Page 44 of Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn 4)
Chapter Twenty-Four
On a beautiful sunny afternoon two months later, Lucy stood with her arm linked with Steven’s, waiting for the music to begin. The flurry of getting primped and made up was done. All she had to do now was walk down the aisle, not trip over the hem of the most beautiful dress she’d ever worn, and say, “I do.”
Lined up in front of her were Chelle, Melanie, and Sarah
in classic navy bridesmaid dresses. David had said he wanted Lucy to have the wedding of her dreams; his only request was that they marry soon. He was impatient for her to be Mrs. Harmon.
Lucy had chosen to have their ceremony on the lawn of Ribblan Ranch, their new home in Fort Mavis. It would be a celebration not only of their wedding, but of the new life they were starting together. It was a simple setting: just white chairs in rows facing a makeshift altar beneath a large tree near the house. The view of the valley below was spectacular, though.
She couldn’t look out at the people waiting for the ceremony to start and not reflect on how grateful she was for how her life had changed. David was a large part of it, but even though they were marrying, she’d paid him back the full amount he’d loaned her for her ranch. Saving her ranch, knowing that she’d done what her mother had asked her to, had freed her.
She and David had talked about the future of her partnership with TAP. Although David loved trying out the toys and reading her blog, he asked her if it was her dream job. When Lucy had admitted that marketing was her dream, but not necessarily marketing for one business, he encouraged her to look into helping other companies, also. Lucy had been afraid it would take her away from David and their new home, but he assured her they could make it work. And she believed him—because David didn’t say anything he didn’t mean. She trusted him in a way she never thought she would trust anyone again.
The open setting allowed Lucy to see David as he stood with the minister, waiting for her. Their eyes met, and even across the distance, she saw his love for her shining in his eyes. She blew him a kiss and hugged Steven’s arm to her side.
Steven bent toward her and said, “Mom and Dad are looking down, and they’re proud of you.”
Lucy glanced up at him. “You too, Steven. Your suggestion that we give the ranch to Wyatt, but keep the mineral rights would have made both of them happy. He has been family to us, and he loves that place.”
“Think they’ll ever find oil there?” Steven asked, glancing across at Wyatt.
Lucy shrugged. “I don’t honestly care. I have everything I want.” She smiled up at her brother. “There would have been a huge hole in my heart today without you here.”
Steven ducked his head in a show of shame. “I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere. Well, I am going back to my job in Reno, but I’ll visit often.”
Sarah turned around and said, “David asked me to read over the vows he wrote. He is so romantic. How did yours come out?”
Lucy gulped in surprise. “He wrote his own vows?”
Sarah’s eyes rounded, and she smacked her forehead with one hand. “Did he say it was a surprise? I wouldn’t forget something like that, would I?” She turned forward again. “Pretend I said nothing.”
The music began, and Chelle slowly walked down the aisle. Melanie followed her. Sarah went last.
The music changed to the wedding march, and Lucy started down the aisle, holding Steven’s arm. At the altar, the minister asked, “Who gives this woman?”
“My brother,” Lucy said before Steven had a chance to answer. She couldn’t help it. She was simply that happy to have him by her side.
Steven blinked back a tear and kissed Lucy’s cheek. “I do,” he said, then shook David’s hand. “If my father were here, he would have said that he couldn’t have found a better man for his daughter.”
David’s smile widened. He took Lucy’s hand, and they both moved to stand in front of the minister. In all of Lucy’s life, she’d never seen anything more beautiful than the man she loved looking across at her, waiting for the minister to speak. She hadn’t written her own vows, but she wasn’t worried. It was hard to be afraid of anything with David at her side.
The minister welcomed everyone. At Lucy and David’s request, he kept the opening short and simple. He asked for the rings. Jace, who was almost seven, walked up the aisle with two rings on a white pillow. He handed them to the minister, then turned to David.
“David, do we get to eat after this?”
Everyone laughed.
David nodded.
Melanie, Jace’s mother, called him over. Jace ignored her, his focus remaining on David. “Mom said getting married means you might have a baby soon, but she said that won’t change how much you love me. Do you make the baby at the wedding or after?”
David ruffled Jace’s hair and winked. “After. But you should ask Charles about that.”
Satisfied, Jace went to stand beside Charles and took him by the hand with an expression that implied he would do just that the first chance he got.
