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“I don’t care about the land. The land wasn’t the reason I married you, Cloe. It was the excuse my subconscious came up with to get what it wanted. You. I think I wanted you from the moment you took my hand during my panic attack. From that moment on, you became my lifeline—the lucky charm who brought joy back into my life. And I don’t want to lose you . . . please don’t let me lose you.”
He dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring box he’d had in his pocket since buying it this morning. Casey had gone with him to Austin and wanted him to buy the biggest diamond in the jewelry store. But Rome knew that wasn’t Cloe’s style. She was subtle, but amazing and unique. Which is why he didn’t buy her a diamond at all.
He bought her an emerald that matched her eyes.
Eyes that now glittered with tears.
“Will you marry me, Lucky? For real, this time.”
She stared at him for what felt like eternity before she disappeared. Another eternity passed before she came flying out the open barn door and hurled herself at him. He dropped his hat and the ring to catch her, but since he was only balancing on one knee, he ended up flat on his back with Cloe lying on top of him.
Her eyes twinkled and her smile was so big her dimples looked twice as deep as she looked down at him. “And you thought you weren’t good at poetry, Romeo.”
One month later, Roman Samuel Remington found himself in a tuxedo standing at an altar once again. But this time, there were no bad memories or panic attacks . . . although his heart did almost beat out of his chest as he watched Cloe walking down the aisle toward him.
Since this was more of a celebration than a wedding, there was no traditional white dress and veil. Instead, her dress was a deep vibrant green that matched her eyes and showed off her long legs. The wispy material clung to her full breasts and flared out around her slim hips. One of her sisters had fixed her hair and it hung past her shoulders in a wealth of flaming burgundy curls that begged to be touched. Spring flowers of every color encircled her head and she looked like the most stunningly beautiful rainbow he’d ever seen in his life.
She was his rainbow. He knew as long as she was beside him, his life would be a pot of gold. When she reached him, he waited for her to hand her bouquet to Sweetie before he took her hands in his.
“Hey, Lucky.”
She smiled and her dimples flashed. “This is a little different than the first time, isn’t it?”
He grinned. It was a lot different. They were standing in the Holiday Ranch barn surrounded by most of the town. Her sisters had decorated the inside of the barn in all shades of spring colors. Outside the open doors, the shades of spring continued. The sun was shining and the daffodils and tulips in Mimi’s garden were blooming. It was indicative of the way he felt. The winter of his heart was over and spring had arrived.
“This wedding isn’t completely different from the first time,” he said. “Even then, I was trying to get your attention.”
She squeezed his hands. “You’ve always held my attention, Rome. I just never thought I could hold yours.”
“You hold it, Clover Fields. You hold it, along with my heart, forever.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “Forever.”
Even though he wasn’t supposed to kiss Cloe until after they’d renewed their vows with the town preacher, he couldn’t wait. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. For a moment, the world disappeared and it was just him and the woman in his arms.
Then hooting and applause filtered in and he pulled back to see the townsfolk beaming. That was one thing about a small town—they had no problem changing their views.
“I knew it was a match made in heaven from the start,” seemed to be the catchphrase for the reception. Not one person mentioned the betting pool. Mrs. Stokes did however slip him a wad of cash during the dollar dance and said, “I knew you two were a sure bet.”
Something that was talked about at the reception was the Holidays losing their ranch. Overnight, Corbin Whitlock had become the villain of Wilder, Texas, and was now referred to as Corbin Whiplash after the villainous cartoon character Snidely Whiplash.
Rome still intended to do all he could to keep Corbin from foreclosing on the Holiday Ranch. But he wasn’t going to worry about that tonight. Tonight, he had one goal.
Make his bride smile.
She did smile. She smiled all through dinner and the cutting of the cheesecake Noelle had made and her dance with her father and her and Rome’s first dance together. But she stopped smiling after their third two-step and he noticed she’d grown pale.
He studied her with concern. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “I think I need to take a break.”
“I have the perfect place.” He led her to the hayloft ladder.
He had asked Liberty and Belle to set it up for him and he had to give Cloe’s sisters kudos when he got to the loft and saw what they’d done. There weren’t just a couple lanterns, a comforter, and some champagne. The entire loft was filled with twinkle lights—the rafters, the bales of hay, all along the open hatch door. In front of those doors, the pile of hay had been turned into a sultan’s bed with a puffy satin comforter and piles of coordinating throw pillows. Next to it was a silver ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and fluted glasses . . . along with a silver tray of chocolate-covered strawberries.
“Oh my gosh.” Cloe held a hand to her chest and turned to him. “Did you do this?”
“I asked Liberty and Belle to.” He looked up at the rafters covered in twinkle lights. “But I didn’t think they’d go to such extremes.”
