Kate looked at the three kids and all the adults. "How are we doing this?"

Johnny, Waylon's right-hand man, kissed Amanda on the forehead. "You go help with the children. Me and Lia Beth will be fine right here. You'll be able to see her the whole time. She loves the music, so I know she'll be good. Besides, Victor and Hattie always ride together and"-he lowered his voice to a whisper-"something big is going to happen, so Kate and Waylon need to be together, too."

"Okay, then, I'll ride with Lisa. Gracie can ride with her mama," Amanda said.

"Thank you," Kate said. "Last year I promised Waylon that I would ride with him at this festival."

"And Paul and I will get to ride together that way," Jamie said.

"Y'all are so welcome." Amanda grinned.

Kate buckled herself into the seat and thought about the last year. There had been lots of changes since the three women had decided to stay in Bootleg. Paul and Jamie were married over the Christmas break. They built a house out on twenty acres next to the Double Back Ranch and the little girls were regular visitors to the ranch.

Kate moved in with Waylon in the fall and never looked back. Teresa sold the business, but Kate had no regrets about that, either. She'd thought about building a bigger place on the ranch, but she and Waylon both were comfortable in the cozy little house. Besides, there was plenty of room for when Gracie and Lisa had a sleepover.

Johnny and Amanda had been dating for six months now, and she spent more time in his trailer than she did at the cabin. She'd told Kate just last night that he'd asked her to move in with him. That meant the cabin would be completely vacant in the next couple of weeks.

In some ways that made Kate sad, but then she thought of all the happiness that had come from there and the fact that a new preacher could be living in it within a year, and the good outweighed the sadness.

"Hey, darlin', penny for your thoughts." Waylon drew her close to his side as the ride started.

"You can have them for free. I was going back over the past year," she said. "It's been a good one, even if it did start out on rocky ground." She smiled. "You told me last year to save you a spot. We couldn't ride together then, but we can now."

Waylon buckled himself in and slung an arm around her. "You remembered."

"Of course I did," she said.

"Any regrets?"

"Not a single one," Kate answered.

"We've lived together for almost a year now. That's long enough for you to pass judgment on ranch life, right?" Waylon asked.

"I wouldn't be living there if I didn't like it and love you," she said.

"Then"-Waylon pulled a little velvet case from his pocket-"Katherine Elizabeth Truman, will you marry me?" He popped it open to reveal a lovely sapphire-and-diamond ring.

"Yes," she said without a second's hesitation.

He put the ring on her finger and then kissed each knuckle on her hand. "Blue for your eyes. Diamonds because they last forever, like our love will."

Neither of them gave a damn who saw their long, passionate kiss. They were on top of the Ferris wheel when he pulled away and she threw both hands into the sky.

"I'm engaged!" she squealed, and everyone on the Ferris wheel applauded.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

Dear readers, The first days of summer are pushing spring into the history books here in southern Oklahoma. You will be getting to know the characters in The Barefoot Summer in the cold winter months, so wrap up in a quilt and sip on a cup of hot chocolate.

I'm sitting in front of the computer putting the finishing touches on this story and not wanting to tell these characters good-bye. They've all been voices in my head for weeks now, and we've gotten to know one another really well. I've watched them grow from enemies to friends to family in spite of the crazy situation they were tossed into in the middle of a funeral. It's my hope that when you finish the last words in the book, you feel like they are real people and not just characters.

As always, it takes a village to turn an idea that filtered through my head into a book. And for that I'm humbled and grateful to the many people who have paved the way from beginning to end. To Montlake Romance, my sincere thanks for continuing to buy my works and have faith in me. To my editors, Anh Schluep and Krista Stroever, I love you both to the moon and back. To my team at Montlake-those amazing people who work on final edits, cover ideas, and all the promotion-big old Texas-size hugs to each and every one of you. To my agent, Erin Cartwright Niumata-having you on my side is a blessing that I never take for granted. A big thanks to my husband, Mr. B., for all the reasons he knows so well.

To my readers . . . you are truly appreciated beyond what words can say. Thank you for reading my books, for the reviews you write, for discussing them in your book clubs, for passing them over the backyard fence to share with your neighbors, and for continuing to support me. I really do have the most awesome friends, family, and fans in the whole universe.

Until next time, happy reading!.

Carolyn Brown.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Photo 2015 Charles Brown.

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and a RITA finalist. Her books include romantic women's fiction, historical romance, contemporary romance, cowboy romance, and country music mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows what everyone else is doing-and reads the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. When she's not writing, Carolyn likes to sit in her gorgeous backyard with her cats, Chester Fat Boy and Boots Randolph Terminator Outlaw, and watch them protect their territory from crickets, locusts, and spiders.

ALSO BY CAROLYN BROWN.

CONTEMPORARY STAND-ALONE ROMANCES.

The Lullaby Sky.

The Wedding Pearls The Ladies' Room Hidden Secrets.

Long, Hot Texas Summer Daisies in the Canyon Trouble in Paradise Lily's White Lace.

The Wager That Way Again.

THE CADILLAC, TEXAS SERIES.

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno.

Society Jubilee The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop.

THE BROKEN ROAD SERIES.

To Trust To Commit To Believe To Dream To Hope THE BURNT BOOT SERIES.

Cowboy Boots for Christmas.

(Cowboy Not Included) The Trouble with Texas Cowboys One Texas Cowboy Too Many.

A Cowboy Christmas Miracle THE HONKY TONK SERIES.

I Love This Bar.

Hell, Yeah My Give a Damn's Busted Honky Tonk Christmas.

THE SPIKES & SPURS SERIES.

Love Drunk Cowboy.

Red's Hot Cowboy Darn Good Cowboy Christmas.

One Hot Cowboy Wedding Mistletoe Cowboy Just a Cowboy and His Baby Cowboy Seeks Bride.

THE LUCKY SERIES.

Lucky in Love.

One Lucky Cowboy Getting Lucky.

THREE MAGIC WORDS TRILOGY.

A Forever Thing.

In Shining Whatever Life After Wife.

THE OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH SERIES.

Emma's Folly.

Maggie's Mistake.

Violet's Wish Just Grace.

THE BLACK SWAN TRILOGY.

Pushin' Up Daisies.

From Thin Air Come High Water.

THE DRIFTERS & DREAMERS TRILOGY.

Morning Glory.

Sweet Tilly Evening Star.

THE LOVE'S VALLEY SERIES.

Choices.

Absolution Chances Redemption Promises.

THE PROMISED LAND SERIES.

Willow.

Velvet Gypsy Garnet Augusta.

THE ANGELS & OUTLAWS SERIES.

A Trick of the Light.

Walkin' on Clouds From Wine to Water.