The Cowboy's Valentine Bride

“No problem.” Kaitlyn stood back as the older woman pushed open the screen and slipped past her onto the step. The air outside was cold, and the snow had a thick crust over it.

“Your patient is already up, too,” Millie said with a smile. “You’ll see! Oh, and I didn’t get breakfast made, so...”

So it would be on Kaitlyn to feed Brody. That wasn’t a big deal. Unlike Nina, Kaitlyn knew how to cook. She waved to Millie, then stepped into the warmth inside. She started when she saw Brody standing at the fridge. He had only one crutch tucked under his arm, and he glanced back at her with a slightly smug look on his face.

“Look at you!” she exclaimed, pulling off her gloves and jacket. “How much is this hurting?”

“Like hell,” Brody said with a tight smile. “But it’s worth it. I’m making breakfast. What do you want?”

“I don’t want you landing in my breakfast,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll get it.”

“Have I shown off enough?” he asked, then hobbled toward the table and sank into a chair. He looked a little wan, the pain probably near unbearable levels, but he was trying—really trying—and she felt a wave of tenderness. The same old Brody. That was why it was so easy to fall for him. He was so strong and sweet, but with a core of steel. Brody never gave up—not once he was focused on something...or someone. Kaitlyn had never been lucky enough to garner his focus.

“Very impressive. Now stay down.” She opened the fridge, her gaze falling on a bowl of different-sized fresh eggs on the second shelf. They’d be from the Masons’ chickens out back. “How about eggs?”

“Sure.” Brody twisted around, his dark gaze following her as she moved about the kitchen. Heat rose in her face at his scrutiny.

“Have you taken any new pain meds this morning?” she asked by way of distracting him. “Keep in mind that I count the pills.”

Brody arched an eyebrow. “You think I’d lie to you?”

No, she didn’t. Brody had always been the honorable type, but pain medication addiction was relatively common for injuries this severe, and Brody’s pain wasn’t only physical. He’d been through the wringer since he got back—and she also felt more in control as the nurse than she did as the friend.

“Any new pain meds?” she repeated, shooting him a no-nonsense look.

“No, ma’am,” he replied with a teasing smile. “You’ve gotten bossier.”

If she didn’t look at him, if she just listened to the tone of his voice and the silly banter, it was possible to imagine that no time had passed, and that Brody was the same muscle-bound cowboy he’d always been.

“No, I haven’t.” She cracked four eggs into a bowl and started to whisk them together into a creamy froth. “I just have reason to focus it all on you. Aren’t you lucky?”

Brody rewarded her with a chuckle.

“Look, Brody, I felt a little bad about dumping that letter on you.”

“I read it.”

She glanced back to find his gaze still focused on her. He raised an eyebrow.

“Curious as to what she said?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

“Brian got her pregnant.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in, and when they did, Kaitlyn frowned. “What?”

“And she’s very sorry, and all that,” Brody said drily. “Awfully apologetic. And pregnant.”

Pregnant! That would explain the quick wedding. They’d all begged them to hold off and wait a little bit, but Nina wouldn’t hear of it. She was getting married immediately, and everyone had to scramble to try and keep the news as quiet as possible, and to call everyone who had any immediate knowledge to warn them from letting Brody know. If Nina had just waited, it would have been so much less complicated, but now she understood the pressure.

“Wow.” Kaitlyn shook her head slowly. “She didn’t tell me.”

“She said she hadn’t told anyone yet,” Brody said. “But I’m in no mood to keep secrets. There’ve been enough of those.”

“How far along is she?” Kaitlyn asked.

“She said she’s due in May.”

Kaitlyn did the mental math... Nina was five months pregnant? But then, she hadn’t seen her sister since the wedding.