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Katrina bumped against him. “Come on. It will be fun. Lately we haven’t been spending a lot of time together—not like we used to.” She leaned forward to get a better look at his face. “Is this about Brianne?”
He reacted to that question more than she expected. His body tensed and his brows pulled together. “What are you even talking about?”
“Are you avoiding Brianne? Because it seems like you’re a little annoyed with her or something.” Then again, he might be crushing on her. That would explain why he was avoiding her to a degree.
But Simon had nearly kissed Katrina. Or had he? The memories of that night were getting increasingly cloudy.
Katrina set her focus out the window much like Simon had. “We used to be this trio—spending all our time together, you know?”
“Yeah,” he muttered, “but then you moved away. Brianne didn’t really spend that much time with me when you weren’t here. We only came back together when you got back in town.”
She stared at him sharply. “Really?” The strange sense of hope flared back to life in her chest as she studied his features. The muddled feelings she’d been fighting all week were clearing up. Simon could very well have feelings for her, and he was just too scared to do anything about it.
“I don’t think you realize that you’re the glue that holds our little group together.” Simon peeked at her, but only briefly. “Brianne and I don’t have a single thing in common. But we both love you.”
Her heart stammered.
Love?
Was he confessing his feelings right here, right now?
She blinked a few times, holding her breath for him to say something else that would confirm what he meant by that.
“I mean, how could we not? You guys are like my family and if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have anyone.”
Katrina exhaled slowly through pursed lips. She hadn’t realized she’d put her hands in her lap, and she was now clasping them so tightly they were losing all their coloring. They started to tingle, but they weren’t the part of her that hurt the most.
Her heart had been squeezed to the point she wasn’t sure it was even beating right. Simon had to have feelings for her. All this trying to figure him out was giving her whiplash.
The only issue was that if she was wrong, she’d be humiliated. That, on top of losing her job and being stuck in Rocky Ridge for she didn’t know how long, could be the end of her.
“Yeah,” she whispered, “I know what you mean. Sometimes I don’t feel like I fit in with my family. It’s like they were all born to be these great ranchers and cowboys, and I’m just…”
He shifted beside her but didn’t say anything. Her chest felt too tight—like she couldn’t get enough air.
Katrina sucked in sharply and offered him a wan smile. “I’m just a fish who doesn’t belong on land.”
“You belong here just as much as anyone else.” He placed a hand on her knee and she glanced down. The warmth from his touch was sending shockwaves through her body, telling her that it wasn’t just Simon who could be experiencing these feelings. She was very much invested, and if she wasn’t willing to admit it to herself, she was going to continue suffering.
It was too exhausting to have to deal with these sensations for so long.
She’d finally gotten up the courage to just tell him, to ask him what that other night was about, when he spoke first.
“Sure, I’ll go out. It’s a bonfire? Where’s it going to be?”
Her mouth fell open. “Really?”
A spark returned to his eyes—the optimistic guy who could lift her up whenever she found herself too far in the pit of despair. He nodded. “I wouldn’t have said so if I wasn’t prepared to go. Only, there has to be one condition.”
“You name it.”
His grin widened. “I’m not coming if we’re all going to couple up. I don’t want to be set up with anyone. If you can make sure Brianne doesn’t turn this into a double date or whatever, then I’ll be there.”
“Just a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls getting together to throw stuff into a giant fire.”
His smile warmed her more than his touch had. Their eyes locked again for a few moments before she blinked and looked away. Now wasn’t the time to bring up that kiss. But if he showed any additional signs that he had feelings for her, she wouldn’t let him just ignore it.
For now, if he wasn’t commenting on it, she wasn’t going to push the issue. There had to be a good reason for him to avoid the conversation. And she would let him take the lead.
