Page 2 of The Rancher's Code

“So, this is wedding HQ.” Amber beamed at me. “Don’t worry. I have a room squared away just for you, so you can have your own office.”

“Thank you!” I tried my best to sound unbothered by the chaos that surrounded us. “I take it you’ve already started planning the wedding?”

“Just a little bit, here and there.” She grinned before letting out a small squeal. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry to do this, and I’m sure you get this all the time, but I can’t actually believe you’re here to plan my wedding! I’ve followed all of your work on social media and just—the way you make people’s dreams come true? No wonder the Wedding Genie has so many followers! You’re amazing!”

I smirked at the title.

Wedding Genie.

I’d worked hard for my reputation as the wedding planner who could make anything happen. If someone wanted a full-blown circus to entertain at the reception? Call me. If someonewanted a celebrity who hadn’t been seen in decades to officiate? Call me. If someone wanted to have an astronaut make a special appearance from space right before they cut the cake?

Yep. They just needed to call me.

It wasn’t easy doing what I did, and while it paid well, my favorite part was seeing the look on people’s faces. It was like I was performing some sort of magic trick, pulling it off with perfect precision, making it look oh-so-simple. In reality, all of my work was the combination of years of sleepless nights, hoarding favors like a madman, and being incredibly skilled at networking. Honestly, the only real magic I’d ever experienced was the joy I’d brought other people along the way.

Which was probably why I kept at it, despite the difficulty only seeming to increase as the years ticked by. That was the problem with being the Wedding Genie. Anybody who rubbed the lamp just assumed I’d be able to create some magic for them, too.

“And you don’t have to worry about anything, okay?” Amber continued. “My staff—any of these girls—they’re at your call and command. I want to make things as easy as possible for you, and I remember in this interview you did forBridal Magazinewhere you talked about sometimes just needing more hands?—”

“What’s your dream wedding look like, Amber?”

“What?”

“Why’d you pick me to plan your wedding? You clearly have the resources to plan anything you want.” I offered her a warm smile. “But you wanted to bring me in. Why?”

“I just want… one perfect day.” Amber’s eyes shone as she spoke. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Then, let’s make it happen.”

Oh,my God.

Amber Stratton is insane.

I was sitting in my appointed office in the guest house, trying to type up notes as fast as I could. She’d been pitching ideas for the wedding for the past hour; importing white sand from different beaches for the aisle, a floral archway half the size of a high-rise. And now, she was talking about the reception champagne being dusted with diamonds.

I paused my note taking as I held up a finger, genuinely confused about what she’d meant by that.

“Did you just say diamond dusted champagne?”

“Yep!”

“Do you mean you want the rim around the glasses to be dusted with diamonds?”

“No, I want there to be edible diamond dust in every glass.”

“But… why? It won’t show up in the pictures if it’s inside the drink?—”

“If it doesn’t show up in the photos, that’s something they can edit in later.”

“But the costs would be astronomical. And the camera is one thing, but the guests might not even be able to see it in their glass unless?—”

“Dylan! One perfect day, remember? You promised me.” She looked sad for a moment as she sat across from me. “I thought we were on the same page about this.”

“You’re right. One perfect day.” I nodded, going back to typing up my notes.

This woman is going to break me.

Being a wedding planner, I was used to high maintenance clients. I’d had people throw wine in my face, threaten to sue me, sob into my arms if we weren’t able to get every detail just right.

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