“I hope not too, because I really love you,” she said.
He parked in front of the bunkhouse, and this time, she waited for him to come around the truck and open the door for her. Instead of waiting for her to unfasten her seat belt, he reached across her lap and did it for her and then scooped her up in his arms. He asked her to open the door for them, and once they were inside, he locked it behind them and didn’t stop until he had gently laid her on the bed.
“Today is a big step for both of us, and I may carry you over the threshold when we move into our house too. The third time will be after we’ve said our wedding vows.” He leaned down and his eyes went all dreamy.
She barely had time to moisten her lips before the kiss, and this time it wasn’t only scorching hot, it was full of promise for the future. When it ended, she wiggled free and stood up. “Did you just propose to me?”
“No, I didn’t…love.” He drew her close to him and hugged her tightly. “What I said was just a promise of a proposal. When I really pop the question, you won’t have to ask.”
Stevie pulled away from him, kicked off her shoes, and pulled her sweater up over her head. Cody’s eyes changed from dreamy to downright hungry when he saw the black lace bra. She pulled his Western shirt free from his pants, unsnapped it from the bottom to the top in one fell swoop, peeled it down his arms, and tossed it on the floor with her sweater. He gasped when she ran her fingers through the blond hair on his chest and then undid his belt and slowly unzipped his jeans.
“My turn.” He unzipped her long denim skirt and strung kisses down her belly to her bare feet as he slid the skirt down to the floor.
“I feel like we’re the only two people in the world right now,” she whispered.
“We are, darling,” he said, “and we’re going to feel like this real often in the next fifty or sixty years.”
Epilogue
Five months later
The wedding was a simple affair held in Stevie and Cody’s living room with just the immediate family and Beau. The preacher stood in front of the fireplace, and Cody and Jesse were to his left. Cody’s palms were sweaty, and he could hardly lasso one of the thoughts that kept circling through his mind. He had worked so hard on his vows, and now he was afraid he would forget them.
Mia started the music on the CD player, and then Stevie appeared in the doorway on Sonny’s arm. Sunshine poured through the window, putting all kinds of highlights in Stevie’s red hair. She wore a simple off-white dress and had a ring of tiny yellow roses in her hair, and Cody thought she had never looked more beautiful. His mouth went dry, and he wanted to cross the room and kiss her right then and there. He knew she was walking so slowly because Sonny had to lean on his cane, but to Cody she was floating to him like an angel straight from heaven.
When they were standing in front of Cody, she let go of Sonny’s arm, and he focused on his son. “Son, I want you to love this woman like I have loved your mother. Become one in heart, mind, and spirit with her. I’m putting my blessing on this union and I’m hoping that you live to enjoy many years together. And”—his father’s old eyes twinkled—“produce lots of grandchildren for me and your mother to enjoy.”
A few chuckles filled the room, but Cody just nodded. “Yes, sir, I’ll do my very best.”
Sonny turned to Stevie. “We are glad to welcome you to the Ryan family, and what I said to Cody goes for you too.”
“You’ve got my word that I will make it happen,” Stevie said.
“Your word is good enough for me,” Sonny said, and then shuffled over and sat down beside Pearl on the sofa.
Stevie handed her bouquet of yellow roses to Mia and took Cody’s hands in hers. “I wrote pages and pages of vows. Then I realized that in all my worry about vows, I was saying something from my mind, not from my heart. So, I tore them all up and decided to let my heart speak today. It says that it’s been in love with you since I was a teenager. In those days it was just puppy love, and that doesn’t last forever. It also says that what we have isn’t just for this life, but it’s deep enough and strong enough to last through all eternity. That’s because it takes your heart to complete mine. Without it mine would stop pumping, and I wouldn’t survive. So, today, Cody Ryan, I will happily change my name from O’Dell to Ryan, but it’s more than just a name change for me, it’s accepting you as my husband, and promising to cherish, respect, and share our lives…love,” she said with a grin.
Cody chuckled and stared into her eyes. “I didn’t know that I was only half-alive until we got stranded together in that winter storm. You complete me, and I vow to honor, to cherish you, respect you, and to love you even beyond my last breath.”
“Well, it looks like this couple have said their vows, so now, there’s little left to do but go on with the ceremony”—the preacher held up two gold wedding bands—“so let’s just get on with the exchanging of rings.”
When that was done, the preacher said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Cody, you may kiss the bride.”
Cody pulled her to his chest and said, “I love you, Stevie Ryan.”
“I love you right back, Dr. Cowboy,” she whispered.
Then he sealed their vows with a long kiss. When it ended, Mia handed the bouquet back to Stevie, and the preacher said, “Folks are waiting in the fellowship hall on all y’all. There’s food, cake, and presents for you to enjoy before you leave on your honeymoon. If whoever is taking family pictures will take mine with the bride and groom first, I’ll go on ahead and help my wife and the other ladies with the final touches.”
Beau stepped up with a camera. “I’m the photographer today. I’ve only ever taken wildlife pictures, but I’ll do my best.”
“But before that begins, I have a little present for Stevie.” Pearl stood up and hugged the bride and groom. “This tradition started when I married Sonny. My mother-in-law gave me a bag of seeds from her sunflowers, and I planted them by the cattle guard at the end of the lane leading up to Sunflower Ranch. When Jessie and Addy got married, I gave her a bag of the seeds from my sunflowers, and she’s planted them at the back of the ranch house. This is for you, Stevie.” She put a bag of seeds in her hands. “I thought you might plant them at the end of your house. They’d look really pretty blooming by that yellow swing.”
“Oh, Pearl”—Stevie wiped away a tear—“this is the best present ever.”
“When you have children, just pass on the tradition.” Pearl handed her a white hankie. “Dab those tears away and get ready to smile for the pictures.”
Cody took the time to brush another sweet kiss across Stevie’s lips. “This is the best day of my life, darlin’.”
“Mine too,” she said.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am.” Cody’s lips met hers in one of those kisses that still made her knees go weak.
When it ended, she whispered, “Let’s get this reception over with so we can come home and you can take me to bed, cowboy.”
“No Dr. Cowboy or love?” he asked.