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

friends instead of friend-in-laws?”
    “I don’t know about that,” Dallas responded. “Felicity offered me best friend status!”
    “Oh that cousin of mine is out to win you over first, isn’t she?” Joy asked with a laugh. She linked her arm through Dallas’s, dragging her off to Kolby. “Look who I found!”
    Kolby grinned at Dallas, leaning down to hug her tightly. “I’m glad you came back. I haven’t seen Austin as happy as he was today since the day he caught you on the playground and kissed you.”
    “Hey now!” Austin complained from right behind Dallas. “Hands off my bride, and don’t be going giving all my secrets away.”
    Kolby just laughed. “You gave me permission to say whatever I wanted on the phone last week. I’ll never forget it.”
    Austin pulled Dallas back against him, groaning loudly. “Give the man an inch…”
    Kolby pulled Joy close to him. “Yeah, whatever. I see the look in your eye. I’m really happy for both of you.”
    “Because I’ll never have to try to explain math problems to my kids?” Austin asked.
    “There is that. I was thinking more because you two are going to be happy with each other. You need to have a baby soon, because my kiddo here is going to need a friend to tell all her secrets to.”
    “Her?” Joy asked spinning to him. “You finally admit it’s a girl?”
    “I admit nothing!” Kolby said, grinning at her. “I just know it’s a child and will need a secret keeper.”
    Allen walked over then, grabbing Dallas from Austin and scooping her up in his arms in a huge bear hug. “How’ve you been?”
    It was then that Dallas realized Austin’s two closest friends hadn’t been friends with her just for his sake. They were genuinely her friends too, and the knowledge brought tears to her eyes. “I’m okay.”
    “Sorry about your dad.”
    Dallas nodded. “Thanks.”
    “It’s good to have you back, though. This louse has been mooning around about you for eleven years. Do you have any idea how many times I told him he should just take off and go to Cheyenne and drag you back here? He wouldn’t listen!”
    Dallas shrugged, grinning at Austin. “Not sure if I was ready to be dragged back. Everything in its own time, right?”
    “I guess. But all that moping around about you got old really fast.”
    Dallas laughed. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”
    Allen looked at Kolby, who nodded emphatically. “It was bad. I thought we were going to have to have an intervention. Someone to go kidnap you and bring you home.” His eyes laughed at Austin. “You can tell her the rest of my plan later when there aren’t so many people listening.”
    “I think we’re supposed to be eating,” Dallas said, trying not to blush, but knowing it didn’t work.
    Joy shook her head at Kolby. “Don’t be teasing my new best friend now.”
    “New best friend?” Kolby asked, frowning. “You girls better not be ganging up against us now.”
    Joy shrugged at Kolby. “I’m hungry. Time to feed the baby.”
    Kolby groaned. “Hopefully there’s something baby’s hungry for in that mess of dishes.” He took Joy’s hand and led her over to the line of food, and Dallas followed, Austin right behind her.
    Dallas looked up at Austin with a grin. “I think your friends have met their matches.”
    “I know they have. Wanna know a little secret?” he asked softly, his lips against her ear.
    “What?”
    “They were always jealous of me in high school, because I knew who I’d end up with. There was never any doubt that you would be my wife. They dated different girls, always wondering if they’d find the right one.”
    “Really? They didn’t think you were crazy for settling on me?”
    He laughed. “They thought you were beautiful, funny, and smart. They were right, you know.”
    She shook her head at that. “Only a blind man could look at me and think I’m beautiful.”
    “I have twenty-twenty vision, sweetheart.”
    She didn’t say anything else as