Mending The Billionaire Brother (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 3)

by Bree Livingston

  She couldn’t say or admit what she wanted. If she did, it would be over. The sanctuary could burn and the world with it as long as she had him, but she couldn’t do that. People…children, depended on her. They needed her .

  She kissed the back of his hand, and tears trickled down her cheeks, coating her lips. Eventually, her eyes slipped shut, and sleep took her .

  * * *

  Taran took a deep breath and shivered. He was freezing, and he couldn’t move his left arm. Opening his eyes, he looked over and found Sarah directly across from him, both arms hugging his, clutching it to her chest. The previous evening was a blur, and his head swam. “Sarah?”

  She jerked awake and sat up. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

  He palmed his head. “My head hurts.”

  “Don’t move. I’ll get you something.” She jumped up and left the room. A moment later, she came back with a couple pain relievers and a tall glass of water.

  He pushed up on his elbow, and his head throbbed. “Thank you.”

  “Other than your head, are you feeling okay?” Whatever had happened had caused her concern. Lines etched her forehead, and her eyebrows were drawn together .

  “I think so. What happened?” He handed her the glass and then dropped back on the couch.

  She sat next to him. “I think you had heat exhaustion. I found you on the couch, burning up. You were really dehydrated. I think you got annoyed with me making you drink water.” She smiled and ran her fingers across his cheek and through his hair.

  “It’s a little foggy, but I think I remember that. I’m sorry.” He took in the sight of her. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and she looked haggard. “You must be exhausted.” He took her hand and held it.

  She hung her head. “Other than my mom, I’ve never been so worried. If you’d stayed in your room or I’d stayed in mine, I don’t know how this would have turned out. You were so out of it.”

  “But I’m fine.”

  Tears clung to her lids when she lifted her head. “You scared me to death.” She took his face in her hands, closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead to his. “I feel like I’m in pieces as it is, and the thought of losing you made me feel like I’d be ground to powder.” Her voice broke.

  He circled his arms around her back and pulled her to his chest with no resistance from her. “I’m okay. It’s all okay.” A part of him wanted to press her about that confession, but he’d scared her. Of course she’d feel like that. He couldn’t take it to mean anything deeper, especially since she’d been clear on where she stood.

  She exhaled long and slow, as though she’d been holding her breath the whole night.

  She sat up and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. “Are you hungry?”

  Now that she mentioned it, he was starving. “A little, but I think I need a shower first.”

  “Why don’t you do that, and I’ll make you something to eat. Does anything sound good?” She pulled her bottom lip in and held it with her teeth while she waited for him to answer.

  Grunting, he sat up and faced her. “Anything, really.”

  A small laugh popped out. “Okay. I can handle that.”

  She stood and helped him up, which was a good thing because he felt wobbly all over. “I’ve never had heat exhaustion, and I don’t think I want it ever again.”

  Cool, delicate fingers caressed his cheek with more tenderness than he’d ever known, and she looked him in the eyes. “I’ll make sure of it.” The fierceness of her words startled him.

  Was there a possibility she felt something for him? That she could be falling for him? She had said she wished things could be different, and he was sure she felt something based on how she’d been kissing him.

  He shook off the thought. It was just his fuzzy head reading too much into it. She was just worried because he was sick. Sarah was kindhearted, and she would have been the same way with anyone else. And even if she did have feelings for him, was he ready to stay in Florida?

  He put his feelings in check, and let go of her. “I’ll go get that shower and see ye back in the kitchen.”

  He looked over his shoulder as he left the room and could’ve sworn he saw her wipe her eyes, but it was just his crazy imagination making him see things. A shower would clear his mind, and everything would be back to normal.

  Chapter 24

  A few days later, Sarah didn’t need to turn around to know Taran had entered the kitchen as she finished supper. His scent wrapped around her the moment he walked in. Soap and man. Everything about him was natural and real, and everything she’d always wanted. She couldn’t believe she’d actually been married to him for a month.

