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"Good Morning, Lucky." Laura says softly as she knocks on the doorway that separates Lucky's portion of the loft from the rest then continues down to the main floor of the cabin. There are no doors up in the loft. That would cut down on the free circulation of heat shared throughout the cabin.

"Son of a gun!" Lucky mutters as he wakes. There isn't much early morning light up there in his portion of the Spencer loft. The windows are down on the main floor or toward the front where his parents have their room. But the back of the cabin that butts into the hill did just that... butted into the hill. The plan had been for it to keep the temperature of the house stable... summer or winter. And maybe that works on the Carly and Aunt Bobbie's shelf but damn it's cold. He exhales experimentally. Condensation forms as his warm breath hit the cold air. Course it's not as bad as a place they'd stayed in back in New York. That place had been one step up from sleeping on the streets. Back then they'd wake to have frost on the blankets. Depending on how the chinking held up between the logs-- that could be them all over again in January or February.
Lucky grabs his clothes from the chair next to his bed and dresses under the covers not actually climbing out of bed until it's time to put on his boots. Lucky makes no effort to muffle the noise of his rising. Everyone would be up soon enough. But he knows he'll be the first up and out. His mother might be up first and get the woodstove stoked and the breakfast started. But he'd be the first one to the outhouse and then making sure a path is shoveled between cabin and outbuildings. That way Bobbie and Carly could get out to the barn for the morning chores. And Lulu could get to her precious chickens and make sure that Foster got the leftovers from breakfast.

Lucky pauses on the intermediate spot where Carly and Bobbie are both still asleep with the the covers over their heads. His mother had probably given them a wake up call as well so he doesn't feel too guilty when he flips the blankets up from the foot of the bed exposing toes in night stockings. "Gees, Lucky! I'm going to kill you." Carly practically jumps out of bed.

"Faker." Lucky grins but races down the ladder. If Carly got a hand on him he might indeed be a dead man. "Good morning, Mom."

Laura has already stoked the woodstove with the wood that Luke had brought in the night before to give it plenty of time to dry. "Morning, Sweetheart." She gives him a look.

"What can I say? I couldn't resist." He gives her a grin and a shrug.

"Well you better get out of here before Carly and Bobbie get down."

Lucky laughs and grabs his outdoor gear sliding in to it. He carefully opens the front door. All efforts had been made to shelter the front porch but his mother would be less than thrilled to have a foot of snow in the cabin. The sun isn't going to be up for another hour or two. Mom had even beat the rooster up this morning. He steps off the porch and into the snow that comes midway up his calf. Lulu would have a heck of a time getting to the outhouse and would be stuck with the chamber pot until he got a path cleared. But first things first.

 

 

 

 

Living in a house with three women now, Marcus is up and doing the same as Lucky up the road. Shoveling a path to the outhouse. The mounds of snow along the path create a little wind break all on its own. There were times to count your blessings in being a man. This appears to be one of them. Cause he couldn't imagine anything chillier than the weight of cold wet snow wicking up a skirt and then refreezing.

"Marcus, why don't you start at the barn and work your way back." Gia suggests. She's got another shovel. "I got it from here now that you've given me a nice flat spot."

"You sure?"

"Carly ain't the only digging fool in the valley." Gia grins at her brother.

"Shouldn't you be helping Ma?"

"Dara's there." Gia shrugs. "It's all covered. Guess you're stuck with me. Besides this stuff is so... amazing."

"Yeah." Marcus looks around. The sun was just beginning to come up the valley. It was going to be a gorgeous day.

 

 

 

 

Liz bends over while shoveling a path to the barn discreetly packing a ball of snow in her hands. Sarah is working from the other end to shovel a path toward her. The snow is thick on the ground but not so high that they could tunnel by each other without knowing. Besides the lines that Zander had hung with Nikolas were a guideline overhead for when it did get deeper.

"This is an easy way to break Zander in." Sarah calls out breathlessly shoveling snow up to create a bank. It could have been so much worse.

"ummhmm." Liz agrees absently. One hand to the other and setting it aside on the bank. Grab another handful. Pack, pack pack. Set aside.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Liz says innocently.

Sarah stiffens. Too innocently. Elizabeth is up to something; she looks around for a shelter and starts scooping snowballs of her own.

