Markie was scheduled to move back to Alabama at the end of August. Her truck was in the shop getting some major work done in order for her to pull her horse trailer across the country. She had plans to meet her friends, Emma and Bailey, later that evening at BarrelHouse Brewery in Visalia. She picked up her truck and headed home to get ready when she found out that the rear brakes weren't put back on, and so she was stranded at home. Markie decided she wasn't in the mood to go out, but Emma offered to come to pick her up and take her downtown, and as fate would have it, she went. Austin just moved to the Clovis area and was asked to go out with his friends from college that night. He was starting his first harvest season with his new job but decided to go out anyway. He and his friends walked into BarrelHouse, noticed Emma, who they all knew from college, and decided to sit down with her. Austin sat down right across from Markie, and they sparked up a conversation immediately. Legend has it that he never really heard a word she said over the loud music, but he laughed at her jokes anyway. Austin had to be up for work early the following morning, so he was first to say goodbye, but after he left, Markie tried to pretend there wasn't any chemistry there. She WAS moving 2,000 miles away in two weeks after all. The next day, Austin followed her on Instagram, and Markie decided to message him to thank him for the great conversation. He then asked to take her to dinner, to which she agreed- despite knowing she was already falling for him. Their first date was at Brewbakers in Visalia, and while neither of them expected anything to come of this, they went on a few more dates (their second one included Hilmar Cheese of course) and couldn't deny the chemistry. Markie's plans to move to Alabama, two weeks after she met Austin, obviously never came to fruition. God had bigger plans, and they have started a life together in Hilmar with cows, chickens, dogs, and cats.