W hen Joni parked in front of the café, she didn’t see Max’s truck. She was a bit disappointed until she remembered that he’d run there on Saturday, so perhaps he’d done the same that day. She had a few minutes before her shift started, so she’d have Bob’s special before starting her day .

She groaned when she thought of Bob. She was going to have to tell him how amazing their dinner had been Saturday night, because of his help. He wouldn’t fit through the kitchen door, his head would swell so big !

She straightened her ugly polyester uniform and hurried into the café, her gaze immediately going to where Max always sat. Her face lit up as soon as she saw him and she hurried to the kitchen. “Bob, I need your breakfast special for me. And I have to tell you…dinner was fabulous on Saturday. You’re not only a great cook, but you’re a good teacher .”

Bob raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. “Was that so hard ?”

“Yes!” She hurried back out of the kitchen, stopping for a minute to talk to Kelsi. “How’re the babies ?”

“So much better. They’re both breathing normally again.” Kelsi grinned at her friend. “Tell me about Max !”

“Not with him sitting right there!” Joni shook her head. “You’ve lost your mind !”

“I heard that!” Max called from the booth where he waited for her .

“Hush you!” Joni called back. “I’m going to go have breakfast with him. I’m not on for another twenty, so I should have time to finish .”

“Sounds good. I can handle any crowd we get. I owe you for covering for me. Again .”

Joni grinned at her. “I’m happy to do anything I can for those adorable little rug rats .”

“They’re awfully cute, aren’t they? I think little Tori looks just like her auntie Dani, and little Willow looks just like me. Don’t you ?”

Joni sighed. “Did you forget that you and Dani are identical twins again ?”

Kelsi shrugged. “Maybe to the untaught eye .”

“I’m going to go sit down with Max now .”

“I will do my best to go about business as usual, and not watch you two make cows eyes at each other .”

Joni ignored her friend as she slid in across from Max. “Good morning .”

Max smiled. “Morning. Kelsi’s something else, isn’t she ?”

“Yes! I’m not sure what that something is, but she’s definitely something else .”

“I heard that!” Kelsi yelled out. “I’m bringing your breakfast in a minute. Don’t get up, Joni .”

Joni shook her head. “Did you get my ticket ?”

“I did. You’re round trip from Lewiston, with a layover in Salt Lake. You need to be at the Lewiston airport by ten tomorrow morning .”

“I can do that.” She wasn’t sure who she’d have drive her yet, but there were any number of people who would be willing .

“Want me to drop you off? Pick you up ?”

“That would be great if you don’t mind.” She hadn’t even considered asking him, but she had no idea why. He was a good guy, and she loved the time they spent together. “Tell me about Adam. How do I impress him ?”

He shrugged. “Same way you impressed me. Just be yourself. The ranch needs a social worker, so just talk to him and explain your credentials. And tell him Kevin will vouch for you. It never hurts to have a pastor on your side. Especially one who is known and loved by the family who is hiring you .”

“Okay. I’ll do my best .”

Kelsi interrupted then to slide their plates in front of them. “You’re going to love the breakfast burritos. I had Bob put extra jalapeños in mine, so they’d be extra delicious .”

Joni shook her head. “Aren’t you still nursing? You’re going to give those poor babies heartburn .”

“Oh, they got my constitution. They love spicy stuff. I give them jalapenos to eat with their cereal every morning.” Kelsi walked away with that parting shot .

Joni shook her head. “She doesn’t really. Shane would strangle her if she hurt those babies, even if she just burned their mouths .”

“I have a hard time picturing the mostly-serious sheriff with Kelsi. She’s just a little too wild for him, in my mind .”

“Their story is super sweet.” She took a sip of the orange juice in front of her. “Kelsi was dating this idiot guy Donn the Dreadful for years. The day she broke up with him, she sheriff came in and asked her out. They were married within two weeks. Turns out he’d been in love with her for years, but he wasn’t about to ask another man’s girl out .”

