A/N: Thank you for the response to their proposal, and as always thank you for R&R :).

Disclaimer: Same 1-25.

In the days following the proposal, Anna and John had begun spreading the news of their engagement. Both were more than excited to announce they would soon become man and wife. Robert and his family had been practically giddy with the news, noting it was about time the two of them become a permanent item. Gwen had lifted Anna off the ground and shrieked loudly, making everyone on Anna's work floor look in their direction. Anna had of course called her auntie and her friend Jane. Her auntie congratulated her modestly, but she could hear the underlying excitement in her auntie's voice. Jane had been almost emotional over the phone, telling Anna how happy she was for her.

They were both truly happy and having all their friends and loved ones being happy for them as well made it even better.

A few weeks later after work, Anna was in the kitchen preparing dinner. She had been feeling so content and domestic since the proposal that there seemed to be an electric buzz filling the air around her. She was pulled from her daydreaming as John came into view.

"Hello," he greeted warmly as he walked over to her.

She smiled at him fondly, "Hello. How was your day?"

"It was a slower day today which I'm thankful for from time or time."

She gave him a kiss then said, "Dinner will be ready soon if you want to go freshen up."

"Yes, I'm ready to get out of this uniform."

He left to go change and Anna checked on the food. Taking the lemon chicken and vegetables out of the oven, she sat it on the stove top to cool a bit before serving. She set the kitchen table, and took the water pitcher out of the fridge and placed it on the table as well. When she had done that, John came back into the room.

"What did you make?"

"Lemon chicken and I cooked the vegetables in with it," she said as she placed the dish on the table.

"It smells and looks wonderful. Thank you for cooking," he complimented sincerely as he sat down at the table.

"You work hard. You deserve a nice home cooked meal," she replied sweetly.

He smiled at her as she took his plate and served him his dinner, and then she served herself.

"So, Sybil must be close to having her baby," Anna noted.

"I think she's got a month or so until she's due."

"Wouldn't she be the cutest flower girl?" Anna cooed.

"Speaking of that, have you decided on the type of wedding you'd like to have? I know you said early June for the date, but we haven't decided on the details."

"I think I have, and if you don't agree then we'll pick something else."

John put down his fork and gave Anna his full attention by taking her hand in his.

"I think it'd be nice to get married here."

"I was thinking we would get married in Lockhart so that's no big deal," he replied as he kept his gaze upon her.

"No, I mean here in our field."

"So, you'd like an outdoor wedding here?" he asked, making sure he had it right.

"We've spent so much time there, and I don't know it just feels right to complete our happily ever after there."

John twitched a smile at her and gently squeezed her hand.

"That sounds perfect. You in a white dress, me looking like a fool."

Anna chuckled, "I want our attire to be simple."

"I would wear a burlap sack if it meant I could call you my wife," John stated seriously but with a grin attached.

"I love it when you talk dirty, Mr. Bates."

"Yes, I know," he replied before releasing her hand.

He picked his fork back up and then continued talking, "Let's nail down a date soon though. I'm assuming Jane and your aunt will have to make arrangements."

She sighed and looked at him. "You're right they will. We could do the first Saturday in June. It's near my birthday so maybe when we're old we won't forget the date."

"I don't care how old I get I won't forget that date."

Anna blushed as John gazed at her heatedly. "First Saturday in June it is then."

When the weekend came around, Mary had insisted on coming over with a large stack of bridal magazines and to discuss the wedding.

Anna, you would look stunning in this one," Mary said and then turned the bride magazine towards Anna.

"Isn't it a little much? I'm looking for something simple yet elegant."

Mary turned the magazine back to her and continued to flip through the pages.

"A June wedding should be nice , and you're having it in the evening?" Mary asked.

"Yes, it will be cooler then since it'll be outside."

"You know we're in the last week of February, you should really be out looking for dresses. What are you doing the rest of today?"

"I don't think we have any plans, but John should be back inside any minute. I'll ask him."

"Well, if you don't then we should go into Austin and take a look. There will be plenty of shops there, and maybe see if your friend Gwen wants to go."

"That doesn't sound like a bad plan."

As if Anna had summoned him, John came in through the back door and entered the room.

"Ladies," John said as he tipped his hat.

"Do we have any plans today?" Anna asked after she turned to look at him.

"Not that I know of."

"Mary suggested we go look at some wedding dresses in Austin."

He came over, kissed her forehead and then said, "I think that's a great idea. You ladies should go and have fun."

Anna beamed and turned back to Mary, "I'll call Gwen!"

John grinned to himself as he left the room. It made him feel good that she was excited about the wedding.

The three of them made it to Austin, and they were inside one of the bridal shops.

"Anna, you should definitely try this one!" Gwen said and then placed the dress on the hook in her dressing room.

Anna was way more excited then she let herself show, and it wasn't even about the dress. It was about the fact that she was getting closer and closer to being Mrs. John Bates.

"One more," Mary said as she hung it up.

