Page 21 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

“Our mother died when Blake was seventeen and our father two years before that.” After handing her one of the cups he’d poured, he gestured toward the refrigerator. “There’s milk and creamer if you want it.” He leaned against the counter. “Blake was already in trouble at school. Mom’s passing pushed him over the edge. I’m not proud of what I did, and I won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say I told him to leave and never come back.”

Malorie sucked in a shocked breath. That seemed harsh, but she wasn’t there, so how could she judge Jonas’s actions? “He’s here now.”

“Yeah, because I finally found him and told him to come home. With Nathan’s accident, we need him to run the ranch. Most of the money I’ve made practicing law has gone into keeping the ranch marginally solvent. Because I’m moving back to The Triple L, except for selling my share of the law practice, what I have in the bank won’t last long. I’ll do some online work to keep an income coming in, but I’d like to take on some pro bono cases. Anyway, Blake and Nathan are the ones who know the Triple L, inside and out.”

Hesitant, Malorie watched Jonas over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. Families could be so dysfunctional. “What do you need to know?”

“I think you like Blake.” Jonas placed his cup on the counter and straightened. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Maybe, but not in the way you’re hinting. I just went through a nasty divorce. I’m not looking for anything more than a job that will give the twins and me room to breathe.”

“I understand and hope you’ve found that here.” Jonas’s focus was intense. She could see him facing a judge in a courtroom with the same assuredness. “If my brothers and I can’t figure out how to work together, all of us, we’ll lose the only thing we have left of our parents. I’m not willing to let that happen. In your professional opinion, what will it take for us to mend fences, so we can focus on what means the most to us instead of our disagreements?”

“You have things to work out.”

She barely saw his nod before he said, “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.”

Family. And the ranch.Even though she was sure it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, she should tell Jonas the six to eight weeks she would be on the Triple L wasn’t long enough to help the three brothers make peace.

“What all of you need is counseling.” When he started to shake his head, she pressed her point. Hehadasked her opinion. “If you don’t want to talk to a counselor, you need to talk to each other. Be honest. But from what I can see, that won’t be easy for any of you on your own.”

“I know. You’re right. But I think, between the two of us, you with your nurturing nurse way”—She would swear he’d winked at her—“and me with my organized ability to plan campaigns; we can come up with something that could smooth things out between them.”

“Maybe, but that’s between you and your brothers.” Even though she’d been giving some thought to possibly coming up with a way to smooth things over between Blank and Nathan, it wasn’t wise to jump full throttle into the middle of the brothers’ problems. Her specialty was not family counseling. She finished what was left of her coffee and rinsed out the cup. Still—“While I’m here, I’ll do what I can to encourage better communication.”

“You’re an awesome lady, you know that?” Admiration lit up his light-blue eyes. It made Malorie uncomfortable.

On a quick intake of breath, she reminded him, “I’m not looking—”

“I didn’t mean to imply—” He threw up his hands like stop signs in a construction zone. “Honest, I’m not either. I don’t have time for dating or romance. Not until after we get the Triple L back on firm financial ground.”

Heat climbed up Malorie’s cheeks. Embarrassed, she said, “All right, then. I’d better go check on Nathan.”

“I have to head into Strawberry Ridge to talk to a friend about office space.” Jonas almost raced her to the front door. Clearly, he was in as big a hurry as she was to escape her mistake. Why she’d gone there was anyone’s guess. Mark had made it very clear she wasn’t the kind of woman men wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. And she’d decided she wouldn’t be looking.

Concentrate on why you’re here, Malorie Harper.

On an impulse, she stopped Jonas before he reached the door. He’d said he didn’t know what Blake had done with his life after he left the ranch. She could at least clue him in to one thing. “You know Blake writes very popular middle-grade books, right?”

He hesitated, watching her closely, perhaps waiting for her to say more. Finally, he said, “No, I didn’t.”

“They’re stories about Timmy. You should read them,” she said, obliging the curiosity starting to grow in his steady regard.

“I will. Thanks.” He didn’t take his gaze from her face. Jonas opened the door and waited for her to go out first.

They found Nathan and Blake at the end of the covered porch. They weren’t having a brotherly conversation, but Malorie was glad to see they weren’t arguing either. Andee, Reece, and Timmy were gathered around.

“I have to do some repairs on the barn today, but what do you kids want to do after that?” Blake asked.

Without exception, all three responded with varying degrees of excitement, “Ride the horses!”

Malorie started to object, but Jonas stopped her.

Gently taking hold of her wrist, he whispered, “Wait.”

Wait for what? To watch Andee or Reece, or Timmy, too, fall off the tall horses she’d seen in the barn and break an arm, leg, or pelvis? She didn’t think so!

“Do any of you know how to ride a horse?” Blake asked casually, as if he was talking to a classroom of kids. They shook their heads. “No? Well, before you learn to ride a horse, there’s lots of other things to learn first.”

---