“Would you be willing to sign a document that states I have the right to live here with you on your ranch?” he asked.
She frowned. “I guess that would be all right.”
“I would want witnesses,” he warned.
“I think most legal agreements are witnessed,” she said, nodding.
When he pulled her into his arms, the feeling of once again being held by the man she loved brought tears to her eyes. “How would you feel about changing your name?” he asked, his handsome face breaking into a grin that sent her heart soaring. “Or maybe hyphenating it.”
“What are you asking?” she asked, unable to draw in enough air.
“I love you, Taylor, and I’m asking you to marry me,” he said, the light in his eyes reflecting a love she had never dreamed possible. He handed her the poker chip he had picked up before he left the casino in Shreveport. “I want you to keep this and every time you look at it, I want you to know that you’re the woman who inspired me to give up my professional playing status.”
“You mean it?” she asked. “I’m the woman who tempted you to quit playing? And you’re willing to put up with me and the way I jump to conclusions and overreact?”
“Your passion is one of the things I love about you, babe,” he said, kissing her until they both gasped for breath.
“And you really love me?” she asked, afraid to believe it was true.
“More than life itself,” he said without hesitation. “Now, are you going to keep me waiting with your answer, or are you going to tell me you love me, too, and that you would be happy to be my wife?”
“Yes, I love you,” she said, kissing him. “Yes, I’ll marry you. And yes, I want to sleep in the master suite with you every night for the rest of our lives.”
“Thank God!” His arms tightened around her as if he never intended to let her go. “When do you want to get married, Taylor?”
“Whenever you do,” she said, happier than she’d ever been in her entire life.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’d like to make you mine as soon as we can get a marriage license,” he said, kissing her again. “But I’m sure you’d like a wedding, and that takes time to plan.”
“I’d like for my parents to be here,” she agreed. Even though they fought constantly, she loved them and they loved her. Surely they could put their differences aside for one day.
“Why don’t we go back to the house?” he asked, standing up, then helping her to her feet. “The sooner we get started on those wedding plans, the sooner we can get married and start working on a full house.”
She laughed. “How many children do you want?”
“I don’t want any for a while,” he said, putting his arm around her as they walked over to the horses. “I want to spend some time just being me and you. But when we do start having kids, I can guarantee you that I’ll be more than happy to give you all you want.”
“Oh, I almost forgot to show you the letter from my grandfather,” she said as they mounted the horses and started across the pasture.
“I’ll look at it later,” he said, giving her a smile that lit the darkest corners of her soul. “Right now, I want to get home and make love to the hottest woman I’ve ever met.”
“I love you, Lane Donaldson.”
“And I love you, babe. More than you’ll ever know.”
“I think we’ve settled the matter of whether the Lucky Ace is your ranch or mine,” she said thoughtfully as they mounted their horses.
“We did that when we played that poker game today,” he said, grinning. “It’s yours.”
Shaking her head, she grinned back at the man she loved with all her heart and soul. “No, Lane. The Lucky Ace belongs to both of us. It’s our ranch.”
Epilogue
“Who won the pool about me and Taylor getting married?” Lane asked his brothers as he watched his beautiful wife join in the line dancing with Bria, Summer and Mariah. She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen and he couldn’t believe she had agreed to become his wife.
“I took this one,” T.J. spoke up, grinning from ear to ear. “I said it would be the fourth of July.”
“How much longer before the fireworks start?” Nate asked, checking his watch. “I have a phone call to make.”
“You have about an hour,” Lane said, eyeing his brother. “You got a new woman on the string?”