Page 5 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

The man watching her closely didn’t elaborate, and Malorie didn’t pry. She’d made up her mind. “I’m very sorry, Jonas, but I took this job because the twins and I need a quiet place to regroup. That won’t happen in the middle of your family problems.” Before he tried to change her mind, she rushed on. “I’ll stay long enough for you to find a replacement, but then we have to leave.”

He put down his glass and went to stand in front of the window in a determined stance reminiscent of the one Blake Lohmen had adopted before leaving to help her twins settle in. “Are you sure? I promise, for the most part, it’s quiet around here.”

“I’m sure.” Malorie rose as well. She wasn’t really, but she couldn’t give her doubt room to grow.

“I’m sorry our first impression wasn’t good. I’ll see what I can do and let you know as soon as I find someone.” Jonas walked her to the door. “Blake took your kids to the guesthouse. It’s down the walkway to the left and then left again. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks. You understand that Andee and Reece come first, no matter what I might want. They’ve had enough family drama recently to last a lifetime.”

He opened the door. “I understand. I find myself with a similar dilemma.”

Again, he didn’t elaborate. But there was a look in his eyes that had Malorie questioning what kind of quagmire she’d landed herself and the kids in. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

Nodding, he smiled and pointed beyond the porch to a stone path.

She followed Jonas’s directions. He was right. It wasn’t hard to find the cottage. Quaint, with what looked like a second-story attic space, the cozy little bungalow squatted in the middle of a wildflower garden. Roses and hydrangeas boxed in the riot of color. The sight took her breath away. It was too bad they couldn’t stay.

She found Andee and Reece in the kitchen, making macaroni and cheese with Blake. It perplexed her how familiar he still seemed.

Beside him, Reece cut up hot dogs to put into the mac and cheese. Of course. Who didn’t like dogs in their favorite meal? “Hey, guys.”

“Mom!” Andee scooted close for a hug. “Isn’t this the best house? Do you love the garden?”

At home, Andee always helped her in the garden. Except for pulling weeds. Malorie couldn’t blame her daughter. No one liked clearing out weeds, and like her daughter, she’d much rather be planting color. Everywhere.

“I love the garden.” She smiled as her eleven-year-old went back to the counter to resume stirring the milk and cheese into the macaroni. Malorie turned to Blake. “Thank you for taking care of the twins.”

“Not a problem. They’re fun kids.” Keeping an eye on his kitchen helpers, he walked over to stand beside Malorie. She had to look up at him, which was unusual. At five feet, eight inches, she wasn’t short.

“There are two bedrooms with a shared bath upstairs. I put Andee and Reece up there. You’ll be in the master just down the hall. We just have to bring in your things.”

She should tell him she didn’t plan to stay long enough to move in but looking into forest-green eyes rimmed in a dark, thin band, the words wouldn’t come out.

Reece pulled on her arm. “Mom. Guess what?”

“What?” She cleared her throat and looked down at her son.

Reece held up his favoriteTimmy, the Superherobook. “Mr. Lohmen is B.J. Burrows. Look.” He turned the book so she could see the author’s picture on the back. “He said we could call him B.J. Isn’t that cool?”

“Very cool,” she said to her son while arching her brows at Blake Lohmen. That was why the man seemed so familiar. Her kids loved theTimmybooks and she admitted there was a lot to appreciate about them. “Mr. B.J. would be better.”

“B.J. is fine. Give me your keys and I’ll bring your car around.” Blake held out his hand. “But before I do, tell me honestly how Nathan is doing. What’s his long-term prognosis?”

“The doctor should have told you—”

“I just got here myself. Besides, I trust you more. You’ve got good kids here. You can’t be a good mom and not tell the truth.”

Since she was a stranger, Malorie wasn’t sure how he’d come to that conclusion. She handed over her keys. “Okay, well. He’s sleeping and likely will be for the rest of the night. He’ll probably only wake up for pain medicines. He has a significant fracture of his pelvis bone that will keep him out of commission for a while.”

He seemed on edge. “But he’ll recover, right? Will he get back to doing the things he did before the accident?”

“According to his chart, the doctor thinks with the addition of physical therapy, he’ll make a good recovery and get back to his previous level of activity in the usual, expected amount of time.”

“Good. And thanks. I appreciate you explaining things.” He headed for the door, but with his hand on the doorknob, turned back. “I’ll leave the porch light on and the front door at the main house unlocked, in case you need to check on him during the night.”

With that, he left, leaving Malorie slightly confused. One minute he was fighting with his injured brother, the next he was sincerely inquiring about his medical status.

“Mom, can you help me put the hot dogs in the mac and cheese?”

---