When another gust of wind howled overhead, he suddenly realized that he didn’t want to hold back anymore. He was single. So was she. She wanted to be on the clock as his nurse less often—perfect. He didn’t feel like being nursed anyway. They were alone out here in this dilapidated barn, and the only thing he seemed capable of focusing on right now were those plump pink lips. He’d kissed her once when they were kids, and somehow he’d lost sight of her for far too long...but now he was seeing her again and he couldn’t believe he’d let it go as long as he had.
He released her hand and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him so that she was pressed against his thigh. Her eyes widened in momentary surprise, and he dipped his head down, catching her lips with his. She moved into his kiss, her cool hand sliding around his neck. This felt more natural, more real, than her medical reserve. This was the kind of thing he’d been thinking about for days now—pulling her petite frame against him and feeling the rhythm of her heart through her body. Blood pounded in his ears, and while his leg ached something fierce, he wouldn’t move for the world.
He slid his hand behind her neck, tugging her closer still, and the sensation of her hands moving down to his chest made him want to take this a whole lot further. But then she pushed him back, and as much as he wanted to simply follow her, close the distance again, he didn’t. His lips felt moist where they’d been pressed against hers.
“No...” she said shakily.
Brody let her go, the word hitting him like a blow to the gut. “Why not?” he leaned toward her again, and she scooted back.
“Brody, I can’t—”
“It’s a kiss, Kate... I’m not asking for more than that.”
She rose to her feet, anger sparking in her eyes. “Of course you aren’t.”
“Is this about me staying in Hope?” he asked uncertainly.
“No... Yes...” She heaved a sigh and shot him an annoyed look. “Given a choice, you’d be with my sister right now.”
“What?” He blinked. Where did that come from? He hadn’t been thinking about her sister at all.
“If she hadn’t married Brian, you’d be planning your wedding right now, Brody. I know that—”
“But she did marry Brian.” Were they going to fight about what might have happened if Nina hadn’t dumped him? What was she expecting him to do, pine for the fiancée who was having a baby with his best friend?
“I’m your nurse,” she said slowly, emotion choking her voice. “Your nurse, Brody.”
And then it slammed home—she was here because she’d been hired to help with his recovery, and the wounds he was trying so desperately to ignore were right there in front of her. He wanted her to see the cowboy, the soldier, the man, but she saw the wounds, the patient. And that hurt more than Nina’s thoughtless rejection. Nina hadn’t wanted him at his best, and Kaitlyn had the chance to see the man in him and couldn’t get past the wounds.
“Got it.” He swallowed hard. “You’re my nurse.”
Silence stretched between them, and she adjusted her coat a little closer around her neck. Her cheeks were pink, and she didn’t meet his eye. Fine. He’d made his point, and she’d made hers. He pushed himself to his feet and limped toward Champ.
“Where are you going?” she demanded.
“Home.”
It might be snowing something fierce, but it was no worse than the elements he’d battled in Afghanistan. At least no one was shooting at him here. A little snow wouldn’t kill a man, and he didn’t think he could sit here and wait it out with Kaitlyn. Not like this.
At least he could save his parents some money and do without a nurse from now on. His wounds had closed, the stitches were out and he was pretty sure he could take it from here.
“I’m sorry about that kiss,” he said, leading Champ to the rail that would help him to mount. “You’re right. I overstepped. And obviously, I’ve recovered pretty well. You’ve done a good job on me. Maybe it’s time for you to find a new post. I’ll make sure my dad pays you out for the time he promised you.”
Kaitlyn blinked, then shook her head. “Are you firing me?”
“It isn’t you, Kate. You’re a good nurse—more than good, fantastic. But feeling like I do about you, do you really think having you working with me this closely is a good idea? When you put your hands on me, I feel things that would scandalize you, I’m sure. Just trust me on this. It’s better.”
He didn’t wait for her answer. He knew he was right. They’d been teetering on the line between professional and personal long enough. He’d been pushing for her to see past the patient to the man, and he’d gotten his way. Mostly.
