She gazed up at him. “A ring? I wouldn’t buy a ring for myself. I’d rather buy another goat.”
Why was he not surprised? He sighed and drew her against him, then kissed her so thoroughly all of the impishness went out of her eyes. From cheeky girl to docile submissive in point five seconds. For a moment he was worried she’d drop to her knees and kiss his boot in the middle of the store, but he grabbed her elbow and steadied her before she forgot where they were. Putting Varushka deep into subspace was so easy that sometimes he did it by accident.
“I’m not buying you an engagement goat. Pick a ring, woman.”
The girl blinked up at him as though his English meant nothing to her. He said it again in Russian and after she blinked a few more times, her mouth dropped open.
“Why do you look so surprised?” He cupped the back of her head in his palm and kissed her again. “You came to America to marry me, remember? Unless you’ve changed your mind . . .”
She butted her head against his chest, and he stroked her hair, not sure if that was actually an answer. Did she expect him to get down on one knee or something? For a moment he stood there, feeling awkward, not sure if he’d misread the signs. He tried out the thought that maybe she didn’t want to marry him, but he didn’t believe it. The girl thought the sun shone out his ass, and he needed to marry the hell out of her before she came to her senses.
“If you’re not ready for this, it’s okay,” he murmured in Russian.
“To say I will marry you? I said so already, before we met.” She beamed up at him and there was no hesitation there, only eagerness. A tear slid down her cheek and he wiped it away with his knuckle. “I’m glad I said I would.”
Varushka let go of his neck and grabbed his hand, then turned to look at the rings. “These are too fancy, with the stones sticking out. I would catch them on everything, and I would scratch my poor animals.”
Scratching him was not a concern, apparently, considering what she’d done to his back, but god forbid she scratch one of her animals. He hugged her from behind and the scent of her hair almost made him groan.
“Do you have anything with the stones embedded in the ring?” he asked the saleswoman.
The woman nodded, and gestured them farther down the row.
Varushka laughed, then kissed his bicep before he let her go. “I would have loved an engagement goat, but I can see how this may look nicer with dresses.”
“Do you have any goat-themed engagement rings?” he asked the saleswoman with amused sarcasm.
“Sadly, no,” the woman replied with a chuckle, catching his mood.
“Which one is the cheapest one?” Varushka asked, looking at the trays of rings.
The woman raised her brows at him, and he shook his head.
“I can afford any ring here, so she won’t tell you, malish. That is only for me to know. Pick what you like, not whatever seems least expensive.”
Varushka smiled up at him. “I want the one you’d like to see on my finger.”
She was serious. Strange woman.
He shrugged and walked up and down the displays until he came to a few custom pieces by the resident jeweler. One caught his eye in particular—a ring that reminded him of silver clouds with inset diamonds.
“Is this white gold?” he asked, pointing. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Varushka’s expression. She was enthralled, staring at the ring with wide eyes, but she didn’t say a word.
“Yes, sir. It is. The diamonds are of excellent quality and the piece is one of a kind.”
“Like my fiancée,” he replied. He liked the way saying “fiancée” felt, especially considering who the word referred to. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized he’d be one of those annoying men who’d use the word incessantly until their wedding day.
The woman pulled the display out from under the glass and set it on the counter. Konstantin lifted the ring off of it, and turned the interesting band around in his fingers, inspecting it for flaws and rough edges. It was stunning. Understated and delicate enough for Varushka, yet eye-catching. Maybe he should have had something custom made for her, but he couldn’t imagine it turning out better if he had.
He cocked his head at her and she was grinning at him with a shy but
sunny excitement.
“You like this one?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “It’s like that saying I learned at English school that the clouds have silver in them.”
He chuckled. Going to school for her English three times a week was helping, but just living day to day in America was accomplishing even more. And when she completed her language course, she planned to do the necessary coursework to teach in the United States. She’d gotten her feet on the ground now, and she was plowing forward with more determination than he’d expected. Apparently having a rich soon-to-be husband wasn’t enough for her. She was a damn hard worker. Just one more reason to love her.