“What the hell happened to my window?” Wyatt demands before finding the open bottle of Fireball. “What the fuck, you guys drank my Fireball?”
“Do y’all mind?”
“Nope,” Cash says with a grin, staring me up and down.
“Oh my God, get out!”
“We thought you were dead,” West says straight-faced. “Now I see that maybe that logic was preemptive, because I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you for screwing my sister when we thought you’d been killed by a damn tornado.” West lunges forward and pulls Colt from the bed, jumping on top of him—despite the fact that Colt is naked—he pounds his fist into Colt’s face.
I wrap the blanket around my body and jump on my brother’s back, pummeling him with all my might. “West William Winchester, you get off the man I love. Right now!”
The whole room freezes. The whole room except Wyatt. He picks up my discarded panties and wrinkles his nose. “What the hell are these?”
“Alright all of you, out!”
“What the fuck is going on here?” West says. “You better start talking, Colton Hayes, or I’m gonna drag your naked ass out into the pasture and kick it all the way to Austin.”
“You will do no such thing!” I chide and stand, straightening my hair as I address the room. “All of you listen up ’Cause I’m only gonna say this once. Colt and I are together now.”
“We are?” Colt says with a shit-eating grin, and I give him a look that says he better shut his damn mouth before I take him out to pasture and kick his ass.
“We are. No one is kicking anyone’s ass. If you don’t like it, too damn bad. I left him once and it was the biggest mistake of my life, so I ain’t ever letting him go.”
“Jesus.” Wade rubs the back of his neck. “When did she get to be just as scary as Mama?”
“Hasn’t she always been like that?” Wyatt whispers back.
“Now,” I continue. “Y’all are gonna march your butts outside and ride on back to the ranch. Colt and I are staying a little while longer.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Colt says, pressing his fingertips to his bloody lip.
West looks as mad as a cut snake, but he and the boys all file out one by one, and shut the door behind them.
“And leave us a damn horse!” I shout.
Colt groans from the floor and climbs to his feet. “I am not ashamed to say I am so fuckin’ hot for you right now.”
“Well good, because you’re not the only one who gets to wear the Wranglers in this relationship.”
He tucks his fingers into my blanket dress and pulls me closer. “Don’t I know it.”
“You’re not freaking out that I just ordered you to be with me?”
“Not in the slightest. There’s no one else I’d rather be ordered around by.”
“Good, because I plan on bossing you for a long time.”
Colt screws up his lips and then winces—likely from the pain.
If Colt can’t kiss me properly, I’m gonna kill West.
“Are you ruining my chance to ask you to marry me, Lemon Winchester?”
“Nope.” I shake my head and wrap my arms around his neck as he grips my ass through the scratchy wool. “I know you like to keep to tradition, but I’m just sayin’, don’t go plannin’ the rest of your life without me, Colton Hayes.”
He leans in and presses his forehead to mine. “There is no rest of my life without you, Lemonade.”
EPILOGUE
Lemon
Wyatt grins at me as I stand outside the barn, fidgeting. “What?”
“Nothin’, just … you look happy, Lemonade.”
“Well, that’s because I am. The man I’ve loved my whole life is standing on the other side of that door—he is standing on the other side of that door, right? I’m not walking into a room without a groom, am I?”
“Honey, Colton Hayes’s been waitin’ to marry you since the first day he laid eyes on you.”
“How would you know—you weren’t even alive then.”
“Maybe so, but I’ve seen it in his eyes every day since.”
I shove my bouquet at him while I fan away the tears that are threatening to ruin my makeup. “I can’t believe I’m getting married.”
Wyatt frowns. “Me either. Are you sure you don’t wanna run? We could have a horse saddled up in five minutes and be riding off to the airport with those tickets of yours to Barbados. Drink a little rum, meet some cute men?”
“No offense, Wyatt, but none of those cute men could even compare to who’s waitin’ at that altar.”
“Alright then. You ready?”
I smooth my dress and take back my bouquet. “I’ve never been more ready.”
After the first dance, Wyatt steps up to the microphone and I frown, holding my husband’s hand. “What in the world is he doin’?”
He taps the microphone and it echoes through the barn. “Howdy, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Wyatt, the youngest of the Winchester children. I happen to be the best speaker out of the bunch so, you know, I get the fun job of announcing this special moment.”
