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They all stayed for the sunset, watching from their seats in the gazebo as the sky turned into a melting pot of color upon color, but it was the sunburst at the last second before it disappeared that made them gasp.

Auntie was stunned. “I have lived my seventy years watching the sun fall below the treetops, but this is the first time I’ve seen it take its last breath. I will never forget this, and now I have a painting to remember it by. I am ready for bed now, Charlie. I am old, and it has been a long day.”

After that, they quickly loaded up with their gifts and were getting into the truck to leave when Maggie spoke.

“Breakfast at the Rose is the best. I have two more paintings hanging there. You might like to see them, too. Come back to the ranch to spend the day. Bring your clothes for the wedding. We’ll spend the wedding day together. And if somebody wants to teach me how to make fry bread, I will be eternally grateful. Sonny bemoans the loss of Auntie’s fry bread at least every other day.”

The old woman beamed, and Frannie smiled. “It would be our pleasure. We’ll bring the ingredients when we come.”

“Hot damn!” Sonny said. “A belly full of fry bread, and a wife by sundown. My life is perfect.”

“And the Appaloosa,” Charlie said. “I want to see you ride it bareback with no halter like you did in the video.”

“I can do that,” Sonny said, and then Sonny and Maggie were standing in the yard, watching as they drove away.

“That couldn’t have been any better,” Sonny said.

She leaned against him. “I think they like me.”

“Magnolia Rae Brennen, they love you and you know it. Now come to bed. I’ll be sleeping with a married woman tomorrow night. Gotta make this one last.”

She laughed all the way into the house, then happily obliged.

***

They woke the next morning, rolled over in bed, and looked at each other and smiled.

“This is go-day,” Sonny said. “No backing out now.”

“As if,” she said, kissed him hard, and got up and beat him to the bathroom.

Sonny groaned. “Definitely need another bathroom,” he muttered, and lay there waiting his turn. His phone dinged a text. Thinking it was Charlie, he swiped to read it and saw it was from Garrett Dillon, instead.

Roping event at the ranch two weeks from today. The offer is still open for you to do some fancy riding on the Appaloosa. Are you game?

Sonny thought of the TV story mentioning his horse training business, and decided it was the best opportunity to start making connections through the rodeo world again.

Send me directions and a timeline. I’ll be there.

A few moments later, he got a thumbs-up.

The water came on in the bathroom. He smiled. “No need wasting water,” he said, and threw back the covers.

***

The family arrived before 10:00 a.m. with two sacks of groceries.

Maggie had dug through her art stuff, pulling out colored pencils and drawing paper, and had cleared off the coffee table in the living room, making a play area for Julia, and the moment they came through the door, it was the first thing Julia saw.

She stopped, her eyes wide with expectation. “Auntie Maggie, is that for me?”

Maggie grinned. “Why yes, it is. How smart of you to know that. Make me a pretty picture. I will hang it on the refrigerator for everyone to see.”

“Make me one, too,” Sonny said. “I need to hang one in the barn for the horses to see.”

Frannie was unloading groceries at the counter. “Thank you for thinking of her, Maggie, but I warn you, you might have created your own little monster. She will use up every piece of paper in the house.”

Maggie immediately flashed on being in trouble for wasting paper, and shook her head. “Then I will find her some more,” she said, and the day began.

Sonny and Charlie left the house together, while the women settled in for coffee and a chat, leaving Julia to create. But it wasn’t long before Charlie came back.

“Sonny said he’ll ride the Appaloosa for me now, before the day gets too hot. Who wants to watch the show with me?”

“We all do,” Auntie said.

“Then follow me,” Charlie said, and pointed at Julia. “You, too, short stuff. Wanna see Uncle Sonny ride the pretty horse?”

She nodded and ran to hold his hand.

They were walking toward the arena when they heard a shrill whistle, and then a second, and then soon, the sound of running horses. Watching those big animals crowding around Sonny for attention was one thing, but seeing them follow him like puppies was eye-opening.

“He wasn’t always like this,” Charlie said. “When did this happen?”

Maggie shrugged. “Maybe after he survived. That’s when the visions came. Maybe this came with it.”

They all looked at Maggie, and then at each other. She knew his secrets, which meant he trusted her with his life. Then they headed for the arena. As soon as they settled on the seats, Sonny came walking in with Dancer beside him. They saw Sonny speaking to the horse, and then gave him a thump on the rear, and the moment Dancer started to move, Sonny grabbed a handful of mane and swung up on the run.

