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to do. Everyone is going to show up and get washed away.”
    “It’s not that bad. We could have the wedding inside. How many
    people did you invite?” Marilyn asked.
    “Three hundred!”
    The older woman’s face went white. “Oh my. Well, that won’t
    work then.”
    “I say you hop a plane to Vegas, and we tell everyone you
    eloped,” Hawke joked as he bit down on a piece of bacon. “Saves
    money and no one drowns.”
    “But we’ve already booked the pastor, and the flowers will be
    arriving this afternoon. Vin did you go get the rings yet? Oh, and the
    tuxes! Drannon you have to pick those up today.” Lacy instructed,
    tugging nervously at the end of her braid.
    “I’ll take care of it, baby,” Drannon assured her. He pulled her
    hand away from her hair and kissed her knuckles.
    “And I already have the rings,” Vin added. “I put them
    somewhere safe.”
    “Do you remember where that is?” Hawke joked.
    “We really should figure out a backup location,” Lauren
    suggested. When Lacy gave her a stricken look, she held up her
    hands, “It’s just in case we need it. I’ve been event planning for
    Lori King
    years, and it’s always best to have a Plan B. You don’t want to have
    to wear waders under your wedding gown.”
    “No, I don’t.” Lacy agreed. “I can’t believe it hasn’t quit raining.
    This is North Dakota, not the damn Amazon.”
    “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one wishing
    the rain would stop.” Vin said, “Ricky got the F250 stuck in the
    valley late last night, and then tried to take the dozer out to pull it out.
    Now we get to go pull both of them out of the mud.”
    “I can’t take much more,” Lacy wailed, tears filling her eyes.
    “Maybe we should just cancel this whole damn thing. Call it all off.”
    She jumped to her feet and ran out of the room, leaving everyone
    gaping after her.
    “Wow. Dramatic much?” Hawke said with a snort. Marilyn
    smacked his arm, and gave him a glare. “What? You have to admit
    that was over the top.”
    Drannon stood with a heavy sigh. “I’m going to go talk her off
    the cliff. I do think we need to make some phone calls about another
    location. Maybe the VFW? Marilyn would you—”
    “Of course. I’ll see what I can do. Go take care of your girl.”
    The moment Drannon disappeared, everyone seemed to relax
    ten-fold. Jeanette was the first to speak. “Anyone think this wedding
    is really going to happen tomorrow?”
    “Oh it’ll happen. Drannon will see to that,” Roman said with a
    laugh. “The question is: Will it happen the way Lacy planned it?”
    “Did you get the arbor done yet, Hawke?” Marilyn asked.
    “Because if the rain clears up we’ll need it.”
    Hawke’s eyes dropped away, and he flushed pink. “Not exactly.”
    Everyone turned their attention his way, making him shift
    uncomfortably. Vin glared at his younger brother. It seemed like
    Hawke had stepped into the playboy role the moment Romeo met
    Franki. Suddenly he couldn’t be relied on for anything.
    “Hawke, this is important—” Franki started to say, before he cut
    her off.
    “I know it’s important to her, but really? An arbor? For a
    wedding?” He shrugged, and shoved bite of biscuit into his mouth.

    64
    Claiming His Cowgirl
    “It’s about setting the mood. For Lacy, the arbor covered in
    sunflowers represents the happiness that finding Drannon has brought
    into her life. It’s the perfect backdrop—just like the ranch is the
    perfect location—to see her dreams culminate in a beautiful union,”
    Jeanette said.
    Hawke looked at her like she’d lost her mind and then laughed.
    “Whatever. Look, I’ll see what I can throw together today, but with it
    already so wet out there, I’ll probably just be wasting my time.”
    Vin heard himself growl low in his throat. “You’re not wasting
    your time if you’re doing something nice for someone. Show a little
    respect for your future