Page 52 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

“If you say so, Mal. But as your best friend, I just want to say, don’t let a chance at happiness pass you by because Mark was a bad apple. You deserved to have the brass ring,” Izzy said, suddenly very serious. “If there’s any possibility that Blake Lohmen is the one who will make you happy for the rest of your life, you have to find out.” There was a pause, then... “I just got a text from the plumber. She’s on her way. Don’t forget what I said. Be happy, Mal. I’ll let you know when I close up the house. That’ll probably be in a couple of days.”

“Talk to you later, then.” Malorie disconnected the call.

Could Blake be the one who would always be there? Not just for Andee and Reece, but for her too? Would he give her bear hugs when the kids were cranky and stay when she was afraid she didn’t have what it took to be the best mom ever? Would he be her partner through thick and thin,till death parted them?

Malorie wasn’t sure she believed in happy-ever-after anymore.

Chapter Fifteen

Since the kidswere occupied with their game, Blake slipped unnoticed into the main house to work on the ranch’s books. He still couldn’t figure out why the numbers didn’t add up, so he decided to put the last five years into a computer ranch accounting program and see what answers that gave him. It would take some time to input the numbers, and the discrepancy wasn’t much in the bigger scheme of things, but he didn’t want to confront his brothers without solid figures to back up his math.

While he was there, Malorie and Nathan finished his brother’s physical therapy. She never missed a beat. Every day she worked to get him more mobile. Not that Blake was keeping tabs on their time together. Or, unfortunately, maybe he was. Nathan was very eager to leave his hospital bed and get around without any assistive devices, so he happily—for his brother—went along with Malorie’s instructions.

Leaving her in the barn had been the hardest thing he’d done in a long time. He’d been so lucky to have Tina. Nathan deserved the same. Even if it hurt to think about Malorie being with someone else.

What else could he do? He hadn’t figured out how much she meant to him until Nathan confessed he loved her. Blake tried to be happy for his brother. He wanted what was best for his family, which meant all he could do was stay out of Nathan and Mel’s way and let their budding relationship take its natural course.

The house was quiet. Forcing his brain to forget how much he ached so he could concentrate on the numbers wasn’t working. Blake went to the kitchen to get a soda. A quick glance on the way found Nathan sleeping.

Back in the office, he slapped the mouse he was using sharply on the desk. How in the world had he fallen so completely in love with the woman? Everything about her was wonderful. Especially how dedicated she was to her job and her family.

It wasn’t that he’d forgotten everything he and Tina had shared. He would always remember their life together as special, a window in time he’d been lucky to have. He loved his wife for her gentle understanding. Being with her had turned his grief into something he could live with and not fight all the time by letting his loss eat him alive from the inside out.

Leaning back from the computer, Blake heard his mother’s voice.Every day and the gifts they bring are their own seasons. And when that season is done, sometime after that, it’s time to move on to what’s coming next.

What he felt for Malorie was different than what he’d felt for Tina, not better or less, just different in the sense that he could finally accept that sometimes a person got a second chance at finding that one person who could make his life brighter. Warmer. Fulfilled. A person who would make his heart swell with hope, and who made him want to be better than before, especially now that he was a dad too.

Malorie might have been his next season if Nathan hadn’t fallen in love with her too. He shouldn’t be surprised his brother loved Malorie. How could he not? It made Blake’s chest hurt.

The whole situation, two brothers in love with the same wonderful woman, had not been what he expected when he first got to the ranch. His heart ached at the loss of a dream he hadn’t known he had. Timmy. Malorie. Andee and Reece. A new chance at having a family who would always be there. A family he could be there for.

He straightened. No running away this time. Pushing all that aside, he got back to work, ticked off the boxes in his head.

His dad’s truck was almost finished. All he had to do was give it a good wash inside and out. After that, and adding a big bow, his amends would be complete. He was halfway through the nextTimmybook.

That only left convincing Nathan that he wouldn’t have to give up any of his childhood memories by getting on board with some of Blake’s ideas for putting the ranch back on solid financial footing.

Sounds from the kitchen interrupted the round-robin swirling in Blake’s mind. Giving up on the books, he went to see who was there. Nathan was still sleeping. When he saw it was Jonas and not Malorie, his pulse slowed down.

“Do you need help with dinner?” Blake asked. Jonas was the best of the brothers when it came to making meals, whereas Blake was just so-so. He and Timmy didn’t starve, but it was simple comfort food in their house, which reminded him... the kids should be finishing their game soon. “Timmy and I can be your sous chefs if you want.”

Hands dusted with flour, Jonas looked up. “I’ll take that offer. I need to get these pies in the oven.”

“Apple?” Blake leaned against the counter to watch. Apple pie was Jonas’s specialty. It was good that at least one of them had learned baking skills from their mother.

Their mom was the mistress of the household and kept the books. Her apple pie was unbeatable, but Logan came in a close second. Their dad was all about the ranch property, the buildings, and the horses. The one thing he would stop working with the horses for was his wife’s pies.

“Nathan invited Malorie and her kids for dessert.”

“I heard,” Blake allowed, not letting how he felt show on his face.

“Well, I think that calls for apple pies, don’t you?” Jonas sent Blake a curious look as he put the two pies in the already-heated oven.

Pushing his emotions deep—Jonas was tricky that way; he could almost read minds—Blake stepped back from the counter. “You make a good pie. What’s for dinner?”

“Dinner hash.” Jonas wiped his hands on the towel slung over his shoulder. “You can cut up the potatoes.”

“Sure, but first, I need to check on the kids.”

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