Her eyes were soft. “I don’t want to wait very long, Church. I know what I want.”
“So do I, love.” He searched her gaze for a heartbeat.
She flopped onto her back and smiled at the ceiling. “Good. Because I’d like to get married right away. You know Willow threw together our surprise engagement party in no time. She’s already offered to help with wedding plans. And Rhae told me she and Denver got married in a remodeled barn right here on the ranch.”
He laughed and rolled onto one side, propping himself up on his elbow. “If you want a barn wedding, I’m on board. If you want to ride an elephant into a circus tent, I’ll be your ringmaster.”
That got her laughing. “No elephants. But I might hold you to the barn.”
“I’ll build you a better one if you want.”
She smiled, but it softened as she studied him. “I don’t need anything big or perfect.”
He brushed his thumb over her lips. “Good. Because all I need is you.”
Her eyes shimmered, and she leaned into him, coming to rest against his chest.
Right where she belonged.
* * * * *
Zee was used to staring at the land. Communing with nature had helped her heal and she considered it a lifelong friend.
But she’d never seen the ranch look like this.
Color stretched across every visible inch of it—deep orange pumpkins and gold corn shocks tied for vibrancy. Deep red ribbons spiraled around fence posts and the posts of the big house and the lodge too.
The weather had obeyed the wishes of every person on the Black Heart Ranch today and showed up with a sky so blue it looked straight out of a painting.
Zee pulled in a lungful of crisp air spiced with the scent of roasted pumpkin seeds.
The festival had come together fast once the weather cleared, and she saw that when the people on the ranch showed up, they went all out.
The tractor trundled in the distance pulling a wagon load of people. The yard was crowded with people enjoying the fun, eating hamburgers and the last of the corn from the garden. A table filled with pies and goodies was set up in front of the lodge, and Zee’s stomach cramped with hunger just looking at the treats.
A few couples whirled on a makeshift dance floor. The guys wore cowboy hats and plaid shirts. The ladies were in cozy sweaters in fall hues. The music carried across the yard, making her feet twitch in her boots.
It had been a long time since she danced.
She glanced around, searching for Church. Her fiancé.
Just as she twisted, a hand settled on the small of her back, warm and familiar. His low voice rumbled at her ear. “You’re doing that thing again.”
She smiled. “What thing?”
“Standing still when everything around you is moving.”
She glanced up at him, taking in the ruggedness of his handsome face. She lay her hand along his stubbled jaw. “There’s so much to take in. I want to remember everything about my first fall on the Black Heart Ranch.”
He rested his hands on her hips and twirled her into his arms. Clasping her tight to his body, he swayed to the music. She wasn’t surprised that he’d read her mind about dancing. He always seemed to know.
Looping her arms around his neck, she rocked with him. While they spun on the edge of the festivities, she couldn’t help but smile at Rhae and Denver strolling past, each of them holding Navy’s hand. Fern and Crew were twirling a few feet away from her and Church, equally lost in each other.
Decker was talking to Pope, his arm around Willow’s shoulders. She laughed at something they said. Everywhere Zee looked, she saw the glow of happiness and belonging.
No one was left out. Even Carmichael was gathered in the yard, playing horseshoes with a few of the other vets.
Zee rested her cheek against Church’s chest, letting the steady beat of his heart ground her as they moved together. The music drifted around them, laughter rising and falling in waves, the entire ranch alive in a way that felt almost unreal.