“I don’t know if I could have sat on the sidelines waiting for them to break up if I’d had feelings for her .”

Joni shrugged. “The sheriff is a very patient man. You should see him with those babies .”

Max looked at her for a moment, a thought entering his mind. “Do you want children ?”

“I’d like a couple. You?” Had he asked her that because he wanted to get more serious? She wasn’t sure, but she really hoped so. There was something special about him .

“I don’t know. I’m not sure what kind of parent I would be. I didn’t have the best example .”

“No, you didn’t, but you did have a good example later. Just be the kind of father your foster dad was. You seem to have a lot of love and respect for him, so he must have done something right .”

Max nodded. “That’s true. I’ll think on that.” He looked down at the half-eaten burrito he had left. He’d already demolished the first. “These are amazing .”

“Bob really can cook. He’s as good a cook as he is annoying !”

Bob stuck his head out of the kitchen. “Don’t mess with me, Joni, or I won’t tell you my secret !”

Joni laughed. “You don’t have any secrets, Bob. You’re just trying to get me to be quiet .”

He smiled, stepping out of the kitchen and behind the counter. “Actually, I do have a secret.” He reached into the pocket of his apron and pulled out three bubblegum cigars, one for Kelsi, one for Joni, and one for Max. Kelsi carried the two for Max and Joni over to them. “Miranda’s expecting .”

Joni grinned at him. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Congratulations !”

Bob smiled. “I was starting to think it would never happen. We want a houseful of kids .”

“I bet Debbie’s walking on air,” Kelsi said, referring to Miranda’s mother. “This is her first grandchild, right ?”

“Oh, yeah. Scott’s way too young to be having kids .”

“How’s Miranda feeling?” Kelsi asked. “I remember my early pregnancy. I couldn’t stop throwing up. Or grinning .”

Joni laughed. “I remember. You kept stopping random guests you’d never met before to tell them you were pregnant .”

“I only did that a couple dozen times.” Kelsi laughed. “I think I was the happiest pregnant woman alive .”

Bob smiled. “Miranda’s pretty happy, but she’s also pretty sick. She can’t hold anything down at any time of day. Not sure why they call it morning sickness. Seems more like all-day sickness to me.” He shrugged. “She’ll get through it, and we’ll all be happy .”

Kelsi nodded. “And you need to have a little girl, so my girls have friends to play with .”

Bob shrugged. “Boy or girl. I’ll take anything as long as it’s not an alien. I’m not really up for parenting an alien .”

Joni shook her head. “Imagine the kind of cooking that kid will be able to do. With your cooking genes, and Miranda’s baking genes? She’s destined for greatness .”

Bob grinned, heading back into the kitchen without another word. Kelsi looked at Joni. “I’ve never seen him so happy. Well, maybe the day he married Miranda, but that was the only time. He’s really excited to be a father .”

Joni nodded. “He is. I think it’s great .”

“Me too. I’m so happy he found Miranda .”

Max finished his burrito. “I’ll be here for lunch, because I need that western burger, and then I’ll pick you up at your place around six for dinner and our sleigh ride .”

“Sounds good to me.” She stood up and cleared their table. “I’ll see you soon .”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, the first time he’d been that demonstrative in public, surprising her. After he was gone, she was still standing in the middle of the café with her arms full of dishes, staring after him .

Kelsi laughed. “You’ve got it bad, girl. Have you talked to Jaclyn yet ?”

Joni nodded. “Sure have. I didn’t find her particularly helpful, but I talked to her. Max says she’s at his house every night with one of her bunnies on a leash .”

“Oh, that’s awesome.” Kelsi walked over to work on filling the ketchup bottles. “Do you need to leave early today to get packed for your trip ?”

Joni shook her head. “Nah. I don’t have to be at the airport until ten tomorrow morning. I never sleep past four. That gives me plenty of time to get ready .”

