She nodded. “We’re her Christmas miracle. And don’t tell me it’s not Christmas yet.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Chapter 10

Noelle woke up to total darkness and a sense of warmth and safety. It took her a second to realize where she was and why there was an arm around her waist. As she blinked, her mind filled in the blanks. The search for the tree. The tree-snow attack, the cabin and the mother cat and her kittens.

She and Gabriel had spent a quiet evening reading and listening to the radio. Power had lasted until nearly nine, then it had gone out. He’d started a fire and they’d used the battery-operated lanterns sparingly. Their only rough spot had been when they’d let the mother cat out to use the restroom. For ten anxious minutes, they’d waited for her to come back and discussed what they would do if she didn’t. But she’d appeared on the doorstep and meowed to get in.

Now Noelle wondered what time it was and how long she’d been asleep. She’d planned to make a move and think about seducing Gideon, only exhaustion had overcome her before she could figure out how best to be seductive. She’d been asleep long before he joined her in the bed.

He was pressed up against her, his arm around her waist. In a perfect world she would roll over and do something suggestive. Unfortunately, there was a whole list of things that got in the way. For one, she wasn’t sure what he would find sexy. For another, she really had to pee, and rounding up the issues was the fact that she needed to brush her teeth before kissing anyone.

Life, she thought humorously. Designed to keep her humble.

She decided to stay where she was for a few more minutes and enjoy the moment. Gabriel was warm and solid against her back. She hadn’t slept with a man in a long time, she thought. Hadn’t shared her life so intimately. It felt good to be with him.

Part of the healing process, she thought. While her body had gotten better months ago, it was taking her spirit longer. She’d been touched by death, had seen firsthand the evidence of her mortality. Had nearly lost everything and then had needed to fight her way back.

That was behind her now. She’d made a new home, new friends. She was safe and supported. She had let go of the past. Now all she needed was her second act, she thought with a smile. The good stuff—a husband to love and kids. Memories. She wanted lots and lots of memories.

The man next to her rolled onto his back.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, his voice quiet in the darkness.

“I did. What about you?”

“Great, except for your snoring.”

She shot up into a sitting position. “I don’t snore.”

“I know. I was kidding.”

She glared in his general direction. “That wasn’t funny.”

“It was to me.” His hand stroked her back.

“We need to work on your sense of humor,” she told him.

“Yet people tell me it’s one of my best qualities.”

She heard a rustling sound by the fireplace and reached for the lantern by the bed. After turning it on, she saw the feline guest had stepped out of her makeshift bed and was stretching. The cat looked at her and meowed.

“I think that’s a request for a bathroom break and breakfast,” Noelle said as she stood.

She tried not to think about the fact that she was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt, panties and nothing else. But it hadn’t made sense to sleep in clothes and hey, Gabriel had stripped down to his briefs.

Nearly na**d, she thought, doing her best not to watch him get out of bed. Staring seemed so rude. Still, under the circumstances, she was willing to be chastised for bad manners.

Fortunately he decided to be the one to let out the cat, so he walked across their small cabin. The fact that he came into her field of view wasn’t really her fault, she told herself as she took in his broad back and narrow waist. He had a great butt, she thought with a sigh, then turned away and headed for the bathroom.

When she’d used the facilities and brushed her teeth, she returned to the main room to check on her jeans. “What time is it?” she asked. “It must be early if it’s still dark.”

Gabriel had pulled on his clothes and was collecting his boots. “It’s daylight,” he said.

She glanced toward the still-dark window. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s snow.”

She shook her head. “No. Not past the windows.”

“Well past. It stopped snowing but based on how much we got in the night, it wasn’t anytime close to midnight. I would say it went until a couple of hours ago. You should have seen the look the cat gave me when I opened the door for her. She wasn’t amused.”

Noelle crossed to the front door and pulled it open. The cat ran back inside and shook herself off. Noelle stared at the feet of snow surrounding the house, piling up toward the room and stretching for as far as she could see. Up above the sky was bright and blue, but here on earth, it was like living in a snow globe.

“Are we going to be able to get out today?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I’m going to call Gideon and find out about the snowplows. We’ll need them to come down the private road. Otherwise it’ll take days for me to dig us out back to where we turned.”

“I can help,” she told him. “Weren’t there several shovels by the woodpile?”

“Yeah, but even with two of us, it’ll take days to dig us out. It’s a quarter mile of maybe four feet of snow. That’s not easy.”

He finished tying his boots, then headed for the bathroom. Noelle fed the cat and checked on the kittens before opening the freezer and quickly removing two casseroles. If they were going to be stuck here another day or so, they would need food, which meant defrosting before reheating. As for the rest of the contents of the freezer, she figured they had the rest of the day before they had to think about how to keep the food in the freezer cold. Of course, sticking it all in a snowbank would be a quick solution.

“I’ll be back,” he told her as he stepped out of the bathroom.

“Be careful,” she told him, following him to the door.

He surprised her with a quick kiss, and then he was gone. She looked at the mother cat.

“I know what you’re thinking. It all starts so casually but before you know it, you’re a single mother of four, trying to make it through a hard winter.”

The mother cat closed her eyes and began to purr.

* * *

Gabriel wasn’t sure how far he walked to get a signal on his cell phone. All he knew was that by the time he reached the top of the rise, he could barely see the house and he was cold, wet and tired.

He turned on his cell and was pleased to see three bars pop up. He dialed his brother.

“Do you know what time it is?” came the grumbling greeting. “I work the late shift, bro.”

