Page 19 of Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Although she had been mumbling under her breath, her mother said, “Amen.”

Everyone had settled down. Some people had fallen asleep sitting up. The two men were stretched out on the floor, sound asleep. Three young women had fallen asleep on the loveseat and were leaning on each other.

Gwen felt helpless and hated that feeling. She had always been someone who took the bull by the horns and jumped into solving any problems that came her way. However, she had no idea of how to tackle six feet of snow.

She walked over to Sawyer’s chair and looked at him and Lucas. “Thank you for saving my family and me.”

“You are welcome,” Sawyer said.

Lucas nodded.

“I’m very sorry for my father’s comment. That was rude and ungrateful of him.”

“Thank you, but you aren’t responsible for your father’s actions,” Sawyer said.

Gwen gave a wry smile. “You know what they say about sins of the father.”

Sawyer was about to say something when Tessie walked into the room and held up her hand.

“Excuse me, guys. Can I have your attention, please? I know it’s late – or I guess very early in the morning. You guys are exhausted. Most of you haven’t slept since the avalanche rolled in twenty-two hours ago.”

Everyone nodded. Gwen rubbed her eyes. They felt like someone had poured a bucket of sand into each one and then lit the sand on fire. Her head throbbed. She couldn’t imagine what the folks who had been shoveling snow all day felt like.

“There are enough rooms in the lodge if everyone shares. We rented out the cabins before the rooms, so we actually had empty rooms, although if the avalanche had waited one more day, we wouldn’t have.”

“I guess everyone was coming up for Christmas,” Audrey said.

“Yes. We always get full this time of year,” Tessie said. “Okay, so here are your room assignments. Audrey, Jerome, and Brent can have room one. Daniel put a cot and blankets in there for Brent’s cot. Maddie, Samantha, and Emilia will share room two. Gwen can either bunk with them or with her parents.”

Gwen looked over at the women. “Would you mind?”

“Not at all,” the tall blond woman said. “I’m Maddie and this is Samantha,” pointing to a red-haired woman, “and thisis Emilia.” She grinned. “We’re seniors at Colorado State and decided to spend our break up here.”

“It’ll be an adventure to remember,” Gwen said.

Tessie nodded and smiled tiredly. “Darren, Zaid, Lucas, and Sawyer will share room three, While Joseph and Elsie will share room four. Of course, Oliver and I have our suite and Daniel and Millie have theirs.”

Darren and Zaid shook Lucas’ and Sawyer’s hands. They introduced themselves and said they owned a successful automotive shop that specializes in classic cars. Gwen was surprised when Lucas said he owned a helicopter tourist company in Estes Park.

Oliver cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “We have two generators, but we will need to conserve electricity. Everyone can have twenty minutes a day to charge their electronic devices. The well is attached to one of the generators, so we will need to conserve energy. Everyone is limited to one five-minute shower each day.”

“Great. I’m stuck here with a bunch of stinking people I don’t know,” Jerome muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Oliver glared at Jerome. “Unless you want to go back to your cabin, I suggest you shut your mouth. This isn’t ideal for anyone, but your complaining is only going to make things worse. I, for one, am not interested in dealing with your negativity, bad mood, or anything else. Don’t make me tell you another time.”

Jerome’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything else. Gwen knew that Audrey was just as embarrassed as she was. Her father wasn’t embarrassed – he was angry that someone had dared to stand up to him.

“We will turn the heat on in the bedrooms around ten at night and cut it off at six. The electricity is needed to run thekitchen and lights in the house. We’ll use the fireplaces to heat the front room. If you want to sit in the library, you are welcome to build a fire there. If you don’t know how Daniel or I will be glad to help you. Please ask because we don’t need you burning down the lodge.”

Tessie spoke up again. “Because of limited resources and the fact that Millie and I have a lot of extra work with all the guests here, you won’t be able to order off the menu. You’ll just have to eat what is served.”

Oliver looked at Jerome sharply, who slammed his mouth shut. Jerome apparently believed Oliver’s threat that he would be banished to the cabin if he kept complaining.

“Are there any questions?” Oliver asked.

No one said anything.

“Since it is about two in the morning, I’m guessing people will want to sleep in. Because of that, the heat will stay on in the bedrooms until ten. Every room has enough beds or cots, as well as blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags,” Oliver said.

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