Page 48 of My Billionaire Cowboy Protector

“It’s okay, Melissa,” Taylor said.

Melissa turned around and studied Taylor for a second and then nodded. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Is Diablo, okay?” Taylor asked.

“He’s fine,” Lane said. “When I left this morning, Sam was giving him apple chunks and petting him.”

“Good.” An awkward silence hung over the room like a cold wet wool blanket.

“Will you take a walk with me?”

She hesitated for a minute and then nodded.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, Melissa.”

Taylor stepped on the porch and blinked a couple of times at the bright sunshine.

“I’m sorry for the way I treated you when we had the barn-raising. I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just had a million things going on in my head and around me.”

“No worries,” Taylor said.

“I’m also sorry about Rachel. I didn’t invite her here and sent her packing. Colton said you saw her kiss me and must have thought that she and I were a thing.”

“It was convincing,” Taylor said. “Especially in light of all the gossip that’s been going around.”

“About that. I know that you’ve been the brunt of all the gossip, stares, and all that. I’m so sorry. I never intended for it to get out of hand like that. In retrospect, I should have realized that Mom would go a bit overboard,” Lane said.

“Apology accepted,” Taylor said. “I agreed to it, knowing there could be consequences.”

They had arrived at the park, and they slowly walked over to the swings. Taylor sat down in one and stared off into space, not looking at Lane.

“Taylor, please look at me,” he said.

She slowly turned her head.

“Although it was certainly not my intention when I hired you, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you.”

Her eyes got wide, but she didn’t say anything back.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

“Are you just asking me to get the yappers off my back?”

“No. I’m asking you because I love you and I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” Lane said.

She smiled and said, “Yes.”

Chapter 20: Taylor

“This is the perfect day for an outside wedding,” Alice said. “The sun is shining and there’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s not too hot and not too cold.”

“I guess the Good Lord approves of us getting married,” Taylor said.

“He should. You two were made for each other,” Willow grinned.

Everyone watched as Melissa carefully applied Taylor’s makeup, using eyeliner and shadow to highlight Taylor’s eyes, and added just a little bit of blush and lip gloss.

Willow had already braided Taylor’s red hair and wound it around her head like a coronet. Tiny carnations were tucked into the crown.

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