Page 48 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

He turned at his brother’s voice. Nathan leaned on his crutches. When they were kids, he’d always teased Blake about his nightly conversations with the animals.

“Isn’t it kind of late for you to be wandering around in the dark on crutches?” Wondering what was on Nathan’s mind, he sat on one of the hay bales by the door. From experience, he knew his brother wouldn’t go away until he said what he’d come to say.

Nathan carefully sat on a bale close by. “The doc said it’s okay if I get around more. Less wheelchair, more crutches.”

“He probably didn’t mean limping around in the dead of night.”Stop antagonizing the dude.“But since you’re here, what do you want to do about the Triple L’s future?”

Nathan gave Blake “the look.” The one he always used when he wanted to avoid a certain subject. Blake raised his brows. The ranch couldn’t afford for his brother to drag his feet much longer.

Finally, Nathan relented. “I know something has to be done, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.” He huffed out a deep breath. “The reason I’m ‘limping around in the dead of night,’ as you put it, is because I want to ask you something.”

“Okay.” Blake couldn’t remember the last time either of his brothers had been willing to sit down and have a civil conversation with their prodigal brother.

Crutches clutched in one hand to keep his balance, Nathan leaned forward. “Jonas told me about Tina. I’m sorry you lost her.” He paused before continuing. “How did you know you loved her?”

Nathan’s sympathy and question were too much for Blake to quickly wrap his brain around. It was a conversation he’d never expected to have with either of his brothers. “Well, I guess I knew when I discovered how willing I was to give up my old ways for her. Drinking and hanging out in bars, mostly. She didn’t ask me to change. I just knew I had to be better if I wanted to have a life with her. Nothing else mattered but her. And I could see a future with her.”

“And you never questioned those feelings?” Nathan stared at him, a furrow forming between his brows.

Just like he didn’t question his feelings for Malorie now. “No.” How was he going to walk away? Suspicion flared in Blake’s chest. “Why?”

“I think I’m in love,” Nathan said.

And though Blake thought he knew the answer, he got the words out, anyway. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Malorie,” Nathan admitted on a heavy exhale.

There it was. What he’d suspected. He couldn’t help warning Nathan. “You’d better be certain. Malorie has been badly hurt by her ex. Make sure your feelings are all about her and not about what you think you want.”

For as long as Blake could remember, Nathan had wanted his own family. A wife. Kids. Horses in the pasture. That made the fact that he wasn’t already married and had let the ranch go downhill that much more surprising.

Nodding, Nathan pulled himself to his feet. “Thanks.” He stopped at the door and slowly turned around. “I finished Timmy’s book. I liked it. You have a special talent, brother.”

And with that, Nathan slowly made his way back to the house. Taken aback by the rare praise, Blake watched Nathan until he was almost safely inside before he turned off the main lights. When Nathan reached the porch, Malorie joined him, clearly not happy that her patient had taken a walk in the dark.

Chapter Fourteen

Malorie stood backwhile Nathan moved from the bed to the cushy chair at his bedside. They were three weeks into his recovery, and he was fixed on shortening the six weeks his doctor predicted. It was all she could do to slow him down so he wouldn’t set himself back. The last thing he needed was to fracture his pelvis all over again or for the fractures to heal in a poor position that would lead to early arthritis down the road. She couldn’t let that happen.

Her thoughts turned to Blake. For the last several days, she hadn’t seen much of the man. Which should be a good thing, right? As much as she’d come to admire him, his dedication to the ranch, and maybe her attraction growing for how patient he was with the kids, there was no way she should consider hitching her horse to his wagon.

He hadn’t indicated in any way that he was interested in anything more than friendship. The only signal she got from the man was that he had too much going on to pursue anything serious.

Unaccountably, she wanted more than just his friendship. Crazy, right? She didn’t like the feeling that here she was again, falling for another guy who had his own agenda. When she came up with an idea for a date—well, not a date exactly—he repeatedly responded with somewhere else he had to be.

The first day she’d just chalked his excuse of working with the horses after she’d invited him to dinner with her and the twins as just the luck of the draw. They were both tired. It’d been a long day. And he had a lot on his plate with the ranch and repairing his father’s truck. And she knew he’d gotten started actually writing the nextTimmybook. Timmy could talk of nothing else.

Blake isn’t Mark,she kept telling herself.

Sooner or later, she had to accept he was facing enough obstacles that he didn’t have time for a romantic adventure that could turn into something deeper. She felt the same way. Didn’t she? And it wasn’t like they’d made any promises to be best buds.

Still, his withdrawal was puzzling. Stupidly, she’d come to count on his steady presence. And she missed his company. He was a widower, and maybe that was why he didn’t want to become attached to someone else.

She put a glass of water on Nathan’s over-the-bed table. “Will you be okay for a little bit? I’d like to check on Andee and Reece.”

“I’ll stay with him,” Jonas said as he came into the kitchen.

“I won’t be long. When I get back, we’ll work on your physical therapy,” she said to Nathan.

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