Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(12)

“You betcha!”

Norman’s answer came immediately in Minnesota vernacular, and Hannah smiled. Despite Norman’s years in dental school and the time he’d spent practicing at a large clinic in Seattle, he was still a Minnesotan at heart.

The aroma that escaped when Hannah lifted the lid on her slow cooker was enticing and her mouth began to water in anticipation. She heard the sound of footsteps behind her and she turned to smile at Norman.

“That really smells good, Hannah,” Norman said, crossing the kitchen floor to look at the contents of the Crock-Pot. “There’s a whole meal in there! It must have been a lot of work to make it.”

Hannah shook her head. “It wasn’t, not really. The slow cooker does most of the work while you’re doing something else. All you have to do is remember to turn it on before you leave the house. You could do this, Norman. And then you’d have a hot meal waiting for you when you got home. It’s so simple, even Mike could do it and he never cooks for himself.”

“I don’t think he ever does,” Norman said, and then he began to smile. “And speaking of Mike, I’m surprised he’s not here yet.”

“So am I,” Hannah admitted. “Just give him a little time, Norman. He’ll probably show up just after I set the table.”

“You’re right,” Norman agreed, acknowledging Mike’s uncanny knack for arriving at Hannah’s doorstep right before she was planning to serve dinner.

Just then there was a loud thump on Hannah’s door, and they exchanged amused glances.

“That’s probably him now,” Norman said, heading for the door. “I’ll let him in.”

Hannah finished adjusting the seasonings and thickening the broth. Then she clamped the lid on the Crock-Pot and went to greet Mike. But it wasn’t just Mike. When she emerged from the kitchen, she saw that Noman was taking parkas from Michelle, Lonnie, and Mike.

“How did you get through all this snow?” she asked Mike, draping their snow-covered parkas over several chairs.

“Carrie and Earl stopped by Mother’s place,” Michelle explained. “Earl wanted to make sure that Doc had made it home from the hospital. And when Earl saw us, he offered to lead us here in his snowplow.”

Hannah began to frown. “Didn’t you invite them in?”

“Of course we did,” Mike reassured her, “but they said they had to move on. Carrie managed to get through to Edna Fergusson at the farm and Earl promised to plow her driveway.”

“I wish you’d told them to wait until I could give them a thermos of hot coffee.”

Lonnie shook his head. “They’ve got plenty. Carrie brought three thermoses, and your mother gave her another one filled with hot chocolate.”

“Carrie was having the time of her life in that snowplow,” Mike told Hannah. “She said that Earl let her drive and only took over when she dumped a load of snow on Mayor Bascomb’s sidewalk by mistake.”

“Are you sure it was by mistake?” Norman asked.

“That’s what they said,” Michelle reported.

Hannah and Norman exchanged amused glances. Both of them knew about Earl’s current feud with Mayor Bascomb, and Carrie had never been fond of the mayor’s wife, Stephanie.

“Something smells really good,” Mike commented.

Hannah suspected that he was changing the subject, but she responded anyway. “It’s Chicken in Cabernet Sauce in the slow cooker.”

“And that’s not all,” Michelle said. “I smell something with strawberries.”

Hannah gave her youngest sister an approving nod. “Your nose is correct. I just took an Ultimate Strawberry Bundt Cake out of the oven.”

“What kind of frosting are you using on it?” Michelle wanted to know.

“I thought I’d try a Cool Whip White Chocolate Frosting with strawberry extract and a couple of drops of red food coloring to make it pink. Then we can call it Cool Whip Strawberry Frosting. And I think I’ll decorate the top with strawberries.”

“Fresh strawberries?” Norman asked her.

“No, Florence doesn’t carry them this time of year. We’ll have to make do with frozen strawberries.”

“That’s okay,” Mike said quickly. “I like frozen strawberries.”

Since Mike liked everything that could be classified as food, Hannah wasn’t surprised. “I’ll have to wait for the cake to cool before I can frost it,” she explained. “And the Chicken in Cabernet Sauce needs at least another twenty minutes in the Crock-Pot. Would you like an appetizer while we wait? I’ve got cheese and crackers.”

“And I’ll make Mike’s Busy Day Paté,” Michelle offered. “Mother gave us some groceries to bring with us. She was afraid you’d run out of food before the blizzard was over.”

Hannah avoided meeting Michelle’s or Norman’s eyes for fear she’d burst out laughing. With Mike as a member of their little blizzard survival group, running out of food was a distinct possibility. Instead of replying, she beckoned to Michelle and both sisters went into the kitchen.

“Sorry about barging in on you like this,” Michelle said once the men headed for the leather couches and began to talk.

“That’s okay.” Hannah went to the refrigerator to get out the cheese. “Actually, I’m glad to have company.”