At the Bistro Café, Cassie and Ryan talk. Cassie is certain there is a storm coming and maybe more than one. Sam stops in to pick up some breakfast to go, and Martha gets on her way to prepare for the upcoming storm. Cassie reaffirms to Sam that the storm is going to hit Middleton, but Sam is more concerned about his ex-wife Linda coming to town.
Grace shadows Brandon at work – being a cop in Middleton can be pretty uneventful. Grace is nevertheless happy to spend the day with her stepbrother.
A couple stops by The Bell, Book and Candle and a pregnant woman, Eve, tells Cassie how much they have felt at home staying at Grey House. Cassie gives her husband Brian a powder to help him with his stomach discomfort.
Martha and Derek review the storm news reports. Martha wants to send out an email to all Middleton residents outlining emergency procedures. She has Derek finish her memo.
Ryan meets with the developer in Blairsville. He has big plans for a new mall, and tells Ryan that he needs 20 letters of intent from businesses to lease the mall spaces in order to get the financing. The developer tells Ryan there will be a fair amount of travel involved, and he seems like the right guy for the job.
Brandon takes Grace home that evening. She pauses in his car, and Brandon tries to figure out what is going on. Grace wants to shadow him again the next day, but Brandon thinks she already has enough material to work with for her project. Grace finds Cassie in the kitchen where Cassie is making soup. Cassie too notices that her daughter is off kilter and asks what is wrong – she knows something is up.
Later, Sam stops by Grey House and needs to talk. Cassie knows that Sam’s ex-wife Linda is not coming to town--she had made a reservation at Grey House, but called to cancel. Sam is upset about having to share the news with Nick that his mom is not coming. Eve and Brian suddenly return to Middleton, they are scared something is wrong with their baby. Sam thinks she has just had some cramping, and they are not Braxton Hicks contractions. He urges them to stay in town an extra night and that he wants to run some tests on Eve the next day. Cassie thinks a hospital visit is best, but Sam sees no tangible reason for that.
When Sam returns home, Nick tells him that his mom got stuck in New York and won’t be coming. Nick is disappointed and tells his dad that he wants to move back to New York.
In the morning, Sam returns to Grey House, and Cassie explains that Eve did not sleep well. Later, Sam gets blood test results for Eve, and everything seems fine. Cassie is still concerned and feels that something is wrong with the pregnancy that can’t be seen.
When Grace is at the library, she runs into Anthony. He tells her that his dad got a new job and apartment in Davenport. Things are tense between them, and Anthony is still upset about her lies. If she wants a friendship with Nick, she can forget about keeping one with Anthony.
Abigail is at the cafe and talks to Stephanie about jazzing up the menu, but Stephanie is not open to her ideas at all. Ryan and Cassie discuss Abigail’s presence in Middleton, and Ryan confides in Cassie about the new mall project. Cassie is not interested in creating a second Bell, Book & Candle for the mall, and Ryan tells her he will need to travel a lot for this new opportunity. Ryan then breaks the news to Martha, who has a fit. She is furious that Blairstown will be getting a mall, and Ryan explains this opportunity just sort of fell into his lap.
At the café, Stephanie sees Abigail grab Ryan’s arm outside and is suspicious about Abigail’s intentions. Back at the store, Stephanie stops in and confides that she is worried that Abigail is “working her magic” on Ryan. Stephanie shares that she really only hired Abigail to keep her away from Sam, and she is aggravated with everything Abigail wants to change about the café. But, before Stephanie can fire her, Abigail quits. Stephanie is taken aback.
Ryan and Mr. Jones the developer meet up--it is time for Ryan to start spending time in Blairsville. Is he ready? Ryan says he is.
At Grey House, Cassie talks to Brian about becoming a parent. He is wary because he did not have good role models growing up. Cassie says he needs to take care of himself, and Brian knows that she means his stomach. Brian does not want Sam’s help in the matter.
Derek announces that the storm is coming after all, and it is headed straight for Middleton. Martha gets the news and asks Derek to enact the first phase of her safety plan. She is ready to write her speech and wants to deliver it from the top of a snowplow.
Brandon and Abigail get to Grey House when Brandon gets a call to start closing roads--the snowstorm has turned into an ice storm. Brandon reassures her that he will pick up Grace and Nick from the library and either bring them home or back to the station.
At the café, Stephanie goes to lock up but slips and her phone goes flying. She seems to have injured her back and can’t get up. As she is lying there Abigail returns to the café—just in time to save Stephanie.
Sam stops by Grey House as Ryan is on his way out. Even though Cassie is not happy about it, Ryan is intent on driving down to Blairsville. He kisses her on the cheek as he leaves and Sam is apologetic for interrupting them. Sam asks how Eve is doing, but Cassie wants to know if Brian came to visit him today – he did not.
When the librarian has to leave in a hurry to get her child, she leaves Nick, Anthony and Grace at the library to wait for Brandon to pick them up. Cassie is overcome by sudden worry about Brandon. Across town, Brandon has an accident in a snowbank and is stranded in the snow. He tries to report in but no one at the police station replies.
Eve calls out in a panic for Cassie – something is very wrong with Brian. Sam and Cassie head up to the bedroom where Brian is having severe abdominal pain. They need to get him to the hospital, and time is of the essence.