Mitch knocked on the door of the ranch house the next day around 6 o'clock, getting ready to have supper with the Heartland family. He had brought wine with him, but as he held the bottle in his hands on a cold porch, he began to wonder if maybe bringing wine with him was weird since this was no formal dinner of any kind, but at the same time he wanted to be polite since he had been asked to join the family when they were under no obligation to do that despite this being a time when he and his partners, Jack and Tim, would also sit down and talk about the possible next step of their business expansion.

If everything went smoothly, maybe the wine was appreciated and used as a way of celebration.

Why am I overthinking this, Mitch thought to himself, but soon realized his nervousness wasn't really about the wine or even the etiquette, but about him stepping up and showing he was just as worthy partner in this business as Jack and Tim were as experienced ranchers.

It was his time to prove how much of use he could be.

Lisa came to the door and opened it, her smile lighting up her entire face as soon as she saw him. There was something about the woman that made Mitch immediately feel better as she was in no way intimidating and always so kind.

"Mitch, hey! Come on in!" she urged, opening the door for him. As soon as Mitch stepped inside, he handed her the bottle. "What's this?" she began to examine the wine with great curiosity.

"Just a little something to thank you for the hospitality. It's not often I get to sit down and have a proper meal by a big table, so I wanted to express my gratitude", Mitch explained, smiling. "It's alcoholic free, by the way, just in case Tim wants a sip too. I know he was supposed to come as well."

"Oh, he's already here", Lisa hummed and then looked at the bottle, wondering if she had ever tasted this one before. "That's very thoughtful of you. Thank you. Maybe Amy would like to have a taste too?" she suggested, then walking to the kitchen so she could finish helping set the table.

"Oh, she's here too?" Mitch asked, taking off his coat, his back facing inside the house.

"Present", he heard from the kitchen. Mitch turned around when he was done. Amy was putting bread rolls into a basket and smiled at him as soon as their eyes met. "Hey."

"Hey", Mitch said, smiling back. He had been wondering how she was doing ever since she had dropped by his trailer, but was now relieved to see her smile. Maybe whatever she had had to taken care of yesterday had went okay since she looked different somehow. Almost as if more care-free. "So, it's a full-on family dinner then."

Somehow this made Mitch more nervous. As if he had to present his case for more people, even if it was just Amy.

"Yeah, we were just waiting for you", Lisa said and went to get the bottle opener. "Have a seat."

"I didn't know if you even drink wine", Mitch admitted to Amy, even though he had not expected her to join them, for some reason. Maybe he had expected this to be just four of them, but then again he didn't mind having Amy and Lyndy there with them either.

"I don't really, but alcohol free... I might try it." Amy shrugged.

She then walked to the living room - where Jack and Tim were already sitting with Lyndy and talking about current events involving Hudson - and placed the basket on the table. Mitch's eyes followed her and then settled on the two men, sitting on the opposite ends of the table. He was trying to act cool as he started to make his way to the dinner table.

"Hey", he greeted them and got a nod from Jack who seemed just as tired as he had been yesterday. It worried Mitch, but his attention was soon taken away by Tim, who in the absence of Jack's usual authority felt the need to step in to play the part of the host.

"Glad you could join us", Tim said, waving his hand toward the table as if presenting what they had to offer.

"Of course. - I guess this will be me?" Mitch asked, showing a chair directly across Lyndy who was sat on the other side of the table with Amy.

"Yeah, that's Lisa's spot", Jack guided, showing a place next to him, "so that'll be you."

"Mitch brought wine", Lisa shared with everyone, walking from the kitchen and placed the bottle on the table. She then went to grab them all glasses. "It's alcohol free. I think it'll go great together with the Rouladen."

"Wine, huh? Does that mean you have good news or bad news?" Tim wondered immediately.

"What news?" Amy asked, wondering what she was missing. She had already started to pile food on Lyndy's plate as the girl didn't like waiting for anything that was already placed before her.

"Well, we had a business meeting yesterday", Tim explained as Lisa went around the table and placed the glasses on the side of their water glasses, "and we are thinking about expanding the herd. Garland has been so happy with us that he would like to increase our order."

"But that's great news, isn't it?" Lisa assumed, but wondered why Jack had not mentioned anything about it to her.

"You could say that, but your husband here isn't as convinced", Tim explained. "But Mitch said he has a plan. - So... did you talk to McMillan?"

Tim's gaze started to pressure the young man next to him.

Mitch placed the napkin on his lap and nodded. "I did, and he's ready to sell me the herd - if that's what we decide", he told, adding the last bit to keep Jack satisfied. They had not decided anything yet, but if Jack said it was a go, then they would do it since he and Tim were already on board with it.

"Of course we'll say yes. Right, Jack?" Tim pushed, looking at the man at the end of the table.

The patriarch of the family glared back at him, knowing how Tim was trying to pressure him into something he still wasn't sure about. When the tension got worse, Mitch decided to add a little sweetener to soften the blow.

"And not only is he willing to sell me the herd for a reasonable price, he actually has one Jersey cow as a sort of extra for us", Mitch shared. He had been excited to learn about that.

"Oh, a Jersey - that's a good cow. Their milk has higher percentages of fat and protein compared to Holsteins", Tim knew, seeing the value in it even though they solely sold beef. Who knows, maybe that would be something that would sell the idea to Jack as well. It was nice to get a little extra as it was often a sign of a good deal. "I can just see you milking that cow every morning to get some milk to your coffee, Jack", he added jokingly.

