MacKenzie Fire(101)

“Well? Are you going to answer him or not?” Mildred says, as cranky as ever. “We don’t have all day.”

I look over at her, tears in my eyes. “Should I say yes?”

“Do you love him?”

I nod. “Yes. A lot.”

“Is he good to you?”

I nod again. “The best.”

“Does he give you orgasms?”

I bark out a laugh. “Yes.”

She shrugs and goes back to her magazine. “I’d say yes if it were me, but it’s not me he’s asking.”

Ian points at Mildred with his thumb. “Mildred would say yes.”

“If you don’t say yes, I’m quitting,” Jorge says.

“You can’t quit, you own this place,” I say, tears running down my face.

“I’ll sell out. I swear to God, I will.”

Ian holds his hat against his chest and gives me a nervous smile. “Babe, I can’t promise you that I’ll always be perfect, but I’ll do my straight best to try, and I’ll make it my life’s goal to always make sure you’re happy. All you’ve got to do is marry me, and I’ll do the rest.”

I can’t think of a single reason to say no anymore.

“Yes. I’ll marry you.” My heart starts beating in a mad rush and my face flushes pink. I cannot believe I just got engaged!

Ian takes the ring out of the box and puts it on my finger.

“It fits perfectly,” I say in a tiny girl voice, turning my finger left and right so the light will catch it and make it sparkle more.

“Of course it does. Andie helped me pick it out.” He grins, his face lighting up with love and light. I’ve never seen anything so amazing in my entire life.

I can’t stop crying when all my friends surround me and hug me from all angles. Ian waits his turn, but when he finally gets a chance, he wraps his strong arms around me and buries his face in my neck, lifting me up off the ground.

“Love you, City,” he says.

“Love you too, Country,” I say back.

“Get a room,” Mildred says.

When I peek over Ian’s shoulder at her I see that she’s smiling.





Chapter Forty-Nine





THE BREEZE COMING OFF THE ocean is as mild and humidity-free as I’ve ever known it to be. My simple white sundress picks up and floats around my knees as I settle my bouquet at my waist.

“You ready?” Angus asks, holding out an elbow for me.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, putting my hand through his arm.

“I feel pretty lucky, being the one to walk you down the aisle.” We take it slow since Angus’s knees aren’t the best these days.

I smile, feeling very shy. “Since my dad passed, I really wasn’t sure what to do.”

He pats my hand. “I’m your father-in-law now. You can call me dad if you want. Angus if you prefer. I’m just proud that I can have two daughters now when all I ever thought I’d have is sons.”

We walk out of the hotel’s small banquet room and make our way across a small area of the pool to reach the boardwalk that will take us down to the beach were our wedding party is waiting.

“Thank you for helping Ian get started out here,” I say as we walk across the pool area.

“We’ve always told him when he was ready we wanted to be investors. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and the work ethic to be proud of. He’ll make the ranch work.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to have chickens.” I laugh at the whole idea. Angus just finished building the coop for us yesterday. I nearly cried at how cute the tiny little shutters were that he put on the windows.

“You can always make Ian collect the eggs,” Angus says, knowing of my extreme chicken butt paranoia.

“No, I’ll do it. People have to sacrifice when it comes to being married. I’m just going to have to deal.”

“That’s-a girl,” he says, smiling and patting me again. “We’ll make a rancher out of you yet.”

As we begin our walk down the boardwalk, I can see my future husband waiting for me. He’s standing at the end, in the sand, next to a priest we hired for a couple hours, wearing a tux and his black cowboy hat. Andie is on the priest’s other side, standing with a bouquet next to Jorge. They’re both in pink. Kelly couldn’t make it because she’s about to give birth, but she sent me a picture of herself in a pink dress and I have it tucked into my flowers. I take a peek at it now to remind me that she’s here in spirit.

Mack is Ian’s best man and Boog is beside him, looking extremely uncomfortable in a tux, his beard hanging down the front of it.

It’s quite a motley crew we have, but I wouldn’t want it any other way, and neither would Ian, thank God. I finally found a man who wants me exactly as I am and loves me back as much as I love him.

When I reach the end of the boardwalk, I step onto the sand, thankfully only needing to go a couple of feet before I’m on Ian’s arm. Heels and sand don’t go very well together, but there’s no way in hell I was going to wear flip flops on my big day.

“I’ve been asked to keep this ceremony short and sweet,” says the priest smiling at everyone, “and the very best way I know how to do that is to ask the couple to write their own vows, which Candice and Ian have happily done. Ian, would you like to start?”