She did as he asked, carefully tearing open the envelope to find a card with two horses on the front, running through a field. Brenne opened the card to find a folded piece of paper. At the top, it said, “Notice of Irrevocable Trust.”
“What is this?” she asked as she tried to sort through the legalese.
“It’s a trust, for you and your family. I set aside some funds for you, in case anyone ever tries to take your ranch away. That should make it more difficult.”
Tears pricked at her eyelids. “This trust will keep the ranch safe?”
Gavin nodded. “The trust and the money in it, as well as the army of lawyers it employs on your behalf. Your family doesn’t have to worry. This ranch will remain in MacAllen hands for perpetuity.”
“Oh, Gavin,” she cried, hugging him tight. “This is the best gift anyone could ever ask for.”
“I know how important this place is to you and your family. It’s the least I could do, for making me feel so welcome.”
“We better get downstairs,” Lou said, motioning them to leave the bedroom. “The ceremony is going to begin soon.”
They made their way downstairs and she said a last goodbye to Gavin before he let himself out the back door. She and Lou took up their positions at the door, joining her eldest brother and her father. Lou was acting as matron of honor, with Jameson as best man. Jameson and Jim had rigged up a sound system to play music for the ceremony, and once everyone was in place, Jim played the song they’d selected for the wedding party, and Jameson stepped out the door to escort Lou down the white silk aisle.
Brenne thought she would be nervous, but she felt strangely calm. This wedding was something she wanted very badly, something she had dreamed about for over a decade. Now that it was finally here, all she could do was smile in happiness.
Brenne hooked her arm through her father’s, expecting the music to change, but there was more surprise in store. As she looked out the back door, Jack appeared at the end of the aisle, holding a pair of reins. He headed down the aisle, and Brenne gasped, realizing that Alex had made an addition to their wedding party.
The reins belonged to Comet and Ghost. Comet was decked with flowers, her movements causing some of their delicate petals to fall. Her horse was acting as a flower girl! And next to Comet was Ghost, performing as ring bearer with a pillow strapped to his back. His careful gait left the ring sitting on the pillow exactly in place.
She blinked back tears for the second time, then took a deep breath. The music played the wedding march, and her father led her out of the house and down the aisle. Bill MacAllen delivered her into Alex’s hands. He was decked out in blue jeans and a simple white button-up shirt. When he took her hand, she felt a frizzle of electricity flow through her at the contact.
“You’re beautiful,” he bent down to say to her just before Pastor Harris began the ceremony. Having recently married himself, the preacher had softened. All the fire and brimstone was gone from his voice, romance having pushed it out.
“Marriage is a bond that cannot be broken. The love between a husband and a wife connects them, bringing together two and making them one. This love is a gift from Heaven, and we know this because it’s as necessary as breathing. Once you find love, you grab onto it with both hands and hold on because you’ll never feel its like again.”
The ceremony was a bit of a blur because Brenne found herself lost in her husband’s eyes. Husband. It feels so strange to say it. He’s mine now, forever, and no one is going to take him away.
When it was time for Alex to kiss her, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with the same passion he showed every night in their bed. The crowd of onlookers hooted and hollered, and Brenne came away breathless, her cheeks pink.
The reception was held in the barn, which had once again been made over for the occasion. Twinkly lights hung from the rafters above tables decorated with intertwined horseshoes wrapped in fresh flowers. A dance floor took up half the space, flanked by a bar manned by her brother Johnnie. He’d donated some top shelf tequila for the event and was serving margaritas to the thirsty crowd. It wasn’t long before folks were strutting their stuff on the dance floor.
Brenne and Alex shared the first dance, and she was dizzy with elation. Alex held her close, whispering the sweetest of nothings in her ears. When it was time for the father-daughter dance, Bill was a ball of emotions. She’d rarely seen her father overcome, but there were tears in his eyes as he told her how proud he was of her, how she’d made a good choice and how he hoped their marriage would be as perfect as his was with her mother.
After a few margaritas, Brenne found herself dancing with Ryker Strong. “I can’t help noticing your date,” she said, indicating the table where Emma sat in conversation with Lou and Alex. “What happened to the nurse?”
“She had a husband she forgot to mention,” he said, making Brenne laugh. “I got to know Miss Emma better working on the fundraising efforts, and we hit it off at the pet parade she organized. It was a very successful parade, I might add. We had two cats dressed like Napoleon.”
“Sounds successful indeed,” she said with a giggle.
“Emma is spectacular,” he said, clearly smitten. “I don’t know where I’d be without her.” The song ended, and Ryker returned her to her husband. Alex shook the man’s hand, asking how things were going at the rescue.
“Thanks to this charming lady,” he said, sitting down next to Emma and putting his arm around her, “things have never been better. Did you know that silent auction raised almost a million dollars? Who would have thought that Whiskey River had it in them?”
Brenne’s eyes shot to Gavin. He was dancing with Millie Beakins again. The woman’s beehive was wrapped in little paper wedding bells, and she was talking the billionaire’s ear off about God knew what. Brenne smiled, knowing her friend had once again helped out the town.
Ryker nodded in Alex’s direction. “Now that we’ve got funding, we’re going to expand. Which means I’ll need much more of your time to look after the horses.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “What are we talking about here?”
“I reckon it could be as much as half your time,” Ryker said. “We’ve recently signed up a major donor who has chosen to remain anonymous, but with that recurring funding, we’ll be set. What do you say, Alex? Can you carry more weight?”
Brenne thought she had an idea who the major donor was. Gavin Jefferies, is there no limit to your generosity?
Alex shrugged a shoulder. “I suppose I could close my Lubbock clinic, but that would put Emma out of a job.” Brenne knew they’d managed to work out their differences, and Emma had returned to work at the clinic.
“That’s okay,” Emma said, leaning into Ryker. “I’m going to take a position at the rescue. Head of Advancement, which is really just a fancy name for begging folks for donations.”
“Well, you’re so damn good at it, honey,” Ryker said, kissing the top of her head. “You’ve worked miracles.”
“You’re not the only one who scored a miracle,” Alex said, turning to enfold Brenne in his arms. “Only the Lord could have convinced this woman to marry me.”