Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(92)

“Katy says we are to stand in front of that fireplace right there. Deke is to sit on the…”

“I’m right here.” Deke rushed into the house through the kitchen door. “Cow got out so I’m a little bit late, but I’m cleaned up and ready to do my part. I see Lizzy brought the cats home.”

“She wanted Blue and the cats to be in the house for the wedding.” Toby grinned.

“You are to sit on one of the folding chairs and Katy will sit in the other one,” the preacher pointed. “I hear them on the porch. So gentlemen, take your places.”

Katy came in first, crossed over to her chair and sat down. Then Allie arrived wearing a sweet little blue sundress and carrying a bouquet of wildflowers from the pasture. Right behind her was Lizzy, Toby’s Lizzy, in a white dress, carrying the roses he’d picked for her. He was afraid to blink for fear she would disappear.

She handed her mother her bouquet, took his hands in hers, and looked up into his eyes. “Toby Dawson, I never meant to fall in love with you, but I did and it was the right thing to do because my heart is at peace with it. I’m not arguing with myself. I’m not changing myself and I don’t want to change you. God sent you to me at the right time, and I’m damn sure not going to argue with God. So tonight I’m going to vow to love, honor, and respect you. I’m going to vow to protect this love with all my strength and soul, and if you die before I do, promise me you’ll drag your feet a little when you start up the stairs to the Pearly Gates because I swear I’ll be with you in a day or two. Because I can live without you Toby, but I don’t want to.”

Toby swallowed hard and forgot every single thing he’d planned to say to her. He’d practiced it all week and now it was gone. The only thing he could do was speak straight from his heart and hope to hell it made sense. “Lizzy Logan, I love you. I didn’t think you were my type and thank God you weren’t or this day wouldn’t be here. My type wasn’t what I needed to make me happy, and I was drifting in a swirling pool of muddy water. I needed you in my life and although we both fought what our hearts knew long before we did, I’m glad that we are here and that you are going to be my wife for all eternity. I vow to honor, respect, be true to you, and love you, not until my dying day but way past that. And if you die before I do, just sit down on the nearest hay bale and wait. I’ll be along real quick because my heart would break without you in my life.”

“Well, it looks like all I need to do is ask for the rings and bless his marriage.” The preacher removed a white hanky from his pocket and handed it to Allie, who wiped her eyes and passed it off to her mother. Deke snatched it before it made its way back to the preacher.

Ten minutes later, a bright shiny gold band was on Toby’s finger and Lizzy wore the matching one. The marriage license had been witnessed and hugs given. Toby and Lizzy were officially married.

“You have today and tomorrow and I’ll even put the Do Not Disturb sign on your door,” Katy said. “But you will be in church on Sunday morning because the ladies are planning a potluck dinner complete with a wedding cake reception. And all of Toby’s family will be there, just like they were at Blake and Allie’s wedding.”

“Yes, Mama Katy.” Toby grinned.

“I like that title just fine.” She hugged him tightly. “Welcome to our crazy family.”

“Thank you.”

Deke slung open the door. “The honeymoon is going to be short enough. Out everyone.”

When the last vehicle was gone, Toby scooped Lizzy up into his arms and carried her to the master bedroom. He kicked the door shut with his boot and laid her on a brand-new bed that had been delivered that day. A wedding gift from her mother, it was a four-poster made of oak.

“I reckon she knew we’d need something sturdy for a lifetime of hot cowboy nights.” Lizzy laughed.

Toby slowly started to undress her, kissing each inch of bare skin that he uncovered. “And they start right now, Mrs. Dawson.”

“No, darlin’, they started months ago but they’ll go on for the rest of our lives.” She grabbed the top of his shirt and with one fell swoop, undid every pearl snap.





Stranded by the side of the road, Fiona Logan eagerly accepts a ride from the most handsome cowboy she has ever seen. And when they both wind up staying at the same place for the holidays, well, Christmas suddenly gets very cozy…



Please see the next page

for a preview of





Merry Cowboy Christmas,




Coming in Sept. 2017.





Jud Dawson tapped the brakes and slid a few feet before his big black truck came to a stop. The rusted out old bucket of bolts he’d been following on the slick road wasn’t quite so lucky, though. It kept going right through a barbed wire fence. The whole scene played out in the blink of an eye and yet it felt like an eternity for the old truck to come to a complete halt, kissing a big scrub oak tree about fifteen feet from the fence line.

Jud barely scrambled from the cab of his truck to see if the other driver was unhurt when a redheaded woman dressed in tight jeans, boots, and a sweater hopped out of the run-down vehicle, kicked the shit out of her blown-out tire, and tangled both her fists in her hair in anger.

“Are you okay?” he yelled as he ran toward her, phone in hand ready to call 911 if he needed to.