Inside the cabin, Audrey has the woodstove stoked. She pours a cup of tea for herself and for Zander. The water is already reheating on the stove. The girls would need it when they finally got in from their morning chores. Zander limps over to the window balancing on his cane and looks out the window. "I should be out there."

"There will be plenty of time for that. Plenty of snow, ice, wind, cold." Audrey hands the cup of tea to Zander and then lifts her own cup in a toast. "Here is to Winter. If Spring is the season of rebirth then winter is the season of renewal, of preparation and reflection."

"You love it."

"Not as much as when I was younger. My bones remind me more every year." Audrey admits. "But yes, I can't imagine not having a white Christmas. A Christmas without snow on the ground never quite seemed right. And I've passed that on to both of the girls. They get it from me I'm afraid."

"Get what?" Zander asks curiously.

Just then outside, there are the combined screams and squeals of total snowball war. Soon the dogs are barking and picking sides racing from one girl to the other. Audrey smiles. "It doesn't last long really but they have to get it out of their systems. I wouldn't suggest stepping out on the porch, what the girls lack in aim they make up in enthusiasm." Audrey warns. "And they learned some very bad habits from their cousins. Left alone they will pummel each other but if you joined the battle you'll find that they team up. I'm afraid you'd be rather outnumbered." Audrey watches the girls out the window and then pats Zander on the arm. "Perhaps next year, Darling."

 

 

 

 

In Roscoe's absence, Nikolas goes about the morning chores of taking care of the animals. With the cattle, Cassadine mounts, Zander's and now the Quartermaines the barn is filled. Inside the barn, the water stored in one of the water barrels that had been so handy for Mrs. Lansbury's garden summer and fall is cold but not frozen. The same couldn't be said for the water outside. And that was the next thing that he had to check. Making sure there was plenty of wood in the greenhouse for the woodstove there that heats the water that heats the plant beds. Without the heat... the greenhouse would just be a glass house. Preoccupied with his own thoughts he is less than observant with his surroundings until someone brings him up short. His head jerks forward in surprise and reaction. Liquid drips down between scarf and coat. Cold liquid. The second projectile hits him in the shoulder this one packed so firmly as to no longer be a snowball. Nikolas ducks for cover. It might as well be rocks if ice is going to be thrown.

"It was for you own good." He calls from the back of the parked sleigh. "No hard feelings.

"Oh yeah, I believe that. And I'm going to kick your ass. For your own good." A feminine voice replies. "No hard feelings."

Nikolas focuses in on the voice, getting a direction on his assailant. "You got out on your own." He calls out and looks around to see where she might be.

"That will teach you to put the hinges on the inside." Emmie hollers as she aims another snowball at Nikolas' head. The snowball splats against the side of the sleigh, missing where Nikolas' head had been only moments before. Nikolas is already on the move, keeping low and under whatever cover is available he moves in Emily's direction. Emily knows he is working his way around. The Quartermaines prove regularly that guilt only goes so far and lasts so long. The offended party has to strike while the grievance is fresh. She starts moving. Now is the time for silence. He knew he was in the wrong, he knew he was going to pay and why. No need to give him the opportunity to turn the situation around to his favor.

From separate upstairs windows of the Cassadine place, Stefan and Edward watch the battle below. Edward, like a general, mutters under his breath directing Emily in her movements. The momentary relief he'd had the night before at reaching the Cassadine place had been been replace by fury when he realized that his granddaughter had been locked in a cell in the house. Nikolas and Miss Natasha had been quick to explain. And his head surely did understand. There had been many a time he'd wanted to lock Emily in her room for her own good. Normally when some young buck like that Juan had come sniffing around. But that was different.

Mrs. Lansbury goes about her business of taking care of the chickens and is coming out of the coop when she feels someone coming up behind her. "Oh my lands, you nearly brought me out of my skin."

"Sorry." Emily says quietly under her breath. Her eyes keep moving. Cassadine might be a greenhorn when it came to Montana but he wasn't when it came to hunting. She knew that from the bear skin rug in the library. "Best you stay inside for a bit, Mrs. Lansbury."

"On my way, Miss. Just please don't break any of the glass: the windows or the greenhouse." Emily gives her a grin and then starts blending back walking in her own footsteps to cover her movements.
Mrs. Lansbury hurries back to the house. She didn't think Master Nikolas or Miss Emmie would intentionally hit her. But she'd been with the Cassadines long enough to know that a snowball would be a blessing as far as collateral damage is concerned.

