“My warm, sweet, sexy cowboy. I love you, too.”
It seems I’ve proven her wrong again.
And oh, how happy I am that I did.
Epilogue
One year later
Casey
People are acting weird today.
Tanner and I are minding our business, enjoying our strawberry milkshakes at The Corner Cafe, when Whitney and Huck Tillman walk by our table, both beaming at Tanner. Huck pats Tanner on the back, nods, and says, “Hope you’re having a great day.”
If that’s not strange enough, Hattie and Ennis McRae, Serena and Jake Wilkins, and little Amelia are nothing but smiles for us, especially Tanner.
This happens three more times—random townspeople smiling and behaving like Tanner is their best friend.
When Violetta walks in for her morning coffee, she waves excitedly when she spots us and hurries over to our table. Tanner throws down his napkin. “That’s it. What happened? Is there a nitrous oxide leak somewhere? Why does everyone like me all of a sudden.”
She clutches her lanyard and gasps. “Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear what?” I ask her.
Violetta does a little dance and shouts, “The curse is broken!”
I sip on my shake and dart my gaze to Tanner. “I’m going to need a little more information, V.”
She scoffs and slides into the booth next to me, her generous hip pinning me to the window, and begins to explain animatedly with hand gestures. “Because you two are still lovey-dovey and living under a rock, I get to be the one to tell you the curse has been broken! Last night, the entire town watched Darling Creek High School football beat Bozeman West in the playoffs. We’re going to the state finals! Congratulations, the curse is broken!”
I smile to myself, and Tanner scrubs a hand over his face.
“Do they all think I have something to do with this victory?” Tanner asks.
Violetta laughs and steals a French fry from Tanner’s plate. “Oh no. No, no, no. They attribute it to you.”
I choke on my strawberry shake when she fixes me with her wide smile. “Me? Why?”
Violetta throws her hands in the air and shrugs. “Maybe, possibly, people are saying that you, Casey, are the town’s new good luck charm?”
This is the first time I’ve ever been called that. At one time, this sort of attention would have rankled me. But now, I’m warming up to the idea that people maybe want to give me attention for the right reasons.
“Do I get a tiara?” I ask her?
Tanner snorts.
Violetta taps her chin. “I’ll see what I can rustle up. Would you like a sash and a scepter too?”
I shrug. “Why not?”
“On it!” And with that, she’s scurrying up to the counter to pick up her order.
I look at Tanner, who’s eyeing me with amusement.
“You hear that, babe? This pussy is magic,” I tell him.
He laughs. “Wow.”