Susan and Ross were married several weeks later, on the last day of the current New Beginnings program. The participants in the program were the guests of honor.
It was a small but rowdy wedding. The fourteen special guests all wore their cowboy hats and were joined by the other members of the Covenant Falls veteran community and their wives.
Susan wore a simple blue dress with flowers entwined in her hair. Ross wore new jeans and a Western shirt and his wedding present from Jubal: a pair of riding boots. The minister came from the town’s Baptist church.
It was a beautiful fall day. A breeze rippled the lake surface and the sun blessed the mountain above them. Ross’s heart beat faster as he looked at Susan’s face as they said their vows. She was incredibly beautiful. Her eyes glistened as she gave him a smile meant only for him.
As they finished the ceremony, he heard the neigh of horses behind him. Most of the guests rode horses to the lake, and their mounts apparently wanted to participate, as did Hobo, who trailed down the aisle with him. Unfortunately, Vagabond did not lower herself enough to attend and was brooding in the cabin. The two, though, had come to an understanding: they ignored one another. But both Susan and Ross believed they would become buddies. Eventually.
The ceremony finished and they were embraced by old and new friends. Food and drink were bountiful. Heartfelt goodbyes were said as the program’s vets were leaving in the morning.
Finally, it was just the four of them. Ross and Susan, Hobo and Vagabond. Their horses were being taken to Jubal’s barn and would appear the next morning. Ross planned to build a small stable next to the cabin now that he had closed on the property a week earlier.
After all the guests left, Ross and Susan stayed outside on the porch, their hands locked together, and watched the sun set.
She took his hand. “No more shadows?” she asked.
“No.” He swallowed hard. He had arrived in Covenant Falls a loner leery of commitments. Now he had an enchanting wife, an entire town of friends, a dog, a cat, even Cajun he was buying from Jubal.
As a kid—before his world fell apart—he’d wanted to be a cowboy.
Life took him on a long winding road to get here but now here he was. A bona fide Colorado cowboy with a horse, a hat and a wife who’d made it all happen.
As if reading his mind, his new wife leaned over and kissed him with such gusto he believed they should retire inside. And they did.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Home on the Ranch: A Cupid’s Bow, Texas Reunion by Tanya Michaels.
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