Predawn silence blanketed the Montgomery Ranch like a worn, comfortable feather quilt. Alcide "Cowboy" Montgomery sat on the porch, sipping his coffee as he contemplated his life. Even if he had wanted to, he wouldn't be able to sleep in after years of training his body to a soldier's regime. Truth be told, Cowboy liked the time before the sun cast its light on the world. It gave him a certain peace and preparedness before the day began.

Out in the pasture, a horse nickered nervously then stamped his foot. Cowboy placed his cup on the railing framing the front porch and stood. Peering into the gloom, he frowned. He knew bobcats and the occasional grey wolf would worry the stock, but that normally didn't happen until the winter when food sources were scarce. He was about to go into the house to retrieve his father's old Ithaca model thirty-seven shotgun from the gun safe when he heard the door behind him open.

"It's Molly Brown in heat and Diablo is trying to get into her paddock," Rissa said as she stepped up beside him and looked out over the yard. "Ben Watson is waiting for us to bring her over to Socrates. Firestar wandered over here a few weeks ago, and Diablo got her, so we're going to get a freebie from Socrates."

Cowboy chuckled. "I bet Ben wasn't too happy with that."

Rissa shook her head but grinned. "No, he wasn't that happy, but he realizes that any foal off Diablo is going to be worth a good penny. Socrates may have a better pedigree than him, but you won a lot of rodeos on that beast. His DNA is worth a lot."

Cowboy nodded absently as his mind traveled back to those circuit days. He'd been competing since he was ten in one way or another. However, it wasn't until he bought Diablo with his own money at fifteen that he'd become a local celebrity and earned his nickname, Cowboy. Diablo and he were one unit, understanding the other and working in harmony. The proof of their abilities still decorated one wall in the den. Everyone thought he was going to make a career of it, but instead, he had joined the Navy and eventually, the SEALs. His family was just as proud of him now as they were then.

"You going to see Dad later?"

He took in a deep breath then let it out slowly. That was the reason he was home, wasn't it? He was here to see their father and to help out on the ranch.

"Yeah. It was too late last night by the time I got there; visiting hours were over." Cowboy ran his fingers through his hair then rubbed his neck. "Is he any better?"

Rissa turned and sat on the railing next to his coffee cup. The two of them had always gotten along well and never pulled punches with each other. He knew she would tell him the truth - no matter if he wanted to hear it or not.

"Honestly, Alcide, I'm not sure. When Momma found him last week barely breathing and running a high fever, I thought he was gonna die. I could tell even the flight nurse was afraid; he wouldn't answer any of our questions. Momma says he's better. They've been able to bring the fever down out of the dangerous range, but he's not out of the woods. I know he's strong. I know he can beat this. What I don't know is if the cancer is flaring up in his body again. As long as he's weak with the infection, he can't take the treatments which means it could be spreading. His oncologist wants to do a scan in a couple of days, and I'm dreading it."

Cowboy didn't want to think about how close his father had been to dying. Instead, he steered the conversation in a different direction. "How are you doing, Rissa?"

She picked up his cup and took a drink out of it then grimaced. "Jesus, haven't you ever heard of sugar or cream?" She made a face then shuddered.

He laughed. "Serves you right for taking mine. There's a full pot in the kitchen, you know."

"Yeah I know, but it's all the way in the kitchen. Yours is right here. I guess that's something you learned in the SEALs, huh?"

Cowboy nodded and turned his cup on the railing, watching the water ring grow marginally underneath. "I learned all kinds of things in the service, but we aren't talking about that. I asked how you were doing?"

Rissa lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "About as good as can be expected, I suppose."

"And Drake?"

"Gah," Rissa rolled her eyes at her brother. "You just had to go there. Well, if you must know, he called it off. Again."

Cowboy growled and tightened his fingers around the post until the old wood creaked in protest. "I swear to God when I get my hands on him..."

"You'll do nothing." She finished. "Drake is my problem to handle, not yours, Alcide. He's not ready." Rissa laughed wryly. "At least this time we didn't have a date set. I told him if he felt pressure to get married and that was the only reason he was doing it, then we shouldn't. I need to be with someone that wanted me for me, not because someone said we had to get married."

