Page 42 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

Ford finally glanced at me, those blue eyes latching on mine as the flush receded and he sighed heavily. “I’m fine, okay? I was in PT for years. Well, it felt like years. The point is that I know what to expect and I took a painkiller this morning. So again, I’m fine. This isn’t a big deal. You really didn’t need to come over.”

I looked at his sharp profile, that hardened jaw and the tense set of his shoulders. For the first time, it occurred to me that he really had been through a lot worse than this, but it didn’t look like he was used to having people take care of him. Pain was a familiar old friend but nurturing felt foreign.

“I know I didn’t need to do it, but I wanted to. Honestly, there’s no place else I’d rather be. It’s okay to let people care about you when you’re hurt, Ford. Did you know that?”

“No.”

It took me a fraction of a second to realize that he was serious, but he also looked pretty serious about not wanting to talk, so I kept my mouth shut and just ate with him. The silence that fell between us wasn’t awkward at all, more companionable than anything else, and when I was done, I took both our plates to the kitchen and washed up.

All without saying another word.

“I’m going to take Rook for a walk around the neighborhood,” I said when I rejoined him in the living room. “Is that okay with you? You’re not going to come hobbling out after me?”

He jerked his chin toward the door and I smiled when Rook jumped up, already trotting toward the foyer. Resigning myself to living with mostly silence while I was here, I went to join the dog, laughing when he bounded out as soon as I opened the door.

I made sure to pull it shut behind me. One of the reasons why I wanted to take a walk in this neighborhood was to look for inspiration for the designs for Heritage House. I hadn’t yet told him that Eliza wanted to hire me as the interior designer on the project. Another pang of worry zapped through me as I wondered how he was going to take it.

I imagined he wasn’t going to be particularly happy. Ben had flat out laughed at me when I’d mentioned the possibility of going back to school. It had been shortly before our breakup and he’d told me it was ridiculous to want to pursue a new career at almost thirty.

Feeling myself fading a little as I thought about it, I refocused on Rook’s excitement, the way he was darting from lamppost to hedge, sniffing before doubling back to come and check on me. A group of older women at the end of the street, a cul-de-sac with the grassy area in the center and a gazebo, stopped talking as they noticed Rook.

They clearly knew him, one of the women calling him over by name. She eyed me warily as I grew closer. “Who are you? This is Ford Callahan’s dog.”

“Yeah, I know. Ford’s my friend and he’s hurt, so I’ll be around for a while.” I dropped into conversation with them without skipping a beat, but I didn’t miss the flashes of surprise on their faces when I’d explained what I was doing there.

They invited me to join them and immediately went back to what they’d been talking about before they’d seen Rook. “We should announce who won best yard of the year at the summer block party. The separate barbecue for the announcement didn’t work out last year.”

Ford had a very nice house and property, but it soon became obvious to me that his expertise was spent on his projects, not his own home, yard, or neighbors. One of the women, Anita, sighed as she looked at me.

“Do you think you could encourage him to attend the block party this year, dear? We always invite him, but he never comes.”

“I’ll make him be there,” I promised, even though I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy feat. Would it be wrong to trick him into attending? I had to think about it.

Still, it would be good for him to get out and make some friends. Especially with his neighbors, all of whom seemed like desperately nice people to me.

I chatted to them for a while before practically bounding back to his house to tell him the good news. Ford was still on the couch where I’d left him, and he listened to me go on and on about the party, smiling lightly to himself.

“What?” I asked finally, slightly exasperated about his apparent amusement. “You should be excited that they’re still willing to have you after you’ve stood them up so many times.”

“I haven’t stood them up. That implies that I said I would be there, which I never have.” Those usually haunted eyes twinkled with laughter he seemed to be struggling to hold back. “I hate to break it to you, but those women are horrible gossips who occasionally stand outside my house and whisper about me. I’m not going to that party.”

Determined to show him that he could be likeable, I stood my ground—proverbially—but strode over to the window to pull his curtains back. “It’s midday. Let’s get some sunshine in here. You know what else we should do? Redesign your interior and mow your lawn. You could be a great asset to this community, Ford. You just have to let them get to know you.”

I didn’t notice the soft way he was looking at me until I turned, hands on my hips to show him I meant business about this. I nearly missed it before he looked away too, but I caught it just before it disappeared and I smiled.

It wasn’t an agreement that he would attend the party, but it wasn’t nothing either. Coming from him, softness was like somebody else shouting from the rooftops, so I was marking a check in the success column.

It was about time someone coaxed this man out of his shell. He could be happy. I knew it. Now I just had to convince him that it was true.

22

FORD

Ishowed up to my physical therapy appointment with Rook in tow. The therapist slammed on the brakes when he came to open the door to his practice for me and saw my dog. The guy gave me an apologetic smile, suddenly no longer moving to let us in.

“I’m so sorry, but I’m deathly allergic to dogs. I’m afraid he’s going to have to wait outside.” He glanced at Rook, seeming pained as he let out a deep sigh. “I would’ve loved to let you in, buddy. Really. This hurts me too.”

“Can I move my appointment to this afternoon?” My gut clenched with frustration, but I hadn’t mentioned a service animal and the guy hadn’t asked, which meant neither of us had been prepared for this. “I’m going to have to find someone to watch him or drop him off at home.”