LITTLE BIT STRONGER | A COUNTRY ROMANCE

Chapter Seventeen

Having breakfast together became a tradition for Josh and Kate. They both worked a lot of hours but it was nice to start the day together. Some days he picked her up and others, they met at the cafe.

She looked forward to it more every day.

When she first started nursing, she'd worked four ten-hour days. Once she had Caleb, she went to a five-day week to make sure she was home with him.

Being alone without her son for half his life hadn't been part of her original plan but she was dealing with the ups and downs.

Josh's company made the weeks she didn't have Caleb a lot easier to handle. She was already addicted to what he brought to her life.

Five months after dancing with him at the Black Saddle, Kate knew she was in love with the good-looking rancher. He had more patience than any man she'd ever met.

If she was brutally honest with herself, she could admit she fell in love with him almost from the start. She'd denied it out of fear, shame, and self-doubt.

Going to the door of her apartment, she watched him walk toward her. "Good morning. You look gorgeous."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease. I haven't even brushed my hair, my teeth, or washed my face. I'm running behind today after a call from my mom."

He glanced down the length of her body, paused at her chest, and brought his gaze up again.

"Fuck...not wearing a bra. Give me five minutes to get dressed." Josh nodded in a daze. "Snap out of it. Just seriously average boobs."

She reached out, slipped her fingers around his wrist, and pulled him inside. "There's coffee in the kitchen. Go make yourself some and I'll finish pulling myself together."

"Kate?" She stopped on the way to her room. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Light and sweet. Feel free to bring it to the bathroom."

She raced into her closet and stripped out of the clothes she slept in. Since she showered the night before after a late run, she pulled on underwear and scrubs. Quickly putting on socks and shoes, she sat on the end of her bed and laced them up.

Lifting her top, she applied deodorant and smiled at Josh when he entered with a cup of coffee. He stared at her torso as she dropped the shirt in place.

Kate took a long sip and moaned happily. "Perfect."

"You're in amazing shape, Kate."

"I've always been a little too lean. Kyle's friends called me a carpenter's dream in high school." She shrugged. "Krista got all the curves but I don't mind." She leaned against the counter to drink her coffee. "I got the speed and stamina."

"There is nothing wrong with stamina. You're beautiful."

"I...thank you."

"You're welcome."

Finishing the delicious brew, she rinsed the cup. She ran a wide-toothed comb through her hair. Josh leaned against the doorframe and watched as she pulled it into a haphazard bun. It was important to control the curls while she was working.

She cleaned her face and rinsed it. He never looked away. She brushed her teeth, took a small bottle of sunscreen from a drawer, and applied it carefully to her face, neck, and arms.

There was a tube of clear Chapstick on the counter and Kate slipped it in her pocket. She turned and smiled. "There you have it. The end of my preparations."

Josh took her in from head to toe. "You don't need another thing, Kate."

She took in his worn cowboy boots, jeans, t-shirt, disheveled sun-lightened hair, and brown eyes that reminded her of toasted coconut.