Blaze took his place beside the minister. He was the luckiest man in the whole world. He was even luckier than Dewar and Cash and Poppa, his best men, all supporting him on the most important and most nervous day of his life.

The fiddle music blended beautifully and Gemma, Jasmine, and Pearl, all dressed in bright red satin, made their way to the front of the barn. Then the fiddles struck the first note of the traditional wedding march, and the bride appeared on her father’s arm at the back of the barn. Everyone stood up, and Blaze’s heart absolutely left his chest in one enormous beat when he saw Colleen in that long white satin dress. White roses were scattered in her red hair, and she wore the silver heart necklace he’d bought her on Orcas Island.

When Cash and Colleen reached the front of the barn, Cash put his daughter’s hands in Blaze’s and said, “Be good to her. I’m trustin’ you with my precious daughter, son.”

“You have my promise, sir,” Blaze said.

Colleen took the microphone from the preacher. Liz and Raylen’s bows hit the fiddle strings at the same time, and she looked deep into Blaze’s eyes and sang “Bless the Broken Road,” a song made popular by Rascal Flatts.

Liz locked eyes with Raylen’s as they made the fiddles whine to lyrics saying that God had blessed the broken road that led her straight to him.

When Colleen finished singing, she handed the microphone back to the preacher. Liz and Raylen laid their fiddles down. Raylen joined the groomsmen, and Liz the bridesmaids. When the ceremony ended, the preacher announced that the wedding party would have a few pictures taken. “But feel free to partake of the food tables and when the pictures are done, the bride and groom will cut the cake so you can have dessert.”

While the photographer did his job, Liz sat down in Raylen’s lap on a front row chair and waited for their turn to have pictures with the bride and groom.

“I’m glad we did it different,” she whispered.

“I was sure nervous about giving you an envelope rather than a ring,” he said.

“I loved it. A proposal with a marriage license! Bet no one else has ever got that.” She held up her left hand and admired the wide gold band. A ring for a rancher’s wife who mucked out stalls, saddled up horses, drove a tractor, and hauled hay. “And I will always love my ring,” she said, “because it matches yours.”

Jasmine sat down beside Liz. “It’s a beautiful wedding. This place hardly even looks like a barn. Colleen is beautiful and Blaze can’t take his eyes off her. But if I ever get married, I’m doing it the way y’all did, Liz. Propose. Get married in an hour. Put on a nice wide gold band and be married. I suppose my mother would throw a hissy if I did. She’s been plannin’ my wedding for years.”