mad as hell if we ain’t at the church this afternoon at about two o’clock. They’re going to have to wade through more than a foot of snow just to get to their trucks, but Cooper and Waylon said they’d take care of clearing the porch of the church and sidewalk.”
“It’s supposed to be bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other on their wedding day.” He toyed with a strand of her hair. “Do you think maybe we should have just gone to the courthouse?”
“Nope. I’ve always wanted a wedding,” Bonnie assured him. “I want to see the look in your eyes when I walk down the aisle, and I want to hold that memory in my heart forever.”
“There’s no way you could be more beautiful than you are right now.” He pulled her lips to his for the first morning kiss. “Think your mother will show up and surprise you?”
“It would be a big surprise all right.” Bonnie threw back the covers and got out of bed. “She’s still runnin’ with that motorcycle gang, and they’ve joined up with more bikers somewhere up near the Canadian border in Washington. She called yesterday and tried to talk me into gettin’ on a plane and coming out there to live with them.”
Rusty got out of bed and picked up a pair of jeans. Bonnie stopped what she was doing and stared at his fine naked body—all hardened muscles, a broad chest, and a heart inside that was so full of love for her that sometimes she still found it hard to believe. In only a few hours, she’d have a piece of paper that said he belonged to her. She full well intended to frame it and set it up on the mantel above the fireplace in the living room for the whole world to see.
“I’m a lucky woman,” she whispered.
“What was that?” Rusty asked.
“I said I’m one lucky woman,” she repeated.
“Not as lucky as I am.” He grinned and rounded the end of the bed to take her in his arms. “I’d like to go back to bed with you, but we’re kind of on a tight schedule here. We’ve got brunch at Shiloh’s, and then we’re supposed to go straight to the church.”
“And Abby Joy says once I step foot in the church, I can’t see you anymore until the wedding.” She tugged on her jeans and stomped her feet down into her boots. “Let’s go get the feeding chores done and then head over to Shiloh’s.”
“Lovers forever.” She held up a pinky.
“Married couple from today until death parts us.” He wrapped his pinky around hers.
“Ranchers together.” They both said it at the same time and held up three fingers.
* * *
Rusty looked out over the congregation that Wednesday afternoon and thought again that New Year’s Day was a strange day for a wedding, but there was no way he was going to argue with Bonnie. She wanted the ceremony to be on the very day when she took ownership of the ranch. After her mother had come for that crazy visit, they’d signed papers back in the summer, and those papers said that on the day they married, the Malloy Ranch would belong to the two of them—and that on that very day, the name of the place would be changed to Sunrise Ranch.
The pianist began to play “The Rose,” and Shiloh came down the center aisle with her arm looped in Waylon’s. Abby Joy and Cooper followed behind them. In less than an hour, Rusty would have two sisters-in-law and two brothers-in-law—he’d have family for the first time in his life. The preacher raised his arms for everyone to stand, and the pianist began to play the traditional wedding march. The double doors at the back of the church opened, and Bonnie came down the aisle alone. Jackson Bailey had offered to escort her, but she had refused. She told Rusty that she was giving herself to him in marriage, and she didn’t need anyone else to do that for her.
She was wearing a lovely white lace dress that stopped at her ankles. Peeking out from under its hem were the same biker boots that she’d worn a year ago on that very first day that Rusty had laid eyes on her. The day that I fell in love with her if I’m being honest about the whole thing, he thought. His eyes met hers, and he couldn’t wait for her to reach