“You Bought the Wrong Bride,” the Cowgirl Said

return sounded like fraud to him, or sounded like the single most genuine thing either party involved had ever done.

Judge Pruitt asked Josie Pharaoh one question only: did she love this man separate from any ranch, any deadline, any cousin’s ambitions?

“I loved the shape of him before I ever learned his name,” Josie said. “The ranch is just where I continue reading …