by Ellen Joy
“How long do you think it would take to fix the floors, and paint and stuff?” Hannah asked, pulling out a silverware drawer.
“A month, maybe two?” Julia checked out the view from the back door. “Fix up the yard a bit, refresh the bathrooms, maybe switch out the cabinet hardware. Definitely update the light fixtures.”
“We don’t have the time,” he said, but he was figuring out that the women in his life were ignoring him. “You’re starting school in a few weeks.”
“We can do it together. Emma can help, too.”
She bumped him with her hip. He longed to pull her to him and kiss her. He honestly didn’t think he could wait to be her husband much longer.
“The wedding’s in a couple of weeks.”
They’d decided to have a small gathering at the ranch. The vows would be said on the porch, with Millie and Emma by their sides, and Pastor Phil officiating. The Boudreaus, Gundersons, and Rylands would all be in attendance. Even Ted would be included. They had the Gundersons’ event tent and a small platform for dancing after dinner. A local restaurant was catering, which was his mother’s and Ted’s contribution. Ted actually added an open bar, and more than enough food for the whole town.
They’d done well with the to-do list, but they didn’t have time to flip a house, too.
“You could turn it over in a few months,” Julia said, as she typed on the phone. “You’d be crazy not to, with your skills.”
He blew out a breath, his hands on his hips, looking around the house. “I’m totally outnumbered, aren’t I?”
Hannah laughed, sliding her arms around his waist and pulling him into her. “It’ll be fun!”
“Okay.” He laughed at her excitement. “Let’s do it.”
He kissed the top of Hannah’s head as she and Julia talked about pulling off the cabinet doors and painting them white.
“French country is huge these days,” Julia said, as she headed out of the kitchen.
Hannah let go and went to follow his sister. He grabbed her belt loop with his finger and pulled her right back into him.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.” She patted his chest, playing with a button on his shirt. He lifted her chin and brought her lips to his.
“I’m going to make you the happiest woman alive.”
“I already am.” And she kissed him again.
“Dearly beloved,” Pastor Phil said to the small gathering sitting under the eggshell-blue sky as Jake and Hannah said their vows.
After the engagement, Emma started referring to the Wilson farm as the Malloy Ranch. She even changed her own name, even though her adoption hasn’t been officially finalized. Emma Higgins Malloy, she’d write at the top of her papers. Her teachers didn’t mind.
“She’s a whole new kid!” one had told Hannah.
Hannah couldn’t hide her smile as she stood beside Jake, resplendent in his best suit. There he was, standing before God, and about to commit his life to her.
No one in her whole life had ever given her such a promise, but she knew it to be true. Jake loved her, and she loved him.
The future was as bright as the sky above them.
“I do,” she said, and the tears flowed freely, but she didn’t care. She was marrying the best man in the whole world.
Jake pulled her into his arms and they kissed, long and sweet, with a dip for the crowd. Everyone stood, clapping and cheering. The thirty or so people hollered so loud that it echoed through the valley. Speeches came before dinner, and dancing came after that.
The first to leave were Ted and Elaine.
“How about you all come on the river with us next weekend?” Ted asked, but directing the question to Hannah.
“Sounds nice, thanks,” Hannah answered before Jake could respond.
“Have Emma bring a friend, and we can put the tubes on the back.”
Hannah smiled at Ted. She could see him trying, and she was willing to give him credit for that. Jake, on the other hand, still needed time. It would take a lot more effort on Ted’s part to bridge that gap. She understood, but she truly believed Ted was willing to change. He had even spoken highly of Jake’s choice to start his own construction company.
“He’ll do great with renos and personalized jobs,” he’d said to the Gundersons, when Jesse talked about the remodel.
By the time the celebrations ended, it was well past midnight. The kids were dropping, and soon, so were the parents.
Olivia, however, was ready to dance into the morning. “Mae’s with Maggie! Let’s keep dancing!”
Hannah laughed as Jesse tried to convince her to go to bed. “Jess! We don’t often get nights like this anymore.”
“But we also never get sleep, either,” he said.
Olivia kept dancing, but closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. “Alright, I guess it’s time.”
With hugs all around, and Emma running up to her new room with Millie, Jake and Hannah were alone for the first time as husband and wife.
“How long do you think it’ll take her to go to sleep?” he whispered in her ear, swaying her to the crickets and the frogs.
She laughed. She had been thinking the same thing. “She’ll be out soon enough.”
Jake looked up to the sky. “Let’s go for a walk around the ranch.”
He called up to Emma’s open window. “Hey, Em!”
“Yeah?” she said, poking her head out the window.
“Your mom and I are going for a walk around the yard. You okay for a little bit?”
“Sure, Dad.”
She left the window as if it was no big deal, but Hannah saw his face change. He looked at Hannah and smiled. “Did she…?”
Hannah took his hand. “Yes.”
He smiled again and tucked her arm into his. “We should grab a blanket,” he said, as he led her toward the barn.
“Mr. Malloy, you are a devil,” she teased, but suddenly she was the one leading him, still in her white lace wedding dress. She had made a joke about his having to peel it off her, and Jake took it as a challenge.
He grabbed a lantern off the wall, and a quilt from the tack room.
“Where did you get that quilt?” she asked.
“Don’t you think Maggie would be honored that her gift was the first used?” he said, pulling her toward the back of the barn, past Trigger, out the door to the pastures. The trail curved through the field to their favorite spot, a hill overlooking the whole ranch.
The silver glow from the full moon illuminated the prairie below. Groans came from the cows every once in a while as they walked the trail, holding hands.
When they reached the top, Jake put the lantern on the ground and took her into his arms.
“I love you, Hannah.” He kissed her.
“I love you, too,” Hannah said. “Always and forever.”
I hope you enjoyed Her Last Chance Cowboy! The next, and final book in the series, Her Christmas Cowboy, focuses on Maggie and an unexpected encounter that leads to a chance for her own happily-ever-after. Click HERE to see all the books in the Prairie Valley series.
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Also by Ellen Joy
Click HERE for more information about other books by Ellen Joy.
Prairie Valley
Her Second Chance Cowboy
Her Next Door Cowboy
Her Pretend Cowboy
Her Fresh Start Cowboy
Her Last Chance Cowboy
Her Christmas Cowboy
Camden Cove
The Inn by the Cove
The Farmhouse by the Cove
The Restaurant by the Cove
The Christmas Cottage by the Cove
The Bakery by the Cove
About the Author
Ellen lives in a small town in New England, between the Atlant
ic Ocean and the White Mountains. She lives with her husband, two sons, and one very spoiled puppy princess.
Ellen writes in the early morning hours before her family wakes up. When she's not writing, you can find her spending time with her family, gardening, or headed to the beach. She loves summer and flip-flops, running on a dirt country road, and a sweet love song.
All of her stories are clean romances where families are close, neighbors are nosy, and the couples are destined for each other.