Page 22 of An Angel for the Cowboy
Chance
NewYear'sEvedawnsbright and cold. I wake up with a smile on my face.
My wedding day. The words still feel surreal. Six months ago, I would have bet every dollar I had that I'd never marry again. That I'd spend the rest of my life alone, guarding my heart behind impenetrable walls.
Then Anita showed up and changed everything.
I roll over to find her side of the bed empty. For a second, old panic flares—what if she changed her mind, what if she left—but then I hear her voice downstairs, laughing with Mel, and the panic subsides.
She's here.
I get up and head downstairs, drawn by the sound of her laughter. The house smells like coffee and cinnamon and something sweet I can't identify. Anita's parents arrived yesterday. Warm and welcoming, they remind me so much of their daughter. Anita’s mom has been cooking nonstop.
"Morning," I say, stepping into the kitchen.
Anita’s friend Corrie rushes in front of my bride.
Mel runs over too. "You're not supposed to see her before the wedding!"
"That's just a superstition," Anita says, trying to smile at me around her friend’s back. But she's blushing, and I love I can still make her do that.
"Bad luck or not, we should probably get you out of here," her mother says, shooing me away with a dish towel. "We have a lot to do."
I catch Anita's hand as I pass, pulling her close for a quick kiss. "See you at the ceremony?"
"I'll be the one in white."
"Can't wait."
Upstairs,Ishoweranddress in my best suit, a simple dark gray that Anita picked out. Mel helps me with my tie, her face serious with concentration.
"You're really getting married, Dad."
I cup her face gently. "Still feeling good about it?"
"Dad, Ms. Anita's the best thing that's happened to us."
"She is."
"Do you think?" She hesitates. "Do you think she'll want to adopt me? Officially?"
My throat tightens. "I think she'd be honored. But that's something we should talk about together."
"After the honeymoon?"
I laugh. "We're not going on a honeymoon, sweetheart. We can't leave the ranch right now."
"That's so lame." She wrinkles her nose. "When I get married, I'm going somewhere tropical."
"I don’t think we’ll find anyone good enough for you."
She giggles and hugs me tight. "I love you, Dad."
"Love you too, Mel. So much."
Bylateafternoon,ourliving room has been transformed. Mel and Anita's father moved furniture to create an aisle, and Anita's mother decorated with white flowers and ribbon. It's simple but beautiful.
People start arriving. A few ranch hands and their families. Some of the older folks from town who've looked out for Mel and me over the years - The O’Connors who used to bring us casseroles and helped babysit, the Hendersons who helped with hay deliveries and old man Jackson who always slips Mel a free sundae at the diner.