“Sounds good to me. I hate the idea of losing you, but if you can find something in social work, I think it’s great. You’ve been more patient than I deserve, sticking around to help out here until I was ready to work full-time with the twins. I’m ready. It’s time for you to do what you went to school for all those years to do .”

“That’s what I’m going to miss most about River’s End Ranch when I finally leave …”

“What’s that?” Kelsi asked .

“The constant support and love I feel from my coworkers and friends. You’re an amazing woman, Kelsi. I don’t care what Bigfoot says about you.” Joni winked as she walked off, carrying the dishes into the kitchen .

* * *

M ax spent most of the day with Kevin. It was nice to just have some guy time with his friend. They talked baseball, Bridget, football, Disney princesses, and even a little bit of Joni .

“So how serious are you and Joni getting? Your names are linked in all the ranch gossip these days. If you’re looking for someone to perform a quick wedding, I’m your man.” Kevin grinned at Max .

Max looked at Kevin, completely baffled. “I’ve had girlfriends before. You know I have, but I’ve never met anyone quite like Joni. There’s something about her that has me wanting to run to the nearest store to buy a ring. I’m doing my best to resist .”

Kevin laughed. “Maybe you should stop resisting and get down on one knee. Joni is definitely the kind of girl you want to take home to Lillian. She’ll love her .”

“I’m not going to marry her to please my foster mother .”

“Then marry her to please you. I know it seems really fast, but that’s how things are done here. And back home, too, as far as I remember.” Kevin straightened the hymnals in the back of one of the pews. “Tell me about Adam’s girl .”

“You need to meet her. Tiffani is really great. She’s the new fundraising coordinator for the event the ranch does every fall. Super sweet, and Lillian absolutely adores her. All the brothers have accepted her as a new sister. She and Adam are living in one of the cabins built by the first boys on the ranch. They love it there .”

“She sounds nice .”

“She really is. I don’t think Lillian would have been more pleased if she’d handpicked his bride herself. It’s cool, because she’s working for the ranch too, and she’s as devoted to it as Adam is. It makes things easier for everyone involved .”

Kevin smiled. “I like that idea. I’m glad he’s finally found someone. Now the other brothers need to start finding their brides .”

“Once one does something, they all do it.” Max shook his head. “I can see why you feel so at home on the ranch here. All the good things about the McClain ranch seem to be replicated right here. It feels a lot like home, if you can ignore the cold, wet, white stuff all over the place .”

“I kind of like the snow. I heard you and Joni took snowmobiles out yesterday. Did you have fun ?”

“We did. It was great. We ran into Jaclyn. Tell me about her. Does she always wear fairy wings ?”

Kevin grinned, shaking his head. “The fairy wings are a new addition. Something about the fairies telling her to dress that way for Halloween, so she knew she’d earned her wings and become one of them, or some such nonsense. Jaclyn is harmless, and she’ll help you out if you’ll let her .”

“You mean she’ll help the fairies help me? No, thank you. I don’t believe in all that hooey .”

“Sure you do. You’ve seen all kinds of weird stuff happen with the McClains around. I know you didn’t live in the big house with them like I did, but let me tell you, there are no people on this planet odder than the McClains. When it comes to hooey, they seem to have written the book .”

Max rubbed the back of his neck. He’d seen a lot of unexplainable things around the McClains. He’d even fallen once as a child. Daniel, the fourth brother, had held his hand for a moment. He’d been sure his arm was broken before Daniel had come over, but when Daniel left, there wasn’t a mark on him, and the pain was completely gone. It was strange, but the McClains did seem to have strangeness follow them everywhere. “I refuse to even think about it .”

Kevin laughed. “Why? It doesn’t change anything .”

“If I don’t know about it, then it didn’t happen. Let’s change the subject .”

“All right. Tell me about some of the boys that are on the ranch these days .”

They talked for hours, and Max knew that Kevin, who had seemed perfect as a teenager, had matured to become a good pastor. “Tell me about Bridget. She seems slightly unhinged,” Max said .

