Ranch Daddy

by Shanna Handel

“What? An anchor with the word Mom in cursive?” I laughed.

  He reached down, grabbing my left hand. My breath caught in my throat as he stroked the base of my bare ring finger. “A wedding ring.”

  My heart stopped. “Oh.”

  “I always thought that seemed romantic. You know? It seems like a real ‘death do us part’ attitude to get a permanent symbol of your marriage,” he said.

  “That is romantic. Two people must really love one another to want to do that,” I said shyly.

  “Two people who have known one another practically their whole lives.” His thumb remained on my finger, stroking it softly where a ring would go.

  Fear gripped my heart. Did he really want that, with little old me? Looking down at our entwined fingers, I said, “Colton, we may have grown up together but... I... I’ve changed. I’m not the same Josie that left here a year ago.”

  He grabbed my other hand in his, his gaze locking on mine. “I’m not the man I was when you left, either. But the way I see it when two people are together for a lifetime, they both change over the years. And I want to spend those years with you. Connie Brighton, Josie Dixon... in my eyes you’re just my baby girl. We’ve known one another our whole lives. I’ve waited over a year for this moment.”

  A white-hot flush covered my face. My heart thumped against my chest. “Colton, what are you saying?” I gasped.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I... I love you too,” I said.

  “That’s all I need to know.” He let go of my hands. Giving me a grin, he called out, “All clear!”

  My brow furrowed in confusion as my family and his slowly re-entered the Mess Hall from the kitchen door—I had thought everyone was long gone—and surrounded us in a circle. There was a goofy grin on my sister’s face and tears in my mother’s eyes as they looked on.

  Colton dropped to one knee before me.

  Then he asked the most critical question anyone had ever asked me. One little line but it was enough to change two lives forever. “Josie Dixon, will you marry me?”

  My hands went to my face, covering my gaping mouth. Tears burned in my eyes and my heart felt as if it would beat out of my chest as I stared into his eyes.

  A year ago, Josie Dixon couldn’t even commit to the color of her nail polish. It turns out, people do change. A grin spread across my face as the certainty grew from my belly, spreading through my limbs. I had dreamt of him coming and saving me. And now, here he was, on one knee, ready to commit his entire life to me.

  Memaw’s cackling voice broke me out of my state. “Well, girlie. What’s it gonna be? Don’t leave that poor boy kneeling on these hard floors all day.”

  “Y-yes. Yes!” I cried, my arms reaching out to him.

  Colton jumped to his feet, grabbing me up underneath my arms and spinning me around. I laughed as he put me back down, my boots planted firmly on the floor. “You just made me the happiest man alive,” he whispered, leaning down toward me. His lips met mine and it was as if we’d been together forever. Tingles ran through me as his arms held me tighter, his lips pressing harder against mine. I gasped for breath as he pulled away. He held me at arm’s length, his eyes soft and shining as he looked me over. “My bride to be.” From his pocket, he pulled a delicate silver band, a square cut diamond sparkling in its center. He slipped it onto my finger, my skin still tingling from where his thumb had brushed it. It was a perfect fit.

  “It’s beautiful,” I breathed, holding out my hand and watching the stone sparkle under the lights.

  Memaw gave a nod. “It’ll stick.”

  Louanne rushed over, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a tissue. “How romantic! I swear, Josie, this man was just sad without you around. We all couldn’t wait for this day to come. And I, of course, have already planned the wedding.”

  “Louanne, I’ve only been on Wyoming soil for a few months. How on Earth have you already planned my wedding?”

  She shrugged. “When you know, you know. No reason to delay the inevitable.”

  I gave her a look.

  She backed off. “But take your time. I’m ready when you are. Just say the word and—”

  Colton blocked her out of my view, wrapping his arms around me. “We have plenty of time for a wedding. Right now, Josie and I have a little more catching up to do.”

  Closing my eyes, I lost myself in his kiss.

  * * *

  Where does a classy lady in Little Peak host her engagement party? Why, at the local watering hole, Bud’s, of course! After my little tryst with the FBI, even teetotaler Brody couldn’t say ‘boo’ to me wanting a cold draft beer. He also sprang to have the party catered all the way from Jackson Hole, my favorite restaurant, Farm Table.

