“Couldn’t we have some?” She’d tried not to ask. Ali wasn’t quite willing to forgive her mother for letting her father go away and marry some other woman. “Mr. Fury’s going to build his own stables and house. When he goes away, he’ll take the horses.”

“We’ll talk about it.”

“You say that when you mean no.” Ali rose from her crouch.

“I say that,” Laura returned, praying for patience, “when I mean we’ll talk about it. Right now Mr. Fury’s renting the stables and there isn’t really time for another horse.”

“He’d sell us one of his if you wanted. If you really wanted.” Ali turned her back and went over to where Margo and Kate ran the metal detector.

“She’s still mad because he’s getting married soon,” Kayla said.

“Hmm?”

“You know, Mama. He’s marrying Mrs. Litchfield.”

“I’ll talk to her again.” Though she could think of nothing left to say on the matter. “Are you mad, baby?”

“No, I don’t care if he marries her. I don’t know why he wants to when she has that mean smile. And when she laughs it hurts my ears.”

With an effort, Laura muffled a laugh of her own. Leave it to Kayla, she thought, to sum up Candy in such accurate terms. “People get married because they love each other.” Or so she’d once believed, Laura mused as she looked out to sea. So she’d once dreamed.

“Are you going to be in love with someone and get married?”

“I don’t know.” Dreams change, Laura reminded herself. “You can’t plan these things.”

“I heard Mrs. Williamson tell Annie that Mrs. Litchfield planned to catch Dad in her trap, and how he deserved it.”

“Ah.” She cleared her throat. “She just meant that they were going to be happy together.”

“I guess.” Kayla thought no such thing but was wise enough to let it pass. “I’m going to get some lemonade from the thermos. Do you want some?”

“That would be nice.” Laura rose as well and wandered over to her friends.

“I’m not skimming, damn it.” Blowing hair out of her face, Margo continued to run the detector. “I’m doing it the way I always do.”

“Half-assed.” Kate rolled her eyes as Ali giggled. “Sorry.”

“She’s been hanging around the gym too much,” Margo told Ali. “Picking up bad language along with locker room sweat.”

“You’ve got too much jewelry on,” Kate complained. “You’re going to send the thing into convulsions.”

“Bitch and moan.” Margo winced herself. “Sorry, Ali. Here, why don’t you wear my bracelet a while?”

“Can I?” Thrilled, Ali watched her glamorous aunt transfer the heavy gold links, then held up her arm, watching the sun bounce off them. “It’s so beautiful. It glitters.”