The next morning arrived with soft golden light spilling through the kitchen windows. Catalina sat at the counter, still in her robe, nursing a mug of coffee while scrolling through her messages. Between well-wishers for the baby and a dozen friendly reminders from her mom about leftovers, one message stood out — from Kerian.
K: “Meet me at the stables at ten? Got a surprise for you.”
She smiled before she could stop herself. Of course he’d text like that — vague enough to be intriguing, confident enough to make her show up.
By the time she reached the stables, the sun had warmed the air, and the scent of hay and horses brought a strange calm over her. Kerian stood waiting near the fence, his sleeves rolled to his elbows, brushing down his horse with easy, practiced motions.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite troublemaker,” he said, his grin softening as he looked her over. “You came.”
“I was promised a surprise. I couldn’t risk missing it,” she replied, pretending to sound unimpressed but failing miserably when she caught his eyes.
He handed her a small leather-bound notebook, the kind writers used to jot down ideas. “You said you wanted to start taking writing seriously. So… consider this a start.”
Catalina opened it — each page was blank except for the first one. In neat, bold handwriting, Kerian had written:
‘For every story you haven’t told yet — start here.’
Her breath caught. “Kerian, I—this is actually really sweet.”
He shrugged, though a faint blush touched his ears. “You have the words in you, Cat. You just need to trust yourself enough to let them out.”
Before she could respond, a gust of wind swept through the field, sending her hair across her face. He reached out, gently tucking a strand behind her ear, his hand lingering just a second longer than it should have.
“Careful,” he murmured, his tone soft but full of unspoken meaning.
Her pulse quickened, but she only smiled. “Guess I’ll just have to trust you to keep me steady.”
Kerian chuckled, his eyes warm. “Always.”
They stood there for a quiet moment — just the rustle of the trees and the distant sound of horses. No confessions, no pressure, just the kind of peace that feels like the beginning of something important.
And maybe, Catalina thought as she glanced down at the notebook in her hands, it was exactly that — the start of her next chapter.
YOU ARE READING
Curves For The Agent Cowboy
Romance"I'll be right back.. I need to go and find out what's taking Nick so long. I'm thirsty!" With that being said she ignored the scared look on Catalina's face and walked away. Catalina watched her go and when she turned back around she was surprised...
