Taming a Texas Devil - Katie Lane Page 0,79

bullet wound and cinched it tight. When Lincoln was finished, he stood and looked at Dixie.

“He’s all yours, Deputy. Finish your arrest.” He paused. “But before you read him his rights, there’s something I have to ask you.”

She figured his question had to do with how she knew Willaby had killed Sam.

Until he got down on one knee.

“Lincoln? What are you doing?”

He took her hand. “On the way here, I realized I didn’t want to live without you for a second more. And I figure what better time to ask the smart, amazing law officer I fell in love with to marry me than right before her first major arrest.”

All the Double Diamond boys laughed.

“Leave it to Lincoln to propose to a woman who is still holding a smoking gun,” Cru said.

Lincoln’s face turned red. “Cru’s right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I was just so scared about losing you.” He started to get to his feet, but she stopped him by siting on his knee and flinging her arms around his neck—gun and all.

“Yes,” she said before she kissed him.

There were hoots and yeehaws from all the boys before Lincoln drew back. “Yes?”

She looked into the dark eyes of the man who saw her as much more than just a pretty face and answered as any smart woman would.

“Yes, sir.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

“She would’ve made a damn fine senator.”

Lincoln didn’t have to look behind him to know who had spoken. In the last few weeks, he had spent a lot of time listening to Senator Meriwether and knew his voice well. The man talked as much as his daughter did.

Without taking his eyes off Dixie, Lincoln answered him. “Dixie would be good at anything she set her mind to, sir.” At the moment, Dixie Leigh had set her mind to teaching her maid of honor and bridesmaids a new line dance.

She’d taken off the long veil and beaded train that had trailed behind her when she’d walked down the aisle and made her look like a queen arriving for coronation. She was a queen. His queen. Although now she just looked more like a slightly tipsy bride who was having the time of her life. Her green eyes twinkled with champagne and happiness as she held the hem of her wedding gown up to her knees so that Cheyenne, Reba, Evie, Penny, Devlin, and Emma could see her cowboy booted feet as she expertly demonstrated the steps. The only bridesmaid missing was Maisy. And Lincoln was surprised she wasn’t there since she loved to dance so much.

“Dixie does have a strong mind.” Senator Meriwether moved up to stand next to Lincoln. “Sometimes a little too strong. That stubbornness she gets from her mama.”

Lincoln kept his gaze on Dixie. “I don’t think she got that particular trait from her mama.”

“Are you saying I’m stubborn, son?”

It was the first time the senator had called him son and Lincoln was a little taken aback. Not only because the senator hadn’t exactly been happy the wedding took place so quickly—or at all—but also because Lincoln couldn’t remember the last time he’d been called son.

“Not stubborn, sir,” he said. “Just tenacious. And law officers and senators need to be tenacious to get things accomplished.”

The senator laughed. “You have a way with words, Lincoln Hayes. If you talked more, you’d make a pretty good politician yourself. And stop with the ‘sir’ business. You’re family now. You can call me Grant.” He paused. “Or you can call me Dad, if you’d like.”

Lincoln pulled his gaze away from Dixie and accepted the peace offering. “Thank you, Grant.” It was a little too soon to use Dad. But maybe one day he would feel comfortable enough with the senator to use it. And this was certainly a good start. He shook his new father-in-law’s hand. “Like I said before when I was asking for Dixie’s hand in marriage, I’m going to try and be a perfect husband to your daughter.”

“I don’t expect perfection, son. Lord only knows that I haven’t been a perfect husband. I just expect you to love Dixie as much as her mother and I do.”

“I will, sir . . . Grant. You have my word on that.”

The senator nodded before he pulled Lincoln in for a hard hug and slap on the back. “Good enough.” He drew away. “Now I better go make sure my wife hasn’t had too much champagne and started promising my constituents things I can’t deliver.”

Once the senator