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She laughed uncomfortably. “I’ve been waiting for a poetic time to say it. Like, I wanted it to be more meaningful because it happened at a certain time. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that.”
He was just so encouraged to hear it. He knew that she liked him, obviously, and cared about him, but it was good to hear her use the wordlove. Love lasted a lot longer than those other things. He kissed her on the temple and then looked out the window at the light snow falling on his rescue goats. “I can think of no more romantic time and place to hear those words than right now.”
“Well, that’s good, because I sure do love you, Gunner Bridge.”
His heart swelled, feeling so full he thought it might burst. “I sure do love you too, Nova Bridge.”
Epilogue
Nova knew that pride was the precursor for all sorts of downfalls, but she still couldn’t help but feel some when she surveyed the scene in front of her.
They were in a barn in the middle of nowhere. Years ago, a ranch had been divided up, and this one parcel hadn’t sold—probably because it had this one weird barn stuck in the middle of it.
The cowboy church gang had a budget of exactly zero, so they couldn’t buy the parcel, and no one was keen on financing it, so they had approached the owner about renting the barn, and she had told them they could use it at no cost as long as they were doing it for Jesus.
They’d already held a few cowboy church services there, and now it was the site of a super-secret sneaky wedding.
Only Jenna’s family, Denver’s family, and a chunk ofCheyennecast and crew had been invited.
The barn wasn’t crowded, but it still felt full of life. Denver and Jenna were absolutely adorable. Nova hardly knew them, but still she was enjoying their joy. And though she’d never been much of aCheyennefan, it was also fun to know that she was hanging around with showbiz royalty. Despite their fame and probably fortune, they seemed like friendly, down-to-earth people who were only there to support their friends. Of course, if there were jerks on theCheyenneset, Denver had probably known enough not to invite them.
Gunner appeared beside her and put his arm around her. “Pretty proud of yourself, aren’t ya?”
She laughed. He knew her so well. “Maybe a little,” she admitted.
He gave her some side eye. He still wasn’t excited about the cowboy church. Despite the fact that it was bringing people to “church” who never went to church, Gunner still felt guilty for hypothetically pulling people away from his home church. They’d had a few squabbles about it, but in the end, they’d decided it wasn’t worth contention between them.
“Wynona sure is happy,” Gunner remarked.
“She should be.”
“You both should be. You two ganged up on us and overpowered all the Bridge Brothers combined.”
She laughed. That was an exaggeration. “Frankie helped us too.”
“Fine. I’ll blame her too.”
Two guitars started playing, and Nova jumped. “We have to find our seats!” She grabbed Gunner’s hand and gently pulled him down the aisle to where the kids were sitting. She and Gunner squeezed in between them and Kash, Bella, and Polly. Polly gave her a bright, toothy smile.
In front of them sat Tucker and Wynona and beside them sat Colton and Adeline, whose baby bump was starting to show. And all the way in the back sat Ryker, Frankie, and Waylon. Though Ryker had been more involved in the cowboy church than anyone had expected, he still wasn’t much for sitting up front.
“Did you see her dress yet?” Gabby asked.
“I haven’t,” Nova said, “but I’ve heard that it’s spectacular.”
Emmylou started down the aisle carrying a basket of flowers that she happily tossed side to side. Halfway down the aisle, she reached into the basket and came out with no flowers. She looked closer, must have seen that the basket was empty, and then looked up, eyes wide with panic.
Denver smiled at her and beckoned, and she took off for him at a dead sprint.
“Kid’s got wheels,” Colton said.
Denver caught her and kept her from crashing into anything. Then they both looked toward the back, where Jenna’s childhood friend Liza was starting down the aisle. She was the only bridesmaid. Jenna and Denver had vowed to keep the ceremony small, and they had kept their word.
Gabby gasped, and her small hand flew to cover her mouth.
Nova could see why. The woman looked gorgeous in her silky mint-colored dress.
Then Jenna appeared, and Gabby gasped again, this time so dramatically that Nova feared she would pass out.
Jenna’s dress was exquisite, and Nova was thrilled for her. She brought herself down the aisle, having made the decision not to invite her father at all. Nova didn’t know the details, but she’d overheard Tucker say that her father would turn a secret wedding into a photo op with reporters from four states.
Gunner snaked a strong arm around her waist and whispered into her ear. “Are you regretting that we didn’t do all this?”
She shook her head and leaned back into him before turning her head to whisper, “I have no regrets at all, my love.”
He kissed her on the top of her head. “That’s good to hear, my love. I don’t either.”