Maggie heard Auntie’s quick intake of breath, and then her eyes never left the man and the horse. Sonny let Dancer run free as he circled the arena at a full gallop, and then turned him one way, and then another, and backed him up, and then at the last when Dancer was flying, Sonny turned loose of the mane, threw his arms out to the wind. His head was back, his eyes were closed, and man and horse had become one.

Dancer skidded to a stop on his own. Sonny threw his leg over and slid off, then hugged the horse before walking him to the rails.

“Everyone, this is Fancy Dancer, but you can call him Dancer. He loves apple treats and me. Now who wants to give him his treat for such a good show?”

Auntie stood. “I want to honor the warrior horse,” she said, and held out her hand. Sonny laid the little biscuit treat in her palm as she leaned over the rail.

Dancer snorted, then sniffed, then picked up the treat with those soft, velvety lips. Sonny heard his Auntie speaking to the horse and said nothing. The message was personal, between her and the horse. She’d called him warrior horse in the language of their people, and the walk back to the house was silent as they all absorbed the man Sonny had become.

When he came back inside shortly after and saw the women elbow deep in flour, he let out a whoop. “Fry bread is happening.”

Maggie laughed. “See, I told you. He’s been having withdrawals. Don’t worry, Sonny. I am going to be proficient in this before the day is over.”

“Go sit down,” Auntie told him. “Men get in the way.”

They all laughed, especially Sonny. Men knew where they stood in the family, and they knew where they stood in the kitchen, and rarely did the two ever meet.

As soon as they began to take fry bread out of the deep fryer and put it on the racks to cool, Auntie made the announcement.

“Maggie gets the first piece. She helped make them and she’s never had it before. We have Maggie’s beef vegetable soup to eat with it, but the first taste ever needs to be sweet to get the full effect. We eat it plain with butter or a dusting of powdered sugar, or a little jelly or a drizzle of honey. Maggie picks.”

“Butter and honey,” Maggie said.

“Let me make it for you, baby,” Sonny said, and grabbed a little plate, made it like he would like it, and handed it to her. “Fingers only. Expect it to be messy. Licking fingers afterward will work.”

She took the plate, picked up the fry bread, and took a bite. The crunch of the outer layer, the buttery, sweet topping, and the soft interior as she chewed.

“Ohmygod,” she mumbled, talking around the bite she was chewing and rolling her eyes in ecstasy.

“I think she likes it,” Sonny said. “Do you like it, Magnolia?”

She nodded as she swallowed. “I could eat this every day for the rest of my life and waddle into old age.”

Once again, laughter filled the house and as it did, Maggie kept thinking, If only Emmit could see this…his house…alive with laughter.

They ate fry bread with the sweet stuff, and with the pot of beef vegetable soup Maggie had made special for their visit, and then once the kitchen was cleaned, they sent Auntie and Julia to their bedroom for a much-needed rest, while the brothers and their women took over the sofa and the recliners in the living room and continued the visit.

When suppertime came, they made Indian tacos out of the leftover fry bread, but Maggie was too excited to eat. All she could think about was saying “I do” at sunset, and becoming Sonny’s wife.

***

It had taken some doing with one bathroom and one bedroom for privacy, but by 7:00 p.m. the whole wedding party was dressed and sitting in the living room. Julia was wearing her dress from the daddy-daughter dance—a lacey yellow party dress that fell just below her knees and with a big yellow bow at the back of her hair.

Then Pearl arrived, all decked out in a short-sleeved blue sheath, with her silver-gray hair shining, carrying two bouquets of flowers and a little basket of dried sage leaves. And the smile on her face as Sonny introduced her as Maggie’s stand-in Mama was electric.

“Where’s Maggie?” Pearl asked.

“Getting dressed,” Sonny said. “Why don’t you go through to the bedroom. She might like a little motherly help,” and he pointed the way.

Pearl had never been in Emmit’s house, and was surprised by the modern appliances and the way he’d remodeled it. She knocked on the bedroom door. “Maggie, it’s me. Can I come in?”

Maggie opened the door. Her eyes were a little teary. “What’s wrong, honey?” Pearl asked.

“Absolutely nothing, and you just fixed it. Every bride I’ve ever known has had a mother or a grandmother, or a best friend to help her dress, and here I was, with everything wonderful happening and still feeling the stigma of the throwaway baby. Will you zip me up?”

“I’d be honored,” Pearl said. “And just so you know, Sonny is the one who suggested you might need me. He sees all. Knows all. You’ll never be able to keep a secret from him. Not that you’d want to,” she added.

