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Crew woke up when the bed moved. He got up on one elbow and rubbed his eyes. Daylight shone around the curtains on the windows. Dahlia had climbed into bed and she was already on her pillow, wearing long pajamas. She pulled the blankets over her, until all he could see was her long, straight brown hair.

“Did you sleep yet?” Crew asked.

“No.” Her voice was muffled by the blanket. “I finished the book.”

“How was it?”

“Soooo good. Wait till you read it.”

They were reading the same series, but Dahlia was a faster reader than Crew, and she had more time to read, so she was two—now three books ahead of him.

“What time is it?”

“Don’t know.”

Crew found his phone and looked at the time: 9:30 a.m., but he had no service. He sat up in bed, realizing the power was still out and it was cold in the room.

Crew got up and started gathering his work clothes. “Doll, I gotta go check in with Trevor for work. Do you want to go to the main house and sleep there? They’ve got heat.”

She didn’t say anything.

Crew pulled the blankets away from her face. She looked like she was sleeping already. He sat down next to her and rubbed her shoulder.

“Do you want to go up to Trevor and Ella’s?” he whispered into her ear.

“Yeah,” she said. “But I’m so sleepy.”

“I can carry you,” he said.

She smiled with her eyes closed and snuggled into her blankets. “Okay…” she murmured. “… so strong.”

Crew cleaned up and got dressed in his uniform, then looked out the window. It was still snowing, and the drifts on the ground were deep. Shit, he thought. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to carry her. He left the bedroom and headed for the front door. Once outside, he saw that someone had recently plowed a path from his front porch to the main house.

“Good deal,” he said out loud, and went back to get Dahlia.

Angel, their pet bobcat who was still scarcely bigger than a kitten, darted across the top of the bookshelves in the living room, streaking past Crew and running for the door. He stared at it, making a chirping sound, until Crew turned around and opened the door for him. Angel ran out into the snow, heading for the forest. Crew shut the door and went to the bedroom. Angel wouldn’t be back till bedtime, and if he couldn’t get in the cabin, he’d get into the main house through the wolf door and sleep wherever Ella’s cat, Chelsea, was sleeping.

Back in the bedroom, Crew grabbed his book and shoved it in his cargo pocket, then he wrapped Dahlia’s blanket around her like a cocoon. He took the top sheet from the bed and put it on top of the blanket, even covering her face and hair, then he lifted her bridal-style from the bed. She snuggled into his chest, making a noise of contentment.

Crew carried her through the house and out the front door, and then followed the path to the back door of Trevor and Ella’s place. Troy saw him coming and pulled the sliding glass door open with the wolf-friendly handle.

“Thanks,” Crew said.

No problem, Troy said in ruhi. Is she ok?

“Yeah, she’s sleeping—stayed up all night. Smells good in here.”

Ella looked up from a large pot on the stove. “Thanks.” She pointed to the stairs. “She can sleep in the guest room.”

Crew grunted and carried Dahlia upstairs, took a left at the top, and went into the guest room, then lowered Dahlia to the bed and pulled the wet top sheet off her, wadded it up and dropped it to the floor. Dahlia rolled over and found the pillow immediately.

“I’ll be around, Doll,” he said, leaning down and kissing her. “But if I have to go somewhere, do you want to come with me, or do you want a guard?”

“Come with… unless Trent and Troy…”

“Got it. Otherwise, I’ll wake you up when?”

“Mm,” she said, eyes closed, body fully relaxed.

“I’ll wake you in six hours,” he said.

“Mmmkay,” she said softly.

Crew kissed her again, left the room, and went back downstairs. He stood at the bottom of the steps, looking for Beckett. Ella and Troy were still in the kitchen, and now so was Trevor. Mac and Bruin came in the front door. Mac ignored Crew, while Bruin raised a hand to him. Crew raised a hand back. Mac and Bruin went into the kitchen and Mac opened the fridge, which Trevor shut immediately.

“No way, Mac, food’s coming. Wait for it,” Trevor said.

