Rose was wakened from a sensual dream about Colt by knocking on her front door. She opened her eyes but lay still for a second, glassy eyed.

What time is it? It’s light, but only barely.

The knocking came again, persistent.

“One second!” she shouted, getting up and throwing on pajama bottoms and a robe.

As she headed to the front door, the person pounded on the door. “All right! All right.”

She opened the door, expecting Shelby. Instead it was a blonde woman with her hair in a haphazard ponytail, makeup running down her face.

“Hi?” Rose said, confused.

“Have you seen Jack?” the woman asked, pure desperation.

“Um… no. I was asleep,” Rose said.

“I just know his father has taken him!” the woman said, dissolving in tears. She collapsed on Rose’s front stoop, leaving Rose to puzzle it out.

Rose’s sleepy brain put the pieces together.

“You’re Mrs. Whittier?” she asked.

“Karen,” the woman moaned, beside herself. “I’ve been so busy with Milo, I didn’t even notice that my Jackie has gone missing!”

Another second, and Rose realized that Milo must be Jack’s little brother.

“Who’s with Milo now?” she asked tentatively.

“He’s asleep,” Karen whimpered. “Oh god, what if Jonas grabbed Milo while I’ve been here, looking for Jack?”

She pushed herself to her feet. Rose noticed that she wore a ratty robe and slippers, and not much else.

“Let’s go get Milo together. How about that?” Rose said.

The other woman took Rose’s words to heart, disappearing around the hedge. Rose closed her front door and followed Karen, whose house she hadn’t explored. It was dingy and blue just like her own house.

Karen left the door wide open, the only invitation Rose thought she would get.

The inside of the house was also like hers, down to the layout. She stepped into the living room slash kitchen, seeing Jack’s little bedroom set up where Rose had her dogs’ crates.

Karen vanished into the back room, leaving her to her own devices.

Rose blanched at the setup. It had a certain messiness that Rose would not allow in her own house. No wonder Jack liked to be out as much as possible.

“Milo!” Karen said, appearing from the bedroom with a sleepy blond toddler. “Milo’s here, thank god.”

“Are you sure Jack is gone? When’s the last time you saw him?” Rose asked Karen.

Karen got tearful again. “Yesterday? I mean, I made him breakfast. I think…”

You think? Rose wondered. This lady needs help, big time.

“Okay. I’m going to call Shelby River,” she said, keeping her cool.

“Shelby? But she hates me!” Karen whined.

“Somehow, I doubt that. She’ll know what to do.”

Rose stepped outside and called Shelby. It rang three times before Shelby answered.

“Hey! I was just thinking I should call you,” Shelby said. “You know, like how normal people call other people.”

“Listen, Shelby. There’s kind of a situation over here. I’m at Karen Whittier’s house—”

“Ew, why?”

“Her son Jack is missing. And— well, she needs some help, but mainly that.”

“What? Missing since when?”

“I asked, and she said maybe yesterday. Maybe.”

“Shit. I’ll be over in twenty minutes. Expect Sawyer to knock on the door before then.”

“Okay.”

Rose hung up and went inside. Karen was pacing, holding Milo so tight he was squirming.

“Um, I called Shelby. She’s organizing the troops,” Rose said. “Hey, how about you let me hold Milo so you can sit down?”

Karen glanced at her, rubbing a hand over her face. She handed over Milo, proving she was at least aware of her… situation.

He was content in Rose’s arms, which was surprising. She pretty much had no experience with babies, but his chubby cheeks were hard not to coo at.

Karen, on the other hand, grew more distraught. She sat on the shabby loveseat and sniffled.

“I’m not always like this, you know. My mother passed away two years ago, and she was my only family. Now I’m all alone, and raising the kids without Jonas…”

She started crying again. “I’m just so tired, you know?”

“I get it, I do,” Rose said, bouncing Milo on her hip. “I mean, I can’t imagine being a parent without having my partner by my side.”

Karen nodded. “If he would just give up on that stupid farm, we would still be together. He’s driving us into the poor house with that place.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Karen said, wiping at her face. “It’s just… it’s a piece of property that’s belonged in his family forever. He thinks I’m a bitch, because I want him to put food on the table instead of sugarcane in the fields. I’m like, is that too much to ask?”

There was a knock on the door, which saved Rose from having to form an opinion. Karen jumped up and pulled the door open, sagging when she saw that it was Sawyer.

“Hey,” he said. “Hi, Rose.”

“Come in,” Rose said. “Karen, this is Sawyer.”

He stepped in, filling the doorway. He looked so much like Colt that Rose couldn’t help but blush, seeing him.

“I know who he is,” Karen said. To Sawyer, she said: “We go way back, don’t we?”

He looked at Rose, then nodded. “Yeah. Listen… I don’t want to offend you, but I’ve called Jonas. He hasn’t seen Jack today, and he sounds genuinely panicked.”

“He’s probably the one that took him!” Karen said, aggrieved.

“Well, we’re going to get two search parties formed. One to look for Jack here in town, and one to look at the farm. We’ll find him, I assure you,” Sawyer said, looking from Karen to Rose. “Colt and Walker are on their way here.”

Rose nodded, jogging Milo on her hip.  

“I’m going to go check the yard, just in case,” Sawyer said.

Rose nodded, and Karen sat on the loveseat again. They were quiet for a few minutes, waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

Colt arrived at the same time as Shelby. Shelby went straight to comfort Karen. Colt quickly introduced his brother Walker to Rose, in the meantime heading back outside to find Sawyer.

“Hey,” Walker said, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you. I assume that’s Jonas’s kid you’re holding?”

“Yeah. He’s very calm, for what all’s going on,” Rose said.  

He smiled and nodded. “I think Colt and Sawyer are on the stoop, planning. I suppose I’d better go out there.”

“Okay,” Rose said, feeling like an idiot for not having anything better to say.

Like Sawyer, Walker’s good looks and similarity to Colt didn’t go unnoticed. Rose peeked through the window. She noticed that although the three men looked alike, they all had slightly different hairstyles, and dressed a bit differently.

Rose bit her lip, willing herself not to blush again.

“Hey,” Shelby said, finally breaking off from Karen. “Hey there, Milo! We’re going to find your brother, aren’t we?”

“We need to move fast,” Rose said, glancing at Karen. “Wherever he is, he’s probably been outdoors for awhile. That’s not great for a five-year-old.”

“Hey,” Colt said, sticking his head inside, nodding to Karen. “There’s a bunch of people gathered outside. I think we’ve got a plan. We just need to divide into teams.”

“I want to come,” Rose called to Colt. “Just give me a minute.”

He nodded and disappeared. She turned to Shelby, who already had her hands out for Milo.

“Thanks,” Rose said, handing Milo over.

“It’s not a problem,” Shelby said. “Is it, Milo? No! We’re gonna stay right here with your momma until your brother Jack is found, aren’t we?”

Rose patted Shelby on the shoulder, and found her way outside. True to Colt’s word, there were almost fifty people outside, organizing and getting into cars together.

“Hey,” Colt said as she walked over. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of signing you up for my team. We drew lots for where to search, and you and I happened to get the outbuildings at the Whittier place.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Are we ready to go?”

“Ready when you are. My truck’s parked at your house.”

Praying for Jack’s safe return, Rose followed Colt to his truck.