“Okay, then, I’ll ride with Lisa. Gracie can ride with her mama,” Amanda said.
“Thank you,” Kate said. “Last year I promised Waylon that I would ride with him at this festival.”
“And Paul and I will get to ride together that way,” Jamie said.
“Y’all are so welcome.” Amanda grinned.
Kate buckled herself into the seat and thought about the last year. There had been lots of changes since the three women had decided to stay in Bootleg. Paul and Jamie were married over the Christmas break. They built a house out on twenty acres next to the Double Back Ranch and the little girls were regular visitors to the ranch.
Kate moved in with Waylon in the fall and never looked back. Teresa sold the business, but Kate had no regrets about that, either. She’d thought about building a bigger place on the ranch, but she and Waylon both were comfortable in the cozy little house. Besides, there was plenty of room for when Gracie and Lisa had a sleepover.
Johnny and Amanda had been dating for six months now, and she spent more time in his trailer than she did at the cabin. She’d told Kate just last night that he’d asked her to move in with him. That meant the cabin would be completely vacant in the next couple of weeks.
In some ways that made Kate sad, but then she thought of all the happiness that had come from there and the fact that a new preacher could be living in it within a year, and the good outweighed the sadness.
“Hey, darlin’, penny for your thoughts.” Waylon drew her close to his side as the ride started.
“You can have them for free. I was going back over the past year,” she said. “It’s been a good one, even if it did start out on rocky ground.” She smiled. “You told me last year to save you a spot. We couldn’t ride together then, but we can now.”
Waylon buckled himself in and slung an arm around her. “You remembered.”
“Of course I did,” she said.
“Any regrets?”
“Not a single one,” Kate answered.
“We’ve lived together for almost a year now. That’s long enough for you to pass judgment on ranch life, right?” Waylon asked.
“I wouldn’t be living there if I didn’t like it and love you,” she said.
“Then”—Waylon pulled a little velvet case from his pocket—“Katherine Elizabeth Truman, will you marry me?” He popped it open to reveal a lovely sapphire-and-diamond ring.
“Yes,” she said without a second’s hesitation.
He put the ring on her finger and then kissed each knuckle on her hand. “Blue for your eyes. Diamonds because they last forever, like our love will.”
Neither of them gave a damn who saw their long, passionate kiss. They were on top of the Ferris wheel when he pulled away and she threw both hands into the sky.
“I’m engaged!” she squealed, and everyone on the Ferris wheel applauded.