Tex hopped down off the sofa and followed her outside while Cody put his own coat on. The sun had done very little, if anything, to melt the snow. If it didn’t warm up soon, Stevie was afraid she might really be living at the ranch until spring. When she opened the truck door, the dog jumped in ahead of her and settled in the middle of the bench seat.

“Looks like you’re pretty familiar with this truck, Tex,” she said.

When she’d closed the passenger door, he put his head in her lap and looked up at her with begging eyes. “You are so spoiled,” she said, and patted his head.

“Yep, he is.” Cody slid behind the wheel. “And he loves this truck better than my new one or any of the tractors. He missed Henry a lot when he retired. Do you remember our old foreman, Henry?”

“Of course, I do. He was one of the wisest ranchers I’ve ever met. I’ve only been out here on vet business a couple of times since he left, but I’ve missed him too. He always had a joke or a story to tell me. I imagine Tex was lost without him,” Stevie said.

“So, you had already met Tex?” Cody asked.

“Not formally,” Stevie answered. “We had just seen each other in passing. I think he likes me.”

“Of course he does,” Cody said. “You’re petting him. I’m wondering how he’s going to tolerate the cats.”

“You’re going to be nice to them, aren’t you?” Stevie sounded like she was talking to a baby, but she didn’t care if Cody liked it or not. “Yes, you are. You’re not going to chase them or try to kill them, are you? Has he”—her tone changed—“ever been mean to cats?”

“Nope, but then the barn cats are wild, so they run from anyone who gets close to them, especially Tex.” Cody drove slowly from the bunkhouse to the barn and parked beside an end door. “Thought it might be better if we go through the tack room rather than opening up the big door.”

When Cody stopped the engine and got out of the truck, Tex followed him. The dog took time to turn a patch of snow yellow and then waited for someone to let him in the barn. He dashed inside ahead of Cody and Stevie, ran through the tack room, and headed toward the stalls.