Page 26 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

He shook his head. He had to think smaller, like weekend campouts where the farthest part of the ranch came close to the mountains. Malorie might be into something like that.

What was he thinking? Yes, he liked her a lot. More than he should, considering when they were done with their current duties, they would be heading in opposite directions. She probably to Oregon and he to Arizona. Even if he sold their home and he and Timmy came to live on the ranch, a thought that was getting more appealing by the minute, Colorado was still a long way from Oregon.

“Does your mom have her next job lined up?”

Andee climbed down from the fence. Brushing off her hands, she smiled at him and shook her head. “Not yet. She says she’s still thinking about it.”

Calm. Matter-of-fact. Sweet. Like her mom.

Just before she passed, Tina had told him she wanted him to keep living. Maybe even find love and a family again. Blake didn’t know how to do that without feeling the pinch of guilt at replacing her with someone else. The memories of their life together were finally starting not to hurt so much, but he lived with enough guilt over wrecking his father’s beloved truck, a restoration project close to his dad’s heart that all three Lohmen boys had helped with. He couldn’t take on more.

As she often was, Tina had one thing right. He wasn’t that seventeen-year-old screwup anymore. He turned in a slow circle, taking in the ranch house, the barn, the pastures as far as he could see, sheds, and outbuildings on the other side of the barn. Tired as it all looked, this place was still his home too. If he and Timmy went back to Sedona to continue their lives there, they would still come back for the summers. Nathan would just have to live with that.

While he stared at the ranch house, noting all the things that needed to be done to make it fresh again, Malorie came out and walked toward them. She must be taking a break. He would love to show her Strawberry Ridge, with its quaint and welcoming vibe. He hadn’t been back there himself since returning and was tempted to see the little mountain town through her eyes.

She stopped next to Blake. “What are you guys doing? Anything fun?”

Oh, yeah.Surprised at how easily she made him laugh, he said, “I was just thinking we need to explore the outbuildings behind the barn. Would you like to join us?”

“Sure. Nathan is taking a nap, so I have time to go on an adventure.” She smiled at the kids.

If he did more than stand on the sidelines wondering if he could fall for another woman after Tina, would it feel as if the sun had come out as it did every time Malorie turned her smile on him or spent a spare moment exploring with him and the kids?

“Let’s start with that building first.” He pointed at the structure visible to the left of the barn. It was large, and the brown paint was fading. The roof looked to be in better shape than the other two smaller sheds.

When he was a kid, his dad used the building to store hay. Back then, the front was open so the hay could be easily taken in and out. Now it had barn doors that looked like they slid open.

The kids raced ahead of them, pulled open the door, and disappeared into the building.

“How’s Nathan doing today?”

She shielded her gaze from the hot sun with one hand as she studied the building the kids had disappeared into. “He’s doing as expected. If he wouldn’t push himself so hard, he’d probably heal faster, but I’m having trouble slowing him down.”

“He’s always been like that. Full steam ahead, no matter what the consequences.” Blake had to admit he wasn’t that much different from his brother.

A few feet from the building, Malorie stopped and turned to face him. Her brows were scrunched. “You can tell me it’s none of my business, but... is Timmy on the spectrum?”

Blake barely resisted smoothing out her frown. “He’s high functioning but has trouble communicating in social situations. More often than not, he just closes down if situations get too intense during school or group activities. For the adults supervising him, Timmy can already be in crisis before it’s clear he’s in trouble.”

Malorie touched his arm. “It can be tough on parents too. He’s a sweet kid.”

Timmy’s place on the spectrum was never a problem for Blake. Or Tina. He would love the kid, even if he required more care and attention. “Technically, he’s my brother-in-law. I have legal custody of him. My wife, Tina, and I raised him together after we were married, but she passed two years ago.”

“I’m so sorry. But he seems to love it here.”

He nodded, grateful she gave him an opening to ease out of the spotlight and ask her questions. “Do you know what you’re going to do after Nathan is released by his doctor?”

“I—” Before she could finish, Timmy stuck his head out of the door. His eyes were bright with excitement. “Dad. Hurry. Come see.” He disappeared back inside the shed.

Taking Malorie’s hand, he tried to ignore the stab of awareness that traveled like lightning up his arm, but the effort didn’t work out since he didn’t want to let go. He took her with him into the building.

Once inside, he stared. He couldn’t believe what had been hidden in the shed. Except, now that he knew how much Nathan wanted everything on the ranch to stay as it was, he shouldn’t be surprised.

There, underneath a dust cover, was his dad’s classic 1953 Ford truck. The same one the four of them had restored together. The same truck Blake had wrapped around a tree in a drunken fit of anger and grief the day after his mom had died in her sleep. That night he’d forced Jonas’s hand, and his brother had obliged him by kicking him off the ranch and out of their lives.

In all the sixteen years while he was gone, he hadn’t once imagined that the truck was still on the Triple L. And now that he’d found it—

“Blake?” Malorie still held his hand. “Are you okay?”

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