Epilogue
Madison
Song: “I Do” by Derek Mercer Music
I proudly became Mrs. Luke Harrison a month later.
He and I were married in the corral on the ranch with our families and our dearest friends in attendance.
I watched Luke from one of the living room windows enter the corral, riding Casper, and swooned at the sight of my ruggedly handsome cowboy.
It wasn’t only the vision of him on his trusted white horse that got to me, but also what he was wearing: his straw hat, a new white-collared western shirt, a new pair of blue jeans, his brown belt, and Tecova boots with a daisy boutonniere pinned to his shirt over his heart.
After he got into position with the preacher from a country church down the road from the ranch, standing to Luke’s right and Hayden to his brother’s left as his best man, the flower girl and ring bearer, Bella and Beau, made their way down the aisle, Meredith helping Beau along since he was still so little.
In my dad’s absence, my mom walked beside me from the ranch house to the corral, both of us glancing at each other several times and smiling through our tears.
As we approached everyone, Luke looked me up and down, shook his head, and smiled, his adorable dimples deepening in his cheeks.
He loved the white lace knee-length wedding dress I was wearing, with the hat and boots he bought for me, my hair down in loose curls, my makeup perfected by my sister, and my daisy-and-baby’s-breath bouquet beautiful.
While Luke was pledging his life to me, he cried.
I did, too, as I pledged my life to him, gazing into his dreamy eyes.
When he kissed me, sealing the deal between our hearts and souls, I melted into him as everyone in attendance clapped, whistled, hooted, and hollered.
Luke and I got tickled and giggled, smiling against each other’s teeth, then we said, “I love you,” to each other.
A makeshift dance floor had been set up in the corral, with tables and chairs all around it.
Luke’s and my cream cheese icing/red velvet three-tiered wedding cake, plus Luke’s chocolate groom’s cake, sat on a large round table, next to several galvanized metal tubs full of iced-down champagne, beer, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, and Cokes.
It was a laid-back country wedding full of the kind of class that no major city could touch, especially Dallas.
My first dance with Luke as his wife was to “I Do” by Derek Mercer Lyrics.
Luke picked out the song, telling me that it fit exactly how he felt about us getting married, especially the lyrics: “Baby, every wrong turn has led us to this dance. Here we hold forever in front of our family and friends. I truly believe I was meant to find my way to you and it was worth every heartache that life put me through. I can’t promise you a perfect life, and I won’t, but I can promise you a life that’s perfect on our own.
There’s no longer you. There’s no longer me.
The best part of today is me and you becoming we.
You don’t marry someone just to live this life through.
You marry the one you can’t live a day without; it’s true.
Together is a beautiful place to be. Girl, forever makes sense when you’re right next to me.
You are my today and all of my tomorrows too.
Who knew two words could finally complete me? I do. Baby, I do.”
As I embraced Luke’s neck, my fingers in his brown hair at the back, and he held me to him around my waist, he gazed into my eyes and quietly sang those lyrics to me as they played through several speakers set around the dance floor.
I swooned, completely mesmerized by my husband, his heart, and his love for me.
When the song ended, he picked me up under my arms and held me in the air, smiling up at me as I smiled down at him and held his face.
Then he spun me around three times and lowered me into his passionate kiss, our family and friends clapping, hooting, hollering, and whistling for us.
Later at our reception, Luke led my mom to the dance floor and danced her all around it, spinning her like he’d done to me before, making her smile bigger than I had seen her do in the longest time.
While watching them, a white-winged dove flew over them through the corral, making me gasp. My dad’s spirit had shown up.
Luke and I went to San Antonio for our honeymoon, staying at the beautiful Hotel Valencia on the River Walk.
Consummating our marriage was powerful, like I knew it would be.
We were more open and raw with each other than we’d ever been, having sex in every position and on different surfaces in our gorgeous room.
We were covered in sweat, moaning, groaning, grasping onto each other, and also getting emotional. It was spiritual to the max.
The next morning, while Luke and I were eating breakfast in the hotel’s 5-star restaurant, we struck up an enjoyable conversation with a friendly couple, Jax and Gracie McGovern, from San Antonio, sitting at the table near Luke’s and mine.
They were celebrating their wedding anniversary and chose to stay at Hotel Valencia because they had gotten married there.
