Chapter Fourteen

M alorie stood back while Nathan moved from the bed to the cushy chair at his bedside. They were three weeks into his recovery, and he was fixed on shortening the six weeks his doctor predicted. It was all she could do to slow him down so he wouldn’t set himself back. The last thing he needed was to fracture his pelvis all over again or for the fractures to heal in a poor position that would lead to early arthritis down the road. She couldn’t let that happen.

Her thoughts turned to Blake. For the last several days, she hadn’t seen much of the man. Which should be a good thing, right? As much as she’d come to admire him, his dedication to the ranch, and maybe her attraction growing for how patient he was with the kids, there was no way she should consider hitching her horse to his wagon.

He hadn’t indicated in any way that he was interested in anything more than friendship. The only signal she got from the man was that he had too much going on to pursue anything serious.

Unaccountably, she wanted more than just his friendship. Crazy, right? She didn’t like the feeling that here she was again, falling for another guy who had his own agenda. When she came up with an idea for a date—well, not a date exactly—he repeatedly responded with somewhere else he had to be.

The first day she’d just chalked his excuse of working with the horses after she’d invited him to dinner with her and the twins as just the luck of the draw. They were both tired. It’d been a long day. And he had a lot on his plate with the ranch and repairing his father’s truck. And she knew he’d gotten started actually writing the next Timmy book. Timmy could talk of nothing else.

Blake isn’t Mark, she kept telling herself.

Sooner or later, she had to accept he was facing enough obstacles that he didn’t have time for a romantic adventure that could turn into something deeper. She felt the same way. Didn’t she? And it wasn’t like they’d made any promises to be best buds.

Still, his withdrawal was puzzling. Stupidly, she’d come to count on his steady presence. And she missed his company. He was a widower, and maybe that was why he didn’t want to become attached to someone else.

She put a glass of water on Nathan’s over-the-bed table. “Will you be okay for a little bit? I’d like to check on Andee and Reece.”

“I’ll stay with him,” Jonas said as he came into the kitchen.

“I won’t be long. When I get back, we’ll work on your physical therapy,” she said to Nathan.

He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. Malorie frowned. She couldn’t pass judgment on Nathan’s or Blake’s dark moods. Her mood wasn’t in a good place, either.

Shrugging, she was heading for the door when Nathan stopped her. “Could you check with Timmy and see if I can borrow the next Timmy book if he has it?”

“Sure.” Finally, her tension eased.

As a nurse, her job was to take care of her patients’ physical needs. Sometimes that blended into their emotional needs too. She didn’t mind and would do what she could to help Nathan through this tough period of immobility. And from experience, she knew there was one thing about Blake’s Timmy books. They raised a person’s spirit.

Blake had been very lucky to have met Tina when he did. Despite losing his parents at an impressionable age, his brothers kicking him off the ranch, and having to arrive at adulthood on his own, he was able to put into his books good learning experiences for his young readers.

On the porch, she took a deep breath and cleared her mind. She just needed a moment to stop the world from rocking under her feet.

The horses were in the pasture. The man occupying too much space in her thoughts leaned against the fence, scratching Duke’s neck. She waved, but he either didn’t see her or didn’t want to. Okay, fine. It was ridiculous to think about him so much.

She was an independent woman and prided herself that she could make life work on her own. She followed the morning sunshine into the center aisle of the barn. The kids’ voices came from several stalls.

“Hey, guys. I’m done.” Timmy came out of the nearest stall, tripping before she could grab him. He hit the ground with a solid thud, his arm twisted at an odd angle under his chest.

Malorie didn’t think. She moved fast, squatting next to Timmy, and turned him over. “Are you okay, kiddo?”

Timmy held his breath. His eyes were wide. She checked the pulse just under his jaw, then gently lowered his arm and rubbed his chest. “Breathe, Timmy.” He had a cut on his hand.

Finally, he sucked in a breath. Malorie said a silent thank goodness and brushed his hair off his forehead. “There you go. Just lay here for a moment and catch your breath. How’s your arm? Does it hurt?”

He shook his head.

“Can you move your fingers?” When he did, without wincing, she slowly worked her way up both arms to see if he had any breaks. “Nothing seems to be broken.”

Reece came out of the next stall over, with Andee close behind. When he saw Timmy on the ground, he fell to his knees. “What happened?”

“He tripped.” She took a clean tissue from her pocket and held pressure to the cut on his hand.

The stall door was slid half open. All she could think was that in the narrow opening, he caught his foot on the bottom board that held it in place.

“Where’s my dad?” Timmy asked, his voice shaky.

“Andee, go get Blake. He’s by the pasture.”

Andee took off and returned moments later with Blake.

“Are you okay, bud?” Blake got down on one knee beside Timmy, who was sitting up now, and looked at Malorie. “Do we need to take him to the doctor?”

Malorie knew that look in his eyes. Even with all her years as a nurse, her heart still jumped with terror when one of the twins got hurt. “No, he’ll be fine. He just needs a Band-Aid on his hand.”

“Thank you. I’ll take him upstairs and get him all fixed up.” Blake held a hand out to Timmy. “Up you go, kiddo.”