“Sorry,” Gabriel told him. “I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?” The question was immediate and all sleep had fled Gideon’s voice. He was a soldier on alert.

Gabriel explained about the search for the perfect tree in the middle of a snowstorm and how he and Noelle were snowed in.

“We got at least four feet last night,” he said. “Maybe more.”

His brother started to chuckle. “A cabin in the woods. Good one. Next thing you’ll be telling me you had to share the only bed to keep warm.”

Gabriel thought about the long night with Noelle snuggled close. Despite his exhaustion, he’d found it difficult to sleep. His body had wanted to do things with her. Sexual things. The fact that he’d found condoms when he’d checked out the bathroom hadn’t made sleeping any easier. Because now there was nothing standing between him and what he wanted—except his promise.

“The cabin is on a private road,” he said, ignoring his brother’s comments. Gabriel described the location. “Mayor Marsha told Noelle about it, so she’ll have more details. There’s no way we’re getting out of here until they plow up to the truck.”

Gideon swore. “My truck? The truck you borrowed?”

“That would be the one.”

“Great. Now I’m motivated to get you rescued.”

Gabriel grinned. “Thanks for caring.”

“Hey, I love that truck. Okay, I’ll make some calls. You have cell service in the cabin?”

“No. I’m about a quarter mile away.”

“Then I won’t make you wait while I phone around. Give me a couple of hours and call back. By then I’ll know something.”

“Will do.”

He disconnected the call and headed back for the house. When he was nearly there, he saw something moving in the snow. An animal, he thought. Something small and...

He came to a stop and swore. No way, he thought. No way in hell. But there it was. A mother cat with a kitten in her mouth. She was heading for the cabin.

While their rescues from the previous night had been a kind of tabby, this cat was gray with white paws. Her kitten was older and bigger than the others, but it was still as she carried it through the feet of snow.

He approached cautiously, not wanting to frighten her. The cat waited patiently by the front door, obviously expecting to be let in.

He opened the door and she darted inside. He followed. “We have more company.”

Noelle was stirring a pot on the woodstove. She saw the mother cat and then looked at him. “Seriously?”

“That’s what I said.”

“How many are out there?”

“I have no idea.”

The new mother cat walked over to the other one. They greeted each other with obvious familiarity. The gray mom set her kitten next to the tabby, who drew it close and began grooming it. Then the new mom headed back for the door.

“She has a family,” Noelle said. “We need to get them all inside.”

“I’ll go with her,” Gabriel told her.

Fortunately, the mother cat chose to cooperate. She led the way, occasionally glancing back as if making sure he was keeping up. She’d made her home midway up a tree, in a hole created by some other creature. There were two kittens shivering inside, including a little gray tabby that didn’t have a tail.

“Hey, guys,” Gabriel said, reaching for the kittens. They both glared at him and hissed. Their sharp claws ripped through his hand.

“Nice,” he muttered, looking at the mother cat. “You couldn’t teach them better?”

She watched anxiously as he tucked the squirming kittens inside his coat, against his chest. They settled immediately, apparently deciding warmth was more important than dealing with the abduction.

The mother cat meowed and kept pace with him as they made their way back to the cabin. Once the babies were settled by the fireplace, the two mothers curled up around their families and went to sleep.

Noelle dished up a heated chicken and noodle casserole and they sat down at the table. “We need to look around after breakfast,” she said. “To see if there are any other cats in the area.”

He nodded and told her about his call to Gideon. “He’ll have information for me in a couple of hours. In the meantime, we’ll start digging out. We work for an hour, then come in and rest before heading out again.”

“Forced exercise. Experts do say to work it into your lifestyle.”

“I don’t think this is what they had in mind.” He thought about the drifts he’d seen and how the house was buried. “The main roads are going to be their first priority. We have food, water and shelter. There may be people stranded.”

She picked up her fork. “You’re trying to warn me that we could be here a couple of days.”

He nodded. He knew the window contest was important to her, but he doubted they would get back in time to do anything. And they sure weren’t going to be looking for the perfect tree.

“I’m sorry you’re stuck,” she said. “I dragged you out here.”

“I came voluntarily.”

She smiled. “Technically, you were complaining, but this isn’t the time to go into that. Melissa will take care of the store. If the snow is this bad in town, then it’s not like we’re going to be getting a lot of customers anyway.”

She scooped up some chicken. “We have kittens, we have a radio, we have a supply of delicious casseroles. Could it be any better?”

He knew she was teasing, but that part of her believed what she was saying. She wasn’t the type to look on the dark side. And she was right—they were safe and would hold out for a week, no problem.

She glanced at the kittens and smiled. He studied her profile. She was so beautiful, he thought. Giving. Unexpectedly competitive. She was nothing he’d expected for his vacation and yet now he couldn’t imagine what he would have done with himself if he hadn’t met her.

* * *

Noelle studied the cards in front of her. All she needed was another two and either an eight or a king of spades and she would be out, she thought, careful to not let her expression show her glee. She’d never had much of a poker face.

It was midafternoon. She and Gabriel had already had four sessions of digging out. Snow was heavier than it looked, especially when measured in feet. They’d dug what was more trench than path to the truck, then gone to work clearing the vehicle.

Gabriel’s second call to his brother had told them that the town had been slammed, as well. That while the plows were out and working, they wouldn’t get up Mother Bear Road until the following morning. The good news was Mayor Marsha had promised the private road would be plowed up to the truck, so all they had to do was get it dug out and then wait to be rescued.