  We invited everyone we knew. Our friends from Little Peak High, every employee on the ranch, all the Jenkinses, their cousin Ted, who was good friends with Georgia, Charlton and Colton’s other friends on the force, even Bridgette’s salt of the earth Midwestern parents, Dale and Glenda Jones, made it out.

  We filled up the bar. Bud was pouring free pitchers of light beer, one after the other, passing them down the bar with a massive grin on his face—he’d always had a soft spot for the prankster Colton was in his younger days and was delighted to see him happy and settling down.

  With me. Soon-to-be Josie Jenkins. Has a cute ring to it, don’t you think? Speaking of rings, damn, mine looked pretty sparkling under the dim lights of the bar. The three-carat earrings I had bought myself looked ridiculous next to the ring from my love, so I passed them on to my sister, who had a much bigger rock on her own finger. As she tossed her hair and laughed at something Hayes whispered, her earlobes sparkled brightly.

  She deserved them. She deserved everything. Pains still shot through my heart when I thought about the year she had had.

  Sensing my sadness, Colton brushed up beside me, wrapping his hand around my waist. “It’s over now, baby girl. All’s well that ends well. Have a drink.” He always could read my mind.

  Smiling, he handed me a frosty mug—my second pint of the evening. I grinned back at him, unable to speak. He had no idea how his devotion hit me to my very core. Clearing my throat, I managed to say the words I could not stop myself from repeating these past few weeks. “I love you.”

  “Not as much as I love you.” He kissed my lips.

  A holler rose from the crowd. Bridgette. “Kiss her good, Colton. Practice for the wedding night.” She let out a long, catlike howl that made her mother blush and elbow her in the ribs.

  The attention turned to us as people picked up forks and knives to tap their glasses with. Shouts of “Speech, speech, speech, speech,” echoed through the bar.

  “Alright, alright, settle down,” Colton said, smiling deeply, his dimple showing. Holding the attention of the crowd, he said, “Josie and I are thrilled you could all be with us today to celebrate—”

  “It’s about time!” a heckler called from the crowd.

  “Yeah—what’d it take you, Colton? Ten years to lock that down.”

  He laughed good-naturedly, replying, “If by ‘that,’ you are referring to my beautiful fiancée, then yes. It did take me ten years to ask this precious woman for her hand in marriage. Some say absence makes the heart grow fonder—” he turned to me, his gaze locking on mine, “for me, absence made my heart break into a thousand pieces.”

  “Colton,” I whispered. The look he gave me had tears springing up into my eyes. I dabbed them away so as not to mess up the eyeliner Georgia had so painstakingly done.

  His arm tightened around my shoulders. “Josie Dixon, you ask anyone here. When you were gone, I was a shell of a man. When you left, you took every good part of me with you. We were meant to be together, and yes, you, the town of Little Peak knew it before me.” He held his glass up to toast our friends and family, then his eyes locked back on mine. “Even you, Josie. You knew before I did.”

  “I had a hunch we might be good together,” I joked.

  “I
would never want to relive those days with you gone. But they opened my eyes to my future. I couldn’t wait for you to come back here so I could propose,” he said.

  “Pretty brave considering you hadn’t seen me in a year,” I teased.

  His eyes were filled with emotion when he said, “Why? I’d already lost everything. I had nothing to lose.”

  I was going to cry. Instead, I tilted my head, closed my eyes and waited for his kiss. His lips met mine and tingles danced from head to toe. Pulling away, he held his glass up once more. “Here’s to you, Josie.”

  “Hear! Hear!”

  Before anyone could demand a speech from me (Colton knew I hated public speaking) he shouted, “Now let’s dance!” Travis cranked up the jukebox and grabbed Bridgette, twirling her across the floor. Brody and Georgia, even Hayes and Louanne hit the dance floor. Colton and I watched as my mom danced with her beau, Dale and Glenda cut a rug, and Alice danced with her nephew Ted, always the gentleman. Bud even left his post at the bar and grabbed up Memaw.

