Page 95 of Walk on the Wilder Side

“Oh! Are those reindeer?” Doris squealed, pointing to the large animals munching hay behind a fence.

“Yep,” I answered. “And ... we are going on a reindeer sleigh ride tonight!”

“We are?” she practically screamed her answer. “Really?”

“Really,” I said. “They have all sorts of stuff here. Reindeer sleigh rides, sledding, skating, ice fishing, sled dog adventures.”

“Whoa!” Marge lifted a hand. “You had me at sled dogs! Hell, yeah! I want to do that!”

“We’re here for five days,” I answered. “Plenty of time to try them all. Then we head home so I can be back several weeks before I become a Nana.”

My heart warmed at the thought of welcoming my first grandchild into the world. Though I’d thoroughly enjoyed all our adventures thus far, I would be lying if I didn’t admit part of me was ready to head home early to see my daughter as much as I could before she became a mother herself. It was such a special time, and I couldn’t wait to be there helping her through the magical transition to motherhood.

“And you said a sauna, right?” Alice asked. “I’m most interested in that.”

“They have several saunas. You’ll be warm and toasty.”

“Good. I’m already frozen. I want to start at the sauna.” As she spoke, her breath fogged up around her. “Look. My breath. I can see it. I don’t like that.”

“Your accommodations are warm and toasty,” Johanna said. “If you need warmer clothes than you brought, we have plenty of extra coats, snowpants, winter boots, scarves, etc. Just let us know, and we’ll bring you whatever you need.”

“I’m not wearing snowpants.” Alice crinkled her nose.

“Then your ass is gonna be cold,” Marge said. “There’s no insulation on that thing.”

“It will be plenty warm in the sauna,” Alice countered. “Which is where I’ll be spending my time here.”

“You have to come out ononeadventure with us,” I said as we reached the line of domes we’d be staying in. “Tonight at the very least. I booked us a reindeer sleigh ride to watch the Northern lights.”

“We leave in one hour,” Johanna said as she opened the door to one of the domes. “Don’t worry. We keep warm blankets on the sleighs. You won’t get cold, and we can take you to the best spot to see the lights. They should be incredible tonight if predictions hold.”

I buzzed with excitement as I smiled back at her. “I can’t wait.”

“Here you go, ladies.” Johanna waved an arm for us to enter. “I’ll give you the rundown on this one, and as all the domes are the same, you can then go and pick the other ones you want.”

My jaw unhinged when we stepped under the beautiful glass ceiling. I craned my neck back and looked up at the unhindered views of the dusky blue sky above. “Wow. This is incredible.”

“It really is like being in a snow globe!” Doris pressed her hands to her mouth. “Beautiful!”

“This is freaking awesome.” Marge spun around, her neck bent back as she stared up at the sky. “Just freaking awesome.”

“I’ll admit, this is pretty luxurious, Sylvie.” Alice walked farther into the dome to the king-sized bed draped in fine linens. “And the bathroom is right in here. And clean.”

I looked to where she pointed at the small, but fancy tiled bathroom off to the corner. Everything used clean, modern lines yet somehow captured the warm and rustic feel of the woods surrounding us.

“You like?” Johanna asked.

“Love,” I answered. “It’s perfect.”

She grinned widely. “Wonderful. Then you can all make yourselves at home. If you’re hungry, the dining lodge is the large building right over there.” She pointed to the building with the plumes of smoke drifting out of the two chimneys. “There are three restaurants inside. Everything is included with your stay.”

“And the bar?” Alice asked, poking her head out of the bathroom.

“Same building,” Johanna answered.

“Oh, good.” Alice came back from her inspection and joined the group.

“So, get settled. The next three domes in the row are yours. Get some rest, grab some food if you’d like, and we’ll come by in an hour for the reindeer sleigh tour to watch the Northern lights. Sunset is in an hour, and it takes about an hour to reach our destination. They should be hitting peak by the time we arrive.”

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