Ace sat down next to Raylen and patted him on the shoulder. “Blaze has been branded. No doubt about it. His prowlin’ days are done. But I got to admit, Raylen, you’re the smart one. You’ll never forget your anniversary. Been meanin’ to ask you, how did you get a judge to marry you on Christmas Day? And how did you work up the nerve to give Liz a marriage license instead of an engagement ring?”

“The judge agreed to open the courthouse and marry us if I would move his name to the top of the list to buy one of Glorious Major’s foals. I wanted to be a husband, not a fiancé, and I had a pretty good idea that Liz felt the same way, but I got plenty nervous right there at the end.” Raylen smiled.

It was time for Jasmine and Ace to have pictures taken with the bride and groom, so they left and Marva Jo and Tressa sat down beside Raylen and Liz.

“Did you tell him?” Marva Jo whispered.

“I did after we were married. That way it could never be said he married me for my money. I told him all about my inheritance from my father, and I even let him glance at my portfolio and my checkbook.” She laughed.

“I married her for twenty acres, not her bank account,” Raylen teased.

Tressa patted him on the shoulder. “And you got a sassy piece of baggage with it. We leave in a week for the new carnival year. I’ll miss her, but Colleen is a quick study. I swear with that red hair she’s a born carnie. She can lay out the cards and tell a fortune better than I ever could. Too bad she can’t belly dance.”

“I offered her my costumes, but she turned me down,” Liz said.

“Parents of the groom, please,” the photographer said.

“That’s me. Come on, Marva Jo. You’re going to stand on one side and me the other.” Tressa motioned to Marva Jo.

Lucy sat down beside Liz.

“Wilma is so excited about the move. You are a good woman, Liz,” she said.

“I’m a selfish woman. I don’t want to lose her, so I settled her in more permanently. And besides, we had two houses. We decided to live in Raylen’s house and Gemma moved in with Dewar. So, one house was empty. We opened the fence and put a cattle guard between the two places so on nice days she can walk from one place to the other, and sometimes she even helps clean for Maddie, so everything is working out beautifully.”

“Well, she’s a happy woman. She’s been telling your Uncle Haskell all about how much she loves Hooter and Blister and how they stayed with her, and I heard her tellin’ him that she’d already bought five used Louis L’Amour books for the bookcases,” Lucy said.

Lucy meandered away and Pearl and Wil settled in beside Liz and Raylen.

“I heard you bought a couple of Rocky Mountain mares,” Wil said.