Page 131 of Brim Over Boot
“No,” I say slowly. I long ago stopped religiously checking Noah’s ads. No need to once I realized the man isn’t my competition.
Sure, we’re still the only two farriers in town. But there’s plenty of work for both of us, and we’ve stopped arguing about the clients who switch their services.
It doesn’t do either of us any good.
“Why?” I ask, looking around again. “What’s in the paper?”
Noah clears his throat, and I swing my gaze his way to find him holding out a newspaper.
The fuck?
I take it like it’s a live grenade, everyone’s silence ramping up my adrenaline. What the hell is going on? Did Noah take out some ad my family thinks will piss me off?
“I kind of expected you to find it earlier,” Noah says, which doesn’t really tell me anything. “But here we are. Go ahead. Look.”
Pulse pounding, I flip the paper open. There’s just enough light to see by, so when I find the section of local ads, Noah’s jumps out immediately.
“What…the fuck,” I whisper, starting to read aloud. “‘Noah King of King Farrier Service formally announces his intent to win the…’” I cough roughly and try again. “‘…thehandof Colton Darling in loving matrimony. After all, everybody knows… Once you go King, you never go back.’”
I laugh around a too-tight chest, the sound more than a little ragged.
“You fucking dick,” I growl. “Of course you had to sneak that in there at the end. You’re such a—”
My words choke off as Noah slips out of his chair and goes down on one knee in front of me.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Colt,” the man starts, looking up at me as if I hung the damn moon in the sky. “I’ve lived in this town for over twenty years. I spent the majority of those hating your guts.”
I choke out another laugh, and he smiles ruefully.
“I spent a lot of time not knowing who you really are,” he says, letting out the softest of sighs. “And I’ve spent the last few years loving you more than I ever thought possible. They say there’s a fine line between love and hate. That passion of one kind is similar to that of the other. And considering how many times I’ve wanted to throttle you over the years, maybe there’s something to that.”
“This is the best proposal,” Remi whispers.
I sign a quick,‘Zip it,’his way.
“But here’s the thing,” Noah says in stride, taking my hand and rolling it gently between his. “I didn’t like hating you one bit, Colton Darling. Loving you has been better in every single way. You asked me once…why you. And I’ve told you a hundred times over, but let me tell you again. I love your passion. Your fight. I love the way you care so deeply and how that’s extended to me and mine. I love how soft you are in the mornings and the way your kiss feels like coming home. I’ve loved every moment of finding out who you are. I love you because, well…because you’re you.”
My exhale is loud, and Noah squeezes my hand tight.
“I’ll keep on loving you regardless, but it would be my absolute honor to share this life as your husband. If you’ll allow it, I’ll spend the rest of our time on this earth showing you precisely why I fell. You own me, Colt. There’s no other. No one else. Marry me?”
I let out a heavy breath as Noah pulls a ring from his pocket. It’s metal, that much is clear. But it’s not a smooth band like I would have expected. Instead, it’s designed to look like rope. Like a twisting band of rope.
“Fuck,” I mutter, brushing Noah’s hair back, my gaze running over his lips and eyes and his patient, hopeful expression. “King… You couldn’t have sprung for the extra ad words? I mean,Christ, that would have looked real nice in print.”
His mouth curves into a smile, even as he shakes his head. “You shit.”
“You love me for it,” I say, snatching up the ring. I slip it on my finger, the design a near-perfect match for the rope Noah wears on his skin. “You have me, King. This is just a formality.”
“Oh myGod,” Remi groans. “That was the worst yes in history.”
“Is it a yes?” Noah checks, even though the man must know…
“Yeah, Noah. It’s you for me. Since the moment you bit my lip, I’ve been yours. Maybe even before that. So yes, I’ll goddamn marry you. I’ll be your husband. And I’ll be so fucking proud to call you my own.”
Noah tugs me forward, the man catching me with his lips before I can fall out of my seat. He smells like the forest, the smokey overlay from the fire a perfect match for the person he is inside. His grip is sure, the familiar press of his mouth both soft and demanding. Damn intoxicating.
