Wings of Love by Scotty Cade Read Free Book Online Page B

referring to the microwave and coffeemaker.
    “Yeah, you got a problem with it?” Brad asked.
    “Nope, I got no problem with it. I’m as spoiled as the next guy.” Mac chuckled.
    They loaded the rest of the tools in the truck and drove back to the airport. Mac pulled the truck right up to the dock, so they could load the plane. While Brad unloaded the truck, Mac carefully weighed each tool before loading it into the plane to make sure he didn’t go over his weight load. Within an hour, they were back in the air, and Brad was on his way to his new life.

Chapter 12

     
    T HEY landed at the lake as planned, unloaded and carried everything up to the lodge, and borrowed and reloaded Zander and Jake’s old pickup truck. They took a break and grabbed a quick bite. When they were finished eating, they again went over their supply list to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything. Soon the two men were bouncing around the cab of the little truck, making their way to the cabin.
    When they reached their destination, they unloaded the haul for the last time and took the truck back to the lodge. Jake offered to bring them back to the cabin, but it was only three thirty and the weather was still beautiful, so they opted to hike and enjoy the weather while they still could. Winter would be moving in soon enough, and days like this would be hard to come by.
    They reached the cabin just after five o’clock, giving them approximately five hours of daylight remaining. This was going to be their first night in the cabin, and since they had no idea what to expect, they really needed a game plan. Mac reached into the cooler and pulled out two beers, and they headed out to the porch, careful to avoid the rotten floorboards. With pen and pad in hand, they made a list of things to do before nightfall. When the list was complete, they set out on their chores with a vengeance. The first order of business was to make sure all the oil lamps were full and the wicks were in good working order. Then they stocked the huge wood compartment built into the stone fireplace with as much wood as it would hold. Winter was still officially four or so months away, but in the summer, it could drop to the upper thirties at night, and they wanted to be prepared. Next, Brad made the beds with the linens Mac had packed and made sure each bed had extra blankets, while Mac made sure the water reservoir was full and the hand water pump was primed. Mac noted that they would need to make sure the wood-burning stove was hot, to boil some water for baths later that night. They busied themselves around the cabin until the sun was about to set. They opened another beer, headed to the porch, and made a toast to their first day as they watched the sun fall behind Mt. Denali. Five minutes later, both men were again busy as bees. Brad lit the oil lamps as Mac tackled the chandelier. Brad commented that the cabin took on a nice glow as the shadow of the flames danced on the log cabin walls and ceiling, but they had no time to watch; there was more work to be done. The kitchen needed to be thoroughly cleaned, as did the bathroom, and they hadn’t even thought about dinner.
    While Brad cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, Mac set up the generator on the back porch and filled the fuel tank. He ran a multi-outlet extension cord through the window and plugged in the microwave and coffeemaker. With that done, thinking ahead, he scanned the cabin; next to the wood-burning stove was a large tub, which he assumed was for heating water. He intently studied the old stove until he thought he had figured out how the thing worked. He opened the door to the compartment on the left, and from the pile of ashes he saw, he assumed that section was the wood box. He loaded some kindling and a pile of logs into the compartment and lit the kindling and nursed the fire until it caught. He closed the firebox door, filled the tub with water, covered it, and placed it on top of the stove. Feeling pretty