Rising up from the faint glow of the big city the rambling roads were all covered by several feet of snow, only the most hardy or daring people venturing out as the sun faded behind the dark clouds. The landscape up in the hills was like a white sculpture, the shapes of trees, rock and vehicles rendered pure white by the gradually falling snow. High up in the hills was a cabin, warm light spilling out the windows as a figure gazed out at the snowy beauty with pure irritation. "So how long are we going to be stuck up here, anyway?" she demanded, green eyes flashing. Olivia's red hair went well with that fiery attitude, standing there defiantly at the window as she looked back at the other women who were scattered around the cabin. She entered the living room quietly, pink fuzzy slippers barely making a sound on the smooth wooden floor as she carried the tray of drinks into the living room. "Until a snowplow can get up here to clear the roads," Liz said to her reasonably, setting her load down on the oak coffee table so that everyone could get their favorite poison, "I suppose." "Hmph," with that Olivia turned away to look again out at the piles of snow outside, simply refusing to be reasoned with. Dressed in an old fashioned set of men's pajamas she almost looked like a young man herself, casually lounging on one end of the long red couch. "Don't let Olivia get to you," Sharon offered Liz a sympathetic smile as the slim woman revealed impishly, "she was just looking forward to meeting her latest boy toy in town and hopefully wearing him out." "Was that Max?" Liz asked her curiously, the other woman casually dressed in her matching sweat pants and shirt. Her full breasts and curvy hips were very apparent even under the loose clothes she wore, her lovely face unadorned with makeup. "I think Max was the last one," the quiet woman who was sitting in a chair by the other window murmured before turning back to them, her long blonde mane glowing in the light as her blue eyes twinkled with amusement, "the flavor of this month is a snowboarder named Kevin." "Thanks Tam," Liz tossed a impish look at Olivia as the black haired lady added, "they change so often I have trouble keeping up." "Why do you do that," Sharon looked over at Olivia curiously, "date these boys a few months then simply dump them?" Olivia took a drink, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she said, "By that point they're too worn out to be any use to me anymore." As the other women laughed she softly continued, "That, and it's better than getting serious would be." "There are good things from getting serious," Tam said with a hint of regret, her voice still carrying a bit of a midwest accent. "And at least she's getting some," Sharon pushed her brown hair up out of her eyes as she mock sighed, "unlike the rest of us." "There is a difference between getting some," Liz said wryly as she sat down on the couch with Sharon, casually folding those long legs underneath her, "and being a nympho." She looked remarkably comfortable sitting there with the other woman, a casual ease existing between them. "If you hadn't decided to stay up in this little cabin instead of being in a hotel in town," Olivia seemed entirely unbothered by being described as a nympho when she finally moved away from the window, her slinky black party dress hugging her slim form, "you'd be getting some, too." Tam laughed softly at that comment, getting up to pick up a cup of cocoa from the tray for herself, spiking it with brandy before sipping with a smile. "Don't listen to her, Sharon," the jeans and sweatshirt clad woman commented, "I love this cabin." Olivia picked up a cup too, her long fingernails gleaming in the firelight as she softly conceded, "It is nice." She flashed them a wicked grin, "Just too rustic for me." The cabin was warm, the heavy walls made up of logs cut nearly forty years ago. Carefully built it sealed the cold out, the great stone fireplace heating the room and providing a cheery glow. There were only four rooms in the large square structure, the livingroom, kitchen with heavy iron wood stove and two bedrooms, each with two beds. Electricity had been brought in, there were a few radios, but other than that it had been largely left the way it had been built. "Who built this place anyway?" Liz asked curiously, taking a drink and enjoying the dark rum that spiced her own cup of cocoa. "It was my grandmother in her later days," Sharon answered with a fond smile, "she was a fiercely independent old coot, liked being able to live up here away from the big cities and everything that went along with them." "So why pick Montana?" Olivia questioned, looking at one of the photo's on the mantle above the fireplace. In the photo two older women stood together, their jeans and button up shirts nearly matching as they stood together, grinning happily. The cabin, looking newer than it was now stood in the background as horses crewed grass nearby. With the blue sky, sun and the tans the two women had it almost looked like a scene from an old western. "Because she also liked skiing," Sharon said casually, the others chuckling softly at that. She nodded towards the photo that Olivia had picked up from the mantle and quietly said, "That's her and her longtime companion, as they used to say." "She was gay?!" Olivia blurted out in surprise, putting the photo back in it's place quickly. "Yes she was," Sharon's voice dropped down dangerously as she sat up, her casual pose gone as she asked, "is that a problem?" Liz reached out, resting a hand on Sharon's shoulder and squeezing gently, "Take it easy, I think she was just surprised." Sharon relaxed a bit, puffing out a breath in a soft sigh. "Sorry," she said to them a little sheepishly, "looks like one of my buttons got pushed. It's been a bit of a problem in my family, you see, now that grandma is dead and gone my father has been trying to stuff her right back into the closet, someplace she never was when she was alive." "Sorry," Olivia said softly, "I should know better." Tam smiled slightly, drinking her cocoa happily. "And you," she said to Sharon perceptively, "take great pleasure in reminding them of the truth." "Nothing wrong with that," Liz spoke up to quickly defend her friend, "there's far too many hypocrites in the world already." "And I like being a troublemaker," Sharon flashed them a sudden smile, showing a impish side she only revealed to her friends. "Very true," Tam chuckled softly, "if you didn't already have tenure at the university they'd have booted you by now." "She doesn't get into that much trouble," Liz murmured defensively. "Not from what I've heard," Tam answered wickedly. "So is that where you two met," Olivia looked over at their new arrival curiously, "working at the university?" "I was a guest speaker there to give a lecture on economics," Tam agreed. The delicate blonde tipped her head to the side as she fondly remembered, "It happened to be her specialty, so she got stuck escorting me around." "I volunteered, actually," Sharon corrected her, "and I didn't regret it, either. Tam really knows her stuff, not to mention being a charming conversationalist." As Tam was recovering from her blush Liz mused, "It's nice to have someone new on these little road trips we take." "Well, we kept in touch after her visit via email and phone," Sharon explained mildly, "and when I found out she lived near Montana... it seemed like fate." "So it's you fault we're stuck up here," Olivia mock threatened Tam then laughed. "And you've been passing on gossip about me, too?" she looked at Sharon thoughtfully. "Only some of the good bits," Tam answered reassuringly as she gracefully pushed her blonde hair back, the thin strands almost glowing in the firelight. "If it saves Sharon from your wrath," she said wryly, "I suppose I could take the blame." "My hero," Sharon chuckled, then fought back a yawn. Tam watched the three of them, enjoying their banter and gentle friendship. Sharon, Liz and Olivia were all old friends, having met in a private school on the east coast. Forming a strong bond the three had stuck together through three years of education, romance and various kinds of trouble. Once they graduated they were determined to stay in touch, eventually moving close together and making these excursions every few months. Tam felt oddly honored to have been invited to join them, and hoped to develop the kind of friendship these three had.
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