The Cowboy's Valentine Bride. Patricia Johns

said.

      “No, of course not.” But Dakota looked a tiny bit sheepish. “You have to give it to him.”

      “The sooner the better, right?” Kaitlyn asked. “I don’t want to make things harder on him, but it might actually help him make sense of what happened.”

      There was a rustle behind them.

      “Give me what?”

      Both women turned to see Brody in the doorway. He’d managed to get his crutches, but he had to hunch over them. They looked like matchsticks compared to his bulky frame. His expression was taut, and his lips were pale. He was in pain, but he’d managed to get out here on his own, and Kaitlyn couldn’t help the grin that came to her lips. She hurried to his side and reached to steady him.

      “I’m fine,” he grunted. “Let me do it.”

      Kaitlyn stepped back, feeling slightly stung, not that she entirely blamed him. Dakota pulled out the closest kitchen chair, and Brody sank into the chair with a wince.

      “You okay?” Dakota asked her brother. “You look...white.”

      Brody nodded slowly. He’d be nauseated after that exertion, Kaitlyn knew, and she slid a glass of water in front of him. He took a sip and some of the color came back to his face.

      “So what are you supposed to give me, but don’t want to part with?” Brody asked, glancing between them.

      Kaitlyn sighed and held out the envelope. “A letter from Nina.”

      Brody eyed the envelope in Kaitlyn’s hand, then took it from her, his rough fingers brushing against hers. He looked ready to tear it open, then he sighed and tucked it into his front pocket.

      “Aren’t you going to read it?” Dakota asked.

      “Probably.” Brody cast his sister an annoyed look. “What’s it to you?”

      “I’d kind of like to see what she has to say for herself,” Dakota retorted, and when Brody glanced in Kaitlyn’s direction, Dakota went on, “Oh, don’t worry about Kaitlyn’s feelings. We’re all pretty much on the same page when it comes to Nina and Brian.”

      Kaitlyn shrugged—Dakota was right. They’d all hashed through this so many times that the eggshells were no longer necessary. They all thought Nina was a nitwit for what she’d done, and they all knew that there wasn’t a thing they could do about it. Nina had made her choice, and they’d all have to live with it. Including Brody.

      “Nina wanted to explain, I think,” Kaitlyn said, except that Kaitlyn highly doubted Nina’s explanation would have the same impact without her big green eyes and plunging cleavage. Nina had always managed to sweet-talk her way out of every scrape, but this one came down to character and cleavage simply didn’t make up for that kind of deficiency.

      “Fine.” Brody’s voice was gruff and he reached for the pot. Kaitlyn dished him up some porridge and watched as Brody poured a splash of milk over it.

      For all of their plotting and planning, trying to save Brody from the brunt of this, Kaitlyn was now faced with the fresh heartbreak her sister had caused. She could only imagine what Brody was feeling—humiliation, loneliness, disappointment—and she couldn’t make it any better. She couldn’t bake her sister’s cake, and she couldn’t replace her sister’s love.

      She opened the medication bottle and shook out two pills.

      Brody accepted them with a nod, and in the split second when his eyes met hers, she saw the depth of his pain. This was the problem with being half in love with her patient—that look in his eyes cut her to the core. If there was any other possibility—if Bernice weren’t already working with three elderly patients—Kaitlyn would step back, take some space of her own. But there weren’t any other nurses available, and Kaitlyn owed him.