A roar of laughter erupted, and Lucy joined in. If the wedding was any indicator, a life with David would be filled with love and joy.
The minister asked, “David, you said you wrote something you wanted to read?”
David nodded and took a piece of paper out of his pocket. A slight shake in his hand was the only indicator that he might be nervous. He cleared his throat. “My parents would say I’ve always been a bit stubborn. I get something in my head, and there’s no shaking it out. Until you, Lucy, I didn’t know my heart was the same. I knew you were the one for me from the very first time we met. The road here was bumpy, but I don’t regret a moment of it because it brought you to me. I promise to love you, to cherish you, to challenge you for the rest of our lives. I promise to be faithful, loving, and supportive of anything you choose to do. Give me your forever, Lucy, and I’ll give you mine.”
“Yes,” Lucy said as David slid a ring onto her finger.
Smiling, Lucy gently teased David. “I was not told we were writing our own vows, but it’s not hard to know what to say. David, your faith in me, your belief that I could get to this place, is probably what I first loved about you. I don’t know, though, because I could go on and on if I tried to list what I love about you. You have a heart the size of Texas. You are kind when others would judge. You are strong when others would run. I was lost when you found me, and you led me back not only to myself but also to my family. I promise to love you, to cherish you, to challenge you, too, for the rest of our lives. I promise to be faithful, loving, and supportive of anything you choose to do. Give me your forever, David, because you sure as hell have mine.”
The minister made a tsk sound.
“Yes,” David said.
She slid the other ring on his finger.
The minister looked out at the crowd. “Is there anyone here who knows a reason why these two should not wed?”
With preplanned synchronization, the wedding party turned to look at Chelle, who had accidentally spoken up at Sarah and Tony’s wedding.
Chelle blushed, but took the ribbing with a smile and proclaimed, “Not this time.”
Laughter echoed through those gathered, leaving a few whispering questions about why.
“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
David didn’t need to be told twice.
After the ceremony, David and Lucy made their way through the crowd, toward his parents. When he’d called them and announced his engagement, he expected them to express some sort of disappointment. He hadn’t known if it would be because they thought it would keep him farther from them, or because she wasn’t working in a profession they approved of. He hadn’t given them a chance. He’d immediately informed them that Lucy was the love of his life, and he expected them to respect his choice.
His father had taken his time answering and eventually said, “David, we will love her if for no other reason than you do. All we ever wanted was the best for you.”
“You mean what you thought was the best for me.”
In a sad voice, his mother had said, “When you have your own children, David, you’ll see that it’s not easy. Yes, we pushed you, but look at the man you’ve become.”
“A horse trainer,” David said, echoing the disgust they’d once shown toward his career choice.
His father had sighed. “A fine man. That’s all we ever wanted for yo
u. No, we didn’t approve of all of your choices, but you’ve made a good life for yourself. What we want now is to be part of it. We don’t see you nearly enough. Bring this Lucy home for us to meet. She might be just what we all need.”
Lucy had been. It might have been because she’d lost her own parents, but she took to his like a long-lost daughter. She even seemed to enjoy his father’s long-winded stories and his mother’s questionable cooking.
Lucy said he brought her family back to her, but she’d done the same for him.
After giving Lucy a long emotional hug, David’s mother asked, “Lucy, I didn’t realize you were an author, too. Sarah was just telling us that you also write stories. Are any of them published? I’d love to read one.”
Lucy blushed and shook her head. “Sarah has a wild imagination.” David heard her mutter under her breath, “And a potentially short life.”
To save her, he asked, “Wasn’t Jace a hoot?”
His parents agreed, and the conversation turned to how soon David and Lucy thought they might be having a child of their own. Normally, it would have been an awkward conversation, but it was a whole heck of a lot less awkward than explaining to his mother why he enjoyed helping Lucy find new material for her blog.
Mason joined them with Chelle at his side. David introduced them to his parents. Another couple came by to meet David’s family, and Mason used the opportunity to pull Lucy and him aside. He took out an envelope and waved it in the air. “I don’t want to say that I’m the reason the two of you are together, but—”
David laughed. “But you will.”
Mason smiled widely. “I didn’t mind helping out. When it comes to knowing how to win a woman’s heart, I’m gifted.”
Chelle slapped her hand on his chest and rolled her eyes. “It’s his humility that I fell in love with first.”
Mason looked down at Chelle and arched an eyebrow. “Humility. Is that your nickname for it this week?”
