AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She didn’t just say that.
Did she?
Katrina was warming up to the idea of being with a cowboy.
Simon was a cowboy.
Well, he was one now. And Katrina wasn’t dating Jackson. Simon still had a shot with her. If he could get her alone sometime tonight, he might have a second chance.
Katrina reached up and stole the hat from his head, placing it on her own. “What do you think, guys? Would I make a good farmer’s wife?” She winked at Brianne, who let out another whoop.
“You know it!”
They both laughed and Katrina pulled his hat off to hand it to him. He shook his head. “It suits you better than it suits me.”
It almost looked like she was trying to hide her smile. Her eyes bounced up to meet his briefly as she returned the hat to her head. “Thanks.”
CHAPTERNINE
When most ofthe guests had taken off and it was only Simon, Brianne, Katrina, and her brothers remaining, they started to clean up. There wasn’t much in the way of trash, thankfully, as the folks around here did a good job at aiming for the garbage cans.
Brianne was the first to head out after most of the area was picked up. Then Wade and Bo took the garbage bins back to the house. Finally, the only ones left were Simon and Katrina.
They wandered toward the house, their steps slow and measured. Simon was unusually quiet, but she wasn’t going to put up with that. Katrina glanced toward him, taking the hat from her head and offering it to him again.
“It was fun to wear for the night, but I’m guessing you’re going to need it back.”
Simon shook his head. “I don’t need it. I’ve got a couple more.” He took the hat from her hands and placed it on her head again. “Besides, I wasn’t lying when I said that you look better in it than I do.”
She smiled, striking a pose. “Like this?”
He chuckled, and she could see that happy guy she knew beneath it all.
“I’m really glad you came tonight. I didn’t realize how busy it was going to be. I can’t believe Brianne knows so many people.”
“Parties like this one might start off with everyone being invited by someone you know, but then it grows. I would wager that several people here tonight invited their friends. You’re just lucky the folks you started with were respectable people and this one didn’t get out of hand.”
“You’re probably right.” She made a face. “Can you imagine how Bo would have reacted if this party had gone off the rails? I still can’t believe he was on board with this. Though it does make sense he’d stick around ‘til the end.”
The conversation was so awkward. She wanted to discuss so much more than the party. At this point, she would have loved it if he confessed that he wanted to take her out. After spending more time with Jackson, she’d realized that he simply wasn’t boyfriend material. He was fun to hang out with, but he wasn’t Simon.
Her heart hammered as she glanced up at her best friend. Something that should have been so easy to talk about was probably the hardest thing she would ever have to bring up. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to do just that when he cut her off.
“I saw you talking to Jackson.”
Katrina’s breath caught in her throat and she started coughing. It took her a moment to settle before she could finally find her voice and even then, it was more of a wheeze. “You did?”
“Yeah. Seems he’s getting on your good side, huh? I’d bet Brianne is excited about that.”
“Why would she be?” Her thoughts immediately went to the cowboy she’d been chatting up earlier in the evening. Had Simon seen that, too? Was he under the assumption that his two friends were conspiring to find men they could date together?
A chill ran down her spine. If he thought she wasn’t interested, that would explain why he wasn’t speaking up.
“Because she wants to be the one to help you find the guy you’re meant to marry.” He said it simply enough, but there was a weight to his voice that threw her off. It almost sounded like he wanted to be the one to help her through what she’d been dealing with.
Katrina stopped and placed a hand on his forearm. “I want you to know that whatever happens, I’m indebted to you.”
His expression didn’t change. He studied her with the kind of gaze that could drill deep into her soul and read her thoughts, making it hard for her to maintain eye contact.