Nikolas eases up on Emily using the fence of stacked firewood as cover. When he sees an opening he swiftly makes his move, picking Emily off her feet and landing her in a bank of snow with himself on top of her. "I have you." Nikolas says with a grin.

Emily wiggles trying to get free and then abruptly stops. What had started as a bit of fun had turned into something else. Raised on the ranch she knew all about the birds and the bees. Hell being in charge of the horses on the ranch she'd seen her share of conceptions and births. "Let me up."

Nikolas reads the knowledge in her eyes and slowly draws closer, offering a tentative kiss, that starts as more of an exploration than anything else.

 

 

 

 

Carly, Bobbie and Lulu all make their way out to the barn. Lulu races ahead in the path that Lucky had cleared and then races back out again with a pie plate filled with corn for the chickens. Mother and daughter are just getting set up with the Holsteins when Lulu comes running back in to feed Foster and make sure that he is okay after a night spent out in the barn.

"Lulu, Let the horses and the calves out into the corral so that Lucky and your daddy can clean the barn out." Bobbie orders her niece.

"The horses like it better out in the weather anyway." Carly starts stripping the milk from the Holstein with calm, smooth efficiency. And it wasn't taking as long to milk the cows as it did during the summer. Ol Bossie here was about ready to take a break from milking in preparation for having another calf come spring. Hopefully it would be a heifer. Something to add to the dairy portion of the homestead.

"Need them inside the barn. They put out plenty of heat to keep all the other animals warm too." Bobbie replies even though she knows that Carly knows already.

"What next, Aunt Bobbie?" Lulu comes racing up again slowing down when she gets near the milk cows cause when they got nervous they started kicking buckets over and neither Bobbie nor Carly would be happy. The sound of an ax hitting wood reverberates around the homestead. "Never mind! I'm going to go help Lucky." Lulu goes racing out of the barn.

"Does that kid have any other speed?" Carly wonders at her little cousin's energy. It was too darn early in the day to be racing around that fast.

"You didn't at that age." Bobbie retorts.

 

 

 

 

"Are you going to cook like this every time it snows?" Dara asks Flo.

"Can't say that for sure." Flo looks at the spread that is on the back of the woodstove keeping warm and waiting for Marcus and Gia to come in from their chores. "I do figure need something to keep a body warm from the inside." Grits, sausage, biscuits, gravy. "Despite all my efforts I swear that Marcus lost about twenty pounds this summer. Now is my chance to get him fattened back up."

"Not that I've been looking, Mrs. Taggart, but I haven't seen any skin and bones on your son." Dara says wryly.

"And I'd just as soon keep it that way." That statement could be taken a couple of different ways and Flo is fine with that. So she pauses to let that piece sink in before continuing. "Even before you came out to the valley, I was conferring with Miz Audrey and Miz Laura...." Flo tilts her head in the direction of the corresponding homesteads. "... Cause I can't say that I was too happy about all the weight that Marcus was losing. They were the ones that told me that I'd have five months to get him fattened back up starting in November."

"So he can start all over again come spring thaw." Dara nods. Knowing how fussy Flo is about being the boss of the actual cooking, she does her part of the breakfast preparation by making sure that the table is set. As soon as Gia and Marcus finished with chores breakfast would be served. But in the mean time, Dara accepts the cup of coffee that Flo offers.

"And thanks to that boar you brought on out with ya." Flo nods. "It's gonna be a busy spring."

Out in the barn, Gia is feeding the livestock and milking the Holstein. Out by the pens, Marcus is feeding the hogs and eyeing them carefully to make sure they'd come to no harm from the chilly night. They finish up about the same time and make their way back to the cabin. They wash up before sitting down to the huge breakfast that has been waiting on them.

 

 

 

 

"What on earth are you doing?" Sarah demands of Elizabeth. Sarah has just finished milking both jersey and the goat. She has buckets of milk steaming in the cold morning air.

"Seeing if I can feel any of the babies." Elizabeth continues to check out the woolly side of the sheep. The sheep are used to her company and have no fear.

"It's way too soon for that. Maybe February." Sarah counsels.

