His mouth was dry, his hands were sweaty, and he could barely breathe, but he couldn’t lose momentum now.
He took the box from her and opened it, dropping to one knee as he did so.
Sophia’s eyes widened and she let out a tiny squeal, clutching Mollie tightly.
He swallowed hard and forced his voice to work. “I love you, Sophia. I know we’ve only known each other for a few months, but you complete me. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the last thought every night before I fall asleep. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I promise to treasure you for the rest of our days. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
Sophia squealed again, then clapped her hand over her own mouth. “Sorry,” she said in a muffled voice.
Did that mean she accepted? His heart was beating impossibly fast.
The other goats appeared in the courtyard, causing a commotion at the stable door, and Sophia’s attention turned to them. “Did someone let all of them out?” she asked, staring at the goats.
“I’m still kneeling here,” Caspian pointed out. “Was that squeal supposed to be a yes?”
“Oh, no, I’m so sorry, yes,” Sophia exclaimed, putting Mollie down to throw her arms around his neck. Her exuberance was more forceful than he was prepared for, and they fell, toppling to the ground. “Oh, no,” Sophia said, struggling to sit up and doing her best to pull him with her. She began brushing dirt off his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get you dirty.”
Caspian sat up, wrapping his arm around her waist as she perched on his legs. “As long as it’s with you, I don’t mind getting a little dirty.”
One of the goats started nuzzling his shoulder and he shrugged, attempting to shake the goat off.
As long as they didn’t try to lick his hair, he’d be fine.
Sophia’s eyes widened. “Where’s the man who was afraid to walk through the goat pen?” she teased. “He’s the one I fell in love with.”
“He climbed onto the barn roof to save your baby goat and realized you were worth a little dirt and grime. After all, as you’ve reminded me more than once, baths exist.”
Sophia leaned forward, taking his face in her hands and planting a kiss on his lips. “I love you, Caspian Rendon.”
“I love you, too.” He brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind one ear. “You know that, right?”
“I do,” she said.
One of the baby goats attempted to chew on Sophia’s dark hair and he gently batted it away.
Sophia’s smile was dazzling, and he resisted the urge to lean down and kiss her again.
“Stop distracting me,” he said, shaking his head at her. “Let me get this ring on you before we lose it to one of the goats.”
Sophia laughed and gave him her hand. “It’s beautiful,” she said, staring down at the large emerald that he slipped onto her finger.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said. “I wrote to Rosaleen and asked if there were any rings that your mother had left behind, and she told me this was the ring your father proposed with. I thought you might like to wear it, too.”
Tears filled Sophia’s eyes and his widened. “No, don’t cry,” he said, reaching up to wipe away her tears. “This is supposed to be a good thing. If you don’t like it, I can get you one of your own.”
“They’re happy tears,” Sophia said, looking down at the ring on her finger and sniffling. “Thank you. You knew how much I would love this, even though I didn’t have a clue.”
Relief poured through him.
She’d said yes. She loved the ring. Nothing had gone wrong.
There was a slamming sound as the manor door opened and his sister burst into the courtyard, his parents following her. Kellan appeared in the stable doorway, looking very pleased with himself for playing his part. Hopkins turned around from where he’d been pretending not to eavesdrop while posted at the manor’s gate, and Cook’s smiling face appeared around the corner of the manor.
“She said yes,” Caspian exclaimed as his sister rushed at the two of them.
“I knew she would,” Liliana said, throwing her arms around both of them. “Now we can throw an engagement ball, and Mother said I’m old enough to attend!”
Sophia let out a nervous chuckle. “Must we?”
