Page 133 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

Cash leaned forward with a grin. “You’re welcome.”

Luke and the rest of the brothers all laughed.

Ashton looked up at Tanner. “We just didn’t want to waste any time, did we, Dad?”

“We didn’t.”

Ashton grinned at the brothers. “After today, I’m going to be a MacFarland, just like all of you.”

Ford ruffled his hair. “You already are, little man.”

Tanner looked down the line of men standing beside him. This felt right. He’d wanted Ashton to stand with him while he and Everly said their vows – he was as much a part of this as they were. He’d also wanted Luke to be his best man. In the same way, he’d wanted each of his brothers to stand up with him.

He’d gone back and forth over it so much that in the end, he’d asked them all. And now, here they stood. Ashton to his right, and then Luke, Ty, Kolby, Wade, Ford, and Cash. He worried at first about leaving Cash out on the end, but he should have known better. Cash saw himself as the center of everything, so it didn’t bother him where he stood.

When they first started planning, he’d been concerned that there might be more of them standing up here at the front than people who’d come to celebrate with them. He needn’t have worried; the crowd who’d shown up filled the round pen and spilled out beyond it.

There was a half empty row of seats at the front on one side – Rocket and Spider grinned at him. Janey and Frankie would sit with them after they walked up the aisle. Since all the guys were here with him, the girls had decided that they should lead the procession ahead of Everly. He smiled, thinking about the way they’d all welcomed her – and had been more than happy to take Cash up on the offer to fly them all to LA to go dress shopping together.

Ty elbowed him. “You just did this so fast to beat me and Shay to it, didn’t you?”

Wade leaned forward and said, “Never mind you, squirt. I’m the one who looks like he’s dragging his feet. Sierra and I have been engaged the longest.”

Kolby winked at Tanner. “It’s not about anyone else taking their time, is it, Tan? It’s about not being able to wait when you know it’s what you want.”

He laughed. “That’s right. The three of us are a family. I don’t see any point in waiting to make it official. More than that, I don’t want to wait.”

“It doesn’t look like you’ll have to wait much longer,” said Trip from his spot under the arch. He jerked his chin toward the house where Frankie and Laney had just stepped outside. “If I have the order right, it’ll be Frankie, Janey, Sierra, Callie, Laney, then Shayna. Once they’re all up here, Zeke’s going to bring Everly.”

Tanner nodded. The moment was almost here. He looked over to where Everly’s mom was sitting with her husband, Joe. He’d been a little concerned about how they would feel about Zeke walking Everly down the aisle.

Her mom waved at him, and Joe nodded. They didn’t have a problem. Joe had only been a part of their lives for a few years, and Everly’s mom had always hoped that Zeke would figure out how to be a part of her life someday.

Looking past them, he grinned when Travis waved at him, and Retta blew him a kiss and held baby Levi up to wave. They were sitting with Ace and Ari, and Deacon and Candy. He felt a momentary panic when he saw Libby sitting next to Candy. He scanned the rows quickly and relaxed a little when he saw Mav sitting with Blane, and Emmett and his girls a couple of rows back. Mav met his gaze and gave him a chin lift.

Tanner nodded back. There was so much that felt right about this – and seeing Mav and Libby in the same place ranked high up near the top of the list.

“Brace yourselves, gentlemen – here they come,” Cash said with a laugh.

Ashton leaned against Tanner’s leg. “Wait till you see Mom. She looks like a princess in her dress.”

Tanner had to swallow a couple of times. He hadn’t thought that he was going to get emotional, but the kid’s words had him tearing up.

“Pull yourself together, Tan, you haven’t even laid eyes on her yet,” said Ford.

Cash chuckled beside him. “And the kid’s right, she does look like a princess.”

“Well fuck,” Tanner mumbled. “Quit it, would you? I’m gonna be bawling like a baby before she even gets here.”

He should have known that he wouldn’t get any sympathy – they were all too busy laughing at him.

~ ~ ~

Everly watched Callie set out on her way up the aisle between the rows of chairs. The original plan had been for them to wait outside the round pen together, but this whole thing had snowballed, and there was a whole crowd of people outside the pen. So, the girls were setting out from the back porch.

Laney came and took hold of her arms and looked her over. “Damn, girl! You know, the night you guys first met, I told him that if you had your hair and makeup done and were wearing the same kind of clothes, you’d be way more stunning than the girls who used to chase him – and boy, was I right!”

Everly laughed. “It’s the dress. Every girl wants to look her best on her wedding day.”

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