“Thanks for feeding me,” Dani said as she finished the last of her stew and plopped the end of a biscuit in her mouth—the best one she’d ever had, if she was honest. Wouldn’t hurt to tell him that, would it? “The stew was fantastic. Hit the spot.”

“My pleasure. I like to cook,” Travis said as he set the dishes in the sink and ran some water on them. “But I rarely get to cook for anybody else. It was fun. Nice to have the company.” He sat back down on the stool and smiled at her. He leaned his elbows on the counter as the coffee he’d set up brewed.

“I got the truck over to your brother, Wyatt. Man, what a great guy he is. He even took me shopping since I was freezing to death most of the day, and slipping and sliding on the ice.”

Dani’s eyebrows rose. “Shopping?”

He coughed. “Not like girl shopping. Utility shopping. Warmth shopping,” he said as he smoothed his plaid flannel shirt and smiled at her.

“Ah, yes. A new shirt. Creases and all.” Utility, warmth shopping she understood. Girl shopping—never. “It looks nice on you,” she said, and she meant it. Deep blue and gray, and it made his eyes stand out. She couldn’t remember ever noticing that about anybody.

“It was really nice of him to help me out. Oh, and I met your other brothers, Will and Wes. I guess the only one I haven’t met is Wade.”

Dani sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “And if I’m lucky you won’t meet him. At least not for a week or so.” She gave Travis a brief run-down of the previous day’s events, and the impact it would have on the ranch. And her.

“But he’s doing great today. Had a massage and is on strict assignment to just have fun.”

“I bet that was quite a scare, but that sounds great. A forced vacation,” he said, and she noticed his eyes light up again. “I guess that’s kind of what I’m having, if you think about it.”

Dani spun her spoon on the counter. Yes, if he’d spent that amount of time with her parents and they’d sent him across the country with a truck—he might as well get a vacation out of it.

“I’m sorry I barged in on you. The cat...”

He laughed and turned to look at the blanket that seemed to be purring all by itself. “Kitty seems to be happy. I fed her some tuna before you got here. She liked it, I think,” he said, gesturing to the empty bowl on the floor.

Dani frowned as she remembered she’d promised the cat some canned cat food—and had forgotten about that, too. She didn’t feel like a very good cat owner, and certainly wasn’t showering her feeling with love in the form of food or anything else, for that matter.

“I think I’ll enjoy hanging out with her. I’ve never had a pet. Moved around too much,” Travis said.

“Oh?” Dani was surprised that she was curious about that—but decided to go ahead and ask. “How come? You didn’t grow up in one place?”

Travis poured her a cup of coffee and slid a mug to her across the counter. “Nope. Got passed around after my folks died, place to place. Never was in one house long enough, I guess.”

Dani frowned as a cloud passed across his face—quickly, but she noticed. “That must have been tough. And now?”

He laughed. “Now, I don’t mind. Spend most of the year in motels, so when I’m in one place long enough to cook, I do. Thanks for joining me. It’s way more fun when somebody else likes what you cook. Kind of like sharing love.” He looked down at his coffee and cleared his throat. “Well, you know what I mean. Like connecting with people.”

Dani had never thought of cooking that way. She’d cooked mostly in the diner and was good at it but it wasn’t exactly as if she sent out the two eggs, over easy with extra crispy bacon with a packet of love on the side. She couldn’t wait to get out of there.

“You don’t spend much time in one place, even now?” she asked, changing the subject.

“No. My work has me traveling a lot, and in the off season I kind of just visit people or stay where I want to for a couple of months.”

“You don’t have a house anywhere at all? No place you call home?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine being that transient. River’s End Ranch was the only home she’d ever known.

He picked up his spoon and stirred his coffee, watching the swirls as he did. After a moment, he said, “It’s not as if I’ve never wanted a house. I could have one.”

She watched in silence as he seemed to wrestle with his thoughts. Another cloud passed over his face before he said, “I guess I’ve just never decided where I wanted to be. Where I wanted to set down roots.”

“I get that. Good time to see the world, I suppose, with no commitments.”

