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If his eyes weren’t already bugging out of his head, they were now. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh yes, I would. She hasn’t found a new job yet, and she’s actually asking for my help to go out with someone else. You’re helping me with this one or I’m telling.”
“Now you just sound like you want to punish me.”
She shrugged and her smile widened. “Maybe you deserve it.”
Simon crossed his arms and took a step back. For the first time since Katrina had come back to town, he was putting his foot down. Brianne couldn’t boss him around and he wasn’t going to be the one to actually ruin his friendship with the one girl he’d always cared for. “Do what you’re going to do. I’m not going to be your puppet.”
This time, her mouth fell open. “Seriously?” She threw back her head and groaned again. “What is wrong with you?” When her angry eyes found his, they were narrowed into slits. “Do you love her?”
“Of course I do.”
“No, I mean do youreallylove her? Like, when you look into a crystal ball and visualize your future, is Katrina the woman you see yourself with?”
The answer was on his lips before he had a chance to rein it in. “Yes.”
“Then stop dragging your feet anddosomething about it. You’ve never been one to shy away from anything. You jumped in on this ranch thing, didn’t you? I bet you didn’t even think twice about it when you got the call.”
“So?”
“So,” she drawled, “if you knew for certain that Katrina feels the same way about you that you feel about her, would you ask her out?”
“Yes,” he muttered, hating the way Brianne was starting to make a great deal of sense.
“Then be at The Steer House tomorrow night at five sharp. Tell Katrina how you feel and don’t leave until you get your answers.” She spun on her heels and headed back for her car. She stopped before ducking inside. “It’s funny, you know?”
“What?”
“I’ve seen you go on dates with girls. In high school, you never had any issues asking them out. You had all the confidence in the world. Now that I know you like her, everything makes more sense.”
Simon sighed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“People hesitate more when they’re scared of losing something. I don’t think I’ve ever seenyouscared of losing anything.”
“I feel like you’re trying to make a point here.”
She shrugged. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that Katrina is the one thing you care about most.” Brianne waited for a moment as if expecting him to respond. He didn’t have anything he could say to that statement—mostly because he’d never considered it before.
Finally, she climbed in her car, shut the door, and drove away.
She was absolutely right.
If there was one thing in his life he would be devastated to lose, it wouldn’t be his farm, it wouldn’t be his home, it wouldn’t even be his own life.
It was Katrina.
And that was why he couldn’t wait until tomorrow night to see her.
CHAPTERELEVEN
This wasthe right thing to do.
That was what Katrina kept telling herself as she sat on the edge of her bed, lacking the energy to get ready for bed. She stared off at the corner of her room, feeling sorry for herself and hating that she’d come to this point of her life again.
Why couldn’t she be like Simon? He had a natural way of being able to find joy in the simplest of things. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Lately, he wasn’t as happy as he used to be. That could be due to the stress of his new career path, or it could be the issues he might have been having with Brianne.
As if just the thought of her friend was enough to summon her, she got a call. Katrina stared at the screen as her friend’s name scrolled across the top. She didn’t want to hear that Brianne had already found someone for her to go out with. Did she have someone in her back pocket waiting for this exact situation or something?
