“Well, halle-damn-lujah!” He looped her arm in his and headed toward the door. “Let’s go before the thing turns red and stops us.”
Luckily everyone was either involved with the new baby or visiting about whatever gossip was new in town, because no one even tried to start up a conversation with either of them on the way out to the churchyard. The hot August sun burned brightly and there wasn’t even a hint of a breeze, but it didn’t take the truck long to cool down once they were underway.
“Where are we going?” Kate asked.
“Anywhere you want to go,” he answered.
“To the lake, where I can put my toes in the water and then curl up in your arms under that willow tree.”
“A wonderful place.” He grinned and made a turn to take them in that direction.
He parked beside her car and held her hand all the way down to the dock. Waylon was one of those cowboys who knew how to hold hands with a woman to make her feel special. Not too tight so that he was in control and she had no say-so over anything. Not so loose as to make her feel like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world other than beside her.
When they were settled down under the shade of the willow tree, he draped an arm around her shoulders, brushed her hair back, and kissed her. “I missed you so much this week, but I am officially just a Texas rancher now. When are you going back to Fort Worth?”
“I’m not. I’m looking for a job. I’m real good in a hay truck, and I can turn a tractor on a dime at the end of a field. Know anyone who might need a woman with those skills?”
“Are you teasing me?” Waylon asked.
“No, Mother is not happy, but she’ll come around. She’s decided to sell the business since I’m staying in Bootleg.”
“Why did you decide to make such a drastic change in your life? You had a fantastic financial future and a good life.”
“That was only existing. What I’ve chosen is living, and it’s far better.”
“In that case, I could use a good woman on the ranch.” He grinned.
EPILOGUE
One year later
The whole crew, including Hattie and Victor, waited in line that Saturday afternoon at the festival in Bootleg.
“We’re going to pass on the ride. I’m afraid it will scare Lia,” Amanda said.
“Well, both of us are still aboveground,” Victor said. “So we’re taking our traditional ride and then we’re going to have funnel cakes.”
The ride stopped and all the people got off, then the man who took the money let the next bunch fill up the buckets.
Kate looked at the three kids and all the adults. “How are we doing this?”
Johnny, Waylon’s right-hand man, kissed Amanda on the forehead. “You go help with the children. Me and Lia Beth will be fine right here. You’ll be able to see her the whole time. She loves the music, so I know she’ll be good. Besides, Victor and Hattie always ride together and”—he lowered his voice to a whisper—“something big is going to happen, so Kate and Waylon need to be together, too.”
“Okay, then, I’ll ride with Lisa. Gracie can ride with her mama,” Amanda said.
“Thank you,” Kate said. “Last year I promised Waylon that I would ride with him at this festival.”
“And Paul and I will get to ride together that way,” Jamie said.
“Y’all are so welcome.” Amanda grinned.
Kate buckled herself into the seat and thought about the last year. There had been lots of changes since the three women had decided to stay in Bootleg. Paul and Jamie were married over the Christmas break. They built a house out on twenty acres next to the Double Back Ranch and the little girls were regular visitors to the ranch.
Kate moved in with Waylon in the fall and never looked back. Teresa sold the business, but Kate had no regrets about that, either. She’d thought about building a bigger place on the ranch, but she and Waylon both were comfortable in the cozy little house. Besides, there was plenty of room for when Gracie and Lisa had a sleepover.
Johnny and Amanda had been dating for six months now, and she spent more time in his trailer than she did at the cabin. She’d told Kate just last night that he’d asked her to move in with him. That meant the cabin would be completely vacant in the next couple of weeks.
In some ways that made Kate sad, but then she thought of all the happiness that had come from there and the fact that a new preacher could be living in it within a year, and the good outweighed the sadness.
“Hey, darlin’, penny for your thoughts.” Waylon drew her close to his side as the ride started.
“You can have them for free. I was going back over the past year,” she said. “It’s been a good one, even if it did start out on rocky ground.” She smiled. “You told me last year to save you a spot. We couldn’t ride together then, but we can now.”
Waylon buckled himself in and slung an arm around her. “You remembered.”
“Of course I did,” she said.
“Any regrets?”
“Not a single one,” Kate answered.
“We’ve lived together for almost a year now. That’s long enough for you to pass judgment on ranch life, right?” Waylon asked.
“I wouldn’t be living there if I didn’t like it and love you,” she said.
“Then”—Waylon pulled a little velvet case from his pocket—“Katherine Elizabeth Truman, will you marry me?” He popped it open to reveal a lovely sapphire-and-diamond ring.
“Yes,” she said without a second’s hesitation.
He put the ring on her finger and then kissed each knuckle on her hand. “Blue for your eyes. Diamonds because they last forever, like our love will.”
Neither of them gave a damn who saw their long, passionate kiss. They were on top of the Ferris wheel when he pulled away and she threw both hands into the sky.
“I’m engaged!” she squealed, and everyone on the Ferris wheel applauded.