The Husband Hunt - Kat's Season (The Bachelor Series) by Kiki Abbott, Kim Hornsby

the sun “wouldn’t ruin her pretty skin” and even though it looked strange on the foggy day, she wore it for him. Ben was so much fun to be with that Kat’s cheeks were sore from laughing after two hours of exploring the colorful streets and shops. On a rickshaw ride they sat close, Ben’s fingers playing with hers. Before she could censor them, words spilled from her mouth. “I really, really like you, Ben.” She’d been told to not express her feelings, even though she was talking to him about what their life as a couple would be like in Atlanta.
    “He smiled suggestiv ely into her eyes, and nodded. “That’s good news, Kitty Kat, because it’s mutual.”
    “But?” She sensed there was a ‘but’ coming.
    “But nothing. I really like you too. If there is a ‘but’ implied it’s the obvious. But, you still are considering spending your life with another man and I’m not willing to go further, as long as that is the case.”
    He sounded like a lawyer and Kat assured herself that if she were dating Ben in a normal situation, they’d be madly in love by now, spending every minute together. But , what if she picked him and he didn’t feel the same way, or the estimated feelings never kicked in? She’d be devastated. At least with Colton she knew exactly where she stood. He wanted marriage and kids as soon as possible. He’d practically given her the ring.
    They met her parents fo r dinner at a restaurant at the top of the San Francisco skyline, at a table overlooking the skyscrapers’ lights of the city. After introductions, they sat down and her father ordered wine. Kat fidgeted in her uncomfortable, too-tight dress but Ben looked as at home as if they were dining with his parents. Ben chuckled when Kat’s dad, Jim conferred with him on the wine choice. “I am not anywhere near the expert you are on wine, so I trust this is a good bottle.” They all smiled, the due respect had been given to Kat’s father. All was well.
    The conversation flowed nicely. They talked about Atlanta, Ben’s client , the basketball player, who her father admired, and what Ben liked about Kat. “Her good heart,” was his first answer as he told them about visiting the rescue sanctuary on Maui. Kat’s parents had obviously been thinking about their daughter being engaged, since they met Colton, and when the waiter cleared their plates, Jim’s expression changed to serious. “Do you see marriage at the end of all this?”
    All eyes were on Ben. “I see marriage in my future,” he said a little too seriously for Kat’s liking. “… and I see marriage in Kat’s future,” he smiled at her, “but whether she chooses me remains to be seen.”
    Jim persisted. “But if she chooses you, will y ou propose to her?”
    Ben looked at Kat’s father. “Do you really want me to answer that question with a yes or a no, when Kat and I are still figuring out ourselves if that’s what we want? And if I was to propose to your daughter, do you feel ready to give me her hand in marriage after only knowing me for two hours? I trust that if I proposed to Kat and she said yes, you’d agree with her choice. She’s a smart woman.” He finally smiled. “And I would hope that you’d come to like me as a son in law. That’s important to me. If we end up at the end of this show, together, then yes, we’ll be headed toward marriage, hopefully. But right now Kat and I are still getting to know each other. Mind you,” he nodded to Kat, “we’ve skipped some initial steps of dating and gone right to the serious relationship and that’s unusual.” Kat smiled at him warmly, and her parents chuckled. “But I do want you both to know that my intensions are honorable. I didn’t come on the show to promote anything or take a vacation. My mother and sister convinced me to do this because I’d watched The Husband Hunt on the night that Liam chose that other woman over Kat. My Mom follows the show and I watched it with her the final