Chase fiddled with his tie, sure it could lay just a little flatter. He unbuttoned and re-buttoned his jacket, pulled on his belt, and adjusted his cowboy hat.

“Stop fidgeting,” Frank said from the doorway. “You look just fine.”

“Is my mom here?” Chase turned away from the mirror.

“Arrived about fifteen minutes ago. Maggie was with her.”

Relief brought a smile to his face, but it didn’t stay long. “Was Dana with them?”

“Sure was. They all looked happy, for what it’s worth.”

Chase nodded. “How long?”

“You can come out now. People are starting to arrive. The pastor wants to talk to you.” Frank pushed away from the wall and opened the door. Chase followed him into hallway and on into the chapel. The pastor bustled around the altar, and Chase nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to get to the front of the room.

“Pastor Abrahms,” he said, extending his hand to shake the pastor’s.

They exchanged pleasantries, and then Pastor Abrahms said, “So you’re ready to get married?”

“Yes, sir,” Chase said. He’d been dreaming of it—dreaming of marrying Maggie—for months. He couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived.

The pastor nodded and indicated the right side of the altar. “You’ll stand here as your lovely bride comes down the aisle.” His voice was low and soothing, and Chase lost what he was saying. He wished his father could be there, witness his wedding. Chase hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about his father and what he’d miss, but now it felt huge, all-encompassing.

“And then you’ll be man and wife,” the pastor conclude.

Chase nodded and swallowed just as his mom came through the doors in the back of the chapel. She looked radiant and happy, her blonde hair flowing around her shoulders in curls and ribbons. She strode right up to Chase and embraced him. She held onto his biceps and gazed up into his face. “I’m so happy for you. She’s a wonderful girl.”

He grinned and hugged his mom again. “Thanks, Mom.”

The organist started playing and people took their seats. More and more kept coming, and Chase couldn’t believe all the cowboys from Three Rivers had made the drive to Amarillo. Maggie’s family knew a lot of people, and after ten minutes of prelude music, the chapel was full.

The wedding march began, and Chase couldn’t tear his eyes from the doors at the end of the aisle. Several seconds passed before Maggie appeared. Their eyes locked, and Chase’s face split into a grin.

He couldn’t look away from Maggie’s eyes as she came forward, step by slow step. She finally reached his side, and he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. “Hey, pretty girl.”

The pastor spoke, and Chase’s skin buzzed with energy. By the time the man said, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride,” Chase thought he might combust.

He kissed Maggie, all his nerves and cells lighting on fire. He wasn’t just kissing Maggie anymore.

He was kissing his wife.

* * *

“Can you get me the rest of the paint from the garage?” Chase glanced over his shoulder, his position on the ladder making the paint retrieval harder for him than for Maggie.

“Sure thing.” She opened the side door in the kitchen and entered the garage. The music she’d turned on earlier still blasted through the house, and Chase took a few seconds to admire the blue she’d chosen for the homestead’s walls. He only got a few seconds these days, as he worked from sunup to sundown around the ranch, hiring cowboys, and remodeling the homestead.

But he wouldn’t have it any other way. This ranch in Grape Seed Falls had provided a new life for him. One he was determined to make into something grand, one that would provide for Maggie and their children.

“Here you go.” She lifted the paint can as high as she could, and he reached down to take it from her.

He poured a healthy amount into the tray secured to the ladder and reloaded the roller. “Thanks, Mags.”

“I’m gonna run into town and grab something for dinner. What do you want?”

“Whatever you want.”

She cocked her head at him and gave him a wry grin. She climbed up a couple of steps on the ladder and tilted her head back for a kiss. “I love you, Chase,” she whispered.

He held onto the roller and wrapped his arm around her back, careful not to get any paint on her clothes. “Love you too.”

“We’re gonna make this ranch into something amazing, aren’t we?” She looked at him with so much hope it almost hurt his heart.

He beamed at her, no doubt in his mind. “We sure are, pretty girl.” He sighed and looked at the living room, which was almost finished. “We sure are.”