“But I’m not … he’s not …” Breeze felt miserably stupid now. Seth was the farthest thing from spoiled and he had rescued her, but she wasn’t knocking him around. Did Luke mean knocked him down in the sense that he’d fallen for her? That couldn’t be what his brother meant. She bit at her lip, not sure how to respond.
Half a dozen women and an older gentleman holding a child were spilling out of the tall front door. Luckily, the men in the SUV got distracted, pushed their own doors open, and hurried out. Breeze slid out and stood by Ridge as Joshua, Isaac, and Luke all strode to hug the beautiful women who she assumed were their wives.
Breeze’s gaze zeroed in on the petite, dark-haired beauty Luke was hugging. She was perfect—beautiful, classy, confident, and obviously in love with her husband. It made Breeze feel like she was watching a movie to stare at them. “Mar,” she breathed.
“Who?” Ridge muttered.
Breeze shook her head, not ready to explain her obsession with the woman. She looked at Isaac’s gorgeous, tall, blonde wife and Joshua’s exquisite, dark-haired wife. There were also two other beautiful, dark-haired, blue-eyed women, who she thought were Seth’s sisters, in addition to his parents.
Seth put his hand on her lower back and bent down. “You ready to be inundated?”
No. Wait, did he say inundated or intimidated? Because she was definitely the latter. She put on a lie of a smile, dredging up some of that Idahoan pride that she’d dumped when she let him rescue her, and said, “Sure.”
He grinned and escorted her to the steps that led to the massive front porch. Caleb hung back and chatted with Ridge. She watched her brother visibly relax and was grateful Caleb hadn’t held a grudge about the lacrosse thing. Ridge needed an ally, and nobody could stay tense with the friendly Caleb close by. Well, maybe she could right now. What was happening? What was going to happen? She’d left her beat-up Mazda back at Flint’s cabin. She didn’t want to go back there, but she wanted to take Ridge and go home. Yet … she glanced up at Seth. She didn’t want to leave him yet. That was one thing she knew for certain.
They stopped in front of the small crowd that was his family.
“Everybody,” Seth called them to order and all the different conversations ceased. “This is Breeze Cain and her brother, Ridge.”
They all smiled broad greetings as Breeze and Ridge both shyly waved. Seth started from the right and worked his way left. “My sisters Rachel and Eve.”
Eve smiled serenely and lifted a hand in greeting.
Rachel stepped forward and gave her a hug then waved to Ridge, who was still hanging back with Caleb. “Nice to meet you both.”
Breeze had lost her tongue. That sweet hug had made her feel welcome and as if she were part of this family. She smiled in return.
“Joshua you met, and this is his fiancée Jade.”
So, one of them wasn’t married yet? She hoped she could remember all the names and details.
Jade had incredible green eyes that fit her name. She also hugged Breeze. “You’re way too pretty for Seth, but don’t tell him I said so,” she said in an undertone that Breeze suspected everyone heard.
Breeze blushed and wanted to tell her that Seth was way too pretty for Breeze but knew it wouldn’t come out right. She simply smiled at her, probably looking like the simpleton she was. Jade returned to Joshua.
“Luke’s wife, Mar,” Seth continued.
Mar followed Jade and Rachel’s example and bounced across the porch to meet them. She had on spike heels and a beautiful floral dress that danced around her knees as she walked. Breeze thought she was the most perfect woman she’d ever seen this side of a movie screen. Mar reached up and gave her a hug. Breeze humiliated herself by clinging. Mar smelled like the most incredible perfume. If a perfume could be alluring as well as sassy, this was it. Breeze just wanted to imitate everything about the woman, but, sadly, she couldn’t chop eight inches off her height. A sow couldn’t imitate an Arabian thoroughbred.
Mar didn’t seem surprised at all by Breeze’s lack of etiquette. She patted her back in a comforting manner and whispered, “It’s okay, sweet friend. You’re with good people now. It’ll all be okay.”
Mar pulled back but grasped Breeze’s hands. “We’re so glad you’re here.” She didn’t say it, but Breeze knew that Seth had shared with Mar the awful situation she’d been in. She should’ve been humiliated but somehow couldn’t feel that with Mar smiling at her so kindly, as if they were friends. She’d called her “sweet friend”. Breeze knew that Mar was just a charming woman being kind, but she felt like Mar really was her friend, like Mar could somehow understand the filth and darkness she’d escaped from recently and grown up with.
Mar stepped back and rejoined her husband.
“Isaac’s wife, Cosette,” Seth said.
Cosette also came forward and gave her a squeeze. She smelled like flowers and sunshine. Her long, blonde hair haloed her gorgeous face. “Bacon?” she asked.
Breeze froze. Oh, great. All of these perfect women smelled like flowers and expensive perfume and she smelled like bacon.
“You hungry, Cozy?” Seth teased.
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I smell bacon.”
“I cooked bacon this morning,” Breeze said.
The group tittered with laughter. Isaac came forward and gathered up his wife who smiled worshipfully at him. “Sorry,” Isaac said. “Cosette’s nose is infamous. She and Mar own a perfume company.”