“Did you know about this?” I whisper to Colt.
“Yeah, I knew.”
“As you all know, our daddy is no longer with us. God rest his soul. But it wouldn’t be right for our little Lemonade to have to sit out a daddy/daughter dance on her wedding day.”
“Oh my God.” I cover my mouth and try to fight back the tears that are threatening to spill over my lashes. I’m gonna kill them for making me cry in front of everyone on my wedding day.
“So, if y’all wouldn’t mind clearin’ the dance floor, we Winchesters are about to get wild,” Wyatt says with a wistful grin.
“Winchester wild!” West and Wade both answer the call by hollering the way only we Winchesters know how.
I shake my head at them, and Wyatt clears his throat. “We love you, Lemonade. And I know I speak for everyone when I say we’re so happy you and Colt worked your shit out. I don’t know how much longer this town could stand to see him moping.”
Colt grins as he wraps his arms around me. “I did not mope.”
“Yes, sir, you did,” West says as he claps a hand on his new brother-in-law’s shoulder. “Mind if I dance with my little sister on her wedding day?”
“You can have a dance,” Colt says, placing my hand in my brother’s. “Just remember, I want her back as soon as this song’s done.”
West nods and takes me in his arms as the first strains of “Dance with Me” by Morgan Evans fills the barn. “You look perfect, Lemonade.”
I laugh through my tears. “I’m pretty sure we both know I’m far from perfect.”
He shakes his head. “Not to me.”
“Why are y’all determined to make me cry today?”
He chuckles as I pull him in close. “Because we figured it was the only day we could. You’d kick our ass any other time, but not while you’re all prettied up.”
“Shows what you know.” I pull away and lift my skirts. “I still wore my shit-kickin’ boots.”
“Of course you did.” He laughs and draws me closer to press a kiss to my hair, then he twirls me into Wade’s waiting arms.
“Well, howdy, sis.”
“Let me guess, this was your idea?”
“Nope. It was West’s.”
“Oh, then I’m definitely kickin’ his ass afterward.”
“As long as you’ll let me get it on tape,” Wade says. “I’m so proud of you, darlin’. And Daddy woulda given anything to be here for this.”
A startled sob escapes me and I lean my head against his chest. “I would have given anything for him to be here, but this comes pretty damn close.”
“Nah, you’re just saying that so our feelings aren’t hurt.”
I shake my head. “I’m really not. You boys raised me just as much as Mama and Daddy did. Colton isn’t the only reason I’m staying at the ranch. As much as you boys drive me crazy, I can’t stay away from any of you.”
“Well, the feeling’s mutual, sis. If you hadn’t come back from New York, we were planning to come get you.”
I smile at Wade and wipe away my tears. Wyatt cuts in and twirls us around the floor. He dips me and I can’t help but laugh. “I swear to God, if you make me cry the way the others have …”
“And ruin that pretty makeup? Not on your life.”
I hold him close and sway in time to the music.
“You know, even if Daddy was here for this, I think he would have insisted that we all dance with you anyway.”
I stare up at his sea-green eyes. “You think?”
“Yeah, I do. But even though he ain’t here, he’s not the only one giving you away today. You’ll always be our Lemonade.”
“Yes I will.”
My husband steps up beside us and Wyatt squeezes me tightly before letting me go. “You’re a lucky bastard, Colt.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“I know I don’t need to tell you that if you ever hurt her—”
“You’ll castrate me, I know.”
Wyatt chuckles darkly and pats Colton’s chest. “I was gonna say I’ll hold you down while she does it.”
“Jesus.” Colt grimaces and then sweeps me into his arms. “Then I better just work every day at keeping her happy.”
“You better,” I warn.
After several more dances and not nearly enough to eat, I gather all of the women together for the bouquet toss. I stand on the dance floor and turn away from the room as I kiss the bouquet and hurl it over my shoulder. I turn around to see who the lucky woman is, and I’m met with a silent room. All eyes are on Cash, who’s staring wide-eyed and holding my flowers as if someone just threw a newborn in his lap.
“Oh, hell no,” he says, and thrusts them at the gorgeous redhead by his side.
“I think you just ensured the end of that relationship, Mrs. Hayes.” My handsome husband slides his arm around my waist and pulls me close.
