Coffee. He needed coffee and food. Three hours of lying in bed not sleeping had left his whole body cramped and his head achy. Yeah, right. His crankiness had nothing to do with the erotic thoughts that stemmed from seeing Mandy in her pajamas and robe. He was ridiculous. She’d been covered from head to toe in more flannel than Mrs. Walton, for crying out loud. There was nothing sexy about flannel. Except on her. Her mussed hair and sleepy eyes had given him a clear image of her in bed, which was great until he remembered she had a boyfriend.

Disappointment crawled into Danny’s chest and got comfortable. He’d known coming up here that she was taken. Hell, he’d saved her man’s life. So what was his deal? Jed may not be fully recovered, but he had a business breeding and training hunting dogs and, hopefully, a future that included a return to guiding tourists through the wilderness. Danny was a damaged veteran with no immediate prospects. His siblings didn’t really need him to run the tavern, and Sullivan’s could only support a limited number of people. Returning to the army wasn’t an option. So what was he going to do with the rest of his life?

The only goal on his horizon was figuring out what happened to Nathan Hall. As far as goals went, it was a huge freaking long shot. The only things he’d managed to accomplish so far were pissing off Mandy and burning Reed’s house down. The phone call to Reed should be fun.

He turned on the TV and checked the weather. Same as yesterday. Sunny. Cold in the morning. Warmer in the afternoon. Possible rain later in the week. Danny flipped to the news. Stalling. Yup. That’s what he was doing.

Shit.

He could skip breakfast and slip out without seeing her at all. No. Being love-struck as a high schooler over Mandy Brown didn’t give him an excuse to backslide. According to his therapist, avoiding uncomfortable situations wasn’t healthy. His recovery from post-traumatic stress was more than a slippery slope. As last night’s trip to flashback land had demonstrated, it wouldn’t take much to send him careening over the cliff he’d clawed his way up last winter. Discipline had been a key to his recovery. So he would eat regular meals, exercise, and attempt to get enough sleep. In a couple of hours, he’d make the call to Reed and fess up. And he’d face Mandy Brown.

Dammit. He’d be healthy even if it killed him.

A news clip showed a reporter standing outside a large brick building. The caption read MUSEUM THEFT BAFFLES BANGOR PD.