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“Oh, damn it, okay I promise And I won’t say another word about it Except I have a bad feeling about this You’rea mistake”

“Thank God you didn’t say anything,” Winona said grio home”

In late February and March, rain pelted Oyster Shores Mud oozed up through the pastures where the horses stood and pooled in brown bogs Silver streaullies on either side of the driveway The poor purple crocuses that dared to peek up from the mud were soon pounded down by the rain

The weather matched Winona’s mood Not perfectly, of course A precise reflection of her eathering for a co storm, but still it was a ht its breath for a fewplace, she found herself olden sun pissed her off

The beautiful pluhout her garden she saw signs of new life The velvet-green start of tulips, the first lireen buds on the tree branches, a row of butter-yellow daffodils It was a daily reray winter was giving way to a bright and shiny spring Usually Winona loved this season of flowers, when pink blosso the ground, but this year time was not her friend This year time was measured by the days Vivi Ann spent with Luke

They had been together for almost three months now, and soht, she found herself counting the days Vivi Ann had stolen fro with Luke; Sunday s around the house, while Dad was there Winona wasn’t stupid, nor was she ed to her, that Vivi Ann had in fact stolen nothing, but still she felt cheated Every day she woke thinking, This will be the day she dumps him, and she conjured scenarios in her mind to follo Winona would comfort him, hold his hand, and let him talk, how he’d finally turn to her and see the truth and be saved by it

And every night she went to bed alone, thinking, Tomorrow, then

One piece of knowledge, bone-deep and certain, kept her going: Vivi Ann didn’t love Luke For her beautiful, reckless sister, dating Luke was a lark, a way to pass the time

All Winona had to do was keep hiding her feelings and wait for the inevitable breakup

Now, on this Saturday night, she dressed for the last of the barrel-racing series events with care: black jeans, a long white tunic top, layers of stone-bead necklaces in bright colors, and black cowboy boots Curling her hair and spraying it to hold, she put on plenty of makeup and then drove over to the ranch

The driveas full of truck-and-trailer coht spilled fro back and forth across the light, breaking its bea event appeared to be a success

Finding an open spot, she went to the barn and looked in The honey wooden plaid of the new roping chutes and return alley lined one wall of the arena and the suspended announcer’s booth was nearing completion In the arena, there were at least twenty-to around the first of three yellow barrels, the rider angled forward, kicking hard, yelling, Ha! loudly; the others were probably waiting their turn

And Vivi Ann stood in the olden ring her like a movie star because she kne to make a horse run around three barrels in under fourteen seconds

Vivi Ann saw Winona and waved

Winona waved back, even as she looked around for Luke Assured that he wasn’t in the arena, she walked down to the far out, “Hey, Dad”