Unfortunately, she didn’t want the man.
Chapter Eleven
The ride back to the ranch had been cold and dismal. The snow was already stopping, and the late-afternoon sunlight that peeked past the receding storm sparkled on fresh snow. Something had changed between them in that old barn, and Kaitlyn wasn’t even sure she fully understood it. Brody was attracted to her, but she knew better than to give in to that. He was feeling attraction, but if she let herself go with him, she’d fall in love—the real, soul-deep kind of love. And he wouldn’t.
Kaitlyn was Brody’s second choice—she knew that. What kind of woman would she be to simply accept being Brody’s temporary consolation prize?
But the kiss... That kiss had been just as tingling and heart-pounding as she’d imagined it a thousand times. This would be easier if their first real kiss—since she was a ten-year-old, at least—had been a disappointment, but it wasn’t. That was cruelty in itself.
Before she’d left, Brody had reiterated what he’d said in the barn... I’m a lot better than I was before. I don’t need a nurse anymore. I can get physiotherapy at an office in Rickton. It’s better this way, Kate.
And a week ago, she might have breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she could step back and let her heart heal. Maybe it was already too late for that, because being dismissed had hurt on a deeper level than she’d imagined.
He didn’t need her medical support anymore, and the kind of physical connection he was wanting, she couldn’t give. She’d been in love with the wrong man for years. If she’d been smart, she would have found a nice guy somewhere and put her heart into forgetting Brody—ironically, like her sister had—but that was easier said than done.
* * *
THE NEXT DAY, Brian and Nina arrived. They drove up in a cherry red SUV and Kaitlyn opened the front door to welcome them. Nina was radiant in a cream-colored cowl-necked sweater that spilled over the front of a forest green wrap that hid her figure. Her makeup looked freshly touched up, a peach lipstick making her milky complexion look even softer against her voluminous red curls. She was even prettier now, if that were possible. It must be the pregnancy.
Brian carried himself a little more confidently than Kaitlyn remembered, his fresh face looking less boyish. They both seemed different now that they were married—more secure, perhaps. Nina and Brian exchanged a private smile as they came up to the door. Kaitlyn stepped back to let them in. Brian dropped their bags in the hallway and hugged Nina’s mother, then shook her father’s hand. Nina stood back, watching as her new husband greeted her family.
“How was the drive?” Ron Harpe asked.
“Good, good...” Brian nodded a couple of times. “The road was pretty clear, so no complaints.”
“New vehicle?” Ron looked out the window, shading his eyes to get a better view.
“With the baby coming, we needed something more family friendly.”
The men made small talk about weather and snow tires, and Kaitlyn, her mother and sister moved into the kitchen. It was the pattern they always followed—women in the kitchen, men elsewhere. It wasn’t that the Harpe men couldn’t cook—they could and did—it was just how they seemed to
separate themselves.
“Look at you!” Tears welled in Sandra’s eyes as she tugged Nina’s wrap off. Nina’s belly pushed against her soft sweater, her pregnancy more than obvious now. Kaitlyn stood back, watching her mother and sister hug. Nina had changed in the last couple of months. Not only did she look pregnant, but she looked gentler, too.
“Hi!” Nina said, coming up to hug Kaitlyn, and as she wrapped her arms around her sister, Kaitlyn felt tears of her own rising in her eyes.
So much had changed. Why couldn’t they all just rewind a year and try this again? Kaitlyn released her sister and they exchanged a misty smile.
“So how are you feeling?” Kaitlyn asked.
“I’m constantly hungry,” Nina replied. “And not just munchy. Like, if I don’t eat, I get light-headed.”
On cue, their mother pulled out a bowl of fresh muffins and nudged it in Nina’s direction across the kitchen table. They sat down and Nina helped herself.
“How many weeks are you pregnant now?” their mother asked.
“Twenty-four.” Nina blushed. “I’m over halfway there. Doesn’t it seem like I should be bigger, or something?”
