Katia's Promise
Page 25
He nodded. “Hero is a bit strong, but we’ll be increasing the workforce here in Indian Lake. That’s for sure.” He put his arms around her again. His voice was filled with sincerity. “Katia, I want you to know that all these weeks away were torture for me—not seeing you. The business was exciting, but it was hollow.” He put his forehead against hers. “I didn’t have you.”
“But you said you had friends there—”
He flung his head back and laughed. “I did say that, didn’t I? This has all been my fault. I led you to believe that all I wanted was friendship from you. But I don’t. I want more. More than what we had even when we were young. I want you with me every day of my life, Katia. I want to have our own family. We both deserve that. I think we’ve both been so lonely for so long that we’ve lost sight of what we could have if we just—”
She kissed him to stop him from talking. “I love you, Austin. I know now that I never stopped loving you. That’s why there’s never been anyone else for me. There never could be.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “A long time ago, I was the loneliest little boy on earth, and heaven sent you to me. It was like magic. One day you were just there. And you loved me from that first instant. I’m the luckiest man alive.”
“Oh, Austin, we’re both lucky,” she replied, and this time she let her kiss linger.
Katia realized that they’d been so lost in so many ways over the years. But this time, they’d finally been found—by each other.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460381687
Katia’s Promise
Copyright © 2015 by Catherine Lanigan
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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