Now she’s doing it for me.
“You’re going to be a Sutton,” she says. “Like me.”
“God help us both.”
She laughs, but there’s a thickness to it. “Remember when I used to dream about my wedding? You always said you’d be there.”
“I’m here.”
“No.” Her hands still in my hair. “You’re the one getting married. I’m here for you.”
My baby sister, the one I raised, the one I protected, standing behind me on my wedding day. Supporting me instead of the other way around.
“Laney.” Her voice turns serious. “You deserve this. You deserve to be happy. To be first.”
My eyes burn. “Don’t make me cry. I didn’t bring waterproof mascara.”
“I did.” She resumes working on my hair. “Because I know you.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m dressed. Hair pinned up with a few loose pieces framing my face. Minimal makeup because I’ll cry it off anyway. The dress fits like it was made for me.
Kitty stands back, surveying her work. “Perfect.”
“You sure about this?” I ask, and we both know I’m not talking about the dress.
She knows about the plan. Helped arrange it. Miss Maggie’s in on it too—they’ve been sneaking around for days, covering formy early morning absences, making excuses when I came back smelling like horse and covered in arena dust.
Daniel thinks I’m walking from the house. Down the porch steps, across the yard, to the oak tree where he’ll be waiting.
He doesn’t know I’ve been practicing with Captain Winky at dawn. Three days. Two falls. One very patient horse who seems to understand that this matters.
“He’s going to lose his mind,” Kitty says.
“That’s the plan.”
“No, I mean—” She takes my hands. “Laney, when he sees you on that horse... he’s going to lose his mind. In the best way.”
I think about Daniel’s face when he talks about Captain Winky. The way he trusts that horse with his broken parts. The way Captain Winky trusts him back.
“He gave me his horse,” I say. “His space. His trust. I want to meet him on that ground.”
Kitty’s eyes go bright. “God, you two are perfect for each other. Both showing love through completely insane gestures.”
“It’s not insane. It’s just riding a horse.”
“You were terrified of horses a month ago.”
“I’m still terrified.” I squeeze her hands. “But I’m more terrified of not being brave enough to deserve him.”
She pulls me into a hug, careful not to mess up my hair. “You deserve everything,” she whispers. “Everything good. I love you.”
“I love you too.” I hold her tight, then pull back. “Now, help me sneak to the barn without anyone seeing.”
The barn is cool and dim. Captain Winky waits in his stall like he knows exactly what today is.
Maybe he does. Horses are smarter than people give them credit for.
“Hey, boy.” I approach the way Daniel taught me. Let him see me. Let him smell me. Let him decide I’m safe.
