She stretched to capacity and gripped the edge of the bowl. The heavy bowl made an uncontrolled dive off the shelf into her hand, flipping before she caught it with the other. In her clumsy attempt to catch it, she teetered for a moment before regaining her balance.
"Careful there," a deep voice commanded Her concentration during the balancing act had been so focused that she hadn't seen Alex enter the kitchen. Her face felt warm again. How much of their conversation had he heard, and what did he think about finding her on the counter.
She glanced down at him and felt her face flush. In his absence, Alex had changed into clothes more suitable for farm work. Until that moment, she would have sworn he couldn't look better. But the indigo jeans hugged his lean hips in a tantalizing way and outlined the long muscles in his thighs. A western cut shirt made the most of his broad shoulders. As his square toed western boots clicked across the floor, a large belt buckle traced the graceful swing of his stride. Strong warm hands gripped her arm, guiding her down to the chair. He threw a stern look at Katie.
"Couldn't you get that for her?"
Katie's brows shot up. "For starters, she didn't ask." She eyed the bowl skeptically. "And I didn't think we needed serving bowls. We don't normally use them."
Carmen climbed off the chair and squirmed out of his lingering grip on her arm. She cast Alex a scorching look. "If I had needed help, I would have asked for it." Her unfriendly gaze shifted to Katie. "And this is a special occasion."
Katie's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes grew large. "Oh, I forgot. It's your birthday."
Carmen's face flamed. "I wasn't talking about my stupid birthday. I was talking about having your brother as a guest for lunch . . . and you know it."
Katie glanced at Alex and laughed. "The old spinster is in a bad mood today."
Alex dragged the chair to the table and held it for Carmen. "Twenty five, I hear. That's a tough age. Old enough to think you should have accumulated more by now, and young enough to feel challenged to do something about it while you have the time. Been there - done that."
If he hadn't been so accurate, it might have been amusing. She had planned to be married by now and starting a family, but the prospect was looking farther away with each day she and Josh avoided each other. Normally it was Josh who showered her with wisdom, and it was somehow unseemly for this newcomer to take up where Josh had left off. She left the bowl on the cabinet and settled into the chair, treating Alex to a wry smile.