at a tree. Perhaps the reception isn’t the best or something.”
Judith asked, “I thought of another question last night. Do you have a dog?”
Lynn could feel her smile slip. “We did but had to put him down about a month ago. Old age. He was my husband’s dog.”
“Will you be getting another or would you mind if I got one?”
“You don’t want a little yappy thing, do you?”
“I have no idea what I want; I’ve never had a dog in my life. Or a cat either.”
Maggie whispered a sad “oh.”
They said their good-byes a few minutes later and all headed for their cars. They were no sooner on the interstate than Maggie commented, “You’ve made your mind up about her, haven’t you?”
“Have I?” Lynn studied her daughter-in-law’s profile. “Do you have objections?”
“I thought we had agreed that you would ask for references and investigate those applying before making up your mind.”
“I can still do that.”
“You know Phillip is a stickler for wise business sense.”
“There’s something I’ve realized; this is not a business venture but a life. And from the sound of things, Judith has had a rather restricted one.”
“You also agreed to not make a final decision until you saw the two women together. This is the first person you’ve even talked with.”
“It came about in a rather strange way, you have to admit. Looks to have God’s hands all over it to me.”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “I don’t really want to be there when you talk this over with Phillip.”
“Since I am convinced this is all God’s plan, we’ll just have to wait and see. So, now let’s change the subject. What part of the show did you like the best?”
“You didn’t spend a whole lot of money there. I’m proud of you.” Melody checked her rearview mirrors and changed lanes.
Judith snickered. “You more than made up for it.”
“Actually, this time I was more careful than the first time I went. That’s where I bought my quilting machine. You saw the good show deals they offer.”
“I could have watched the machine embroidery demonstrations for hours. I’m surprised that intrigued me so.” Judith willed herself to relax. How long had it been since someone else had been the driver, except on the way to the show?
“You can try out mine. I have all the instructional DVDs and a lot of simple patterns. I can tell you, it is an expensive hobby.”
“Any chance of a rest stop break? That coffee…”
“No problem. There’s a rest area three or four miles ahead.”
Melody pulled into the rest area and they both went in, but Judith finished first. She walked out to the curb to wait and looked around a little. According to her conversat
ions with the Lundberg woman, this part of the country looked much like the area where that house was situated—rather thick woodland with open glades and some cleared pastures. And a lake. And loons. Judith could certainly live in this.
Back in the car and on the road again, Melody seemed awfully quiet.
“You tired?” Judith watched the woodlands spaced out with houses and farms fly by. Obviously this land was all trees not that terribly long ago. In the Rutherford area, there had been huge trees when her great-grandfather first hacked his way in.
“Aren’t you? You know if you want to kick back and sleep awhile, you can do that.”
Judith let her eyes drift closed, but images of a log house, a lake complete with loons, a dock, and reflections would not leave her alone. “You think I am making a mistake? If I go west, I mean?”
“I was hoping you would be closer, not farther away. Like preferably where you are, in my home. But if this really is your dream, then what can I say? I was the one who forced you to dream.”
“Forced me? I don’t think so. Allowed me, encouraged me is more like it. I really need to see if I can get into the university. You think they have grants and financial plans for someone my age? And with so little income?”
Melody hooted. “What do you think you are, over the hill and worthless or something? Good grief, woman, we are in the prime of our lives now. Not only changing horses in midstream, we are setting out on whole new adventures.” She paused. “Regarding the finances, though, that might be to your advantage when applying for grants, etc.”
“You said ‘we.’ What is your new adventure?”
Melody smiled. “Not sure if other than all I am doing through church and civic stuff, but if there is a change, you will be the second to know.”
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