She stood too. “I’m sorry he got hurt. I couldn’t grab him fast enough. Can I help?”

“That’s okay.” Blake kept his hand on Timmy’s shoulder. “You have your hands full with Nathan.”

Malorie pressed her lips together. What was he talking about? Sure, Nathan was her patient, and in the beginning, he was a lot of work, but at this point, he didn’t need her twenty-four, seven.

“Can we go with Timmy?” Andee and Reece asked together.

She wasn’t sure how to answer that. Blake didn’t give her a chance to decide. “They can come.”

“All right,” she agreed, her shoulders sagging. So, he was still coming up with reasons not to have her around. What had she done wrong?

She shook off the heavy feeling. Just because she couldn’t answer that didn’t mean she had any reason to believe she was being abandoned yet again. If she wanted to give love and everything it entailed another try, she would. But since a serious relationship wasn’t part of her immediate plans, she’d do what she came here to do. Take care of her patient and make the best life for her and the twins that she could.

Putting all of their hearts on the line was not an option. She wasn’t ready to deal with the fallout if and when a relationship with Blake, or whoever—as good friends or more—didn’t work out.

They got to the stairs leading up to the apartment when she remembered Nathan’s request. “Timmy, Nathan wants to know if he can borrow your next Timmy, the Superhero book.”

Timmy nodded.

“I’ll have Andee bring it to you,” Blake said. He looked at her for the first time since Timmy’s accident, his brows raising as if thinking the silent part out loud, See? You have a patient to take care of. Nathan needs you.

She sat on a bale of hay and waited, her thoughts going round and round. She liked her job and taking care of people. Blake and Timmy didn’t need her to take care of them, so why was she so bothered by the idea that he seemed to be on a course that was taking him—for some unknown reason—away from her and the twins?

If she had serious feelings for Blake, shouldn’t she just admit it and see where they led her? Just in case what was going on inside was more than a crush on a handsome guy who was nothing like her ex and extra good with kids?

Was she secretly dreaming that the five of them would make a great family unit? Once committed, Blake would never desert her for his job or another woman. He would be there for the tough times along with the good times. She was sure of it. But Blake didn’t seem to have the same dream.

She’d been so mistaken with Mark. She couldn’t make another mistake like that.

Malorie shook off the argument in her head and stood as Blake came down the stairs. He stopped in front of her, a frown pulling at his brows. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She pushed her hands into her scrub pockets and told him part of the truth. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t reach Timmy in time to prevent him from getting hurt.”

He put his hands on her arms, in an attempt, she thought, at reassurance, but that reawakened her senses and made her want to lean into him. “Hey, accidents happen. I can’t tell you how many times my brothers and I fell off our horses, or fence railings, or accidentally got in Dad’s way when he was riding in the arena.”

He bent over to look her straight in the eyes. Heat pulsed in waves over her skin. He was going to kiss her. What if she kissed him first? Did people barely beyond the acquaintance phase lock lips like there was no tomorrow?

Blake blinked and stepped back. “Timmy’s fine. The kids are playing Star Wars Monopoly. That will keep them busy all afternoon. Timmy wants to give Nathan the next book himself.”

“Oh. Okay. Then I guess I’ll go.” She gestured toward the main house. “We still have to do his physical therapy.”

Blake took another step back, the lines of concern leaving his face. “I’ll let you get to it then.”

Malorie started to ask if he wanted to come to the guesthouse for dinner and a movie that night, but before she got the words out, he was out of the barn and headed for the horses in the pasture.

And that was that. She’d brought Andee and Reece to the Triple L to heal the wounds left by Mark’s abandonment. Plan accomplished. Just because she’d met a guy who was his polar opposite didn’t mean Blake was part of their new beginning. It just meant their wounds were healing.

Her heart wasn’t battered anymore. She would not be lost without Blake Lohmen. She was responsible for her happiness, not anyone else, and especially not Blake. He might be that guy, but she wasn’t a risk-taker anymore and wouldn’t be for the foreseeable future. Not until she had her future figured out.

The one thing she could say was at least she took the hard knocks and moved on. Nathan would be happy to see her when she returned to put him through his exercises. And Jonas had returned from his trip with good news. He’d taken care of his business in Denver and his friend Sloane, the town’s mechanic and part-time real estate agent, had found him office space in Strawberry Ridge. There was a lot to talk about while she was working to get Nathan ready to be up and about on his own.

Blake was right. She’d better get to it.

When she entered the house, Nathan was waiting in his hospital bed. He was channel surfing. He put the remote down when he saw her. “I thought maybe you’d forgotten me... my PT.”

“No, of course not. Timmy fell and had the breath knocked out of him—”

Nathan pushed his hands into the bed, scooting back so he was sitting straighter. “Is he okay?”

“Yes. Just a scratch on his hand.” She wasn’t about to bring up her lackluster conversation with Blake’s brother. “Blake has the kids playing a game. Timmy will bring the next Timmy book over later tonight.”

“They’re coming to dinner tonight.”

You see? They couldn’t have come for dinner and a movie, anyway.

Somehow that didn’t make her feel any better.

