“Okay, Gemma, would you please go out in the barn, get the ladder, crawl up on the roof of the house, and yell that I’m dating Liz. That way all the other cowboys in Montague County can crawl off behind a mesquite tree and lick their wounds,” Raylen said.

“You two are nuts!” Gemma said. “I don’t think you are dating at all. You heard me coming and you staged this just to tease me, didn’t you? I’m going home to get ready for church. I’ll be back to help you wrap presents after Sunday dinner, Liz. But just to pay you back, I intend to tell the whole family that you two are an item, and I may tell Becca too, since she never misses Sunday morning services.”

“Becca would be there if she had to crawl on her knees through six feet of snow and all she had to wear was a little black lace teddy. She has to pray for a crop failure,” Liz said.

Raylen leaned back and drew his eyebrows down. “Crop failure?”

“Standard practice for those who sow wild oats on Friday and Saturday nights. They go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure,” Liz answered.

Gemma sat down on the sofa. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

“Now you know, so go do some serious praying. And if you would tell Becca, it will save me a phone call,” Raylen said.

“If I give you Blaze’s number, will you call him? But not until after church. He’ll be breaking at least one heart this morning before he gets busy tearing down the equipment to move it to Bowie,” Liz said.

Gemma shook her head. “You two can do your own announcing, but I am telling the family at dinner unless y’all beat me to it. So if this is a joke you’d better tell me now before I get to the door, or you’re going to have some big explaining to do.”

“Have fun. We’re going to be out cutting down a tree for the barn,” Raylen said.

Gemma stood up and headed for the door. “On that note, I’m leaving. I don’t even want to know why you are putting a tree in the barn.”

When she was gone, Raylen hugged Liz even tighter. “Good morning, beautiful girlfriend.”

Liz wiggled down into his embrace. “I like the way that sounds.”

“So do I, but darlin’, it’s gettin’ to the imperative stage that I get to the bathroom,” he said.

“The honeymoon is over when the guy is comfortable enough to announce that he has a full bladder,” she said.

She was surprised that she didn’t feel like a pretzel after sleeping for hours in his arms with her knees all drawn up. Raylen pushed the footrest down and made his way down the hallway. When he returned, she was opening the Christmas tree box with a kitchen knife.

“Hey, I’ll do that later. Right now, I’m going home, get a quick shower, and change into work clothes so we can go hunt down the best real tree in the county,” he said.