She threw me one of her killer smiles and I nodded. “It was just good timing,” I said, looking down at the papers in front of me.
“I would like to thank you somehow.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Sam. Just do a good job until Lucy gets back. Stay away from Cane and everything will be fine,” I laughed, looking back to her again.
“Will do. Oh my God, he’s like a whirlwind.” Her eyes were wide as she said it and I couldn’t help but be amused. Sam normally got attention from whomever she wanted, but she never got it from Cane.
“He’s a bull in a china shop, that’s what he is.”
“I can see that,” she laughed. “But really, I do appreciate it. Let me make it up to you somehow. We could go to that place in Cave Creek. The one your dad took us to when he was trying to ‘straighten up’ Bri and me,” she said, using air quotes. “We could have a picnic and take a couple of horses out for the day. It’ll be fun.”
I sat my pen down on the papers. “Look, Sam. I appreciate you wanting to do somethin’ nice for me. I really do. But it’s not necessary.”
She pouted her lips and tossed her hair off her shoulder. “It is to me. I feel like I owe you. It’ll be good for both of us because you seem pretty stressed.”
I rolled my eyes. “You owe me? Right.” Our eyes locked and her face fell, knowing what I meant.
“Don’t go there.” She batted her eyelashes. “Go horseback riding with me instead.”
“I just want to be real clear about something, okay?”
She nodded hesitantly.
“We had a job opening here when you asked for one. It was good timing, like I said, and I’m glad it worked out. But that’s all it is—employment. We might see each other at family stuff like always, but we won’t be seeing each other outside of that. And I know you didn’t mean anything by calling me last night, but that type of thing bothers Kari, so I’d rather you didn’t anymore.”
She stood straight, her eyes darkening. She painted a smile across her lips that I knew wasn’t genuine. “I get it. I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, softening her features. “Kari seems adorable and I would never want to cause any problems between you two. Forget I said anything but thank you.”
“I know you didn’t. I just wanted to be clear. If things go right, I’m gonna ask Kari to marry me soon.” My heart skipped a beat in my chest at the thought. I had been asking her informally for a long time and she always turned me down. But we’d been together for a long time and the more time I was with her, the longer I wanted to be. I couldn’t imagine doing anything without her by my side and I didn’twant to. Kari was my girl. I just had to figure out a foolproof way to get her to say yes. I had already called Thomas, her father, and secured his blessing. It was just on me to figure out how to make it happen.
It would happen.
It had to happen.
“Really?” She seemed surprised.
“Yeah. I’d already have asked the question if I thought she’d say yes. I’m just making sure it’s the right time before I do.”
“Why wouldn’t she say yes?”
I shrugged, wishing I knew the answer to that question myself. “I haven’t quite figured her out yet, but I’m working on it.”
Her eyes gazed into the distance, her thoughts obviously someplace other than my office. A few seconds passed before she looked at me again. “Why Kari?”
“What do you mean?”
“What makes Kari the girl you want to marry? Are you sure she’s the one you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
I laughed and sat back up in my chair, resting my forearms on the desk. This was one question I knew the answer to. “Yeah, I’m absolutely sure she’s the one.”
“How do you know? You haven’t even known her that long. She hasn’t spent much time with the family, so how do you know it’ll work out?”
I thought about her questions, all legitimate concerns.
How do I boil it all down? How do I explain everything that Kari is to me without rambling on like a damn fool?
I thought about it for a long minute before replying, “Because when I think of my future, I can’t see it without her in it.”
She tossed me another smile and headed to the front desk.
