Epilogue

One Year Later

Charlie climbed onto the Founder’s Day float, a leash in her hand. Poor Baby Back had retired from public appearances, but they’d kept the runt of her litter from last summer—a three-hundred-pound beauty named Pork Chop. Beck joined her and gave Shep the thumbs-up, signaling they were ready to move out. The new flatbed Beck had built this year’s float on provided a much smoother ride than last year’s, and there was plenty of room for the whole family.

Charlie let her gaze linger on the gathering of Walkers. Her mom and dad stood at the back of the float, their kids and grandkids nestled around them. Waylon and Darby sat on a couple of bales of hay with their kids sandwiched between them. Cash and Kenzie waved to the crowd. Statler and Presley blew kisses to the women lining the parade route. As the truck began to inch down the road, Charlie turned to her Texas transplant.

He’d come to mean so much to her over the past year. His real estate background and marketing expertise had doubled their income. He’d completely revamped Sully’s old place and had plans to add on and turn it into the kind of home where they could raise a family.

When Shep stopped the float in front of Whitey’s so the Shiners could do their coordinated spins, she turned to Beck and gulped in a breath of hot, humid air.

“Beck?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” He peered at her from under the brim of the new cowboy hat she’d bought him.

“Hold this?” She handed him Pork Chop’s leash. “I need to ask you something.”

“Now?” He glanced at her, raising his hand in a wave to Dwight and his brand-new girlfriend on the side of the road.

“Yes. Now.”

Her tone must have caught his attention. He gave her a questioning look. “Everything all right?”

“God, I’m just going to say it, okay?”

“What’s wrong, Charlie? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“You okay, hon?” Darby handed June to Waylon and scrambled over a bale of hay.

“What’s going on?” Presley twisted around and lifted a longneck. “Y’all need a drink?”

Cash clamped a hand to his hip. “You’re not supposed to be drinking in public. It’s illegal.”

“Well, then, I guess I’d better finish it up right quick.” Presley tipped the bottle up to drain it.

“Can everyone be quiet for a minute?” Charlie yelled.

Even the spectators stopped cheering. An awkward bubble of silence surrounded the Rambling Rose’s float.

She took in a wobbly breath. Passing out might not be out of the realm of possibility.

Beck cupped her cheek, worry causing his eyes to crinkle at the edges. “What’s wrong?”

“Okay, here goes. Will you marry me?” The words tumbled out, leaving her stunned and in shock. She’d intended on asking, just thought she’d be a little more romantic in her delivery.

The moment seemed to last forever. No one moved—not her parents, not her nieces and nephews, not even Pork Chop. Then, all of a sudden, everything seemed to move at warp speed.

Her family surrounded them. Darby and her mom wrapped her in a hug. Tom and her brothers clapped Beck on the back, and the kids danced around them singing a song about Aunt Charlie and Uncle Beck sitting in a tree.

A shriek cut through the chaos. Beck stepped onto a hay bale, his fingers stuck between his teeth like she’d taught him how to whistle. “Hey! Y’all might not have noticed, but I haven’t exactly answered the question yet.”

Charlie’s heart sank into her boots. Where was he going with this? Had she managed to misread the entire relationship again?

Beck set the leash down on the hay bale and stepped on it with his boot to hold Pork Chop in place. A grin slowly stretched across his face. “Damn, girl, I’ve been waiting for months for you to bring that up.”

Confusion shot holes through her thought process. “What do you mean months?”

Beck knelt down and pulled a small box out of his pocket. “I’ve been carrying this around with me for weeks now. Didn’t feel right asking you to marry me first. I didn’t want you to think that I was only after the Rose.”

“After all this time? I wouldn’t think that.”

“I know. But others might. This ring belonged to my grandmother. I’m sure Sully would have wanted you to have it. I love you, Charlie Walker. More than I ever thought I could love anyone or anything. Marry me. Let’s make it official.”

Her eyes welled with tears. Happy tears this time. “Yes! I love you, too. Yes, yes, yes!”

He stood and slid the gorgeous oval-shaped engagement ring on her ring finger. The folks lining the parade route cheered. Her family surrounded them, offering congratulations and hugs. They were going to make it official, which meant she’d become a Holiday. And she’d finally be able to keep her word to Sully that the Rose would stay in the Holiday family after all.

“Can we go somewhere far away for the honeymoon? Maybe somewhere you’ve never even been?”

His eyebrows rose. “You sure about that?”

“Yep. This will always be home, but I want to see the world. It’s time for me to stretch my wings a little bit.”

“Hmm, Bali maybe. Or Thailand. We’ll have to give this some thought.”

Charlie laughed at the serious look on his face. “Surprise me, Manhattan.”

She’d never have guessed this would be how it would work out. For her, it was a win-win-win. She’d gotten the Rose, she’d gotten the guy, and she’d kept her promise. They locked lips, putting on quite a show for the spectators lining the parade route.

Until a squeal and a shriek from somewhere in the crowd broke them apart.

Charlie looked down where Beck’s foot rested on the hay bale, no leash in sight. “Where’s Pork Chop?”

Beck glanced to the right. “She was here a second ago.”

Like mother, like daughter. Charlie caught sight of the pig’s tail end disappearing behind the line of chairs on the curb. “We’ve got a runaway, and it’s your turn.”

Beck hopped off the float and went after the pig. Charlie cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled after him. “Better catch her before she finds Mrs. Martinez’s garden.”

The float began to move again, and she looked out over the main street in town. She had a business and a fiancé and was surrounded by friends, family, and more love than she knew what to do with. It didn’t seem fair for one country girl to be blessed with so much. But she was going to hold on and enjoy it. Even if she did still need to train Beck on proper pig management.

They had time.

A lifetime.

Order Dylann Crush’s next book
in the Holiday, Texas series

Cowboy Christmas Jubilee

On sale October 2018