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"We’ll talk more about this later, understand?"

"Yes, sir," Jack replies in a strong voice

"I don’t agree with this any more than Jack’s father does," Dad says to me slowly "But I want you to be happy, whatever that means for you I knoby us And I want to do the right thing by you" Dad wrapsme hard

Jack faces our fathers "After the race, can Savannah stay the night at our house in Kentucky with us?"

"I’d love to," I say, and I catch Mr Goodwin and Dad exchanging a freaked-out look

"I want to cook you dinner," Jack says tofathers Dad wipes sweat off his forehead "She thinks I can’t grill, but I can" He squeezesWhitfield--come help me"

He sprints out of the barn with Rory at his ankles Jesus Lord, where’s he going now?

"Jack!" Mr Goodwin calls, following his son

The otheret him in the zone for the race I pat his nose and look hioes on for at least aby our stall distracts hi his neck "I love you"

He nips athe loves me too

Jack et Star saddled up and ready to go

"How you doing?" Jack whispers inthat I’ve never been on such a high, that I have a feeling Star and I are in good shape for today "Thank you for this"

"Thank you," Jack replies, s his focus back to his horse He walks around Star one last ti my cheek

Dad mounts a pony and leads us out onto the track He leans over and pats Star’s head as we begin to warm up Star barely pays attention to the pony He et to the starting gate, I take a deep breath and Dad pats my back "I’m proud of you, and your ates close behind me I’m in the fourth position, the best place to be For the first tiate

"You got this, Star," I say, breathing cal open

"And they’re off!" the announcer says, and everything goes silent except for the sound of hooves sla Delight and That’s My Boy Everybody eases up around the first turn I grab a good position on the rail Dancing Delight leads the way to the backstretch I’ether on the far turn

I own the rail and we pick up speed as we make our way past That’s My Boy

I yell, "Move your ass, Star!"

That’s My Boy challenges us,ths off the lead On the final furlong, I use the whip and yell Star’s naht on the final furlong But he grabs it back

My heart pounds and I’ down hard on th!

Second place Dales off and set theonna win one? I lean down and hug Star long and hard We circle back around, and the only person I want to see must be sed up in that sea of reporters, because I can’t find him anywhere

I ride up to the paddock Reporters are all overSecond place with a half ato cry home about Star just won 125K for Cedar Hill

"Jack!" I peer through the crowd to find hi his way between people He breaks free and darts up to slap Star’s side and rub his ears

"Good boy," Jack says, rubbing the horse’sup at me

"I’m sorry," I say with a sob

"You’ll win next ti, and I squeeze his hand "Come down here," Jack says, and I let hirabs the reins And when a photographer gets inkiss, wrapping his aro And I kinda hope he doesn’t

"I swear," I hear Mr Goodwin say "Do you have to kiss her in front of everybody?"

"Yes," Jack replies, then dives right back in, kissing irlfriend--that Winchester girl," Mrs Goodwin says, sounding confused and pissed "John, why is our son kissing Danny’s daughter? John, what’s going on?"

"How ro to kill hireat climactic scene," Rory adds, and out of the corner ofdown notes

Star sniffs my hair and nuzzles his neck between our heads Jack and I break apart

"Isto cock block me?" he whispers in my ear

"Appears so"

"If he hadn’t done so well, I’d send hie For real this tih we’re not in the winner’s circle, I feel like I won

Laughter and hooting and hollering distract me, and when I pull away from his lips, he turns o to hoh "That’s so much better than a skywriter!"