Page 86 of Breaking the Cowboy's Rules

“I mean it, Beck. You are all I want and need. Tonight is just for us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely.”

Ben Ballantyne looked at all of them.

“So all of you are getting married tonight?”

“Yes sir,” Bodhi, Bowen, and Beck all answered.

He looked at his daughters. “Looks like you all are getting a daughter tonight and even had a hand in planning the wedding. And this makes the next part less awkward.” Ben Ballantyne looked toward the entrance of the ranch. Several cars were heading toward Plum Hill.

“Right on time,” he said.

“What?”

Bodhi wasn’t sure who spoke. They were all confused, but since he was getting Nico and Granddad seemed more than content and was taking charge like he always did, Bowen didn’t care about anything else at the moment.

While they waited for the cars, the judge appeared along with the county clerk and a preacher. The clerk had paperwork, and they spent the next few minutes filling out forms. Beck was suggesting that he and Ashni FaceTime her parents. Ashni agreed, but before the call was placed, three Hummer limos lumbered toward the cabin and passengers began to disgorge. Ashni’s parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, including her cousin Reeva and new husband John back from their honeymoon. Everyone embraced her, all talking at once.

Bodhi’s heart soared. “Do you want to FaceTime your folks?” he asked Nico.

“They probably wouldn’t answer.”

“Let’s try. Give them the chance.”

“If they did answer, they’d just tell me to get a prenup.”

“I didn’t think of that,” he said. “Can we write up a quick one?”

“A lot of money and property is already in trusts and other methods to protect it legally even if I marry,” she said.

“So it’s a lot of money?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Can we just keep it where it is? It’s yours. I can take care of my wife.”

“I can take of myself,” Nico said, “and I don’t want to think of ends when we are having a beautiful and unexpected beginning.”

“Still, Ms. Improv. Say yes and…” Bodhi typed something on his phone and texted it to her. “I’m not sure if that’s totally legal, but I got a lot of witnesses showing that what’s yours is yours.”

“You are mine, Bodhi Ballantyne. You’re all I want.”

“I want you to know that I’m so in love with you, and that I can and will take care of my wife and my family.”

“I know,” she said. “You should know that I too will take care of you and our family with my last breath.”

The band started playing ‘Yours’ by Russell Dickerson. The preacher spoke a few words about marriage and then Bodhi watched his cousin marry Lang. Then it was his turn. He hadn’t had a chance to write up any vows, but he spoke from the heart and Nico did too, and when he kissed her, he knew that home was no longer just Three Tree Ranch. Now home was a woman, his wife, Nico Steel Ballantyne.

Epilogue

The last ofthe trucks pulled out and drove back to town. The food trucks had left hours ago, the band had made it to midnight and then Ashni’s cousin Reeva had hooked up some speakers and her phone for a playlist that had had everyone dancing.

Bodhi, Beck, and Bowen finally snuck away on an unspoken agreement and climbed up to the hayloft in the barn. Leaning against the wall, they stared out at the land they’d loved all their lives.

“How long before we’re dragged out of here?” Beck asked.

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