Luke and Jax ended up exchanging cellphone numbers, with Jax telling Luke that if he and I ever visited San Antonio again, he should give him a call.
He and Gracie would love to meet us for supper.
Luke extended the same invitation to them if they ever ventured to Amarillo.
The day after my handsome husband and I returned from our honeymoon, we took the legal steps to have him adopt Bella. Once they were completed, we had a small party at the ranch house to celebrate my firstborn officially becoming a Harrison.
Luke had picked up a rainbow-colored assortment of balloons and a confetti cake in town for her. When she finished eating her slice, my cowboy got down on his knees in front of her and presented her with a gift: a gold necklace with a heart-shaped pendant with “Daddy’s Girl” engraved on it.
Bella smiled from cheek to cheek, proud, as she watched Luke put it on her.
Then he looked at her, took her tiny hands into his, and said, “I love you, little angel. I will always be here for you, anything you want or need.” His eyes brimmed with tears, and his chin quivered just like Bella’s.
Afterward, he kissed her cheek, picked her up, and hugged her as she hugged his neck.
The bond between her and her daddy was so strong.
A few weeks later, I gave him a gift. Watching him, puzzled, as he opened it, I giggled.
The moment he saw the pink-and-baby-blue bandana tied around my positive pregnancy test, he looked straight at me, his long-lashed hazel eyes immediately filling with tears.
I nodded, then he kissed and hugged me, saying, “I’m the luckiest man in Texas! ”
When we told my mom our news, she smiled and hugged us, so happy.
Once our combined excitement had somewhat settled, she presented Luke and me with a gift that we’d never imagined: a legal document that made the ranch ours.
Then my mom said, “It’s your home, Luke, and always has been.
Now, it’s officially yours again and yours too, Madison.
I don’t need it. I can’t keep running it.
I want to spend this last season of my life free to go anywhere I want and do anything I want. ”
Luke had to sit down once he realized the full extent of what my mom had so generously done and stared at her, his chest rising and falling. After a few more deep breaths, he dropped his head, held it in his hands, and cried tears of joy.
Eight months later, our nine-pound, twenty-inch baby girl came into the world.
We named her Charlene Rae in honor of my dad, Charles, and Luke’s dad, Raymond.
It was a huge family event for Luke’s side and mine.
Everyone was at the hospital, anxious to see and hold our chunky redheaded daughter with a heart-shaped birthmark next to her left eye, just like her daddy’s.
While I was pregnant with her, Luke was by my side at every turn, wanting to be as involved as possible. During the first trimester, he held my hair away from my face countless times while I threw up what felt like my toes. He also massaged my head and feet.
Like when I was pregnant with Beau and got past my all-day morning sickness, I craved string mozzarella cheese, Lays potato chips, pistachios, dill pickles, and Nerds candy like crazy. Luke indulged me whenever I wanted one, some, or all of them. He also chuckled at me as I ate my cravings.
The first time I felt the flutters of Charlene kicking me, I told Luke about it. He said, “I wish I could feel her.” He finally did when I was twenty-four weeks along. I would never forget the serene look on his face, either, nor him kissing my tummy and telling our girl that he loved her.
Another thing I would never forget was how Casper was with me while I was pregnant.
He had always been gentle, but became even more so, as well as protective and attentive, following me around.
I asked Luke whether horses could tell when a woman was pregnant.
He said, “Yep. They have a very keen sense of smell and can detect a shift in a woman’s body chemistry or progesterone levels.
They can hear a fetal heartbeat or feel vibrations, too.
That’s why Casper puts his nose on your belly and inhales. ”
Charlene’s first birthday was a week away.
She was as beautiful as her big sister and brother, who adored her and could hardly keep their hands off her.
Looking at her as I nursed her in the same rocking chair that I’d nursed Bella and Beau in, I thought about how I felt before that I wanted to fill Amarillo with Luke’s babies.
After I lay Charlene down for her nap, I pulled my cellphone from my jeans pocket.
Me: How would you feel about making another baby with me?
Luke: I’m ready.
Me: Then come on.
Luke: Leaving the barn now.
THE COUNTRY END
Love this author? Read her other romance novels—Twisted Roots, Fall Into Me, Ocean of Stars, La Lune, Le Soleil, For Keeps, Stealing Bases, Because of You, If You Were Mine, and Beat of My Heart today.