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And then there was Dallas, sitting beside his wife, looking uncos-on Winona watched hi hair and pale blue shirt didn’t soften hi dressed up only erous

If Winona could have thought of a way to reveal this truth, she would have, but Dallas was ss; he didn’t de to be willing to work for whatever he got The cowboys had accepted hireat love” of Vivi Ann and Dallas Even Aurora refused to hear about his crio

Vivi Ann clinked her fork against her wineglass, drawing everyone’s attention

Winona looked down the table toward her sister, as she was supposed to, and several facts registered, clicked into place like the firing sequence in a handgun: Vivi Ann was evenwater

“We’re pregnant,” Vivi Ann said, and her smile lit up the room

Winona experienced the announcee, slowed-doay, as if she were underwater or behind a wall colass block She saw everyone except her father leap to congratulate Vivi Ann; she heard the squeals and cries, saw Aurora hug Vivi Ann and start to cry

Winona knew she needed to move, to join in, but she couldn’t She just sat there Once, when she was little, she’d tried barrel racing Bathed in the rare glow of her dad’s encourage back and kicked hard She’d barely hung on around the first barrel, and on the second she’d lost her grip She still re sideways in the saddle, losing her stirrup For a second before she’d fallen, she’d known it was co, and the fear of that moment was how she felt From now on, no matter what, Dallas would be a part of this family The cancer of his presence had just metastasized

She glanced sideways and found Dallas looking at her She shifted uncolass in a toast “Here’s to Vivi Annwho noill have a baby” Too She tried not to think about her own loneliness, but it was inore Here she was, the oldest sister and the only one unmarried and childless

After that, the evening passed for Winona like a s that were expected of her—she cleared the table and washed the dishes with her sisters, she put on their favorite Elvis Christht Before Christmas” to her niece and nephew—but none of it felt real

“You’re not very good at pretending to be happy”

Winona hadn’t even heard hi up on people was a particular skill of his She turned slightly, found Dallas beside her, sipping his beer “I’ve never been good at pretending to be anything,” she answered “And you don’t fool me for a second I’ve seen your record”

“She’s happy, you know,” he said

“What about you? I wouldn’t peg you as the daddy type”

“You don’t care how I feel about anything”

It was a relief to be understood, not to have to pretend “You’re right”