  “Whatever that is, it smells good.” Taran stopped next to her and leaned his hip against the counter.

  Her skin tingled without him even touching her. Just being near him made her heart stammer and her stomach do flips. “Did you drink enough water today?” She took her eyes off the pan of food on the stove and studied his face.

  “Aye, I behaved myself.” He winked.

  It was like nitro in a gas tank, and her heart hammered. That wink got her every time. “Good. Pour yourself another and drink up.”

  His laugh was like warm honey, and her insides melted. “I’m goin’ to float away if I keep drinkin’ so much.”

  She brushed his hair back from his forehead. “I don’t want you to get sick again.”

  “I willna. At least, nae if I can help it.” He took her hand and held it. “Thank ye for takin’ care of me. I dinnae know if I ever said that.”

  “You did, and I didn’t mind. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She pulled her hand away and returned her attention to dinner. If she kept going, he’d get the wrong impression, and she’d hurt him again.

  “This is done if you’re ready.” She took the pan off the stove and scooped some onto the plates next to the stove.

  Taran picked one up and held it under his nose. “If I could, I’d pour it down my throat, I’m so hungry.”

  He had a way of making her laugh. Why couldn’t things be different? It was like a cosmic joke was being played on her. As if the universe had said, Here, this is the perfect man. We sculpted him out of your wishes and dreams, and then he’d been put behind a glass display where she could never touch him.

  “Let’s go sit in the living room and watch the sunset while we eat.” Sarah picked up her plate and glass of water sitting in front of it.

  Taran followed her to the living room, and they sat on either end with a cushion between them. Sarah was relieved. Maybe with space between them, she wouldn’t be tempted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him until she needed oxygen.

  She didn’t know what was going on with her. Since that night he was sick, it took every ounce of her willpower not to stick to him like glue. She’d seen heat exhaustion before, or that she’d never helped someone recover from it.

  Then again, it was Taran. He wasn’t just someone. Feelings she couldn’t handle tried to bubble to the surface, and she pushed them down. She couldn’t let herself feel that way about him. Caring for him, being his friend, that was enough. It had to be.

  “This food tastes as good as it smells. I may need thirds and fourths. For someone who doesna cook, ye sure are good at it.” Taran took a large, greedy bite.

  Her cheeks warmed with the compliment. “They’re my mom’s recipes. I’m finding if I take my time, read them through first, and then start cooking, they turn out okay.”

  “Okay? I’d say this is a home run.” He finished off what was left and rubbed his stomach. “I think I may have been a little too eager. Maybe I should have come up for air sooner.”

  Sarah looked at her own plate. She still had more than half of her dinner left. Lately, she wasn’t much hungry. Mostly, she liked cooking for him. It made him happy, and more than anything, she liked seeing him smile. “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “Do ye?”

  She slowly turned her head and looked at him.
“What?”

  He pointed to her plate sitting in her lap. “Ye havenae eaten much. Do ye nae like it?”

  “Oh, yeah, I do. It’s good. I just don’t have much of an appetite tonight.” She looked back down at her plate and pushed her food around with her fork.

  Before she could say anything else, he slid across the couch and sat beside her. Immediately, her senses were all too aware of how close he was. “Are ye okay?” He put his arm around her shoulders.

  Without even thinking, she leaned into him. It felt so good to be in his arms. “I’m okay. I miss my mom some days more than others. I guess today is one of those days.”

  He stopped her as she started to set the plate to the side. “Ye need to eat some more.”

  She tried to take his hand away. “I’m not hungry.”

  “I’m nae thirsty either, but I’m drinkin’ like a fish.” He gave her a pointed look.

  He had her there. If she was going to make him drink water, then he could make her eat. “Fine. I’ll eat.” She thought he’d pull his arm away, but he didn’t. How was she supposed to eat when he was so close to her? She could barely think straight .

