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“Uncle Gavin! We go see animals?”

He’s still wearing a snowsuit, so after giving Victory a look to make sure it’s okay, I agree to take him outside with me.

I need to check in with the guys anyway, so we might as well give Aidan some final outside time before it becomes unbearable.

Cameron already gave everyone their assignments, and we’re going to tackle the storm in shifts, not that I’ll be getting any sleep even when I’m technically off duty.

Between thoughts of making sure every breathing creature on this ranch is okay and wondering how Ashley is making out, there’s no way my brain will turn off.

Scout follows us to the door, and I lean down to kiss his head.

“Sorry, buddy. You have to stay inside where it’s warm.”

I’ll be swamped tonight, so Scout is going to stay in the main house with my parents. He can sleep by the wood stove rather than being constantly on alert by me coming and going at all hours of the night.

After putting on my snow gear, I lift Aidan back up and carry him toward the main barn where the pregnant cows are being housed. We have several other buildings full of our most at-risk animals, and the rest are protected by shelter belts.

It’s absolutely freezing, there’s already a foot of snow on the ground, and visibility is getting dangerously low. The storm of the century is really on the way.

Cade and Cameron are talking to a few of the other guys, and I nod while walking past, bringing Aidan inside the heated barn so he can pet some of the cows.

“Baby cows soon, right?” Aidan asks.

“That’s right, buddy. And you can come back to visit them.”

“Yay!”

After walking Aidan through the barn, we circle around and head to Cade and Cameron.

“Brad, can you start plowing walking paths so we can easily access the buildings?” Cameron asks. “And Marty, you can clear the roads so our vehicles can get through. Let’s keep it maintained rather than letting it pile up, just in case of emergency.”

“Got it,” Brad returns.

He’s closer to my dad’s age than mine and is our longest standing employee. He lives on the property with his wife, and they raised their kids here, becoming extended family to me and Bobby. Even after he retires, he’s always going to be welcome to stay on the ranch with us.

“On the way,” Marty agrees.

He’s one of our newer guys, but has fit right in with everyone. We’re a tight-knit operation, and personality is the most important thing when we hire.

It’s easy enough to train people if they’re willing to learn and work hard, but you can’t teach someone not to be an asshole.

“Uncle Cade, we help?” Aidan asks.

“Mrs. Henderson is making a really special dinner for us,” Cade says, “And then we’re going to watch a movie by the fire.”

“Popcorn?” Aidan asks. “Me cuddle Scout? He sleep wif me?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll meet you guys inside for dinner soon,” I say. “I’m just going to check on a few last things.”

Cameron and I start walking toward one of the other barns while Cade and Aidan head back to the main house. Before we get too far, Daniel runs over to us.

“Mr. Holland just called and the power is already out at their place,” he says, referring to one of our elderly neighbors “He can’t get the generator started.”

“I’ll go,” I say.

“No way,” Cameron protests. “Go have dinner with everyone in the house. We can cover things out here and help the Hollands.”