Page 30 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

Good grief. The man was almost too perfect. But watching Blake with her children, all of them completely absorbed in the story, how in the world was she supposed to remember he was just her patient’s brother?

When he heard the door close, Blake twisted, and a welcoming smile spread across his face. All right, yes, she couldn’t deny he made her pulse jump and was more than a little handsome. Her belly did an uncomfortable flip, not a good sign for her independent, solo parenting journey.

“There’s a bowl of popcorn here with your name on it,” he said, scooting over so there was room between him and Timmy for her to sit. Andee and Reece were stretched out on the floor.

Having a bowl of popcorn waiting for her was just plain mean. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from planting herself in the space he’d made and popping white, buttered tastiness into her mouth.

Hold it together, Malorie Harper. Remember your vow. No more men until after the twins are grown and out of the house.Even that had a big fat,we’ll seeattached.

Still, it was hard to resist leaning into his shoulder and losing herself in the film. He smelled like freshly showered man with a hint of the pine wood he’d stacked by the wood stove in the corner.

When the credits started to roll, she cleared her throat. “I talked to Jonas and got two hours off tomorrow.”

“Great.” He picked up all the empty bowls and stowed them in the kitchen sink. “We can leave about eleven.”

Timmy followed Blake to the door.

“Did you enjoy the movie, Timmy?” she asked.

He looked around his dad at her and nodded.

“We’ll see you tomorrow.” Blake closed the door behind them before Malorie could think of a conversational topic that would delay them further. Which had her feeling silly. They were friends, nothing more.

“Mom, we need cowboy boots.” Reece sat on the couch and showed her his mismatched sock-covered feet. “Every time we work in the barn, my shoes get dirty. You should get some too.”

Malorie sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulders. “We’ll see what we can find.”

“Can you get a job in Strawberry Ridge?” Andee asked, sitting on the other side of Malorie.

Malorie linked her arm with her daughter’s. “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

“Reece and I were talking, and we want to move here.” Andee wiggled closer.

This was not good. “But our home is in Ashland. And your school is there. And friends—”

“But Strawberry Ridge would be a nice place to live too.” Graced with the smile her daughter employed whenever she wanted something Andee thought her mom would not agree to, alarm bells went off Malorie’s head.

“It would take a lot for us to move. First, we’d have to sell our house in Ashland.” Or turn it into a short-term rental that would give them extra monthly income. Not a horrible idea and not completely impossible. “We’d have to look for a house here. And I’d have to find a job. Get you kids registered in a new school. That’s a lot to do.”

Unfortunately, even to her own ears, she didn’t sound all that convincing.

“We could live here on the ranch.” Andee batted her eyelashes, the little schemer, and leaned away, watching Malorie closely. “Will you at least think about it?”

She’d always encouraged the twins to speak their minds, as long as they were polite about it. And she couldn’t say the thought of moving to Strawberry Ridge was a bad idea, just not practical. She’d have to give up too much.

Yes, she’d taken the job on the Triple L to take some time away from the pain of suddenly becoming a broken family. But the house was paid off. There were nursing jobs available at the hospital in Ashland that she easily qualified for. She’d worked for them before, and they’d already assured her they would take her back whenever she wanted to return. Plus, she’d spent most of her adult life in the Shakespearean town and it was soothing, or would be if they could get over the ending of their life there with Mark.

Still, she couldn’t forget that vague feeling as they’d driven through Strawberry Ridge on their way to the ranch that maybe they’d come home. But she couldn’t imagine making the big move Andee was suggesting.

“Let’s see how long Nathan needs me to be here. Then we’ll talk about it again.” Before Andee could push harder on the idea, she said, “And yes, in the meantime, I’ll think about it.”

By the time she climbed into Blake’s Jeep the next day, an older gray vehicle with wooden side panels, the kids were already lined up in the back seat and buckled in. She hadn’t come up with a good reason not to at least consider making the move to Strawberry Ridge. Not because Blake Lohmen was here and taking them out for a day of fun, but because Andee and Reece were genuinely happy for the first time since their father had packed his bags and left. How could she not factor that in?

Presumably, Blake and Timmy would return to Arizona when he was no longer needed to run the ranch for Nathan. She’d heard Nathan and Jonas talking about it that morning. Nathan wanted him to leave as soon as possible. Jonas seemed more interested in having him stay. Neither one had said why.

Wherever he lived wasn’t any of her business. Except, he was growing on her. She liked him a lot. Like wasn’t a strong enough word, but the other L word didn’t fit either. She just didn’t want to make the same mistake she’d made with Mark.

She hadn’t known who her ex really was as a husband or father. She’d been taken in by all the trappings he used as a mask. His job as a tech genius. The house he bought for them. In the beginning how he made her feel loved and cherished. In retrospect, that was all just for show.

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