Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch (The Ryan Family #1) by Carolyn Brown

As luck would have it, the very next song on the radio was “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks. Addy dropped on her knees in front of him and nodded. “Yes, a thousand times, yes.”

Jesse jumped up, scooped her into his arms like a new bride, and spun around in circles until they were both dizzy. Then he put her on the ground and began to dance to the music. “I’m so happy that my heart is pounding.”

“I can feel it,” Addy said. “This song is from me to you. Like it says, cowboy, take me away and fly me as high as you can for the rest of our lives, Jesse.”

“I’ll do my damnedest to make you happy,” he said.

“Right back at you.” She nestled her cheek against his chest. “Someday, I want to tell our grandchildren about the day you proposed, and how romantic it was.”

“I’m glad it doesn’t take much to please you.” Jesse knew that he was the luckiest cowboy in the whole state of Texas.

“I love you so much,” Addy said as she sealed their new promises with a long kiss.





Chapter Twenty-Five



Addy would have been happy to go to the courthouse, get married in ten minutes, and go home, but Pearl and Mia weren’t having any part of that idea. They decided that the last day of July would be a nice day for a wedding. Henry would still be at the ranch and could attend. Pearl and Sonny had decided to drive to Colorado with Henry and help get him settled into his new home on the first day of August, so everything would work out just fine. Lucas even said that he could fly in for a couple of days to attend the wedding.

Now, the day had arrived, and Addy was so nervous about the whole affair that she really wished that she and Jesse could run away and elope. For a whole five minutes, she was alone in the Sunday school room that they used for a bride’s dressing area. She sat down in a rocking chair and stared out the window at big fluffy white clouds. Twenty years ago, on the last day of July, she had taken a pregnancy test and found out that she had gotten pregnant that last night Jesse was home. Whoever said that a girl couldn’t get pregnant when she and a guy had only had sex one time had rocks for brains.

Mia came in from the hallway with Addy’s bouquet in her hands. A sunflower with a bit of baby’s breath around it looked lovely in her dark hair, and her deep yellow dress fit her every curve just right. “You’ve got fifteen minutes, Mama, and then Grandpa is coming to escort you down the aisle. Are you ready for this?”

“Are there a lot of people in the church?” Addy asked.

“Yep, but it is Saturday night, so it’s like date night for everyone, and we’ve got quite a spread in the fellowship hall besides that truly gorgeous cake. It’s also a time for everyone to get all dressed up and fancy. Speaking of which, you should see my father. He’s so danged nervous that I had to keep assuring him that you would forgive him if he forgot a line of his vows. He wants this day to be perfect for you.”

“Thank you, Mia, for working so hard with Pearl to make this day special. How you two got all this together in two short weeks is amazing,” Addy said.

“Hey, not every girl my age can say that she got to be the maid of honor at her parents’ wedding,” Mia said. “Now, get your boots on, and take these sunflowers. I’m glad you decided on these instead of roses.”

Pearl peeked into the room. She wore a dark green dress with a pretty floral scarf around her shoulders and an emerald necklace. “I brought you a little present. My mother-in-law gave me the same one on my wedding day, and I thought you should have them.” She handed Addy a tiny satin bag tied with a drawstring at the top.

Addy opened it to find sunflower seeds. “Oh, Pearl, this is a wonderful present,” she said. “I will plant them around the back porch.”

Pearl dabbed at the tears in her eyes. “That’s a perfect place. And honey, you can call me Mama, you know.”

“I’d love to.” Addy hugged her.

“Be careful,” Pearl warned. “I don’t want to get makeup smears on your pretty dress. Mia was right about you wearing champagne lace. It looks lovely on you.”

“But I had my way about the boots.” Addy pulled up her dress to show off a pair of boots with phoenix birds sewn into the fronts. “Jesse and I are rising from the ashes, so these seemed proper.”

“Good God, Mama, you’re supposed to wear the off-white lace boots,” Mia fussed.

Pearl headed for the door. “I hear the music that tells me they’re about to seat me and your mother, Addy, so I’m leaving.”

Addy gave her a hug. “Thank you for the sunflower seeds…Mama Pearl.”

“I like that a lot, and the seeds are just my way of welcoming you to the family that you’ve already had for five years,” Pearl said.

Addy’s eyes twinkled as she focused on her daughter. “I can’t dance in new boots, and be damned if I go on my honeymoon with blisters on my feet, and you’ve only got about two minutes before you have to leave this room. Before you go, thank you again, my child, for everything, but most of all for accepting Jesse.”

“It’s in my DNA,” Mia said, smiling, “and Mama, your honeymoon is just a weekend in a cabin up on the Red River. It won’t be that different than staying in the bunkhouse.”