Page 5 of A Tempting Seduction

“I'm fine,” I managed, my voice rougher than it should have been. “Just wounded pride.”

Renzo's laughter boomed from somewhere above us. “Oh, this is priceless. Ford Larson, ladies and gentlemen, brought down by a dog the size of a hamster.”

“Get up slowly,” Ruby instructed, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. The touch sent electricity straight through my work shirt. “Sometimes adrenaline masks injuries.”

I sat up carefully. “I really am fine,” I insisted, but Ruby was having none of it.

“No arguments. You're lying down on that couch over there, until I'm satisfied you don't have any real injury we should be concerned about.” She pointed toward the emerald-green velvet sofa.

“Ruby, I appreciate the concern, but⁠—”

“Couch. Now.”

The authority in her voice didn’t allow for disagreement. Every customer in the place watched with obvious amusement as I hauled myself to my feet and trudged toward the indicated furniture like a scolded child.

The couch was soft, and Ruby fluffed a throw pillow then placed it behind my head.

“I'll get my coffee and check on you in a minute,” Renzo said, still grinning like an idiot. “I can see you're in excellent hands.” I glared at him, then turned my attention back to Ruby.

She perched on the edge of the coffee table, close enough that I could see the gold flecks in her green eyes.

“The machine's making that grinding noise again,” Jordan called from behind the counter. “And Mrs. Peterson wants extra foam, but the steamer's not cooperating.”

Ruby muttered something under her breath that sounded distinctly uncomplimentary about Jordan's mechanical abilities, then turned back to me and smiled.

“So,” I said, finally remembering how to form complete sentences. “You're Ruby Miller.”

“Guilty as charged.” That dimple appeared again. “And you're Ford Larson, Carrie's brother. She talks about you all the time.”

“How’d you know it’s me?”

“I’ve seen your picture at her house.”

“Are you over there much?”

“I’ve been known to babysit for her once in a while.”

“That's either very brave or slightly insane.”

Ruby laughed. “A bit of both. Your oldest nephew convinced the other three that they could build a rocket ship out of couch cushions and fly to the moon. I found all four of them standing on your sister's kitchen table with a bottle of cooking spray, claiming it was rocket fuel.”

“Dear God. What did you do?”

“Told them rocket ships needed proper landing gear, and since they didn’t have it, we spent the afternoon building a blanket moon base instead.” She grinned. “The ten-year-old wanted to charge his brothers and sister admission to the base, claiming he did most of the work, but I convinced him that astronauts share their discoveries with humanity.”

“Smart thinking. Though with those four, bribery usually works better. A couple of dollars and they'll behave like angels.”

“Where's the fun in that?” Ruby's eyes danced with humor. “Besides, Cleo informed me that angels are boring, and she'd rather be a dragon. I love the imagination of a five-year-old.”

I found myself laughing despite still feeling like an idiot for my spectacular fall. “That sounds like my Cleo. She's got strong opinions about everything.”

“Wonder where she gets that from,” Ruby said dryly.

“She gets it from Carrie. Definitely from Carrie.” We both laughed.

“I should probably get back to work,” Ruby said, starting to rise.

“Wait.” I pressed a hand to my forehead dramatically. “I think I might have a concussion. I probably shouldn't be left alone.”