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“I’m afraid I can’t sing, but I can do something else every morning and night.”
“And what’s that?”
His eyes were intense and sincere. “Tell you I love you.”
That was even better.
Epilogue
“Just where are you taking me, Jesse Cates?” Liberty struggled to keep her wedding dress from dragging on the ground as Jesse led her across the pasture behind the barn.
The wedding reception was winding down and most people had already headed home. Which was exactly where Liberty wanted to go. She and Jesse had partied with the townsfolk and danced the night away. Now, she was ready to head home to the bed-and-breakfast where she intended to make love to her new husband until dawn.
But Jesse seemed to have other ideas.
“Where do you think I’m going, darlin’? I’m taking you to my absolute favorite place in the whole wide world—the place where I first met a wildcat that changed my life forever.”
She smiled as she stumbled behind him. “Cooper Springs.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her and his teeth flashed in the darkness. “That would be the place. You ready to get your butt whooped, Libby Lou?”
“That depends. Are we talking about swimming or sex?”
With a shouted laugh he whirled and picked her up, swinging her around until she was giggling. “God, I love you.”
She loved him too. She thanked God every day that he hadn’t let her temper keep them from getting married. There was only one man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with . . . even if he had more energy than she did.
“It’s one o’clock in the morning, Jess,” she said when he set her back on her feet. “Couldn’t we wait and go to Cooper Springs tomorrow?”
“Now, darlin’, are you saying you’re too tired to beat me in a challenge?”
She scowled. “Never.”
He winked. “That’s my feisty gal.”
When they arrived at Cooper Springs, Liberty was surprised to find multiple camp lanterns encircling two sleeping bags spread out close to the water. An open cooler with bottles of champagne sat on a nearby rock.
She smiled. “So sex was on the agenda.”
“You know making love to you is always on my agenda.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. A sweet, loving kiss that made her melt. But before she could deepen it, a rustling sound had her drawing back.
Mickey Gilley burst through the trees, followed by Buck Owens. The huge dog hit Liberty at full gallop and would have knocked her to the ground if Jesse hadn’t been holding her. She laughed as the dog covered her face with sloppy kisses while Buck wedged his fat body in between her and Gilley, begging for his own attention.
Jesse sighed heavily. “Well, I guess both sex and swimming are out of the question now. Buck almost drowned last time he followed us into the springs. I guess we’ll have to settle for cuddling and looking at . . . the stars.”
“That sounds perfect to me.” She gave Gilley and Buck good ear scratches before returning her attention to Jesse. “I’ll whoop your butt later—at swimming and sex.”
“I look forward to it, darlin’.” He kissed her. But once again, it was cut short by a rustling. This time Belle and Corbin stepped out of the trees. Belle had the train of her wedding dress hooked over one arm and Tay cradled in the other. She looked as surprised to see Liberty, as Liberty was to see her.
“Libby?”
“Belly?”
They greeted each other with a tight hug before they turned to their new husbands and spoke at the same time. “What’s going on?”
Jesse and Corbin exchanged grins before Jesse spoke. “We planned a little surprise for y’all. Shall we get comfy?” He toed off his boots and started to take off his tuxedo jacket when Liberty stopped him.
“Now hold on right there, Jesse Cates. Belle and I might have occasionally pulled the twin switch, but if you think we’re going to do the twin swap, you got another think coming.”
