Bartender's Beauty (Culpepper Cowboys Book 11) by Kirsten Osbourne, Culpepper Cowboys Page A

because you didn’t have a job and had no way to support her.” He shook his head. “Do you remember coming to me about that?”
    Austin grinned. “I sure do. I knew even way back then I wanted her as my wife.”
    “That’s sure a long time for you to wait on a woman. I feel like I’m asking a question that everyone here already knows the answer to, but that’s kind of how it goes with a wedding ceremony, isn’t it? Austin, will you take your fellow Texas city, Dallas here to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love her and have babies and yell and make up?”
    Austin looked down into the smiling face beside his, knowing he was doing the smartest thing he’d ever done in his life. “I do.”
    “And do you, Dallas, promise to spend the rest of your life with the man beside you, not running off to Cheyenne, and raising kids with him?”
    Dallas chuckled softly. “I think I can do that, Brother Anthony.”
    “Well, then I hereby pronounce you two as married as married can be. Would you kiss already?”
    Austin turned toward her, his arms winding around her as he pulled her into his arms. His lips on hers were gentle yet insistent, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as she kissed him back. She forgot all the people who were watching, and all the people who had made fun of her. Today was about Austin, and she was going to love him with everything inside of her.
    When Austin finally raised his head, looking down at her with a grin, he whispered, “I told you that you were mine. It’s about time I told the whole town, huh?”
    She laughed softly. “Seems to me like you told the whole town twenty years ago!”

Chapter Seven
     
    When Dallas turned and saw the sheer number of people that were gathered for her wedding, she was overwhelmed. She’d had only a vague awareness of them as she walked toward the front of the church. Looking at Austin, she asked, “How on earth did you arrange all this? You were at my house until eight last night!”
    He shrugged. “It only took a few phone calls to very choice people.” His arm around her, he led her toward the fellowship hall, where he knew the food would be waiting. “Have I mentioned how gorgeous you look in that dress yet? I’ve never seen anything that took my breath away like you did walking down the aisle on Roy’s arm.”
    “Did you ask him to offer to give me away?” she asked, still stunned the older man had done it.
    He shook his head adamantly. “Nope. I heard Linda asked him, but I had nothing to do with it.”
    “Did you ask Felicity to be my matron of honor?” she asked.
    He laughed, shaking his head again. “Nope. I did call and ask Allen to be my best man, and she took it from there. The girl is special.”
    “She is that. And I can’t believe I had a flower girl. It never would have even occurred to me to ask anyone, and there they were, offering their services.” She dashed away a tear. “It was a perfect wedding, and I’d been expecting a quiet ceremony with just two or three people.”
    “All I did was get the Quinlans and Culpeppers involved.” He stepped into the fellowship hall, and she looked around her, completely floored by the food there. The wedding cake had a place of honor on a table by itself, and there were women standing everywhere, ready to help serve. “This is the Culpepper I know and love,” he said softly. “I want you to love it here as much as I do.”
    People swarmed them, telling them how happy they were for them. Dallas was hugged over and over, sometimes by people she knew, sometimes by new people who told her their names mid-hug. One girl she knew she’d remember was Joy Culpepper, who was getting thick around the middle.
    “I’m Joy,” she said, hugging Dallas tightly. “I’m Kolby’s wife.”
    “So good to meet you! If I adopt Felicity’s phrase, you’re now my friend-in-law.”
    Joy laughed in a way that could only be described as, well, joyful. “Why don’t we decide to be