She hadn’t stopped shaking by the time she entered the warmth of Second Chance soon to be Mystic Heart to find the men of her family standing in front of the plate-glass window where they’d had a clear view of her exchange with Avery.

“That was quite the show you and Dawson were putting on out there,” Ryder said. Jack stood next to him, all smiles.

“What are you smiling at?” she demanded.

“Just watching my girl handle herself. You’ve got that boy tied up in knots over you.”

“I think we have another wedding on the horizon,” Dare said.

“Enough, all of you. I will never marry that man.”

“You know what they say about never saying never,” Ryder teased.

Dare started humming the wedding march and held his hammer like it was a bouquet of flowers. Ryder linked arms with Dare’s and they did the wedding march around the front room.

“Heads are going to roll if you two don’t stop right now,” Catriona said.

“I do think the woman doth protest too much,” Ash joined in, entering the room with Sorene from the direction of the kitchen.

“All right, you two,” Sorene said, using her mom voice. “Leave her alone.”

“Come on, boys, let’s get that wall down.” Jack led the way upstairs.

“You okay?” Sorene asked Cat when they were alone.

“I’d be better if I had actually kicked Avery in the balls,” she muttered.

“But then you would have felt guilty about it afterward.”

“Doubtful. Where’s Zoe? I thought she was coming to help too.”

“That girl is never on time for anything.”

Bells rang over the door as Kennadee entered. “Hey, guys.”

They both gasped when they saw her with her arm in a sling. “What the hell happened to you?” Cat asked.

“Nothing really, just dislocated my shoulder. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

“A dislocated shoulder?” Sorene asked. “How did you do that?”

“Missed a step on the ladder.”

“You fell off a ladder?” Sorene’s mother bear bared its teeth. “Why didn’t you call me or Dad?”

“Or me?” Catriona asked.

“What could you do? I was in North Pole fighting a three-alarm fire, and we had two teams of EMTs there.”

“One of us could have driven up there so you didn’t have to drive home. Besides, I thought you were working in Nenana this week.”

“It’s not like I’m handicapped,” Kennadee scoffed. “I can drive. And I was in Nenana, then an opportunity presented itself in North Pole.” Which meant there wasn’t enough going on in Nenana to fulfill Kennadee’s need for a thrill fix.

“Well, you certainly can’t do anything to help out here,” Catriona pointed out. “Not with your wing clipped.” The sound of a Sawzall fired from upstairs. She wanted to be there helping to tear down that wall.

“What’s the recovery time?” Sorene demanded, and Cat could see the wheels turning in her head over what would need to be done to care for Kennadee. “You aren’t going to need surgery, are you?”

“Will you stop mothering me. It’s a dislocated shoulder. A few days in the sling, a few weeks taking it easy, a bit of physical therapy and I’ll be good as new.”

“Are you in any pain?” Sorene asked, worry clouding her voice.

“Just from this conversation,” Kennadee muttered.

“Seriously, Kennadee.” Sorene planted her hands on her hips.

“It aches, but keeping it stationary helps, okay?”

“Did they give you pain pills?” Catriona asked. “You should be home resting, not here.” Hammering joined the buzz of the saw.

“I said no to the pain meds. I can handle this with Tylenol if I feel like I need it.”

“You and your superhuman pain tolerance,” Cat mumbled, wishing she had some of that.

Kennadee could withstand more than most without flinching, while Cat had been known to cry over having a sliver removed.

Zoe breezed in, dressed in clothes not intended for work—at least not the kind that would get her dirty. A long dress coat, paired with high heeled boots, accentuated with a silk blouse, and designer jeans. Where the hell had she found designer jeans in Heartbreak? And why would anyone wear them in Alaska?

“Where have you been?” Sorene demanded.

“On a job interview.”

“Where?” Cat, Kennadee, and Sorene said at once.

They’d all taken a part in raising Zoe, and all three of them didn’t like the choices she was currently making. She needed to return to college, but after one semester, she’d shown up at home stating that college wasn’t for her. She’d yet to find any direction.

“I don’t want to jinx it,” Zoe said. “I’ll let you know if they offer me the job.” Another thing about Zoe was her superstitious nature. Catriona believed in the law of attraction, while Zoe believed in four-leaf clovers and rabbit foots.

“I hope you brought clothes to change into,” Cat said.

Zoe glanced down at her outfit, realization dawning. “Uh, no. I didn’t even think of it.” She noticed Kennadee’s arm in a sling. “What happened to you?”

“She can tell you on the drive home,” Sorene said. “You can’t help us here wearing that outfit, and she can’t help restrained. So, drive Kennadee home and make sure she rests.”

“I don’t need to go home and rest,” Kennadee objected. “I want to be part of the action. This is exciting.” Kennadee had a constant need for change and thrill. Her chosen profession as a firefighter fit the bill as she never knew from one day to the next what she’d be doing or facing.

“Don’t argue with me or do I need to tell Dad that you fell off a ladder while fighting a fire?” Sorene threatened.

Kennadee’s face blanched.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Sorene folded her arms. “He worries enough about you as it is.”

“All right, I’ll go. But let me tell Dad what happened.”

“As long as you tell him the truth and not lie and say that you slipped on the ice,” Sorene said. “Yeah, I do know you better than you think I do. Zoe, after you get Kennadee settled and change your clothes, come back and help.”

“Seriously?” Zoe whined, proving that she had planned on getting out of helping by showing up in the fancy duds.

“Yes, I’m serious. We help each other out in this family. And I wasn’t born yesterday, young lady.”

“Fine.” Zoe dragged the word out, sounding much like she had at thirteen.

After Kennadee and Zoe left, Cat turned to Sorene. “Damn, but you are going to make a formidable mom.”

“I should. I’ve been in training for the last ten years with you bunch.”

“That you have, and if I haven’t said it before, thank you. I love you, sis.”

Sorene’s face softened and she hugged Catriona. “You’re welcome.” A loud crashing sounded from upstairs. “Come on, sounds like they are making progress. I can’t wait to see how the room looks with the wall down.”