A Cowboy in Manhattan(73)
Katrina froze, her stomach going into a freefall.
“Hello, Katrina.” His deep voice reverberated around her, exactly as she remembered it.
She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t seem to make any words come out.
Elizabeth recovered first, coming smoothly to her feet and moving toward the door, pausing beside him. “May I talk to you later on, Reed? About the paperwork?”
His gaze never left Katrina. “Sure. I’ll call you.”
“Thanks. See you both later then.”
Reed moved in as Elizabeth moved out, and the door clicked shut behind him.
Katrina came shakily to her feet, steadying herself on the dressing table. She was still in her costume, her hair half up, half down.
All she could muster was a whisper. She swallowed. “Elizabeth just told me about the endowment.”
Reed opened his mouth, but Katrina shook her head. She moved forward and touched her fingertips to his lips to silence him.
“Why did you do it?” She blinked against the stinging in her eyes. “I mean… No, that’s not what I mean. I mean, thank you. And I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry.” Reed spoke around her fingertips.
She shook her head again. He had nothing to be sorry about. He’d been right all along.
“I’m sorry I threatened to kill him,” said Reed. “Okay. That’s a lie. But I’m sorry it upset you. And I honestly would have killed him if he’d come after you. But I outsmarted him instead. And Mandy and Danielle tell me that’s a more civilized solution.”
Katrina smiled through the tiny tears that leaked out the corners of her eyes. “I can’t believe you did that. Reed, you spent all your money.”
He reached for her hand, enclosing it in his, pulling her close. “Don’t cry.”
“But—”
“It’s not all of my money.”
His hand was warm and strong and secure. She moved against him, closing her eyes and absorbing the feel of his body and the scent of his skin. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too.” He held her tightly and sighed. “You feel so good.”
She fisted her hands into his shirt, voice raw. “I don’t know if I can let go of you again.”
“I know.”
“Oh, Reed,” she whispered, then drew a shuddering breath. “What are we going to do?”
“I hope we’re going to love each other.”
“How?” she sniffed.
He touched his index finger to her chin, tipping it up. His eyes were warm and rich, and his smile was soft. “I thought we’d start with real estate. Maybe a nice place in Brooklyn. Though I could be talked into Manhattan.”
“Huh?”
“And after that I was planning to propose to you.”
Katrina didn’t understand. What was he saying? He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant. “You’re…”
“Moving to New York City?” He nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Turns out I can.”
“But the ranch. Your family. Your new house. Your heritage.”
“I want you to be my family.” He smoothed back her hair. “I love you, Katrina. And I think my mother would love to know she had little ballerina granddaughters going to fine arts school in New York City. I think she would love that a lot.”
“Oh, Reed.” Katrina’s heart swelled. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe he would do such an amazing thing for her. She pressed herself tighter into his arms. “I love you. I love you so much.”
“That’s good. Because it turns out I can’t wait on this. I’m proposing right now.” He drew back again. “Will you marry me, Katrina?”
She nodded. Then she nodded faster. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Reed. And I’ll learn to ride horses, and I’ll befriend the chickens. And we can spend weekends and holidays in Colorado with our families.”
“That’s my girl.” He kissed her hairline. “I sure wish I had a ring. I shouldn’t be doing this without a ring.”
“There’s a Tiffany’s around the corner,” she teased. Then she paused. “Or we can go to Brooklyn. Would you rather buy a ring in Brooklyn?”
“Sweetheart.” He hugged her tighter. “You can have any ring you want. You can have any thing you want. As long as you’ll stay with me for the rest of my life.”