won that bet with Jake fair and square.
Epilogue
Six Months Later: Ashleigh
As unforgettable as our first wedding was, our real wedding was a true Texan affair. My parents were both in tears the moment my dad started walking me down the aisle. We converted one of the unused barns at Sunset View to use for both the ceremony and reception, stringing fairy lights up and filling the place with flowers from Donna’s garden.
In a nod to our first wedding, this time, I wore my own mom’s wedding dress, which we’d had altered to fit my shape and style. Donna and my mom had become fast friends over the months, especially thanks to the fact that my folks had opted to retire to Greenwater and now lived locally. Though my grandma was still in Chicago, we talked on the phone every week, and I don’t think she stopped crying during the entire wedding ceremony or reception.
The whole event couldn’t have been a more perfect night. Horseshoes, barbecue, live country music, and Uncle Bobby’s home-brewed moonshine—though I stayed far away from the last one. No one seemed to notice that I hadn’t touched the champagne. Or, if they did, everyone was kind enough not to say anything, for which I was exceedingly grateful. If my intuition was correct, our little family would be getting a little bigger about eight months from now.
The Greenwater Boys, the town’s official country band, played an amazing show and there wasn’t a single guest who didn’t dance until wee hours of the morning. The final dance was just Connor and me—me in bare feet, pressed against his chest as we swayed to the music.
I thought back to that first night I saw him in Jake’s Place and how I never could have imagined things would have turned out this way.
Those weeks spent running for my life had given me a certain clarity. The whole time I was running from Moretti, I felt so lost. It wasn’t until I found something to run toward that things finally started making sense.
So if you can take one thing away from my story, let it be this. No matter what’s behind you, run toward happiness…
And it will always find you.
The End
I hope you’ve enjoyed Connor and Ashleigh’s story! In case you missed it, keep reading for a peek at the previous book in this series, My Sister’s Cowboy Ex
Happy reading!
Love, Holly x
My Sister's Cowboy Ex
Chapter 1
Billie
Pulling into a parking spot in front of Eaves’ Shots, Billie turned off the rental car and took a deep breath. Ten seconds without the air-conditioning running and sweat was already collecting under her arms and at her temples.
Here she was. Home sweet home.
It had been six months since she’d been in Louisville, Kentucky, but the days had flown by so fast that it’d felt like nothing at all.
Stepping out of the car, she caught sight of her dad through the photography studio’s front window. Pushing his wire-rim glasses up the bridge of his nose, he waved eagerly. Relaxation washed over Billie. Maybe this trip would be a good one, after all.
Leaving her suitcase in the car, she pushed open the studio’s door and stepped into its cool interior.
“Baby girl!” John Eaves wrapped her in a bear hug.
“Hey, Dad. How are you?”
He didn’t get the chance to answer. Billie’s mom had swooped in and stolen Billie away.
“We’re great,” Ginger answered for both of them. “Look at you. You grew out your bangs.”
“Yeah.” Billie patted her hair.
“Did the horse people ask you to do that?”
“No.” Billie smiled at her mother’s choice of words. By ‘horse people’ she probably meant the producers of the Western miniseries Billie had recently booked.
“How about a water? Coffee?” Ginger didn’t wait for a response. Opening the mini fridge, she handed Billie a bottle of water.
“Thanks.” Billie twisted the cap off but didn’t take a drink. “The studio looks great.”
They’d added a few lights since she’d last been in the place, plus a big black backdrop.
“We have a family coming in soon,” her dad said. “Young couple and two kids.”
Ginger perched on a stool and folded her arms. “Speaking of couples…” She batted her false eyelashes.
Wow. Nice segue, Mom.
Billie played dumb, pretending like she wasn’t peppered with the same questions every time she visited home. Her acting career was taking off, she had good friends and her own home (finally!), and yet sometimes it seemed all her parents cared about was whether or not she’d found a husband yet.
John cleared his throat, picking up