“I believe you,” he said.
“I’ll be back in a bit.” She left the room and closed the door behind her with a click, and he was left in silence.
That quiet felt good. Last night, he’d had all sorts of attention from his family. Everyone had questions, and his mother had wanted to make him comfortable, but only ended up leaving his pillow lumpy behind his back. But he couldn’t tell her, because every time she fussed over him, he could see the tears misting her eyes. No matter what had happened over there, she was still his mom, and that was something that hadn’t changed. Except that she’d been part of the deception, too, and that rankled him. When he was off serving the country, he should have been able to trust his family to have his back.
But they thought they had.
And maybe that was the biggest problem.
Of all the changes around here—Nina’s betrayal, Dakota’s marriage, Kaitlyn—he was the biggest change of all, and he wasn’t sure he could fit back into his spot here again, even for the short term.
You’re brave, Valentine. He’d kept it—a standing joke between them—but it had turned into a kind of good luck charm. He’d tucked that slip of paper into his front pocket because it made him feel braver somehow. A lot of the guys had good luck talismans...a small stone from their home driveway, or a hair elastic from a girlfriend. He’d had the Valentine card.
In the army, he’d learned that when you were wounded, you had to keep focused on the next step. That might be pulling yourself across the rocky ground, or tying off your own tourniquet. That was what he had to do now with his recovery—grit his teeth and take the next step. The rest of the answers would have to wait.
* * *
WHEN KAITLYN HAD arrived at the Mason ranch that morning, Millie Mason was making breakfast—oatmeal with raisins, stacks of toast with butter and boiled eggs. The Mason kitchen always smelled of baking and food, something Nina had resented.
“I’m not a cook,” Nina had insisted when Brody said that all he wanted for his birthday was a cake made by his girl. “Why can’t he just get his mother to make the cake and let me provide...other things?”
Nina always managed to sound like Marilyn Monroe with her innuendos, but she had had a point. Since when did a fiancée need to replace a mother? But Kaitlyn had sensed that Nina’s frustration went deeper than a different skillset—Nina hadn’t ever been terribly nurturing. She’d been beautiful, and everyone else had nurtured her. Including her sister. Kaitlyn hadn’t been so different from everyone else, constantly making excuses for Nina. Nina isn’t very good at that. Her heart is in the right place. But maybe her heart hadn’t been quite so well situated after all.
Nina had suggested that Kaitlyn just bake the cake and let Nina take the credit, but Kaitlyn had said no. It was one thing to have her sister dating the guy who had her heart in a vice, and quite another to bake the cake that would make Brody love Nina even more. So Kaitlyn flat out refused...but consented to pick one up at the bakery since Nina wasn’t dressed yet. Looking back, Kaitlyn couldn’t believe she’d been such a pushover.
Now, as Kaitlyn left Brody in his bedroom and returned to the Mason kitchen, she found it empty, the food on the table and the air fragrant with freshly brewed coffee. This was a kitchen where love took the form of food, and while that was hard for a girlfriend to compete with, it certainly did make for a cozy home. Growing up with Millie Mason’s cinnamon buns and strawberry pies would have been idyllic.
“Mrs. Mason?” Kaitlyn called.
There was no answer, so Kaitlyn opened a cupboard and pulled out some bowls and plates to set the table. She wasn’t Brody’s girlfriend, and she didn’t need to prove anything. Her goal was to get Brody to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen, and the best way she could see to make that happen was to lure Brody out with food—and his mother’s fantastic cooking was sitting right here waiting.
An envelope crinkled in Kaitlyn’s back pocket, and she paused. Nina had sent a letter for Brody just as soon as she found out that he was on his way back. That was the deal—she needed to explain her actions herself, except Kaitlyn had hoped she could do it in person, or at least garner up the courage for a phone call. Regardless, once Brody read it, Kaitlyn was supposed to give her sister a call and let her know. That would let Nina off the hook, and she could start announcing her wedded bliss from the rooftops. Mrs. Brian Dickerson.
Kaitlyn had to admit she was curious about the contents of that letter, but there probably wasn’t anything in there that Kaitlyn didn’t already know. Nina and Brian had been flirting for some time before Brody even left, not that anyone thought anything of it. Brian had driven Nina home from the airport after they’d all seen Brody off. In fact, Brian had been around a lot, so maybe it shouldn’t have been quite so shocking that something had developed between the two of them.
The outside door opened with a rush of cold air.
“Morning,” Dakota said as she came inside. She blew out a breath and slammed the door shut again. She pulled off her gloves and unzipped her coat.
“Where are your parents?” Kaitlyn asked.
“They went to my uncle’s place. He’s come down with a nasty flu, so they’re helping out with his chores this morning.”
Kaitlyn nodded. Ranches didn’t stop for pesky little things like vomiting or fevers. Dakota lifted the lid of the porridge pot and inhaled the aroma. What had Mrs. Mason added—nutmeg? It smelled amazing.
“How’s Brody?” Dakota asked.
“I got him standing this morning,” she replied.
“Really?” Dakota grinned. “That’s great! How long do you think it’ll take him to be fully recovered?”
“I’m not sure.” Kaitlyn frowned. “That depends on him.”
“Hmm.” Dakota pulled her hands through her hair. “I know we’ve probably manipulated things quite enough, but—”
“No,” Kaitlyn said firmly. “Leave me out of anything else.”
“The thing is, we’re going to need Brody around here,” Dakota said, ignoring Kaitlyn’s statement. “Dad will, at least. With Andy and me living on the Granger ranch, and with Mackenzie busy with the new babies, I can’t be running between two ranches forever. I’m exhausted.”
Kaitlyn could sympathize. Dakota was a new wife, and she was trying to support the running of two different ranches. It wasn’t a fair workload. But then, Brody wasn’t exactly a candidate for ranch work, either.
“He’s not in any condition to do chores,” Kaitlyn said. “Right now, Brody has to focus on recovery.”
“It isn’t that. The problem is, when I talked to Brody last night, he didn’t seem like he wanted to stay,” Dakota said. “At all.”
Kaitlyn’s stomach tightened. Brody wasn’t intending to stay in Hope? For some reason, she’d assumed that he was home safe...for good. Obviously, it was a presumptuous conclusion, but she hadn’t seriously considered him leaving again.
“I didn’t realize,” Kaitlyn said quietly.
“So we need to convince him to stay,” Dakota said.
“We?” Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, I’m done with interfering. I highly doubt Brody would welcome our meddling, either.”
“He’s always liked you—”
“I don’t think he likes me as much as you think.” She smiled wanly. And he may like her even less after he saw the letter from Nina. She pulled the envelope from her back pocket and tapped it against her hand. “My sister sent a letter to explain things to Brody.”
“What