Crew was about to ask what smelled so good when Trevor spotted him and bulldozed toward him.

“Crew,” he said. “I’m glad you’re here.” He pointed at his stove and said, “Take a good look.”

Crew shook his head, not sure what Trevor was getting at, but then Trevor waved him toward the back door. Crew followed him. From this vantage point, Trevor pointed into the kitchen again, right at Ella working at the stove.

“She’s cooking for fourteen people,” Trevor said.

Crew nodded, still not sure what was up.

“We have a chance for a real day off today, but only if we get out of this house.”

Crew scratched the back of his neck, still not sure what Trevor was saying. “Day off? We’re not working today?”

Trevor gave him a look that said, ‘where in the hell have you been?’ and then he said, “The roads are closed, Serenity’s shut down. We’re not going anywhere and no one is coming out here.” Trevor opened his hands and said, “It’s Valentine’s Day.”

“I know it’s Valentine’s Day. Me and Dahlia’re going to stay at Serenity Falls Resort tonight.”

Trevor shook his head. “Did you hear anything I just said? The roads are closed, the electricity is out, and the phones are down. There’s no way to get there and they’re probably closed anyway.”

“Oh,” Crew said, looking out the back door at all the snow and finally understanding.

“We’re not working today, but you aren’t going on your overnight and we’re—” he pointed at himself and Ella, “—not going out to dinner like we planned, but I still want her Valentine’s Day to be a good one, so you’re in charge of figuring out something else to do.”

“What? Me? Why?” Crew said.

“Yes, you. Because I said so.”

“What, like sledding?” Crew said.

“She’s pregnant.”

“Skiing?”

Trevor growled.

Crew laughed and said, “Well, hell, I don’t know, then. You’re the one who said Serenity is shut down. Maybe uh…a treasure hunt in the snow?”

Trevor nodded, like that hadn’t been a suggestion that Crew had just pulled out of his ass. “A scavenger hunt.” He clapped Crew on the shoulder. “Now you’re thinking.”

Crew blinked at him, thinking, seriously?

“You know you could just kick everybody out and lock the door,” he said.

Trevor shook his head. “I already tried but Ella wouldn’t go along with it. She insisted everyone was fed and warm.”

Crew meant to protest, but Trevor clapped him on the shoulder again. “Good wolf,” he said, and then he went back into the kitchen, shoved Mac away from the fridge, shut the fridge door, then took up guard in front of it, arms crossed.

Crew shook his head, then went out the back door and headed for Beckett’s place, ignoring the snow collecting on his uniform and boots.

At Beckett’s front door, he found a note.

WE’RE FUCKING SLEEPING. Leave us alone.

Crew tore it down and crumpled it up. “Not anymore you’re not,” he muttered, as he pounded on the door. “Beckett! Wake up!”

Crew knocked until Beckett, bleary-eyed, bare-chested, and pissed, ripped the door open. He had his camouflage cap on his head and he glared at Crew from under the brim.

“The hell do you want?”

“Assignment from Trevor,” Crew said, pushing past him and flopping down on the couch. “Get your fucking clothes on, we gotta get going—Hi, Cerise.”

Cerise, dressed in gray leggings and an oversized SPD sweatshirt, entered the room.

“Hi,” she said, not looking at him, which was her way. She only had eyes for Beckett.

She went into the kitchen and Beckett disappeared into the bedroom. In a few minutes he was back, dressed in the dark blue KSRT uniform with black combat boots and his cap on his head.

“What’s the assignment?” he asked, tucking his shirt into his pants.

“Find some shit to do so Ella can have a good Valentine’s Day.”

Beckett froze. “What? Why us?”

Crew threw his hands up. “That’s what I said, but I swear that’s the assignment. Serenity is shut down, the roads are closed, our overnight is canceled, and we gotta come up with something fun to do.”

Beckett finished setting his uniform right, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. “I ain’t got phone service or internet, do you?”

Crew shook his head.

“So who canceled the overnight?”

“I don’t know. Trevor said it was cancelled.”

