Page 33 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

“What happened between you and your ex?”

“Mark? He wanted to marry someone else more than he wanted to stay with me and the twins.” Blake had a feeling she wanted to say more, but didn’t, instead gesturing toward the guesthouse. “Well, I should change back into my scrubs. Maybe I’ll see you later?”

Hewanted to say something about her ex’s selfishness and poor judgment. Instead, his pulse leaped at her invitation.

Hold your horses, Blake Lohmen. “Sure.”

“It’s Andee and Reece’s turn to make dinner tonight.” She hesitated, then—“You and Timmy could join us. If you want.”

“Thank you, but—” He could hear how stilted he sounded and wished he could be more casual about spending time with Nathan’s nurse. “There’s something I have to discuss with Nathan and Jonas.”

She nodded. He hoped that wasn’t disappointment that scooted briefly across her pretty face. Letting her down wasn’t his intention. Becoming good friends. That was what he wanted, right? To be her best friend?

Blake watched her go into the guesthouse before he went to the ranch house. Immediately, he heard the kids talking excitedly about their books. When he entered Nathan’s cubicle, they were all leaning on his brother’s bed.

From the lines bracketing his mouth, Blake wasn’t sure if Nathan was okay with the kid’s excitement over the books or if he was just in pain. “You guys need to back up a little.”

All three stood up straight. Timmy clutched his book to his chest.

“They’re fine,” Nathan said with an irritated glance in Blake’s direction.

He was glad his brother was warming up to the children, but it didn’t appear that their relationship had improved much since he’d arrived on the ranch. The sooner he got started on his secret project, the better. Hopefully, when he was done with their dad’s truck, the results would convince Nathan that he’d changed for the better.

But Nathan was stubborn. Always had been. Even as a kid, he’d hung onto his grudges as though he would disintegrate without them.

He waited until Malorie was finished with her evening duties. She’d gotten Nathan comfortable in the plushiest chair in the living room. “Call me when you’re ready to go to bed.”

“I’ll get him to bed. You enjoy your evening with Andee and Reece.” Blake walked her to the door and after watching her go down the porch steps, closed it softly behind the woman who was taking up too much space in his thoughts.

When he returned to the living room, Jonas, a beer in hand, joined Nathan. Nathan stared at the cup of coffee he held in both hands in distaste. Blake didn’t blame him. It was probably decaf. Since alcohol was off his menu, he got a cup of coffee for himself before sitting on the couch where he faced both of his brothers.

“I can get myself to bed,” Nathan insisted without a hint that he might be kidding.

Blake ignored his brother’s crankiness. “I’m glad you’re both here. I want to talk to you about some ideas I have that could bring in money to pay for some improvements around the ranch.”

“What kind of ideas?” Jonas took a drink of his beer, then leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

Exactly what Blake wanted. He’d probably have only one shot at convincing them both to get on board. “I know we’ve talked about horse riding lessons already, but I still think it’s a good idea. And an easy program to get started and manage. In the long run, it’ll take time to build it as a side hustle, but we can start with the three horses we have and then build from there.”

“No,” Nathan said.

Jonas glanced at Nathan and set aside his beer. “It’s doable. I recently heard about two mares from a Colorado Ranger bloodline Dad liked.”

“With more horses, we’d be able to expand to trail rides and excursions. There are plenty of places to explore on the Triple L. Folks will go a long way and pay a fair price to enjoy outdoor activities.” Blake kept his voice calm. It wouldn’t help his case if Nathan came to the opposite conclusion.

“No!”Too late.“The Triple L is not a tourist destination. It’s our home.”

Blake stood and started pacing, suddenly feeling a lot more like his seventeen-year-old self than a grown man. “You’re right. This is our home. But from what I’ve seen from looking over the financials, it won’t be for much longer if we don’t do something right now.”

He didn’t mention the inconsistencies in the earlier ledgers and wouldn’t until he was sure it wasn’t a simple error.

“How much time do we have?” Jonas asked.

Blake shrugged. “Maybe six months. The Triple L will be dead broke after that.”

Nathan struggled to get to his feet. He didn’t get far. Blake held up his hand to stop him. “Okay. How about weekend camping trips?”

There was no need to tell his brothers he was thinking about moving back to the ranch on a more permanent basis. That could come later if they were able to save their home.

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