"Alright, I think five is good for now. Let me try these on," Anna insisted and then closed the dressing room door.

She came out with the first one on and Mary said, "That one looks okay, but I'll need to see the others."

Gwen nodded her agreement, and Anna went back into the dressing room.

Once she had the next one on properly, she opened the dressing room door and stepped out for Mary and Gwen's advice.

"Too Edwardian," Mary stated.

"I say that one if a definite no," Gwen added with a sympathetic smile.

"I don't like it neither," Anna sighed before closing herself back up in the dressing room.

After she had tried all of them on, Anna didn't feel like any of those were really her.

"Let's try somewhere else," Gwen suggested.

They got in the car and drove to the next shop. When they walked to the entrance Anna saw a dress in the shop window. She went inside and immediately asked to try it on. The shop clerk brought out the dress in her size and she went into the dressing room.

When she came out of the dressing room, she was beaming from ear to ear. The dress was strapless and simple but elegant with its lace and bead work. It was even the right length which surprised all of them because of Anna's height.

Mary and Gwen stood there mouth's agape as she turned around in a circle in the dress.

"Anna, you better hope that dress doesn't cost a fortune because it won't last long once John sees it on you," Gwen exclaimed with a huge smile.

"Anna, you look gorgeous," Mary said with her eyes wide.

"This one is it I know it is. I didn't think I'd find it today, but I know I'll be sorry if I don't get this one today."

She looked at herself in the mirror and got teary. She couldn't believe it was really happening and hoped it wasn't all the dream.

She purchased the dress, and didn't cringe too bad as she handed her credit card over. It could have been a lot more, but really the price didn't matter.

They left the shop and after enjoying a nice lunch with her friends she made her way back home.

She made her way through the front door, trying to be quiet, but John heard her as soon as she came in. She had the dress bag draped over her arm as she closed the door.

John was leaning against the wall, smiling as he said, "So, you found one. That was fast."

"I'm not giving any details and you better not open this bag John Bates. It's bad luck if you do."

He threw his hands up in mock surrender, "I won't."

"I'm going to put this in the closet now."

She walked through the hall and up the stairs. John followed behind her.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked.

"I did. It was fun trying on the dresses, but I stopped trying on when I put this one on."

"I can't wait to see it."

After she hung up the dress, she stepped over to him and replied, "Well, you'll have to wait a little while longer."

"Too long in my opinion," he rasped in a velvety tone.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and then said, "What do you think about getting out for dinner tonight? It's been ages since we've eaten at Patmores."

"I think a trip into town with you sounds wonderful," he replied then placed his hands on her waist.

"We'll finish up a few things here then we'll head out around dinner time?"

"Sounds perfect."

He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her lips. She easily returned the kiss and then said, "We've work to do Mr. Bates."

He grinned as he watched her walk away.

John was waiting for Anna by the door so they could leave for dinner. Anna made her way downstairs and felt her face flush with heat at the sight of him. He always looked handsome, but whenever he wore the belt buckle with their initials it made her want to drag him right back into the bedroom.

He tipped his hat as she approached and said, "Ready to go to dinner Miss Smith?"

"God, there isn't a day when you're not incredibly hot."

He raised his brows and returned the compliment, "The same could be said of you."

"If we don't leave right now, we won't be making it to dinner," she said as she took his hand in hers.

He chuckled and they walked out to the truck. He closed her door once she was in and then got in himself.

Once on the road, he said, "So, it's my momma's birthday in a couple of days. I was going to stop by after work and lay some flowers for her."

"You can come home, and I'll go with you if you want me to."

He reached over and entwined his fingers with hers, "I would like that very much."

"Then we'll pick out some nice flowers and visit her," she offered and then gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"She would have loved to attend our wedding," John stated wistfully.

"She'll be with us in spirit. I have no doubt she'll play a part in our beautiful day," Anna replied softly.

John smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. "Yes, she will."

They made it into town and parked a little ways down from the drug store. Once inside, they took a seat at the far end of the counter.

"Mr. Bates, hello."

They turned to see who addressed him and saw William.

"Hello Anna, it's been a while. I got to congratulate Mr. Bates at work, but I would like to congratulate you as well."

Anna stood up and gave the polite, young man a brief embrace before replying, "That's so kind William. Thank you. How are you?"

"Doing great just waiting for Daisy to get off her shift."

"It's nice of you to wait on her," Anna said back.

"I think I see her clocking out. See you Monday boss."

"See you then," John replied.

As William walked away, Anna said as she sat back down, "He looks up to you you know."

He turned his head to look at her, "How do you know that?"

"I can tell by the way he interacts with you, and you are a good role model."

John's mind drifted to his past and all his mistakes for a moment. He didn't used to be a role model in his book.

"Maybe now, but I wasn't always."

"Well, all that matters is you are now. We better decide what we'd like to have before Alfred comes over here."

They placed their orders after Alfred walked over and then John said, "I forgot to tell you earlier. We received your aunts and Jane's RSVPs for the wedding."

