Dani tightened the laces of her boots and tried to blink away the sleep from her eyes. She stood and stretched, rolling her neck and shoulders. Her hair was a little longer than she liked it but it spiked again as she ran her hands through it and stumbled toward the bathroom. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get a haircut anytime soon, from Kelsi or anybody else.

It had been after midnight by the time she got home from the hospital and fell into bed. On the ride home, she’d wondered how long it would take her to fall asleep after the horrible scare they'd all had. But when her head hit the pillow, the next thing she knew, the light was peeking over the mountains surrounding River’s End Ranch and through the blinds of her small bedroom of the cottage she’d moved into not long before.

Normally, she wouldn't be up and out this early. Since her job at the ranch didn't really run on a time schedule, occasionally she slept in after having been out on a search and rescue mission, or if she was up early she’d go out for a ride after badgering Wyatt at the stables for a while. But today, she needed to get some coffee — and fast. If she was going to cover for Wade for a week while he rested and recovered from his heart attack scare, she was going to need coffee. A lot of it.

She opened the refrigerator and peered inside, not completely surprised that it was just about empty. She shoved aside the milk that was dated two weeks prior, glanced at the date on a carton of yogurt, and verified that the vegetable and deli drawers of the refrigerator were empty as well before she closed the door and turned back to look at her small cottage.

"Oh, I suppose you’re going to want something too," she said as she spotted something under a blanket moving on the corner of the sofa. She reached up into the cupboard over the stove, pulling out a bag of dry cat food. As the kitten she’d recently rescued and spooned milk into brushed between her legs, she looked down at the cat and back up to the bag of cat food. "You look exactly like the cat on this bag," she said, thinking that she must have somehow adopted the most average-looking cat on the entire planet.

The kitten purred as she set the small bowl on the floor. She rummaged around on the kitchen counter, shuffling around the unopened envelopes and a newspaper she’d thrown there.

"Where are the keys to the truck?" she asked out loud as she shuffled the stack to the side. She turned over a picture frame that had fallen, probably knocked down by the cat. Dani tilted her head as she gazed at the group of people standing in front of the Main House at the ranch. It was the last picture they’d taken as a family before their parents set out in their motorhome to see the country, leaving the guest ranch in the hands of their children. She smiled as she looked at her four brothers, their piercing blue eyes staring and their hands resting on the shoulders of their twin sisters.

As her eyes fell on her oldest brother, Wade, she squinted. Twenty-four hours ago, she would never have thought that something might happen to any of them. Not a single one. But since she’d followed the ambulance yesterday with Wade in it, holding her breath until she found out what was wrong with him, something had changed. Not exactly as if the world was a different color, but maybe kind of like that. Something was definitely different.

When the doctor told Wade he needed to take a week off, Dani hadn’t thought twice before stepping in, telling him she’d assume his management duties along with her own. All she could hope for was that there wasn't a search and rescue mission required this particular week.

She set the picture back on the kitchen counter and called over her shoulder, "I'll see you tonight. I’ll try to bring some canned cat food, too," to the cat as she trudged out into the snow. She crossed the distance to the café as quickly as she could, turning her collar up against the cold wind. She shoved her hands in her pockets and made a beeline for the door of Kelsey’s Kafe.

"Oh, Dani, I'm so glad you're here.” Kelsi rushed over to Dani from behind the counter of the cafe as soon as she stepped in the door, her arms wide.

"Everything's fine, Kelsi. You know Wade didn't have a heart attack. He just needs to take a week of work." Dani took a quick step backwards to dodge her sister’s hug and shrugged off her coat, tossing it on the rack by the door.

"Dani Weston, a hug wouldn’t exactly kill you,” Kelsi said as she shoved her hands in the pocket of her uniform. “We used to be able to do stuff like that.” Kelsi rounded the counter and reached for a mug, filling it and sliding it in front of Dani as she took the first stool closest to the door.

Dani warmed her hands on the mug and glanced up at her sister. Kelsi rubbed her tummy and Dani closed her eyes. She and Kelsi had been close once, and connected at the hip. Their mother even dressed them the same for years, until they got tired of being mistaken for one another. Things since then hadn’t been quite the same—although that twin connection had never really gone away, as much as Dani had tried over the years.