  Taran cleared his throat and pulled her closer. “Tell me about growin’ up here.”

  Her lips spread into a smile like they were preprogrammed as the memories danced in her head. “Well, when my mom bought it, a little shanty was here. It was good enough to live in, but barely. Over the next year, she worked and renovated it herself. When she was done, it was great. Not over the top or anything like it is now.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment. She didn’t think Gavin was a bad guy, but he’d taken the simple style of the home and made it into something that felt nothing like her mom. When Sarah had asked her mom about it, she didn’t seem to care, so Sarah had tried not to let it bother her .

  “It doesna feel like ye, and I thought that the moment I saw it.”

  “It was a nice little house. Three bedrooms, one bath. Nothing fancy, but it suited us.” She closed her eyes and paused as her life at the sanctuary played out in her head. “Other than Penelope and Paige, my mom was all I had. Before my mom and I moved here, the twins and I had become close friends, and my mom made sure we didn’t lose touch. Every weekend they’d either come here or I’d go there.”

  He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, the motion soothing. “Sounds like she worked really hard to give ye a good life.”

  “She did.” She took a couple of bites and then began pushing the food around again.

  “Does this place still feel like home?” Taran asked.

  Did it? She glanced around the living room, letting her gaze stop at the furniture, paintings, and the little finishing touches that held nothing of her mom in them. Her thoughts drifted to the horses, the kids they helped, and the horses they rescued. The only thing left of her mom was the services provided by Sunshine. Everything else was just cold and lifeless, especially this house. Penelope and Paige weren’t there. It was just a building now .

  Should she be honest? No, because it didn’t matter. It had been left to her to continue it, and that’s what she’d do. Her mom had said she should choose herself, but it seemed too selfish to do that .

  She shrugged. “I’m still getting used to it. When my mom was here, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the actual house. Now that I’m here, I just compare it to what was here before, and I shouldn’t do that. It’s a really nice house. I love the colors and how warm it feels.”

  He took her chin in his fingers and made her look at him. “But does it feel like home?”

  The scrutiny made her squirm. He seemed to be trying to see into her soul. To pluck out all her truths and make her face them. “Yeah, sure.” Even she didn’t buy it.

  “All right,” he said and let her go. “Ye need to eat at least three more bites.”

  She rolled her eyes and quickly sucked down three more bites. “There, happy?”

  “Aye.” His wide smile went all the way to his blue eyes. His hair was a little less damp, and some strands had strayed into his face again. The urge to run her fingers through it and press her lips to his was so strong she could almost taste him.

  If she didn’t move, she’d be doing exactly that .

  She quickly stood and grabbed their plates. “I’ll put these up.”

  “Okay.”

  The way he said was like he knew she was running. She didn’t know how to feel about that. At least she wasn’t next to him anymore, though it did nothing to squelch the temptation to kiss him. In fact, nothing seemed to ease that desire lately.

  Once in the kitchen, she set the bowls in the sink and braced her hands against the counter. This wasn’t going to work. She had fallen for him, and no matter what she told herself, there was no stopping it. It didn’t matter whether she could be with him or not. She squeezed her eyes shut. When did everything get so messy?

  Chapter 25

  Trudy waved as Taran entered the arena. He’d finished the barn, and he was ready to do more than observe the rehabilitation part of the sanctuary. He was itching to participate. In the back of his mind, he needed to know. Maybe a child or two in Rosegail Bridge would benefit from coming out to the farm and riding Banner a couple of times a week. That’s if he went back.

  Lately, all his thoughts seemed to center on Sarah and the overwhelming desire to keep her in his life—whatever form that took. Florida, Scotland, or under a bridge. He didn’t care anymore. Not having her made him ache to the core. Her smile gave him strength. Her laughter gave him joy. Even her little quirks made his heart do flips.

  He pushed the errant thoughts down. It wasn’t time for that. He needed to have his mind solely on what was going on. “Hey, Trudy, I’m ready to learn.”

