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Simon pushed open the door but didn’t see Katrina anywhere. He ducked his head farther into the living room. She wasn’t there. “Katrina?”
There was a softthunksomewhere in the house, but he couldn’t place it.
“Katrina? Where are you?”
“One sec!”
Her muffled voice came from the opposite side of the house. He kicked off his boots and glanced down one last time at the folder he held in his hands before moving in the direction where he thought she might be.
There were more thuds, and shuffling, then a door closed and Katrina materialized around a corner. She was breathing heavily, and a strand of hair had come loose from the messy bun on her head. A smudge of paint was on her cheek, probably from touching up something in the living room. But it was the excited grin on her face that made him pause.
She was absolutely breathtaking. Even in overalls and a white tank top, this woman would always be beautiful to him.
One side of his mouth lifted in a curious smile. “Whatcha doing back there?”
He leaned forward. The only rooms on this side of the house were his bedroom, a bathroom for guests, and an oversized storage closet.
He quirked one brow upward as he brought his eyes to meet hers. “Because I distinctly remember telling you that I didn’t want you to do anything to my room.”
Just by the way she bit on her lower lip and looked away, he knew what had happened. And he wasn’t even upset about it. She was clearly so happy with what she’d done, he couldn’t take that away from her.
“Okay, so I may have gone a little crazy…” Katrina laughed. “But I think you’re going to love it. And then I have to tell you something.” She grabbed onto the hand that wasn’t holding the folder and pulled him toward his door. “You have to keep in mind I couldn’t do much with your furniture all in here. So I didn’t paint it, and I couldn’t change the flooring. But I redecorated it to match your… certain… flair.”
He chuckled. “Okay, then after that, I want to tell you something.”
“Deal.” She pushed open his door and swept her arms wide. “What do you think?”
His eyes scanned the room. New bedding, a different chair. An antique dresser and a new armoire. There was a rug on the floor next to his bed so his feet didn’t immediately touch the cool wood in the winter months. The color scheme really did seem to highlight that he was a country man who owned horses and cattle.
And it was perfect.
Simon’s gaze shifted to Katrina, who was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “What do you think?” she repeated.
He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side before pressing a kiss to her temple. “I think you outdid yourself.”
“Really? Because?—”
“It’s perfect, Katrina. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.” He turned to face her. “And it only makes what I’m going to say even sweeter.”
She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. If he didn’t tell her about his new business venture now, he might not ever have the nerve to do so.
“I’m doing it.”
Her mouth snapped shut and her brows creased with confusion.
“I got the licensing and the permits. I’m the proud owner of a horse training business.”
Katrina’s eyes widened and she let out a squeal. “That’s amazing! I knew you could do it! How long have you been planning this?”
He laughed. “I’ll give you all the details over dinner. But for now…” Simon took her hand in his and brushed his thumb over the back of it. “I wanted to talk about us. I know it seems like everything is still so new, but for me, it’s different. I knew from the moment we met that you’d be part of my future.”
She tugged on her hand, and mumbled, “Simon?—”
“And I know marriage isn’t something we’re quite ready for, but I needed you to know…”
“Simon, I have to tell you?—”
“…that you’re it for me. No matter what. I want us to be together. You’re a big part of who I am.” He lifted his eyes to her face, surprised to find her looking so upset. “What’s the?—”
