Epilogue
Beau
A Western-themed wedding was completely on brand, and the network couldn’t be more excited about it. They wanted photos.
Benny had fought hard for an authentic nineteenth-century wedding photographer, but in Leon, who had to leak a few images to the public, he’d met his match. No one had time to stand around for the hours it would take. They’d settled on a professional who’d make the photos look true to the period.
Beau’s mother and sisters had gotten into the spirit of things.
Their dresses—brown, red, and green—were edged in gold fabric trim to signify they were part of the wedding party.
Beau’s suit was navy, as well, the same as Adam’s, with a gold waistcoat and high collar that threatened to choke him.
He’d become leery of anything too tight around the neck since his hanging, so the threat might be all in his head.
Leon, Beau’s best man, stood beside him.
Belle had made three public appearances this past year and he’d handled everything for her.
Security around her was as tight as Beau’s collar.
She never spoke to the press, she never answered questions, and overall, she was off-limits.
She was small-town Montana, a shy country girl, more at home on her family’s ranch than in the public eye, which was where they would live.
Their private life would remain private, although she’d make enough red-carpet appearances to guarantee the world saw how happily married she and Beau were—exactly the image Leon wanted Beau to portray—because that was exactly what they would be.
“I hope she knows what she’s getting into,” Leon said. “She’s pretty sweet, and you’re a giant pain in the ass.”
Leon could complain all he liked. He was making serious money off Beau.
Burning Scrub, too. Sheik Ali had learned of the wedding—half the world knew about it, it seemed—and had secured a plus-one invitation through him.
Beau didn’t doubt he’d paid dearly for it, because Leon allowed nothing to happen without money changing hands.
Beau had heard from Linda, their flower girl, that the sheik’s plus-one was to be Burning Scrub’s next client.
The plus-one in question sat between the sheik and Jayce Hanson, in the pew directly behind Beau’s mother and sisters.
It was hard for Beau to get a good look at her without openly staring, but she had shiny brown hair coiled into a sleek knot.
Her face was hidden behind a gray veil pinned to a tiny gray hat, and her dress was heavy gray silk.
Slender hands, folded quietly in her lap, said she was young.
Jayce sat about as far away from her as it was possible to get without parking his ass in his father’s lap. There was just no hope for that guy. He might be pretty, but he was a lost cause around women.
And then Beau didn’t care about Jayce or the mysterious plus-one.
The sun burst through the stained-glass windows just as Belle entered the church on Adam’s arm. It gilded her in a light so bright that she looked like the angel she was. Adam’s dark navy suit and darker black scowl made him look more like the devil.
Belle’s dress was gold silk and cotton. The full skirt meant he had to stand about two feet from her all day or risk crushing the silk.
It fitted her tight in the bodice and sleeves, with about thirty tiny fabric-covered buttons from the throat to the waist that he despaired of getting undone before dawn.
Pearl had made the dress, and he didn’t doubt for a second that she’d designed it on purpose to be hard to get off.
Then Belle was beside him. Benny might have done a good job uniting them. Beau didn’t notice because he was too busy watching Belle’s eyes change color. The next thing he knew, he was slipping his ring on her finger, and it was official.
He was the happiest man on the planet.
They held hands as they left the church.
Outside, a two-seated buggy awaited. Buttercup, looking hard put upon, waited with weary resignation to drive them to the saloon, where the reception was being held.
Beau tried to picture this ride going well.
At least the trip wasn’t far, and the horse had no grudge against Belle. Beau decided to walk, just in case.
Someone had fastened a sign to the back of the buggy. The sign said Made in Montana.
The reference was most likely meant for their marriage. But Beau figured it applied to him, too.
Because Montana was where his country life really started.
The End