Page 44 of The Cowboy Fix

Leaning on his shoulders, his brothers followed his finger on the notation.

“We’ll take this with us.” Blake took the ledger. Using the bank’s letter as a placeholder, he snapped it closed.

Izzy put the bacon, eggs, and the toast she’d added to the menu on the table and waved for them to take their seats. She sat across from Nathan, a leather folder next to her plate.

“What do you think about all three of us applying for a new loan and using it to pay off this one? There’s not much left to pay, under fifty thousand—” He wanted the three of them to be part of the solution Izzy was looking for.

“Count me in,” Jonas said.

Blake filled his plate. “Me too.”

“I’ll make the payment since it’s my debt, not yours,” he told them, not expecting Jonas and Blake to step in and clean up where he’d fumbled.

They ignored him.

“It’s the Triple L’s debt,” Jonas said. “We’ll all sign for the loan and together we’ll make the payment.”

Frowning, Nathan glanced at Izzy. She smiled softly at him.

He shook his head. His brothers and this woman... They had more patience than he deserved. He’d wasted too much time being angry. With himself. At losing his parents. With Jonas and Blake.

“Izzy wants to talk about the Triple L sponsoring an event at the rodeo this year,” he said instead of arguing.

Blake looked up from his plate. “That sounds great. Malorie and the kids would love to go.”

“Good because I signed the ranch up to sponsor the barrel-racing event. The only thing is it’ll cost a couple thousand dollars. I’ve got the money tucked away.” But it would empty his savings.

Before Nathan had barely finished speaking, Blake said, “We can cover that, right Jonas?”

“Yup. I’ve set money aside for the ranch from the sale of my law firm in Denver. I just signed the final papers.”

Suddenly, not hungry, Nathan took his plate to the sink. He’d let them get away with splitting Izzy’s fees between them because Jonas and Blake hadn’t included him when they hired an outside fixer. “No. If this is going to work, we have to split expenses three ways.”

“Whatever you say. You’re the boss,” Jonas agreed too easily.

Nathan scowled at his brothers. “We can get a banner for inside the arena fence for about eight hundred.”

“Okay,” Blake said. He took his plate to the sink, nudged Nathan to the side, and rinsed it off. “Anything else?”

Izzy pushed her plate away. “There’s one last thing. I’d like to revisit leasing Duke out for stud services.”

“I’m working on that. Can we talk about it the next time we meet?” Jonas was suddenly in a hurry. Not unusual really, but there was something else buried in the look he gave Izzy. Something was going on with big brother. Getting him to talk about it would be the hard part.

Something sparked in Nathan’s chest at her head-on approach. Imagine how she would champion her kids if she ever had any.

“All right.” She closed her folder. “I want to do some baking with Mom before she takes off. Then I’ll do my chores in the barn.”

Blake wiped his hands on a tea towel. “No need to worry about your chores. The kids are taking care of them.”

“They don’t have to do that.” Her phone rang. She glanced at the caller. “Excuse me. I need to take this.”

“Should we take Dad’s truck, or each take our own vehicle?” Nathan asked, preoccupied with all the things Izzy could pack into a day.

She’d only gone as far as the living room. He tried not to eavesdrop.

Jonas started clearing the table. “I’ll take my own. I’ve got errands to run, and several clients to meet after we’re done at the bank.”

Nathan arched his brows. “Already? I thought you still had renovations to do at the new office.”

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