Personality-wise, they were night and day. Kelsi was a bundle of energy, loved people, believed in Bigfoot and was happily married. At this moment, they couldn’t really be further from each other, but Dani had never wanted to hurt her sister. Just avoid her, if possible, so she said, “I know, Kels. We’re all worried, me included.” She smiled as Kelsi turned, her bright blue eyes shining.

“Does that mean I can have a hug?”

“No,” Dani said as she leaned back and sipped her coffee. “I’ve got a lot to do. Shane’ll hug you, I’m sure.”

“Of course he will, but that won’t be until lunchtime.” Kelsi reached for a towel and wiped down the counter. “Did you talk to Mom and Dad?”

Dani leaned forward on her elbows, remembering the odd conversation she’d had with her parents. “Yes, I did. They made a little noise about coming, but I re-directed.”

Kelsi frowned. “You don’t want them to come? I’m sure hoping they get here before Blackbird is born.”

Dani couldn’t quiet her laugh. “Blackbird? Is that her name today?”

Kelsi raised her eyebrows. “We’ll see. But I don’t want to have my baby without Mom and Dad here. It’d be like having no family at all.”

Dani recognized the jab. “No family? What am I, chopped liver?”

Kelsi folded her arms over her belly and cocked her head. “If the shoe fits...” she said as she turned away.

Dani hadn’t spent any time at all around babies, and knew she’d love her niece but wasn’t quite comfortable with all the baby talk. That was Kelsi’s domain, and she was content to leave it at that for now. “Now that you mention it, you still have my boots,” she said and was glad she could make Kelsi smile.

“With your attitude, you may never get them back,” she said as she topped off Dani’s coffee. “They’re still getting the Blizzard fixed in Florida, I take it?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t ask. They offered to come, offered to send help but I declined. The last thing Mom did say, though, was that she’d send help anyway.”

“Oh, my gosh,” Kelsi said. “The last time she said that, she sent Bobby Blakely and we all know that was a mistake.”

“Hey, watch what you’re saying,” Bob, the cook, said from the order window. “I’ve never been happier. Best thing that ever happened to me, when it was all said and done. And I didn’t even have to marry one of you two.” He winked at Dani as he slid a plate onto the stainless steel pass-through.

Kelsi reached for the plate and Dani leaned forward to get a whiff of the delicious-looking omelet. As Kelsi reached for the coffee pot and rounded the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks, staring at one of the booths. “You don’t think...”

Dani swiveled on her stool to follow Kelsi’s gaze. She exchanged a quick glance with Kelsi and knew they were both thinking the same thing.

Fred Wharton the Third waved at Dani, his button-down shirt neatly tucked into khaki slacks. His navy blue blazer with gold buttons was immaculate and his napkin rested neatly in his lap.

“I don’t think Mom could have sent him that fast, do you?” Kelsi whispered as she passed Dani.

“Not sure, but I aim to find out,” Dani said as she reached for her mug and followed Kelsi to talk to the banker who’d been a thorn in her side ever since her parents left.

She nodded at Jaclyn and Simon as she passed on her way to the smiling banker.

“Haven’t seen you for quite a while, Dani,” Jaclyn said. “Stop by soon for a snickerdoodle and some milk?”

“Huh? Oh, sure,” Dani said, no intention of doing so. Jaclyn had been wreaking havoc with everybody at the ranch, and she sure as heck wasn’t going to have a discussion with her and turn into one of those loopy, love sick people that seemed to land at Jaclyn’s feet like trees felled in the forest. She had bigger fish to fry.

“Good, see you soon,” Jaclyn said absently, and Dani turned to see what Jaclyn was staring at out the plate glass windows. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged at Kelsi as they both watched a huge truck pull up in front of the cafe, its diesel engine rumbling through the floor.

Dani turned her attention back to the matter at hand and slid into the booth across from Fred Wharton the Third, giving him the best smile she could muster.