He looked up at her and their eyes met, a quizzical expression settling on his face. He glanced at the blanket as Kitty poked her nose from underneath, standing and stretching. She crossed the room and hopped onto his lap.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he said as he pet the cat, smiling down at it, then turning back to Dani. “So you’re going to be pretty busy this week, covering for Wade and doing your own job, I guess.”

Something tugged at her, and she almost wished she could show Travis around the ranch, show him the beauty of the mountains. Show him what a real home was like—but it wasn’t possible.

“I’m going to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I’ll be lucky if I get to eat again before Wade gets back.”

“That’s no good. You have to eat. Feeds the soul as well as the body,” he said, setting Kitty back on the floor and looking at her as he cocked his head. “Your brothers offered to show me around this week. Horseback riding, maybe some snowmobiling, but I’d be happy to help in any way I can.”

“Oh, thanks,” Dani said as she reached for her coat. “I appreciate it, but we’ve got it covered. Just a few more days and then I’ll need to focus on Christmas. I’m in charge of the snowmobile race and I haven’t done a thing to get ready.”

Travis stood and walked with her to the door. “I’d be happy to help. I know a thing or two about races,” he said with a smile.

“You do? Aren’t you the one who almost ran into me last night in your truck?” she asked as she pulled on her gloves.

He flushed and looked at his feet. “Okay, so that wasn’t my finest moment, but yes, I could help.”

She laughed. “Well, I’ve been doing it for years, so I’m sure I can manage. Have fun with my brothers. I’m sure they’ll show you a good time.” She turned at the door and glanced at the cat. “And thanks for looking after the cat—Kitty, I mean. I really appreciate it.”

“Least I can do since I put you out of your home,” he said. “Spartan as it is, it’s yours, and I’m grateful for the temporary loan.”

Dani started and looked around the room. No pictures on the wall, just a framed one on the kitchen counter. No cute dishtowels—nothing that would say it belonged to her.

“Hm, I guess you’re right. All the better for you to enjoy,” she said with a smile. “Good night, and thank you for dinner. It really was wonderful.”

“No problem. Come back any time. I’d feed you any time you wanted,” he said. “Good night, Daniella. It’s been a true pleasure to meet you,” he said before he closed the door.

She stood outside for a moment, the sound of her name washing over her. She’d been Dani for so long, it sounded strange to her, but coming from him it felt more like a warm waterfall rather than nails on a chalkboard and she hadn’t even wanted to correct him.

She shook her head quickly. She must be over-tired, thinking such ridiculous things. But she was relieved that Kitty was in good hands, and she reached in her pocket for her cell phone as she trudged back through the snow to the Main House.

“Dani, I promised him you would show him around,” her mother said when they’d connected. “You have to.”

“Mom, you know that’s not possible. Not this week, anyway, with everything happening with Wade.”

Her mother paused for a moment. “Fine. I’m sure he’ll be in good hands with your brothers. But make some time for him, if you can. And Jaclyn wanted me to ask you to stop by. She insisted.”

“I can’t do that either, Mom. No time,” she said as she rounded the last set of pine trees, the Main House in sight.

“And what about the letter? You haven’t even mentioned the letter. Dani—”

“Oh, Mom, I think I’m losing you. No reception. I’ll call in a few days,” Dani said before she ended the call and poked her head in the Main House, squinting to see if Jaclyn was on the sofa. The coast was clear and she scooted into Kelsi’s room, closing the door as quickly as she could.

She kicked off her boots and threw her coat on the rack, plopping down on the bed with her arms behind her head. It sure had been a busy day. Hopefully so big that she could fall right to sleep, undisturbed by the waves of pink in her twin’s childhood bedroom. Posters covered the walls, along with sparkles and boas on the ceiling that she’d tried not to look at for years.

As she stared up at the ceiling at what she’d always assumed was a random display of the feathered boas, she actually groaned. They weren’t random at all—and she truly wasn’t surprised that the boas were glued to form the word, “Love.”

She turned on her side and didn’t even bother getting out of her clothes before she turned out the light.