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Every time she thought that, she reminded herself that the man was a cowboy billionaire, and his family probably had standards for how they got married. She hadn’t attended Hunter and Molly’s wedding, but she’d sat through a dinner with Uncle Matt and Aunt Gloria as they told the story of how they started dating.
Apparently, Uncle Matt had told Gloria at Hunter’s wedding that he wanted to dance with her—and only her—that night. They’d been married in one of the fanciest locations in Denver, with hundreds of people in attendance, and Gerty wondered if she’d have to do that too.
She wasn’t great in heels or with putting on appearances, but her boyfriend was going to be the CEO of the largest corporation in the city. That came with certain responsibilities, and Gerty told herself she should probably schedule a time to talk to Molly. What she hoped the woman would tell her, Gerty couldn’t even guess at.
She already knew the challenges that came with a schedule like Mike’s. She wanted him, and therefore, she could deal with his schedule.
She stepped into the house and bent to get off her muddy boots, calling, “I’m back.”
“Good,” Mike said, and Gerty’s head jerked up. “I was just about to come looking for you.”
He wore jeans and a dark brown leather jacket, with a belt looped around his waist, and the sexiest cowboy hat in the world perched precisely on his head. He lifted a pan from the burner and turned toward her. “Eggs are done, and they’re terrible cold.”
That was when she noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt under his jacket. She could only stare at his chest, as it had been a while since she’d been to his cabin to help him get dressed. He hadn’t been lifting weights since his surgery, but the man still had muscles from the waist up that made Gerty swallow hard.
“You’re staring,” he whispered, and Gerty blinked out of her stupor. Somehow the man stood right in front of her now, a gentle yet knowing smile on his face.
“You’re not wearing a shirt,” she said.
“I needed your help this morning.”
Gerty regained her full awareness and cocked out her hip. “So you show up in a leather jacket—which is totally hot, by the way—and make breakfast?”
He grinned at her. “Yes, ma’am.” Mike put one hand on her hip and swayed with her while he kissed her in a thorough way that still left her wanting more.
“Where’s your shirt?” she whispered against his mouth.
“Somewhere around here.” He kissed her again, and Gerty slid her hands along his ribs to his back. The leather kept plenty of his body heat close to his skin, but her hands were cold from the work she’d done outside.
“You’re freezing.” He shivered, and that made Gerty giggle. She felt so girly and feminine around Mike, and she sighed as she looked up at him. The moment changed, but it also remained soft and meaningful.
“The eggs are going to be cold.”
He nodded, his grip on her body going nowhere. “One hundred percent cold.” He slid his hand along her hip and into his pocket. “I know you don’t like jewelry.”
Gerty’s pulse jumped at her. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”
He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “About your dislike of jewelry?”
She shook her head slowly, wishing God would just put the words she needed into her head, preferably in the right order too.Please, she prayed.
“About us getting engaged,” she said.
Mike let a blip of surprise slip across his face. “I wasn’t going to propose.”
“Ever?” she teased.
His smile was so sexy and so perfect, and Gerty wanted to kiss it away. As she did, she felt something hard in his hand as he pressed it against her back.
“You can’t just kiss me when you don’t want to talk,” he whispered, and his voice came out hoarse.
“It sort of works sometimes.”
“Not this time.” He stepped away and held up a necklace. “I know you don’t want to wear rings and bracelets and watches and all that. But what about something like this?”
The silver chain caught on the light in the kitchen, and Gerty admired the simple cowboy hat charm at the lowest point of it. “Is this—?”
“Can I just say it?” he asked, an edge in his voice.