By that time, she had Maggie smiling again and wiping away tears. “You look so beautiful, and those boots! Girl! When you go to that first art event, you better be wearing them.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Maggie said, and then they were ready.

“Who’s walking you down the aisle?” Pearl asked.

“We’re walking down the aisle together. Charlie is Sonny’s best man. Julia is our little flower girl. You’re my matron of honor, and Frannie and Auntie are the audience.”

Sonny’s phone signaled a text. “Preacher is in Crossroads, heading this way now,” he said. “As Charlie would say, if anybody needs to pee again before the ceremony starts, now’s your chance.”

Julia raised her hand, and Auntie stood up and went with her. They knocked on the bedroom door and Pearl opened it.

“We need to use the bathroom, please,” Julia said.

Maggie was standing behind the open door of the closet so they couldn’t see her, and as soon as they left, Pearl went with them. Maggie knew when they left the house for the gazebo, Sonny would let her know.

Wes Dugan arrived in a cloud of dust. The photographer he’d brought with him quickly began setting up. The sun was already preparing for its final curtain, ablaze in all shades of yellow and orange.

“Wes, I’m ready when you are, and we’re losing light.”

Wes sent Sonny a text. “We’re set up and ready. Seat the audience, then start the procession.”

Sonny got the text.

“It’s go time, people. Charlie, you walk your ladies to the gazebo and get them seated, then wait with the preacher. Pearl will come next, and then Julia will be last, right before us. Are you ready, girl?” he asked.

Julia was big-eyed and smiling with her little basket of dried sage leaves ready to scatter.

And so it began, as the first three left the house and stepped onto the paver walkway leading to the gazebo. Auntie and Frannie took their seats, Charlie moved next to the preacher, as Pearl came toward the gazebo carrying a small bouquet of white daisies.

Julia was a few steps behind her, diligently scattering sage leaves for the bride and groom to walk on. They walked into the gazebo and took their places. And then they all turned toward the house, watching for the bride and groom.

***

The moment Julia was out the door, Sonny grabbed the last bouquet from the kitchen table and headed for the bedroom, opened the door, and then froze.

“My beautiful bride, everything about you is perfect. You walk in light,” and he handed her the bouquet as she came toward him. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears, but she was smiling as he handed her the flowers.

“Magnolias!” she said.

“Pearl brought them. I thought you knew.”

“I just told her white flowers,” Maggie said.

Maggie clutched them to her waist and took his hand. They walked out of the house into the glow of evening. She glanced at the western horizon and knew one day she would paint that sunset and call it The Beginning . It was the end of a day, but the beginning of their lives.

The walk to the gazebo felt like a dream. Sonny in his dark starched Wranglers, and a snow-white shirt. The turquoise setting in his bolo tie at the collar. His hair hanging loose and long down his back, and as black as Dancer’s mane. Then standing before the preacher, saying the words as the sky exploded behind him. And then the words that now bound them as legally as they were already bound by love.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Sonny Bluejacket, you may kiss your bride.”

Sonny turned, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, then they turned to the west. The sound of drumming and the singing that had been with him during the day was fading with the sun.

The security lights were already on, and the motion detector lights at the gazebo lit up when they began moving back to the house. The marriage certificate was signed in their kitchen while the photographer was loading up his gear.

And after all the details were finished and the preacher paid and gone, out came the little wedding cake and more celebration, until it was time for goodbyes.

Pearl left first, promising to let them know when she got home.

Charlie’s hug with his brother was a little tighter, a little longer, because they didn’t know when they might see each other again.

Frannie had Maggie’s number and email as they hugged goodbye, promising to stay in touch.

Maggie hadn’t been hugged this much in one day in her entire life, and she loved it. And when she told Auntie goodbye, she whispered in her ear.

“Every time I make fry bread, I will feel you with me.”

“And you with me,” the old woman said.

Julia was asleep and still wearing her party dress when Charlie carried her to the truck, and then they were gone.

After all the energy of the day, it felt like the house had just exhaled.

“Say my name,” Sonny said.

Maggie’s heart skipped. She remembered this from her naming day. “Sonny Bluejacket.”

“Now say your name,” he said.

“Magnolia Bluejacket.”

“Who do I love?” he asked.

“You love me…Magnolia Bluejacket.”

“And who do you love?” he asked.

“I love Sonny Bluejacket.”

He nodded with satisfaction. “Now you know who you are. Tonight, I make love with my wife,” and held out his hand.