Alice Sweet actually laughed. “Hate to break it to you, but you don’t weigh near as much as a steer. Now those suckers reallydo damage when they slam you against the fence, or God forbid, stomp on your feet.”
“No ma’am. I don’t believe I do.” Relief made breathing easier, though he still felt ten times the fool for having forgotten not to move so fast and falling on these nice ladies.
“I guess I should ask.” Alice eyed him from head to toe. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll be better when my inner ear stops throwing me off balance. I really am sorry.”
“Nonsense. Like I said, I’ve had worse happen to me.”
His gaze shifted to the other woman he’d fallen into. “I do apologize.”
“Not your fault. Besides, every woman dreams of being swept off her feet some day.” The pretty blonde smiled. “This just wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind.”
So the woman had a good sense of humor. Thank heaven. He was embarrassed enough. It would only have been a hundred times worse if he’d actually hurt anyone, or if this woman had thrown a fit. Instead, for the first time since the explosion, he actually felt like smiling back. “I’ll try and do better next time.”
The lovely shade of pink that tinged her cheeks broadened his smile.
“I should probably introduce you two officially.” Alice waved from him to the blonde. “Katie Lawford, Jackie’s maid of honor and longtime friend, this is Josh Coleman, Kade’s longtime buddy.”
Katie extended her hand to him. “Nice to meet you.”
As long as he didn’t move his head too fast, all was well with the world, especially with a sight like Katie Lawford. “The pleasure is all mine.”
“Okay.” Alice slapped her hands together. “Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let’s get you settled into the guest suite and then we’ll work on feeding you.”
The women all turned and made their way to the kitchen, but Kade lingered a moment, placing his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “You all right, man?”
“You mean other than embarrassed to no end? Fed up with losing my balance so easily? Refusing to consider that this may be my lot for the rest of my life? I’m fine, thanks for asking.”
Kade’s brows shot up high, creasing his forehead before settling back to their designated place over his eyes. “Well, as long as you’re good.” He slapped Josh on the back and forced a smile.
“Sorry. I told myself I wouldn’t throw a self-pity party.”
“Everyone’s allowed to blow off steam. Let’s follow the ladies. Whatever Mom’s cooking is bound to make you feel better.”
Walking slower than he wanted to, by the time he’d made it into the kitchen, Kade had jaunted back to the car, retrieved their bags, and walked past him into the kitchen and down a side hall.
“You go ahead and follow Kade. I’ll have a warm plate for you in a few minutes.”
Josh came within seconds of nodding when he remembered that would not be a good idea. Not unless he wanted to do a face plant in the kitchen. Instead, he smiled and proceeded down the hall. The setup was rather simple. A large open space to the right and another to the left. Next room on the left was clearly intended to be a small kitchen area. Cabinets and appliances had yet to be installed, but he recognized the placements for pipes. At the end of the hall was the last room. This room was finished. The walls were painted a warm buttery beige, the trim a not too bright white. A queen bed with small dressers at either side faced a large screen TV on the opposite wall. Beside the table and nightstand was a comfortable leather recliner with a view out the window facing a large expanse of Sweet land. Not a badway to wake up in the morning. At the foot of the bed was a large upholstered bench with his travel bag resting on top.
“Bathroom is this way.” Kade pointed to the doorway. “The family rushed to get this part habitable.”
“For me?” That didn’t sit well, putting the family out to cater to his health issues.
“Not exactly.”
“What exactly?”
“Mom wanted it ready for Katie, but then I said we were coming and she shifted the bedspreads to be more suitable for a male guest.”
His gaze wandered back to the bed. He hadn’t even noticed that it was a deep chocolate brown with tan Euro pillows perfect for reading that matched the recliner, and a couple of blue smaller pillows for a pop of color. Definitely not a girly bedroom décor. “So, what you’re saying is I kicked her out?”
Kade shook his head. “She never moved in. She only arrived last night and Mom put her in Jillian’s old room.” Before Josh could say a word, Kade kept talking. “And stop frowning. Jillian’s room is very nice. I’m sure Katie is perfectly comfortable. Besides, the last time she visited for Garret and Jackie’s wedding, she stayed upstairs and didn’t have a single complaint. I don’t think she even knew that the guest annex was being built.”
All right. Maybe he hadn’t put the pretty blonde out on the street. So why did he feel like he’d just stolen candy from a baby?
It took everything in Katie not to keep looking over her shoulder for Kade’s friend. There was something about that man that felt irresistibly magnetic. It occurred to her that not having a man pressed up against her, even by accident, in a very long timemight have something to do with her keen interest, but the truth was, had Kade been the one to fall on top of her, she would be laughing it off right now.
