I liked her and thought she liked me. I was wrong, and the rejection right along with that slap in the face sure enough smarted. I wasn’t going to be rejected again.”
“What was the exact day you decided to let her catch you?” Bridget asked.
“We both showed up at the assisted-living center to visit Mam and wound up going out for a burger. We figured out later that Mam had asked us both to come at the same time, and no doubt about it, she was playing matchmaker. Then the very next Saturday night we were both at the Wild Cowboy. We were dancing with other people and her partner tapped me on the shoulder, so I stepped back, and there she was, lookin’ kind of hurt. So I opened up my arms and she walked into them. From then on, we kind of…” He kept the story as close to the truth as possible.
“Kind of fell in love,” Bridget sighed.
“That’s right.” He made a mental note to call Alana later to tell her that he’d told that much of their story.
“And when did you actually propose?” Maverick finished biscuits and eggs and put a stack of three pancakes on his plate.
“Yesterday afternoon out in the barn,” Pax answered. “She came over to see me right after you left. It wasn’t nearly as romantic as I’d planned, but I did take her out to The Silver Dove for supper last night to make up for it.”
“It doesn’t have to be romantic.” Bridget gave Laela small bites of egg while she ate. “You know in your heart when you love a person enough to ask them to marry you.”
“That’s the way I figured it.” At least he didn’t have to tell Alana how that happened.
“What did you say?” Bridget asked.
“I said, ‘Alana Joy Carey will you marry me?’” He was damn sure glad he’d actually gotten down on one knee and done it up right.
“With no ring?” Maverick asked.
“We’d talked about eloping and having matching bands. Besides, I knew she loved her mother’s ring. This was a fine breakfast, Bridget.”
“Where are you going to live after the wedding?” Bridget asked.
“Over at her place.” He hoped Alana wasn’t having to answer this many questions. “But don’t worry, I’ll be over here every morning. This is our ranch, and I’ll be here to help take care of it like always. I just won’t sleep here.”
“I guess your wild days are over.” Maverick snapped his fingers. “That quick.”
“So were yours,” Bridget reminded him.
“Yes, but…” Maverick started.
“There are no buts when it comes to love,” Bridget told him.
Pax chuckled as he got up, took his plate to the sink, and rinsed it. “I can only hope that Alana and I have as good a relationship as y’all have got.”
He hurried out the back door before either of them could ask another question, went to his truck, and drove out to the barn where he and Maverick would be working on a tractor that morning. As soon as he was inside, he fished his phone from his hip pocket and called Alana.
* * *
“Hi, Pax.” Alana was already in her truck and headed out to the barn on her place to tell the hired hands where she wanted them to work that morning. “I hope you survived the interrogation at your ranch this morning,” she said.
“I kept everything as close to the truth as possible.” He told her what he’d told his brother and Bridget.
She smiled at the sound of his voice—and at the memory of that night, when she danced in his arms. She’d felt as if she belonged there and wished that the song would never end.
“Got it,” she said. “Daddy wasn’t so interested in particulars about when we decided that we were in love. He’s more wound up about this wedding. He’s called a wedding planner, and we’re supposed to meet with her tomorrow evening. And he says that he doesn’t think the church will hold all our close friends, so he wants to have the wedding here at the ranch. You okay with that?” She’d come close to fainting that morning when he told her that her plan for a small wedding idea wasn’t going to work, and that they were going to invite everyone they’d ever known.
“I don’t even know what a wedding planner is, and whatever makes Matt happy is fine with me,” Pax said. “So what are you doing today?”
“I’m helping Daddy measure our sale barn, and then we’re