Love Drunk Cowboy (41 page)

Rye dropped down on one knee and took her hand in his. “Austin Lanier, will you marry me?”

“Do you mean it or are you just protecting your tat?”

He pulled at her hand and she joined him on the floor.

“I love you. Have since the first minute I laid eyes on you while you were taking care of Granny’s ashes down at the river.”

“Aha! I knew my gut wasn’t wrong.”

“What?”

“I knew you were back there. I could feel it in my gut. And this is supposed to be romantic so…”

He smiled. “I’ve planned something far more romantic but that truck out there scared the bejesus out of me.”

“Yes, Rye, I will marry you. I’ve loved you almost as long as you have me.”

He gathered her into his arms and kissed her long, hard, and passionately.

“When?” he whispered.

She snuggled into his chest a few moments longer and then leaned back. “As soon as you buy me a wedding band. A big wide gold band that I won’t have to take off to squeeze watermelons for wine making. How soon can you do that?”

“Tomorrow morning,” he said.

“Then tomorrow morning, it is.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his lips down to hers.

Wil clapped a hand on Rye’s shoulder. “Granny Lanier meant for me to have her granddaughter and you slipped across the road so fast I didn’t have a chance.”

“Yes, I did.” Rye grinned as he hugged Austin up closer to his side in the reception line.

“Heard y’all moved into the house and you’re bringing Felix and his family up from Mexico legally to work for y’all.”

“That’s right,” Rye told Wil. “We’re hoping to get this bunch settled in by next spring and maybe one more family the year after that. We’re going to build a bigger house down the road a little ways.”

“But on Granny’s side of the road,” Austin said.

“Why?” Wil asked.

“Because that’s what she wants and she isn’t nice when we don’t do what she wants.” Austin laughed.

“Well, be happy and come visit my ranch sometime,” Wil said and moved away to the food tables.

“Sneakin’ off to the courthouse like that wasn’t fair.” Ace was next in line. “You knew you had to act fast or else I’d steal her away from you.”

“Wasn’t takin’ no chances,” Rye said.

Austin was beautiful in a white lace dress that barely touched the tops of her new white cowboy boots. Rye wore a western cut black suit and eel boots polished to a shine. Pictures had been taken. Food was being served from long tables in the Terral community room. The yard was full of tables set up under tents and people were standing in line to congratulate the bride and groom.

Molly and Greta were happy because they’d been the first to know about the courthouse wedding the month before, which put them on top of the gossip game. They’d actually planned the reception at the community room in Terral, sent invitations, and ordered a cake and food before they even told Austin it was in the works.

Pearlita was serving wedding cake. Colleen and Gemma were taking care of the groom’s table.

“Happy?” Rye whispered when he kissed her for the hundredth time since they’d awakened that September morning on their one-month wedding anniversary.

“Of course I’m happy. I love you, Rye.”

“What was that?” Barbara walked up behind her.

“I said I love his cowboy ass.” Austin laughed.

“What happened to my child?” she moaned to her sisters, one on each side of her.

“She grew up,” Clydia said.

“Don’t worry, Momma. In between making hay, making wine, and making love we plan on making lots of children. You can come to Terral and spoil them all you want,” Austin said.

“You called me Momma… I don’t know if I like that,” Barbara said.

“It’ll get you ready to be called Granny in a while,” Austin told her.

“I’ll come around and spoil the babies when they come along if she doesn’t,” Clydia said. “That way, I can have grandchildren without all the fuss of a husband and kids of my own that way.”

“Oh no you don’t. They are
mine
,” Barbara said.

Austin winked at Clydia. “You are all welcome any time.”

“Look at the time.” Barbara pointed to the clock on the wall.

“What?” Austin asked.

“Time for your dance out by that stage thing in the yard and then I get to dance with that handsome cowboy you married while you dance with his father,” Barbara said. “You’ve got to learn to share, Austin.”

Austin slipped her hand in Rye’s. “Not very often, Mother. But you do deserve to dance with him since he’s your son now.” She tugged on Rye’s hand. “Let’s go show ’em how it’s done, darlin’.”

The whine of Raylen’s fiddle met them when they walked across the lawn. Rye pulled Austin close to his side as Grandpa began to sing “Rye Whiskey.”

“Welcome home, Austin O’Donnell,” Rye said.

Austin wrapped both arms around his neck and the kiss went on and on until the whole crowd began to whoop and holler.

The song finished and Colleen stepped up to the microphone. “Hey, y’all. Everyone havin’ a good time?”

Applause answered her.

“I’ve got a toast for the bride and groom. Got to admit I didn’t really like Austin at first. Figured her for a city slicker that wouldn’t get her hands dirty and who damn sure wouldn’t stick around when the going got tough. She proved me wrong so here’s a toast to my new sister and to my brother who was a love drunk cowboy from the minute he laid eyes on that woman.” Colleen held up a bottle of beer.

“Where’d she get that beer? I’d do anything for a cold Coors,” Austin said.

Rye wiggled an eyebrow. “Move back across the street into my trailer.”

“Hell, no! I’m not living in that trailer. I like sex too much to live on that side of the road and you promised me a yard full of mean boys. How would we get them over there?”

He picked her up, swung her around, and buried his face in her hair before setting her back down.

“I really do feel like a love drunk cowboy,” he said.

“I intend to see to it that you always do,” she said and sealed that vow with one more kiss.

Carolyn Brown
is an award-winning author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Her books include the cowboy trilogy
Lucky in Love, One Lucky Cowboy,
and
Getting Lucky,
and in the Honky Tonk series,
I Love This Bar
;
Hell, Yeah
;
My Give a Damn’s Busted
; and
Honky Tonk Christmas.
She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, make their home. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.