"Yeah." Cowboy nodded. "But still doesn't give him the right to keep you dangling on." Rissa's engagement with Drake Walston had been in a constant state of flux ever since he had proposed to her six years ago. He knew his sister loved the guy, but he wasn't so sure about Drake's feelings. They had dated since junior high school, and everyone expected them to get married someday. In fact, Drake's father all but insisted. Cowboy remembered the Christmas that Drake had proposed. It had been right after dinner with him fumbling and muttering as he floundered helplessly. The look on his face said anything but happy as Rissa squealed and showed off her new ring. God help her, but his sister loved the weasel of a man and was content to wait until he was ready to go through with the ceremony.

"Rissa, maybe it's time to call it quits," he said softly. "I mean, if he keeps putting off the ceremony then maybe that's telling you something here. He may not ever be ready to get married. I don't want to watch you waste your life on someone that doesn't want the same things."

She shook her head, tossing her long brown curls back and forth. "He loves me, Alcide. He does, I know it. We're meant to be together. It'll happen, when it's time, so please don't pressure him. He's still trying to find his way." She grinned slyly. "He got a new job."

Cowboy released the death grip he had on the railing and took a step back, staring at her a moment. "A new job? I thought he worked his Dad's place."

"Yeah he did, but he doesn't like cattle. He's always wanted to work with horses, and a new place opened up near Garnett Lake. I think it's a dude ranch kind of place where visitors can go pretend to be a cowpoke. Double H, I think the name was. A fellow came by here asking about Diablo, Nugget, and Sperry. That was back before Dad went down this time. He told him we weren't selling. The guy didn't seem too happy, but he left a card and said to let him know if we needed to sell any horses." She made a raspberry noise. "Like we would sell our best breeders. Drake went to see him and got hired on the spot. He said they're paying him five hundred dollars a day plus room and board. He's going to save up his money for a year or two and then find us a place together. He said that was why he has been so unsettled - he didn't like us moving into here or his folk's place. We need our own space."

"As long as you're okay with it, I don't see where I can complain. However, if he breaks your heart..."

"I'll stomp a mud hole in him myself," she finished then grinned. "Don't worry about me, big brother. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can."

The two watched the inky sky lighten to grey with bands of pink and orange low on the horizon. All around them, the sounds of a new day greeted their ears. Cowboy picked up his cup and drained the last of his coffee before putting it down on the railing. "Let's get the chores done. If we hurry, we can drop by Ellie's and grab Mom some lunch. I'm sure she's about tired of hospital food."

Rissa hopped off the rail and nodded. "Sounds good. You muck out the stables, and I'll refill the hay and water."

"Woah, brat. Why do you get to refill and I get the shit job?"

She grinned. "Because since Dad has been down, I've had to do both. Your turn."

Cowboy frowned. "You've been doing both? Why aren't the hands doing that?"

She shrugged. "We had to let most of them go. There's only Jim, Pete and Cedric now. They take care of the fields and the harder stuff. The barn is my responsibility now that the garden is done for the year. They're out rounding up the stragglers today and tomorrow. We're supposed to get a bad storm later this week, and Jim said the first snow would be coming in by Thanksgiving, so it's best to go ahead and get everyone closer. We scheduled Miley to come out on Friday to do a round of vaccines."

At the mention of the new veterinarian's name, Cowboy chuckled. "She's still hanging around? I thought you said she was ready to head back home the last time I was here."

Rissa lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "She has responsibilities. Yeah, she would prefer to do small animal practice, but around here, there's not a lot of household pets to treat. She doesn't even talk about leaving anymore."

He wrinkled his brow. That sounded like she had given up. Knowing what little he did about his sister's friend, that didn't sit right. Miley was a spitfire, full of energy and very vocal about what she thought and wanted. He didn't like the thought of her letting go of her dreams.

Cowboy's attention was drawn out of his thoughts by a loud bang. Off in the distance, Diablo whinnied and threw himself against the railing. Cowboy jumped down the steps and ran to the paddock to let the temperamental stallion out to the pasture before he succeeded in kicking down the fence. It felt good to be home again, and as Cowboy opened the gate letting the spirited horse out, he let his fears about his family escape as well. The Montgomerys were strong and held on to each other with a ferocity that rivaled any grizzly. He didn't like leaving his sister here to do the brunt of the work, but the situation couldn't be helped. All he could do was leave the ranch in better shape than it was currently so she and the three remaining hands could take care of things when he had to return to California in twelve days. He watched Diablo run around for a few minutes before climbing over the fence and into the barn. The quicker he got this done, the faster he could get to Cody to see his father. Something told him there wouldn't be a lot of these visits left to him, so he planned on cherishing every one he could.