37. Evie

"I am goingto kill that ferret when I find him. He knows this is my wedding day. I don't have time to hunt him down," I said, looking at Kylie. "Can you please help me find him? I won't be able to concentrate on my wedding if he's not found," I cried, fearing a wild animal had gotten Snookum.

"Yes, I'll help. But you need to calm down. What if we can't find him before it's time to get married?" Kylie asked.

"Don't even think that!" I said. "We will find him, I promise you. I'll have everyone on this mountain hunting for him," I sniffed, wiped my eyes, and blew my nose.

So, Kylie and I went on a hunt for Snookum. Time passed quickly; thank God Allison was dressing Hannah. I thought I heard Snookum a dozen times. I had crawled under the porch and looked around the woodpile. I was stuck up a tree with my foot wedged between the limbs.

"Evie, where are you?" I heard Rebel calling, but I didn't want him to see me stuck in a tree. He wouldn't stop calling my name, so I had no choice but to answer him.

"I'm up here in the tree," I called out. I saw him walking across the street, looking up until he spotted me, and then he grinned. He was already dressed in his tuxedo and looked so handsome that I caught my breath.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing in a tree? It's time to get married."

"I'm hunting for Snookum. What do you mean it's time to get married? What time is it?"

"It's six-thirty. You are thirty minutes late. Are you going to get out of the tree and get dressed, or are we getting married in the tree?"

"Six-thirty?" I cried. "My foot is stuck, and a large animal might have eaten Snookum." I didn't realize I was crying until Rebel climbed the tree.

"Let me help you get your foot unstuck. Now, is that better?"

"Yes, let's hurry. Everyone will think I have cold feet. I can't believe I've been hunting for Snookum for two hours. Where could he be? I hope he's still alive. I'll look for him after we are married. Can you please explain to everyone what happened?"

"Yes, I'll explain. You get dressed."

I dressed in record time. Kylie and Benni did my hair, and we were ready. Now I was an hour late for my wedding. My dad knocked on my door and walked me to where Rebel stood waiting for me.

We were about to be announced as husband and wife when Rebel jumped. I turned, and Snookum sat on his shoulder. We all chuckled, and then we were pronounced man and wife. Rebel handed Snookum to Reaper, then picked me up and kissed me while everybody cheered.

Ten minutes later, Rebel stood beside me and put his arm around me. I smiled at him, and he handed me a baby French bulldog.

"Where did you get him? He's beautiful," I said, speechless.

"He's all yours."

"Thank you. I did miss Tater. Am I going to get a cat?" I asked, wiping away a tear. That's when Kylie walked up with a Maine Coon kitten and handed it to me.

"This is from your husband."

"Rebel, I love you so much." Hannah ran to us, and Rebel picked her up. She hugged the new members of our family. "We have the perfect family, and I promise I'll make sure Temper doesn't have as much gas as Tater did."

Everyone in earshot chuckled. "Tater isn't as bad as he used to be," Kylie said.

"Kylie, you are a genius. Yes, our kitty's name is Calm. It fits perfectly. He will keep Temper calm," I said, turning to look at my husband. "Thank you for deciding to save the crazy woman trying to find a way into the cartel to find her sister. She had no brains at the time."

"The best thing I've ever done was to hunt down the person sending messages about someone I thought was my brother. Our meeting was a sign that we were meant to find each other. I love you, Evie, and I will love you forever."