“It happens quickly enough,” Sandra said. “Trust me. You’ll be huge by the time this baby is born.”
Looking at her sister, Kaitlyn couldn’t imagine that huge state, but then Nina probably couldn’t, either. Her sister and mom talked about pregnancy and all the feelings that went with it, and as Kaitlyn listened in silence, her mind kept going back to the cowboy her sister had left behind.
He’d fired her the day before, and Kaitlyn hadn’t told anyone yet. Part of her was wondering if Brody would change his mind with a day on his own...and perhaps she was hoping he would. She was a glutton for punishment, apparently, because after that kiss, things would never just settle back to normal. She’d be smart to accept things as they were and move on.
“Mom said you’ve been taking care of Brody,” Nina said, turning toward her. “How’s he doing?”
Kaitlyn wasn’t sure how to answer that. Brody was different, wounded. He wasn’t the same guy who left, and Nina’s betrayal mixed with his personal pain in a way she couldn’t quite unwind. But how he was seemed almost too personal to chitchat about.
“He’s recovering,” she said simply.
“Is he mad?” Nina winced. “I don’t blame him if he is.”
“No,” Kaitlyn said after a moment. “He isn’t mad. He’s...dealing with a lot right now, I guess.”
“That’s a relief.” Nina reached for another muffin. “Because Brian is going to head over there and talk to him.”
Kaitlyn blinked. Brian was going to waltz on over and surprise Brody with a little visit? If Brian was expecting to find a frail, wounded man, he’d have a surprise of his own. And she highly doubted that Brody was going to feel very welcoming of the buddy who’d betrayed him while he was off fighting.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Kaitlyn asked.
“They’re men.” Nina shrugged. “They’ll sort it all out.”
Nina had always had a deep faith in all things masculine. Men bent to her will and their testosterone worked in ways that made perfect sense to her. All the same, Nina looked nervously toward the window, as if she could see the Mason ranch five miles away.
“But Brody will be at the birthday party, right?” Nina said, turning back to Kaitlyn. “He’ll see me pregnant, and he’ll see Brian and he’ll understand. It’ll be a bit awkward, but I think it would help. Don’t you?”
In that moment, looking at her sister’s beautiful, hopeful, naive face, all of that anger she’d been sorting out and pushing down these last couple of weeks came bubbling up to the surface. Did Nina really believe that her beautiful, pregnant self was the balm for all of Brody’s pain? Kaitlyn had wanted him to come so he wouldn’t be alone, left out, isolated. But to gaze upon Nina? What made Nina think she still wielded that kind of power over him?
“Seriously?” Kaitlyn’s voice shook as she tried to control her emotions. “Nina, do you know what you did to him? He came home with his leg torn to shreds and a prescription for painkillers, and he found out that his fiancée was married to his best friend. Then you hit him with the fact that you’re pregnant!”
“That is not my fault,” Nina retorted. “I’m not the one who wanted to hide it. I wanted to be up front about all of this from the beginning, but you all insisted that I keep my mouth shut!”
“So honest and virtuous.” Kaitlyn couldn’t help the drip of sarcasm. “You promised to marry him, and then cheated on him with his best friend.”
“It wasn’t like that.” Tears choked off Nina’s voice. “Brian and I—”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Kaitlyn scraped back her chair and stood. “Just don’t think you’re any expert on Brody Mason anymore. He’s a different man now, and you crushed him. So carry on with your life, but don’t think you can just smooth things over with a bat of your lashes.”
“You little bi—” her sister started, but the word dried on her tongue as Kaitlyn met her gaze archly.
“Am I?” Kaitlyn asked blandly. “Because here’s the sorry news for you, Nina. You’re pregnant now. And married. You’re officially boring and off the market. All those single men who fell over themselves to be near you? That’s over. Because even if you don’t, they’ve got some moral scruples.”