  My head felt just a touch floaty from the beer and it was a welcomed relief after the ups and downs I had faced. Closing my eyes, I swayed to the music, feeling the notes of the song travel through my body. I heard my name called out, my soon-to-be brother-in-law Travis waving me over to the jukebox.

  A silly smile planted itself on my face as I made my way across the dance floor to him. He shouted, “This one’s for you, little sis!”

  Two notes in and my ass was grinding back and forth. “My favorite song!” I crooned. Guzzling my beer, I slammed the empty bottle down on the nearest table and sashayed my way to the center of the dance floor. The material of my tight jeans stretched as it tried to keep up with the movement of my hips. Oblivious to the crowd around me, I lost myself in the song, singing and dancing my little heart out.

  “Nice moves, Josie,” one of the guys from high school called over to me. I looked around me. I was suddenly surrounded by guys. My fun stopped momentarily as I waited for my angry cowboy daddy to come stomping over, grab me by my arm, and pull me away from my fun.

  I searched the room for Colton. When my eyes landed on him, relief washed through me.

  We were not that couple. He was not that guy. And I loved it.

  Leaning against the bar, he took a slow pull from his beer. A sexy grin was spread across his face as he sent me a wink. He’d been watching me the whole time.

  “Excuse me,” I said, elbowing my way out of the crowd.

  I made my way over to him. Taking the drink from his hand, I took a slow sip. I put the bottle down on the bar. Then, swaying my hips back and forth to the music, I wiggled my ass at him. Looking up at him from under my lashes, I said, “Aren’t you going to tell me not to dance with other guys, Daddy?”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, “As long as you’re coming home with me, I don’t mind. I like watching you dance.” A blush rose over my cheeks as his eyes slid to my bottom. “I can’t promise I won’t want to spank that naughty ass when we get home.” I yelped as he reached over and gave my ass a hard swat. “Go have fun.”

  “Okay, Daddy,” I said, ready to sashay my way back over to the dance floor. An uneasy thought hit me. I looked back over my shoulder, calling to my fiancé, “You’re not going to dance with any girls, are you?”

  He smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  My heart warmed. I blew him a kiss, dancing my way back into the crowd. I rocked out with my friends to a few more fast numbers, enjoying the carefree feeling of dancing just for the pure enjoyment it brought me.

  A slow song came on and before I could cast my eyes around the room to find him, Colton appeared, wrapping his arms around me. I smiled up at him as he said, “My turn.”

  I rested my head on his chest, my arms winding up around his neck. His hands went into the back pockets of my jeans, squeezing my ass gently as they did. We swayed back and forth to the music, the heat from our bodies pressing together. There, in my man’s arms, celebrating with all the people I loved and who loved me, my heart felt fuller than I knew possible. It was as if our love had grown limbs and it reached out, wrapping our community into a big hug.

  Cheesy, I know. But when you’ve been through what I have, you let the tap of your emotions rush on full force. ‘Cause you never know when you’ll be ripped away from the ones you love. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck.

  Chapter Seven

  True to her word, my sister didn’t waste a moment. Within six weeks of Colton putting a ring it, Louie was shoving me down the aisle. This time there would be a real man on the other end of the aisle, instead of my beloved teddy bear.

  And I couldn’t wait.

  It was the wedding everyone in the world thought Louanne would have. A dream wedding that trumped all others. And my sister had done it all for me.

  My breath caught in my throat as I walked down the petal-covered aisle, careful not to press their delicate flesh into the white muslin runner. A quick scan told me she had chosen the colors based on those she thought looked best with my pale skin—deep crimson, bright white, and sparkling silver. She did so love to help a bride shine by choosing a palette that complemented the bride’s complexion.

  The room was filled with cut crystal vases of deep red roses. At the end of the altar were pillars, topped with glass bowls, candles floating in the petal-filled water. I stopped halfway up the aisle, looking up at the ceiling. Each rafter was wrapped in hundreds of twinkling white lights. From the center rafter, wide burgundy ribbons cascaded down, the ends of them tied in a neat bow at the end corner of each dark wood church pew. Each pew looked like it could seat ten people comfortably. They must weigh a ton! I murmured to myself, “How on Earth did she get these things in here?”

