“I’ll take the floor since it’s likely you will have to sleep with Dixie,” Cody offered.

“I don’t think so,” Stevie said. “Look over there behind the stove. I may adopt Dolly or rent her if Max will let me.”

Cody peeked around the stovepipe, and there was Dixie, curled up on her little blanket. Dolly slept with her head on Dixie’s belly, and the kittens were draped over the cria like she was their long-lost sister.

“You really may have to steal Max’s cat,” Cody said, “or at least, borrow her and the kittens until Dixie gets used to her new family at the ranch. I don’t see Max renting her out, though.”

Stevie glanced out the edge of the single window located behind the stove. “Do you think this blizzard will last until the weekend? I’ve never seen weather like this in Texas or in Oklahoma, where I’ve been for the past few years.”

Cody shrugged. “I just know what the weatherman said. Can you see the moon or stars?”

“All I see is white,” she said with a long sigh. “I guess we’ll be here until it stops snowing and someone can find a way to get to us.”

“Yep.” He sat down on one of the cushions she had tossed on the floor and leaned back against the end of the bed. “But there is an upside. We’ve got enough beans and food to last a few days, and there’s eight rolls of toilet paper in the cabinet above the toilet.”

“Count your blessings,” Stevie muttered.

“Speaking of that”—he tossed one of the cushions up onto the bed—“use this for your pillow. You’ll have a kink in your neck tomorrow morning if you sleep without one. I’ve slept on the floor lots of times the past few years. I’ll use this second one for my pillow.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Good night.”

“See you in four hours,” he told her.

Stevie raised up on an elbow. “Why are you getting up? I can feed Dixie without your help.”

“The fire,” he answered and held up four fingers.

“I understand.” Stevie shivered. “If you don’t wake up, you can trust me to kick you until you do. I do not want to freeze or starve or lose a cria, for that matter. That stove is our lifeline right now.”

“Yep, it is.” Cody closed his eyes and wished for his king-sized bed and nice warm blankets at home.

*  *  *