Kevin laughed. “Oh, she’s more than slightly unhinged, but I took one look at her and knew she had to be my wife. She resisted for a while, because she couldn’t see herself as a pastor’s wife .”

“I can understand that. Don’t ever leave this ranch, because if she tried to be a pastor’s wife with a normal congregation, she would crash and burn .”

Kevin nodded. “That’s very true. Something happened where she wasn’t allowed to go back to Sunday School for a while when she was a teenager. I don’t quite understand the whole story, and I’m not sure I want to .”

“Probably not! She doesn’t seem the type to do anything the normal way. She’s a twin too right? This place seems to be crawling with twins .”

Kevin shrugged. “Just Kelsi and Dani, and now Kelsi’s babies. And Kaya and Bridget, but they moved here as adults. They were raised near Fort Worth .”

“Texas claims them ?”

“They’re not that bad. Bridget’s a really good nurse, and Kaya’s a romance writer. She actually wrote a story about the original Westons who settled this land. I did the research and gave it to her, but she wrote it. Was pretty awesome, really .”

“Sounds interesting. I’d like to read it. Well, if it wasn’t a romance I would. I’m not reading a romance .”

Kevin laughed. “I read it. It wasn’t terrible. She named it Mail Order Miracle. I don’t know that I’d pick up a romance and just read it for fun, but that one was interesting because it was based on the ranch .”

“Someone should write about the history of the McClains. Remember how there was an orphan who married into the family, and her adoptive mother always ran around with peppermint sticks in her cleavage? That was one of my favorite stories.” Max had no idea if it had really happened, but if you listened to family lore, the woman had not only existed, she’d driven everyone in the town of Nowhere, Texas absolutely crazy .

“You know, that would be a fun project. If you talk to Kaya about it, she’ll offer to go and learn as much as she can. Then Glen would have to kill you, so I would say don’t do that .”

Max grinned. “Why would Glen have to kill me? Is he the jealous type ?”

“Glen? Not at all. He is the type to not like it when his wife leaves for weeks on end, though, and telling those stories would take a while. I don’t even know if they’re written down anywhere, or if the family just tells the stories from generation to generation .”

“Do you think it’s a project she’d enjoy, though ?”

“Kaya? Oh yeah. She’d sink her teeth into it and not give up until she learned every single detail she could as far back as she could learn .”

“She sounds interesting. Are she and Bridget a lot alike ?”

Kevin shook his head. “They couldn’t be more different. It’s hard to believe they’re sisters, let alone twins. Kaya is over six feet tall with blond hair .”

Max frowned. “Bridget can’t be an inch over five feet. And she’s dark .”

“I know. Their mother swears they were twins, though, and she has no reason to lie to us about it.” Kevin got to his feet. “Let’s hit the café for lunch. I’m craving a western burger and some fried cheese curds .”

“I’ve been wanting to try a western burger. I was so annoyed when the café was closed yesterday and I couldn’t have one. Whose idea was it to close on Sundays ?”

“The original Kelsey, from what I understand. She seems like she was quite a woman, too .”

Max shook his head. “As long as Joni doesn’t think she should start acting crazy to be like them, I’m good .”

“You’re going to marry her, aren’t you ?”

Max shrugged. “I don’t know. I should probably ask her before I run around announcing that I will .”

“Might be a good idea .”

When they got to the café, Max went to his regular booth, noticing the place was busier than he’d like. There was a big man at the next table placing his order with Joni. “I want Bob’s fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. And don’t forget the — ”

“Jam?” Joni finished for him with a laugh. “Don’t worry Bryan. We all know about your jam habit! I won’t forget.” She grabbed two menus for Kevin and Max and hurried into the kitchen to communicate the order .

Max smiled as he watched her, pleased that he’d get to spend time with her later. He had to settle for that, because he knew she couldn’t sit with him with as busy as the diner was at the moment. Oh, well. At least he’d get his western burger .