“You and the twins should come to dinner too.” When she hesitated, he said, “At least come for dessert.”

Maybe she should. And Andee and Reece would vote in favor of dessert. “Okay.”

Nathan took her hand. “I’ve been thinking. Blake has some ideas for the ranch. I don’t know if they will work out or not—” Malorie stared at their hands. “But since Jonas is in agreement and I can’t talk either of them out of trying, anyway, I’m wondering if you’d like to stay and be our ranch nurse for the summer. You know, to make sure there are no injuries out on the trails they’re talking about making. I’ll be back on my feet, so you’ll be done with the contract you signed with Jonas. We’ll pay whatever rate you normally get—” He leaned back and asked with a smile that reminded her of Blake, “Together we’d make a good team, don’t you think?”

Gently, she separated her hand from Nathan’s.

Wrong brother.

“Let me think about it. I’ll need to talk to Andee and Reece, though I think they’d like to stay for the summer.” Lowering the head of his bed a little, Malorie began his exercises.

She was aware he watched her closely. Despite Blake’s disinterest, staying another month or two on the ranch was appealing. It could also give her a little more time to be around Blake. Maybe she would figure out where her heart had gone wrong. Maybe there could still be more between them—she frowned—than the... weirdness... that had cropped up.

He’d seemed so interested before—She couldn’t remember exactly when he’d stopped being interested, but she would swear there was a look in his eyes earlier that said he had kissing her on his mind. It had sure been on hers. At least he hadn’t turned away from the twins.

When they were finished with his exercises and Nathan was settled for an afternoon nap, Malorie went back to the guesthouse. Too restless to sit and read, she started cleaning. The kids were still with Blake, working on the truck, according to the note Andee had left on the counter.

When she’d scrubbed every inch of the house, she cut flowers in the garden and took her time arranging them in a vase she found in a cupboard over the refrigerator. After, she made a pepperoni pizza from scratch and put it in the oven. By the time the timer went off, indicating their dinner was done, she gave up trying to keep herself busy and her mind off a certain tall, dark, and handsome man.

She put the pizza on the counter to cool. Her cell rang.

“Hi, Izzy. How’s the theater coming along?”

“It’s great. We’re almost done with the restoration, except a water pipe broke, so that’s set us back a bit. I’m waiting for a plumber to come and fix it.”

Malorie sat on the couch and pulled a throw over her lap. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“No, but it’ll get fixed before I leave.” Izzy sounded distracted. Her college roommate and best friend ever since was an upbeat person. Nothing got her down.

“You’re leaving? I thought you had another project lined up when the theater was done.”

“That’s what I called about.” There was a long silence from the other side of the line. “I’ve had to back out of the second restoration. I need to go stay with my mom.”

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, she has a doctor’s appointment next week and I want to be there with her to see what he says. While I’m there, Mom’s asked me to spruce up her house, so—” Izzy’s mom lived in Portland. This was important. Her friend never worried about anything.

“Of course, you have to be with her.” Malorie leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. Izzy was the sister she’d never had. She would do anything for her. “What can I do?”

“I’ll let you know, but I won’t be able to house-sit for the whole summer. I’m sorry. I know you and the kids need this time away.”

“Don’t worry about it, Izzy. I’ll work something out. If nothing else, I can ask my neighbor next door to keep an eye on the place until we get home.” Malorie leaned back and pulled one corner of the throw over her shoulder. “You would love this place. The ranch is stunning. And quiet. Andee and Reece are happy here. We could all stay forever.”

“What about the brothers? Have they stopped fighting?” In the background, Malorie could hear Izzy in the kitchen.

Izzy loved tea, and since Malorie’s divorce, pointing out that there were better men than sleazy Mark to meet and date was one of her friend’s favorite pastimes. Not that Izzy was interested in a permanent relationship herself. She was all business, which gave her a good reason to travel all the time.

“They seem to be. They still have some issues, but eventually, I think they’ll figure out how important family is.” She told Izzy about Jonas and Nathan, and briefly, that Blake was running the ranch while his brother was recovering. “The ranch needs some TLC. The Lohmens could use your gift for bringing businesses back from the brink of collapse. I forgot to tell you—Remember the B.J. Burrows’ books the twins love so much?”

“Sure.”

“Blake Lohmen is B.J. Burrows.” Malorie waited for Izzy to morph into Miss Matchmaker of the Year. Her friend did not disappoint.

“So, Blake Lohmen is a rancher who rides horses and writes middle-grade books, the handsome one—”

“I never said he was handsome,” Malorie interrupted. “But he is kind and sweet with the kids. He’s sort of adopted his young brother-in-law. Andee and Reece love him.”

“I just made the handsome part up.” There was laughter in Izzy’s voice. “Have you kissed yet?”

Malorie only wished. “Of course not. He’s been too busy with the ranch—” And repairing the truck he wrecked. And meeting a book deadline. “And I’ve been very busy taking care of his brother, which is what I’m being paid for.”

“Right. You like this guy. I can hear it in your voice.”

“Really, Izzy. Nothing is going on between Blake and me.” Did she wish there was more? Maybe, but it just wasn’t practical.

“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.