  “Sheer muscle power. We work with ranchers, after all,” a voice answered me.

  I craned my neck to see past the candle-covered altar where Louanne stood, holding a long white garment bag in her outstretched arms. The emotion was etched on her face as she watched me approach.

  I rushed down the rest of the aisle to greet her. “Oh, Louie! It’s all so beautiful. I couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect wedding.”

  She gave me a smile. “You haven’t even seen the Mess Hall yet. Or, more important, the dress. Here, help me unleash this little beauty. She’s been dying to make her appearance.”

  Quickly, I grabbed up the bottom of the bag, holding it up so she could unzip it. Pushing the plastic to the side, she revealed a floor-length sheath dress with a layer of lace covering the gown. Around the waist was a crimson ribbon. “Let me show you the back.” Lifting the dress by the hanger, she removed it from the bag, holding her hand up high so the dress would not touch the floor. She turned the dress around. The back was open, the sides rising up to meet thin lace shoulder straps. The ribbon met in the back, tied into a long hanging bow. “Of course, when I bought it, I pictured you showing off your tattoos in it.”

  “When did you buy it?” I asked.

  She shrugged as she answered, “Oh, years ago. I saw it and knew it was your perfect dress. I had it preserved, just waiting for this day.”

  My jaw dropped. “You’ve had it all this time?”

  She looked at me as if I were crazy. “Of course! I figured this day would come eventually and the perfect dress only happens once. If you don’t move on it, poof! It’s gone. I had the seamstress add the bow to it last week.”

  She handed me the dress. Holding the gown in my hands made me lightheaded. I wasn’t one of those little girls dreaming of her wedding day. Now, the day was here and my heart was bursting with joy. A small smile played at my lips as I caressed the delicate material. Louanne reached further into the garment bag, retrieving a long netted veil. “I know we still have hair and makeup, but I can’t wait a minute more. I just want to see if the veil looks like I think it will. Here, let me.” Tears sprang up in her eyes as she hurried behind me, pinning the comb into my messy bun.

  Taking the dress fr
om my hands, she stood back, admiring her handiwork. She could no longer hide her tears and her free hand went to her face.

  “Don’t cry, Louie! You’re going to make me cry, now!” I said, laughing and choking as the tears welled up within me. Waving her hand at me, she tried to speak but was unable. We both began to laugh-cry, hugging one another, Louanne’s arm still holding the gown high in the air.

  “Here, let me get the dress back into the garment bag for you.” Carefully, I took the dress, hooking the curve of the hanger into the opened groove. Smoothing the gown down with gentle hands, I zipped up the protective layer, careful to not catch the lace in the teeth of the zipper. My fingertips went to the silver threaded ends of the veil, flouncing it around my shoulders. “I’m keeping this on until I have to take it off. It feels so pretty.”

  “It looks beautiful. Even prettier than I imagined. That’s what got me started crying,” Louanne said, waving her hand in front of her face as if to dry her tears.

  Grabbing her hand, I said, “I can’t believe you did all this for me, Louie,” my familiar childhood nickname for my big sister tumbling from my lips. “And after having such a simple ceremony for yourself.”

  She laughed. “Oh, boo to that and what everyone said about me and my little wedding. I had exactly what I wanted. You know I hate being the center of attention.”

  “Oh, but I don’t mind it, huh?” I joked.

  “You can be a little showboat at times. Getting picked up by the FBI and carted away to DC. Quite the flair for drama, wouldn’t you say,” she said, elbowing me.

  “Thanks, sis,” I said.

  “You know I kid. The truth is I was happy to do it. I’ve always felt like a second mother to you. I got so much joy from planning this. And I wanted every single element to scream, Josie. I hope you like the Mess Hall, should we go see it?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.

  “I think I’ll wait. You know... be surprised.”

  Her perfectly plucked brow creased. “You sure? There may be some adjustments you want to make?”

  “No. It’ll be perfect. I know it will,” I said.