"I know." Liz shrugs. "Actually I'm checking on how dense the wool is. Gram says that's the way to find out what kind of winter we're going to have."

"So how dense is it?"

Liz shrugs again and rises to her feet. She gives the sheep a pat for being so patient and then gives her skirt a shake to clear off the clinging snow. That sets the sheep to moving to the far side of the corral "How would I know? We didn't have sheep back in New York! It's thick. But is it thicker than normal?"

"Right." Sarah nods. "But it's something for Gram to put in her journal so that next year we will have a comparison."

"Gram and her journal." Liz gives a grin.

Sarah grins back. "I know. But I know it'll come in handy too. Ten years from now we'll be able to go back and read what it was like the first Christmas out here in Montana."

"Yes, and how much milk the cow gave. If the chickens were still laying, and how many squash we had left down in the root cellar...."

"Stop!" Sarah protests but knows even while Elizabeth is exaggerating it's only by a little. "Come on. Gimme a hand with this."

Elizabeth eases out of the corral not bothering with the gate. She takes one of the buckets that Sarah has and heads toward the cabin. They didn't have to worry about putting things in the cold box down in the river. The porch is cold enough.

"You girls are going to catch your death of cold in those wet clothes." Audrey protests for form sake. "Come over by the stove and warm up. When are the two of you going to start acting like young ladies instead of hoydens?"

"Hmm I see to remember the year before Grandpa died..." Sarah reminds her grandmother with both eyebrows raised.

"You hush." Audrey gives a quick look over to Zander to see if the young man had heard. It just wouldn't do to have the whole valley know that the girls had come by their lousy aim honestly.

 

 

 

 

Nikolas takes off his coat and jacket draping them over a nearby bench leaving him in his shirt sleeves. He fills the woodstove of the green house and adjusts the damper so that the heat is constant but will be long lasting until the next time he can check on it. It is a concern with the iron water pipes that circulate around the green house to warm the plants. They are prone to bursting if the water inside was allowed to freeze.

"Grandmother's roses." Emily comments examining one of the few plants actually in the green house. She'd also shed her coat as the woodstove started putting out the heat.

"Yes, Aunt Natasha keeps a careful eye on them, but they won't be alone long. Uncle plans on conducting some experiments over the winter to see how best the greenhouse can be used year round. And of course, Mrs. Lansbury already has a plan on getting an early start on her garden. She believes that plants will have a better chance of surviving rather than seed."

Emily shrugs. "From a bird standpoint she is right. It only makes sense. So you've covered what your aunt, your uncle and Mrs. Lansbury are going to be doing this winter. What are you going to be doing?"

"I've a plan." Nikolas says modestly.

"Oh?"

"Put part of it already in place with the irrigation of Mrs. Lansbury's garden. But with our first full year out here we haven't touched the full potential of the homesteads."

Emily shakes her head. "You're like a fly on a horse. One flick of the tail and you're gone. Homesteading is not the way to go out here. There is just not enough acreage to support a family. One bad season and it's over."

"Which is why your family is more diversified." Nikolas nods but not necessarily in agreement. "The mines, the interests in town, the railroad-- the ranch has become the smallest of the your operations."

Emily winces. "I'd say the interests in town. But that is more about Grandfather wanting to know everyone's business than being a real money maker."

"The Cassadines are also diversified. But that doesn't mean that this homestead will not be a successful element even if it is not the most profitable. And if your Grandfather is as concerned about diversity as you are... why is he pressing Derek Barrington's suit? All Barrington can offer is more land."

"My grandfather is not going to pick my husband." Emily denies and covers her wince. Derek Barrington is almost as old as Alan, her father. And it's true that Grandfather had been dropping hints ever since she'd gotten back from school. It's one of the reason she's spent so much time on the range. "And if Grandfather is pushing Derek at me it's because he's here. He's always been here. He's always going to be here."

"Where there is no guarantee with my family that we won't just pack up and go back to Russia."

"Or back east." Emily agrees with a nod. "This is my home. Everywhere else might be fun to visit but this is where I want to be."

"And if I were to give my word...."

"What? That you'd never leave?!" Emily snorts. "Right."

"That this will be my home. And everywhere else is just a place to do business or visit."

"You're serious." Emily studies Nikolas' face, his bearing.

Nikolas comes over and cups the side of Emily's face. "Very."

 

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