"I drink my coffee black - and you know that", Jack reminded, then looking the two other men on the table. "Now, what exactly would we do with just one Jersey cow? Or are we planning to expand the business even further?"

"Come on, Jack, you're starting to sound like me", Tim tried to lighten the mood. "It's not what we were looking for, but what Mitch is trying to say is the herd is ours if we want it. Don't worry about the cow."

"Well, actually... I was thinking maybe we could have it at the Dude Ranch, for example", Mitch suggested. "Not only would it produce the milk used in the foods for the guests, but they could also milk it themselves. I would imagine that would be pretty exciting experience, especially for city folks."

"That's not actually a bad idea", Lisa said as she was getting ready to eat. While Lou was in New York, she had been running the Dude Ranch and she was open to new exciting ideas to entertain the guests. "Not many people have actually ever done that in their lives. And that's exactly what the Dude Ranch is about; giving people the real, authentic western experience."

"You might want to check from Lou if that's something she wants", Amy interrupted politely. "I just know she doesn't exactly like to have any cattle at that property and if I'm going by with what happened with dad and her at Maggie's when dad made some changes... you know, the big TV screen and ice hockey nights. She might not be so on-board with it", she continued, knowing her sister's preferences pretty well.

"Yeah, maybe to avoid any drama, ask her about it first", Tim noted to Lisa.

"I will", Lisa assured. "I think that would be a nice addition, though", she said, looking at Mitch, giving him a reassurance that his ideas weren't half bad.

"Great. Let's have a toast then", Tim suggested and started pouring wine into his glass and then urging others to do the same.

"Wait", Jack stopped them, reminding about his presence even though he had mostly stayed quiet and passive during this conversation. "This hasn't been decided yet. I haven't agreed to anything."

Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to say what he wanted to say. It didn't look as if he was ready to say yes.

"Oh, come on, Jack", Tim sighed, tired of this back and forth. "Garland wants an answer - we don't have time to dawdle or he'll go with someone else. Is that what you want? What was it that you talked about Heartland's future? You want it to be forgotten?"

After a beat, Jack continued.

"I just think we should have a vet take a look at the herd before we make any decisions", Jack explained, buying himself more time. Mitch nodded, agreeing with it. "I mean, it's easy to say the herd looks good, but it's another thing to know if they really are. I want to be sure we're selling quality beef since this whole merge is already against my principals. That's all I'm asking. If Garland can't give us couple more days, then maybe we don't want to accept his offer."

Tim scoffed, personally offended. "You want to upset him? Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

"Well... yes", Jack said matter-of-factly. "If we rush into this, we are going to regret it. I'm sure of it."

"Well yeah, of course you would say that..." Tim muttered. "Garland gave us till today to give him an answer. What am I going to say to him?"

"Exactly what I just said", Jack replied as if it couldn't be more obvious.

"Or", Tim realized, "it's two against one, so no matter what you say, it doesn't really matter in the end. Mitch and I think we should do it, so we'll do it."

Mitch looked at Tim with a worried expression. He didn't want to step on anyone's toes. "I don't think we should-"

"Mitch, listen to me. You gotta learn that this is how business works", Tim interrupted him, talking as if he was teaching a novice. "Sometimes it's compromises, other times it's not. This right here is a compromise. Just because it sounds kind of nice as a concept, that everyone gets what they want at least to some extent, doesn't mean everyone will always be happy-"

"This isn't a compromise, this is dictatorship", Jack pointed out, interrupting him this time and standing up, leaning against the table with his both arms.

Everyone looked at him, worrying what would follow. It wasn't often that Jack got angry, but when he did, it was as if the whole world stopped to hunch.

"I know I should've never started a business with you, it has caused me nothing but trouble!" Jack ranted. "If this is how you're going to do business, I'm out. And so are you! Get out of my house!"

"Come on, Jack-" Tim tried.

"No! Out!" Jack said with even stricter tone and visible sweat on his face.

Everyone waited what Tim would do, but he didn't move.

"I said, out-" Jack was about to repeat himself when he grasped his chest, suddenly feeling breathless. Everyone froze and knew immediately something was wrong, but no one seemed to be able to move as they watched Jack collapse on the floor. What actually took a second felt like a lifetime in slow-motion.

"Jack!" Lisa gasped, getting up and rushed to her husband's aid.

"Grandpa...?" Amy called out and pushed her chair back so she could get up as well. Her voice suddenly sounded much more younger than usual.

"What is it? Chest pain?" Lisa asked right away, seeing her worst fears realized in front of her.

Mitch came to her help, seeing Jack nod.

"Amy, call 911. Tim, get his meds and some aspirin", he immediately went into a helping mode. He wasn't sure if Jack needed his medicine or aspirin - or both - since he was (still) conscious, but Amy would probably tell them what to do as soon as she had explained the situation to the emergency number.

Tim stared at Jack with a horrified expression as Mitch was looking over his shoulder to see what was taking him so long. "Tim! Now!" he ordered.

That was enough to shake Tim and make him hurry to the bathroom where he knew the medicine cabinet to be.

Meanwhile Mitch helped Jack with Lisa.

"Let's get him into a sitting a position. Support his head and shoulders", he instructed, listening Amy narrate the situation to the phone in the background. "You're going to be okay, Jack. Just try to breathe."