“He’s full of shit. I say we head over there and see if the place’s still open. It’s a hotel. They have to stay open if they’ve got guests.”

“Roads’re closed.”

“It ain’t far as the crow flies. We could go by snowmobile.”

Crew considered. It wasn’t a half-bad idea. “You got a snowmobile?”

“Matter a’ fact, I got two snowmobiles, and they’re in the shed behind Trevor’s garage. They just need a quick tune-up and then we’re set.”

Cerise popped her head out of the dark kitchen. “Snowmobile?” she said.

Beckett turned to her and put out his arm. She floated into it. “Yeah, you wanna drive it?”

She beamed at him. “You know I do.”

He kissed her on her nose. “You wanna help me tune it up?”

“Heck yeah, I do.”

Beckett kissed her on the lips, softly and thoroughly. Cerise leaned into it.

Crew shook his head, stood and headed for the front door. “I’ll meet you two there. You have five minutes.”

***

Half an hour later, Crew was perched on a stack of police barricades in the cold shed, reading his book, while Beckett and Cerise checked belts and changed fluids or some shit.

Crew, Trevor barked in his mind. Where are you? What have you come up with?

In the shed , Crew replied, eyes on his book. Getting out Beckett’s snowmobiles. We’re going to— He looked up and saw Beckett and Cerise sitting on the same snowmobile, facing each other, with Cerise on Beckett’s lap. They were kissing like teenagers at a drive-in, and Beckett had his hands up under Cerise’s sweatshirt.

Crew cleared his throat loudly. “A-hem.”

Beckett broke the kiss, then straightened Cerise’s clothes, a grin on his face. “Shit,” he said. “Guess we kind of forgot where we were.”

“And what you were doing. Trevor’s calling me and he ain’t happy.”

“Trevor can hold his fucking horses. Shit takes time.”

“Sure does,” Crew said, rolling his eyes.

—Going to what? Trevor demanded.

Ah, going to snowmobile out to Serenity Falls Resort to see if they’re still open. It’s only three miles through the neighboring corn fields. The resort has a buffet and entertainment.

Trevor didn’t say anything for a minute, then he growled in Crew’s head and said, When?

“How long?” Crew asked Beckett, who was back to work on the snowmobile.

“Thirty minutes,” Beckett said.

Two hours, Crew told Trevor, buying them a little more time.

Got it. Report back to me ASAP.

Will do.

***

One hour later, Crew sat astride one of two snowmobiles in front of Beckett and Cerise’s place, fully dressed in snow gear, laying on the snowmobile horn, with snowflakes collecting in his hair and on his jacket.

HONK! HONNNK!

“What’s taking you so long!?” he shouted, honking again.

Crew had already checked on Dahlia, eaten some tasty Ten Meat Stew, gotten Dahlia a guard of Trent and Troy, procured Trevor’s credit card, checked on Dahlia one more time, then dressed for snowmobiling, and he was still waiting on Beckett’s slow ass.

He climbed off his snowmobile and headed for the front door, grumbling, “I’d better not find them horizontal.”

They didn’t answer the door, but as he was starting to get really irritated, they appeared from around the back of the house, dressed in matching yellow snowmobile suits and holding hands.

Beckett hooked a thumb back the way they had come, in the direction of the barn and pasture. “We were feeding the horse.”

“Don’t you look cute,” Crew said.

“Yeah we do,” Beckett agreed. “Like two corn niblets.” He winked at Cerise and she kissed him on the cheek. “Ok, sugar,” he told her, fishing a key out of his pocket. “Are you ready for more fun?”

“Always.”

They got on the second snowmobile, Cerise in front. Crew got back on his machine, while Beckett coached Cerise. Crew started his snowmobile and took off into the woods, getting stuck immediately. He rotated his machine around and found a path through the yard to another forest trail. He revved his engine and shot across the yard to the new trail, where he stopped to look back. Cerise was going slowly in a straight line from where she started, while Beckett talked a mile a minute and gestured to the right. Slowly, Cerise turned to the right, and then she picked up a little speed, smiling broadly.

They were on their way.