  “That’s a good attitude to have. I’ve got Bailey Winters on the schedule today. She was in a car accident, and she’s here for physical therapy. I thought it would be a good idea to start with that and work up to the other.” She tipped her head in the direction of the barn and began walking. “Let’s get Monarch. He and Bailey seemed to have a good connection. She works better with him.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He walked next to her and hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans. “Ye think I could ask ye somethin’ and it nae get back to Sarah?”

  She shot him a glance. “Depends on the question.”

  “Fair enough. Do ye think she wants to run this place?” He took a peek in her direction to gauge her reaction.

  The silence drug out long enough that he wondered if she was going to answer him. Then she pulled him to a stop in the middle of the barn. “Between you and me?”

  “Aye.”

  Before she continued, she checked out the entire barn to make sure no one was listening in .

  Taran held in a chuckle at the thought that Freddy could be hiding in one of the stalls, but he knew she’d already gone home .

  When Trudy was sure they were alone, she returned. “No, I think she desperately wants to honor her mom, but I don’t think she has any real desire to stay here. I think she’s terrified of being abandoned, and this place gives her a safe place to hide from the world. She enjoyed helping her mom because Sarah loved her, and she likes that it benefits so many. But her heart’s not in it at all. She’s miserable.”

  “I dinnae think so either, but her passion is admirable.” He did admire that about her. Once she put her mind to something, she stuck with it. He loved her persevering spirit.

  Trudy smiled as she looked at him, and suddenly the July heat was more like ice water under her scrutiny. “I think she’s in love with you. I think she’d move to be with you in two shakes if she knew she could. I think you love her too. And I know she thinks I don’t know about that clause in the will, but she’s wrong.”

  Taran’s jaw dropped open. He was a mouse caught in a trap. Heat raced up his spine and spread through him .

  “I know you two are married. It’s what Lydia wanted. She knew Sarah was head over heels for you the
last time she spoke to her. The only reason she put that clause in there was to force Sarah to come to terms with her own feelings. To step out of her box and put herself out there. Sarah’s dad did a number on her, but Lydia had a good feeling about you. I don’t know how, but she’d get these gut feelings, and nine times out of ten, she was right.” Trudy leaned back against the barn wall and crossed her arms over her chest. “Now, tell me I’m wrong.”

  He pulled on his collar and coughed, unsure how to answer. “Eh.”

  “I thought Lydia was completely nuts until you showed up. But, Taran, you are, without a doubt, one of the sweetest men I’ve ever known. I’ve watched you with Freddy, and that little girl is flat-out smitten with you. You’ve gone above and beyond, working here without complaint. You have a good heart and a kind, gentle nature.”

  “I…I…” His tongue wouldn’t work. The words were jumbled. His mouth was dry. He felt claustrophobic.

  The older woman smiled and lifted an eyebrow. “I won’t say any more and won’t tell anyone what I know. Until you’re willing to admit it to yourself, it’s just words. But you need to figure it out soon because Sarah’s spirit is being crushed by this sanctuary. She needs out of here. It’s not these horses or these kids that need to be rescued; it’s her.” Trudy pushed off the wall and walked down two stalls. She led out Monarch and walked past Taran.

  He was paralyzed. By her words, his feelings, and everything in between. He swallowed hard, trying to get himself together, but he felt like he was sinking. Admitting how he truly felt about Sarah was terrifying. It meant making hard choices he wasn’t sure he could make yet .

  At the moment, he needed to put all those suffocating thoughts aside. It was important to him to learn how to use horses to help medically fragile kids. He took a few deep calming breaths and walked back into the arena.

  “You ready?” Trudy nodded toward the door as a man entered with a girl that looked to be in her teens. “It was her first night driving alone, and she was texting. She ran off the road. Nearly killed herself. Luckily, she walked away, but she had a brain injury that caused her issues with balance.”