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CHAPTERONE
If this wasn’t rockbottom, Katrina didn’t know what was.
Everything in her life had been leading to one singular moment, and she’d lost. Now she was empty and exhausted with nothing to show for it.
What was someone in her position supposed to do when a dream was snatched right out from under her?
She sat cross-legged on her bed, clad in sweats and a tank top with her computer in her lap. The words on the screen blurred together.
The worst part was that she couldn’t share just how depressed she was with anyone because no one understood. All four of her brothers had found their happiness—but that wasn’t a surprise. They knew who they were and where they belonged.
Without her job in California, she felt lost.
That cold sensation of feeling like a complete failure was a constant companion. It wouldn’t even leave for the few minutes a day she was forced to interact with people who had her best interests at heart.
Another condolence email filled her computer screen, informing her the company she’d sent her resumé to had decided to go in another direction. So another second interview that would never happen. Awsome.
She picked up the laptop and shoved it to the side, throwing herself back against the pillows and heaving a groan. If she couldn’t even get a second interview with a company she was a perfect fit for, how was she going to find a way out of this forsaken town?
Rocky Ridge was great… forsomepeople. But it wasn’t meant for her.
Katrina loved her family and friends. Moving away from them had been the hardest part about wanting to leave the small town. But the undeniable truth was that she needed something more than this place had to offer.
It just appeared no one needed her.
She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and took a deep breath. No more tears. She refused to cry over this again. At this point, she’d been going through the motions for the sake of her family. She’d helped her brothers with the day-to-day ranch stuff, and she’d babysat her niece a couple of times. But none of it felt…right.
How could they expect her to come home from fast-paced jobs in New York and California where everything was bustling to a place like Rocky Ridge, where time moved slower than a turtle crossing the road?
Katrina leaned over, placing her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. If she didn’t find a new job soon, she was going to end up stuck in this tiny cowboy town with nothing to show for it.
A soft knock at the door drew her attention, causing her to lift her head right as it opened. In breezed Brianne with a grin on her face.
“Good news,” she sang. “Jackson said he’s willing to try again.” Her splash of pink hair helped her stand out from the rest of the folks who lived in the more reserved community. She perched on the edge of Katrina’s bed, pulling her legs beneath her, and glanced toward the door with her bright blue eyes. “Simon thinks you should do it, right, Simon?”
Katrina shifted her focus from one friend to the other. Simon stood in the doorway, almost the complete opposite of Brianne. He had dark brown hair and dark green eyes, and he was considerably more reserved in his looks.
Simon was one of the most optimistic people she’d ever met. There wasn’t a bad experience he couldn’t find a silver lining to. At times, his sunny disposition was unbearable—especially when Katrina wanted to wallow. But she had nothing to wallow about when it came to the circumstances of her life compared to his.
Simon leaned his broad shoulder against the doorjamb and crossed his arms, staring at her from beneath a worn cowboy hat. He gave her a crooked smile but didn’t confirm what Brianne had said. In moments like this, Katrina could appreciate his strong, silent personality. The last thing she needed was for Simon to guilt her into doing what was probably the right thing to do—and at the same time the one thing she had no intention of doing.
“I don’t care if Jackson Duncan wants to take me on a date. I’m not going.”
“Not like that you’re not.” Brianne gestured toward the sweats and the messy bun atop Katrina’s head. “I don’t even think Simon would take you out looking like that… and we both knowhe’snot picky.”
“Brianne!” Katrina gasped. “Be nice.” She mouthed the word “sorry” to Simon, who shrugged.
Brianne snickered. “Relax. He knows I’m joking. If anyone here has a history of being picky, it’s probably Simon. I don’t remember the last time he went on a date.” She shot one more look toward Simon and tilted her head. Her nose scrunched as if to show just how hard she was thinking about this particular situation. “Whenwasthe last time you went on a date, Simon?”
His gaze flitted to Katrina and back to Brianne. “I don’t know. Last month?”
Brianne snorted. “If that were the case, I would have heard about it. You know my mother hears everything that goes on in this town. I can’t remember, and clearly neither can you. Maybe we need to set you up on a date, too.”
Katrina had to hold back a laugh that threatened to bubble up from her chest. It both hurt and felt amazing to finally find something to laugh about. She put a hand to her chest and grimaced.
“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts to laugh so hard.” She found Simon’s eyes. “Don’t worry, neither one of us has to go on a date with anyone. Relationships aren’t the only thing that brings us purpose.”
The look in his eyes caught her off guard. If she were reading into things, she would have thought he was hiding something from her. A secret girlfriend? No, Simon wouldn’t keep something like that from them. Besides, he wasn’t all that great at hiding things. One small grin and she knew he had something to tell her.
