Page 43 of Horsemen and Hot Chocolate

“I apologize,” she whispered. “To be frank, I have never had feelings for you. I played along because my father is ill, and he wishes for me to marry before he passes. I felt you were the only choice.”

Brom’s brown eyes dulled in resignation, and his shoulders slumped. The confidence in his posture wilted.

“I see.”

Katrina realized the error of her ways far too late. She thought Brom was a dumb oaf who would be satisfied by flirting and fluttering lashes, but she forgot he had a heart beneath his bulging muscles. Perhaps he did like her for more than her father’s wealth he’d inherit.

“I now realize how inconsiderate I was to play with your feelings. I was running away from marriage and ended up hurting you in the process. Will you forgive me?” she asked.

Brom’s mouth twitched, and he sighed. “How can I not? I couldn’t refuse anything you wished.”

Another pang of guilt struck her heart. How could she have been so blind?

The crunch of gravel sounded behind Brom, and they both looked at who was approaching. Katrina’s dampened spirits soared.

Willem came up the long dirt path carrying a small bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums, just like the ones she liked to lay on her brother’s grave. Brom’s solemn gaze turned toward her.

“I understand now,” he said. “I hope he makes you happy, Miss Van Tassel.”

Brom bowed before turning on his heel. Katrina’s chest crumpled inward, wishing she could turn back time and undo the damage she’d done. However, she couldn’t blame her heart for wanting someone else.

For wanting Willem.

The two men crossed paths, and Brom nodded to Willem. Willem returned the gesture before continuing. Katrina sighed in relief, and her fingers clutched the edges of her dress. Her weight shifted forward, wishing to run and embrace him, but she refrained. She’d be respectful of Brom’s presence until he left the premises.

Willem stopped before her, a shy grin lifting his lips.

“Good afternoon,” he said.

“Good afternoon,” she murmured in return. They stood before each other in the daylight for the first time, as any normal pair would. It was a strange change from their usual routine of meeting in the dead of night, but she admitted she could quickly become accustomed to it.

He held out the flowers, and she accepted them, inhaling their aromatic, sweet, and slightly minty scent. “Thank you. I love chrysanthemums.”

“I know,” he said with a roguish glint in his eyes.

Katrina had never seen this playful side of him, and she chuckled softly.

“I apologize for taking so long,” he started, breaking their hesitant silence. “I had so much to catch up on with my parents.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” she said. “You could have taken more time if you needed it.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t spend another minute without seeing you again.”

He stepped forward until the white puffs of their breaths mingled in the frigid air. Katrina’s pulse skipped a beat, her eyes darting to his lips.

“I missed you,” he whispered, edging closer.

“I missed you too.”

Before their mouths met, Katrina hated herself for pulling away. His brow furrowed, but he quietly accepted her retreat.

“I wished to speak about what we mean to each other first,” she declared. “I don’t want any misconceptions about how the other feels.”

She winced at the reminder of her conversation with Brom. His form disappeared off the property, but she peered uncertainly at Willem.

“I will be happy to rectify that,” Willem said, his fingers brushing an errant curl behind her ear. “I thought I was lost to the darkness with no hope of ever finding joy. But you were the light that kept me fighting for another dawn. You and your tenacious spirit gave me hope that I could be more than the shadow of the man I had become. I never thought I could say this, but I love you, Katrina. Not as a ghost, a legend, or a curse, but as a man who wishes to spend the rest of his life with you.”

A soft gasp escaped her lips. Emotion clogged her throat at the sincerity shining in his gaze.