“I have to disagree, Mr. Hayes. I bet Carla and Cash will be married within the year.”
Colt chuckles and then sips his whiskey. “No way.”
“Colton, what happens when you bet against me?”
He grimaces. “I lose.”
“Exactly. Cash is smitten, and those two are getting married, which makes Carla my new best friend. God knows this ranch could use some young blood.”
“I take offence to that.”
“You can take offence to whatever you like, it don’t make it any less true. Now, let’s do one last spin on the dance floor and then you can take me and the baby home to bed, cowboy.”
He narrows his eyes and stares down at me. “Baby?”
I nod. Colt shakes his head. “Are you sayin’ what I think you’re sayin’?”
“Fifteen weeks along.”
A slow smile spreads across his face and he lowers his lips to my ear. “I didn’t think this day could get any better, but you’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”
I grin up at my husband and wonder how I got so lucky. I let him go once, I left them all—the love of my life, my family, this ranch searching for something I would never find any place else but these 300,000 acres. Ranching is in my blood, raising cattle is in my DNA, and I can’t believe I ever dared to call any place but in Colt’s arms home.
WANT MORE WINCHESTER WILD?
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MORE BY CARMEN JENNER
Welcome to Sugartown (Sugartown Series #1)
Enjoy Your Stay (Sugartown Series #2)
Greetings from Sugartown (Sugartown Series #3)
Now Leaving Sugartown (Sugartown Series #4)
Sugartown: The Collection
Revelry (Taint #1)
Closer (Taint #2)
Tainted: the complete Taint box set
Kick (Savage Saints MC #1)
Tank (Savage Saints MC #2)
Jett (Savage Saints MC #3)
Toward the Sound of Chaos (Southbound Series #1)
The Way Back Home (Southbound Series #2)
In the Land of Gods and Monsters, Part I (Gods & Monsters Series)
In the Land of Gods and Monsters, Part II (Gods & Monsters Series)
Finding North
Harley & Rose
Styx & Stones
Puck Love
Cake
Bittersweet (Co-write with Lauren K. McKellar)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carmen Jenner is a USA Today and international bestselling author.
A hardcore red lipstick addict and a romantic at heart, Carmen enjoys books—duh!—long walks through Sephora, tattooed boys, and eyeliner so sharp it could kill a man. She lives in small-town, Australia, where she wrangles her two children, a French Bulldog named Busy, her Jungle Jag Python named Bunny, and her very own manchild.
Carmen always gives her characters the HEA they deserve, but not before ruining their lives completely first … because what’s a happily ever after without a little torture?
AUTHOR LINKS
Website → www.carmenjenner.com
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Twitter → www.twitter.com/CarmenJAuthor
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To my darling non-husband Ben, I love you. Thank you for your unconditional support.
Ava Rose and Ari Danger, I love you more than the sun, and more than the stars, and more than the moon, and more than Mars, and way more than … chickens. You guys make our lives complete. Don’t ever change.
To my gorgeous family, I love you.
To my beautiful beta readers: Kristina Zolnar, and Anne Dawson. Thank you! You’re both total rock stars.
To the ridiculously talented Ben from Tall Story Designs, I’m totally convinced you’re a cyborg. Your eye for detail is ridiculous. So is my love for you.
Lindee Robinson, you are a superstar! Thank you for taking this exceptionally gorgeous image and sharing your talent. I see many more cover images in our future.
And finally, thank you to the loyal readers who follow me on every book journey, whether I’m writing about depraved bad boys, brutally unapologetic bikers, wounded marines, or cowboys and small country towns. I’m so lucky to have you. I hope you loved Lemon and Colt’s story as much as I do because I can’t wait to show you what’s next. Ready to get Winchester Wild?
Thank you for all your love and support. It means the world to me!
AUTHOR NOTE
You might be wondering what’s up with all the weird equine names in Sweet and Wild? These names are my small way of paying homage to just a handful of the one hundred and twenty-two racehorses who were killed on Australian racetracks from August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019.
On average, one racehorse dies every three days on Australian tracks, and we have to do better.
Join me in pledging to never bet on horse racing cruelty.
More information on the “wastage” of the horseracing industry, and how you can help, can be found at:
The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses
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Sweet and Wild (Winchester Wild Book 1) Page 14