Kaitlyn strode from the room, her sister’s indignant voice following her as she headed for the door. She didn’t know where she was going. Maybe she’d take a lesson from Brody and go for a ride.
She was angry—so angry she was shaking—and yet underneath that anger, she knew she was hurt. It wasn’t only that her sister had broken Brody’s heart, it was that she feared her sister was right, and that Nina would actually be able to mollify Brody with her charm and radiant beauty.
Brody had kissed Kaitlyn, and the memory of his lips on hers, his hands tugging her closer, closer, seared through her. She’d pulled back from that kiss for the same reason she was running from the house now...her sister held all the power when it came to Brody Mason’s heart, and while that wasn’t any surprise, and while she’d thought she’d prepared herself for it, it still stabbed.
Nina was married now, and pregnant. She had it all—a family of her own. And while Kaitlyn couldn’t ever betray the depth of her feelings—although she hadn’t exactly hidden it with her outburst in the kitchen—she longed to tell her sister to keep her hands off Brody Mason. He wasn’t Nina’s anymore.
Except Kaitlyn didn’t have the right to do that. Brody wasn’t hers, either—and he never had been.
* * *
BRODY LIMPED ACROSS the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. It had been a long day without Kaitlyn. His parents had gone to town for a few errands, and his sister didn’t live here anymore, as strange as that still felt. That left Brody on his own.
He’d gone out for a short ride, but it hadn’t been as soothing as he’d hoped. His mind was spinning. With Kaitlyn here every day, life in Hope seemed like a possibility, even if he hadn’t been ready to commit to it. Why she should be the glue for that plan, he had no idea. She was right that she was his nurse, and her presence on the Mason ranch had only been a temporary arrangement. He’d never asked her what her plans were for the future, and while she had more holding her here than he did, she was a free agent with her life ahead of her. And she knew she deserved better than him.
He hadn’t told anyone that he’d fired Kaitlyn yet. They’d pay her out anyway, so he figured he’d leave that conversation for another day. Still, it hadn’t been the same around here without Kaitlyn, and he missed her—even the way she effortlessly bossed him around.
“Get over it,” he muttered to himself. He’d let himself get attached, and it ticked him off because he knew better. She’d been part of the decept
ion, and she was Nina’s sister. He knew every single reason why he should have kept his emotional distance, but he’d still kissed her.
And that made him an idiot.
There was a tap on the door and Brody turned, half expecting it to be Kaitlyn. He’d apologize—whatever good that would do. But when he opened the door, he stood face-to-face with Brian Dickerson. Brian was smaller, slimmer, with mouse-brown hair that spiked up in the back. He wore the same old leather jacket, but his jeans looked new. Crisp. Brody’s mouth went dry, and he regarded the other man coldly until Brian shuffled his feet and looked down.
“Brian.” He couldn’t make his voice sound remotely welcoming. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey.” Brian cleared his throat. “Can I come in?”
Brody considered saying no for a moment but then stepped back. Brian looked uncomfortable enough as it was, and Brody had a bone to pick with him. He was in a foul mood today, so Brian’s timing was actually pretty good. If a man wanted to vent on someone, Brian was an ideal pick.
Brian looked almost frail next to Brody’s broader army physique. Brody turned his back on him and went to finish preparing his coffee. He could hear the other man’s boots shuffling on the kitchen floor.
“I guess we have some stuff to talk about,” Brian said, and Brody turned, pinning the smaller man with an icy glare.
“Do we?”
“I came to say that I’m sorry,” Brian said.
“Except you aren’t,” Brody retorted. “You’re married. You’re expecting a baby. You actually aren’t sorry at all. You got the girl, right?”
Brian was silent, which was answer enough.
“Here’s my problem,” Brody said. “You were my best friend, and when I went to fight for our country, you moved in on my fiancée behind my back. I have a problem with that.”
“I was in love with her,” Brian said, and his voice sounded so plaintive that Brody believed him. Not that it made up for his betrayal. “I fully intended to keep my distance.”
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