"That was fast. I need to give them a call. They'll probably want to stay for a while since it's such a long trip."

"They can stay as long as they like. We will be in the Bahamas drinking from coconuts and kayaking."

Anna laughed, "Kayaking? You do surprise me."

"I saw this excursion for kayaking a river. It looks amazing."

"Then kayaking it is, but we should think about preparing rooms for them. I don't want to make them stay at a hotel."

"We'll make it work. I just hope I make a good impression."

There food came and then Anna replied, "You've spoken to both of them on the phone. They practically know you already."

"Talking on the phone is different than meeting someone in person."

"Even so they are going to love you and if they have a problem they can go back to England."

"You really need to look at the kayaking thing."

She shook her head and smiled. She was excited as well but enjoyed listening to him talk about it.

They both became silent as they ate and then Anna spoke again, "I'm having a bit of trouble though."

John wiped his hands and looked at her with a creased brow, "What kind of trouble?"

"Well, I still need to pick a maid of honor, and I don't know who to pick. I have Gwen here who has become my best friend since I moved, and then I have Jane who has known me my whole life. I just don't want to hurt anyone's feelings."

"What does your gut tell you to do?" he asked.

"My gut?"

"Yes, when you think about it who is the first person that comes to your mind."

She looked down a moment then looked back up at him and said, "Gwen."

"Then that is who you should pick."

"Is it really that simple?"

He placed a hand gently on her back and said, "What made you say Gwen?"

"I guess because I know my life is here, and that in the long run Gwen will be here and Jane and I will only ever be friends through the phone or email."

"That sounds like the best reason I can think of to ask Gwen."

She smiled at him and replied, "Thank you. I feel better about it now."

"Good. I don't want you to worry about anything. You can share it all with me and we'll figure it out together."

Anna looked down at her lap as she folded her hands there. She felt rather embarrassed that that wasn't all of it.

John immediately noticed her mood hadn't improved but instead had gotten worse. Had he said the wrong thing?

"Anna, I didn't mean to pressure you into a choice."

"You didn't," she sighed before lifting her eyes to meet his. "There's something else on my mind."

John's throat became tighter as he saw the sadness in Anna's eyes. He didn't want sadness related to their wedding in any shape or form.

"Please, tell me," John almost begged quietly.

"Well, of course my parents won't be attending, so I'm just kind of sad their is no one to give me away," she replied with a sad smile.

John instantly began inwardly chiding himself. He had been talking about his mother not being able to attend and didn't even take into consideration Anna would be feeling that loss just as much.

"Oh, Anna. Here I was going on about my mother. You should have stopped me."

"No, your mother was very special to me too. You can talk about her as much as you like," she moved further to the edge of the stool as John placed a hand to her lower back. "It's silly I know. I can very well walk down the aisle myself. I was just thinking of my parents is all."

"Of course you are thinking of them. How about your aunt? Would she give you away?"

"No, she's very traditional, but I feel better talking about it. In the end, it's only you I want to see there that day anyways."

They shared a small, loving smile before John spoke, "I'd do anything to make you happy you know."

"I do, and you hearing me out helps me so much. Thank you."

"Thank you for sharing. I love you," he murmured softly before kissing her temple.

"And I love you."

They went back to eating and when they finished they headed back home.

John was lying in bed reading a book when Anna came out of the bathroom. She was wearing one of his Rangers t-shirts and had her hair up in a messy bun. She climbed into bed and curled up close to him.

A minute or two later, Anna said, "You know I've been thinking."

John closed his book and laid it on the night stand. He turned himself to look at her.

"What it is you've been thinking?"

"I've just been thinking it'd be nice for us to work together."

"But how would we do that?"

She thought for a moment and then continued, "Its just we do have the money saved from the sell of your mother's house, and I was thinking a little down the line if we wanted to.."

"If we wanted to start a family," he said, finishing the sentence for her.

She gave a faint nod and replied, "I thought we may use that money and open up our own training facility, and we could have the children with us."

John didn't quite understand, so he asked, "What kind of training facility?"

"You could train people to trick and bull ride, and I'll see to the animals."

John had never really thought about that being an option before. His passion had always been riding, but he turned that passion off when he became injured. Could something like this work? What about Anna's work?

"I've never thought about it, but Anna I wouldn't want you to leave your job."

"I told you I wanted to work with animals and this way I can. We would have horses and bulls of course but maybe we could have a couple other kinds too. I think you would be a wonderful instructor. You certainly got me to lassoing in no time."

They both grinned at the thought of that evening.

"We would need to think about it. It would be some work and I'd have to tell Rob."

"It was just an idea. We don't have to jump into anything."

He caressed her arm, "I know, and we will think about it. How long have you thought this over?"

"Not long but I think we could be successful with it."

"Then we will look into it, but for right now I think it's time for sleep it's been an eventful day," he said as he laid himself down, pulling the covers over him.

She followed suit and turned on her side, "Remember no peeking into that bag."

John chuckled, "I would never."

"Mhm."