“That would still be exciting.”
He put me down, kissed my forehead, and said, “Hold that thought.” Then he hurried inside and returned moments later with one of my shawls, which he draped around my shoulders. I’d learned to knit recently and enjoyed it so much that everyone I knew was getting hats and scarves for Christmas.
I told him, “I love the way you take care of me.”
“Right back at you.” He kissed me again and said, “There’s something I want to show you. Will you meet me at the paddock in ten minutes?”
“Absolutely.”
As Ryder returned to the stable, I headed to my studio with Lola right on my heels. We’d adopted the little, black poodle mix from the shelter a month ago. Right away, she’d decided I was her person and rarely left my side.
The studio was a beautiful, spacious structure located just a few yards from the house. Ryder had hired a contractor to build it for me over the summer. It had huge windows for natural light and plenty of room to work, and he’d outfitted it with everything I needed to launch my business, including a sewing machine,worktables, dress forms, and more. I was so touched by his generosity, and by the way he supported and believed in me.
It was great to have a dedicated workspace, and it had been completed just in time. After the fashion show, I’d posted videos of my collection online. When a famous designer shared one of them, the whole thing blew up. It turned out there was a demand for bespoke, nontraditional wedding dresses, and I’d been working on one or two commissions a month ever since.
The majority of that work happened virtually. I met each new client over a video call to talk about what they wanted, presented them with sketches, and sent them to a tailor in their area to get accurate measurements. When each dress was nearly done, I carefully packed it up and flew out to meet my client in person. Then we’d do a fitting, and I’d make the final alterations.
That method was going really well. I’d done it five times so far, and I was booked a year out, with new inquiries coming in every day. I was careful not to take on too much at once, though. I loved being able to take my time and handcraft the gowns, and each ended up as a unique work of art.
My business model was buy one, give some. For every wedding dress I sold, I designed and sewed one or more prom dresses to donate to LGBTQ kids—as many as I could make from the leftover materials. There was always extra fabric and trim after I finished each wedding gown, and I liked the fact that I got to upcycle it, instead of wasting anything.
I’d gone into the studio to retrieve my phone, but I paused to admire my latest creations. A wonderful lesbian couple had hired me to design two unique but complementary gowns for their upcoming Southern gothic wedding. One was black and frothy, the other deep red and more tailored, and they worked together beautifully. They were just about done, and I was flying to New Orleans in a week to deliver them.
I was so excited about this trip, because Ryder was coming with me. We were going to enjoy a long weekend in the Big Easy, just the two of us, while leaving the ranch in the very capable hands of his employees and friends.
When I picked up my phone, I saw that Kit had sent me a photo. After graduation, he’d started accepting commissions from local drag artists. He was also working a part-time job to make ends meet, but given the way his reputation was growing in the drag community, I knew it wouldn’t be long before he was designing full-time.
The picture he’d sent was of a hot pink and white gown that was reminiscent of a stargazer lily. Like all of his stuff, it was beautiful, inventive, and totally over the top, which was exactly what he’d been going for. I sent him a text telling him it was amazing, and he replied:Right?! Show me how your goth fantasies are coming together.
After I sent a photo of the two gowns, he wrote:They’re fabulous! It’s like Wednesday Addams is marrying the girl from Beetlejuice.
That made me smile. I told him:Exactly what I was going for.
His next message said:I’ve got to run, I’m helping a friend get in drag and we’re having a zipper emergency. PS, I met a guy. More on that soon!That message was capped off with six eggplant emojis, the water droplet emoji, a drooling happy face, and a bunch of fire emojis.
I chuckled at all of that and replied:Way to leave me in suspense.
Then I pocketed my phone and called, “Come on, Lola. Let’s go see what your other daddy is up to.” She was curled up in one of the five dog beds along the back wall—not in hers, of course, but in the biggest one, which was supposed to belong to Sally thegreyhound. In her mind, I was pretty sure Lola believed she was a huge Rottweiler.
I shut off the lights as we left the studio, and when we stepped outside we discovered Deogee was waiting for us. It seemed he had a crush on my Lola girl, but she stuck her nose in the air and pretended to ignore him as he fell into step with her. She was playing hard to get, but it was all an act. I’d noticed her snuggling with him on more than one occasion.
When we rounded the corner of the stable, I saw that my boyfriend was in the paddock with Barbie. He hadn’t been able to ride while his hip healed, so the two of them had been working on other skills. It was a way for them to bond, and it also kept the incredibly intelligent horse from getting bored.
Ryder had set up a folding chair for me outside the fence, along with a 1990s-style boom box. The rest of the dogs, Jeff the donkey, and a couple of chickens were settled in nearby, as if they were waiting for whatever was about to happen.
Barbie stood by patiently while Ryder called, “We put together a little show for you. It’s pretty goofy, but I think you’ll like it.”
Ryder and Barbie moved around so they were facing each other. That way, the horse could see his movements and hand signals. “Okay, boy,” he said to the horse, “let’s show Hal how brilliant you are.” He glanced at me and called, “Please hit play on that boombox.” I did as he asked, and “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band started up.
Then, to my absolute amazement, he and the huge stallion began to dance. They both sidestepped to the right, then to the left, turned in a circle, and pranced in unison. It was cute and funny, but it was also a truly impressive accomplishment. More than that, the way this traumatized animal trusted him was deeply touching.
When the song ended, I cheered and applauded, and Ryder grinned self-consciously. He held out his hand and lowered it, and both he and the horse took a bow.
I left my shawl on the chair and climbed onto the lower rung of the fence as he hurried over to me. Then I leaned over the top rail and kissed him before saying, “You’re amazing. So’s Barbie.”
“I guess that means you liked the show.”
“I loved it.”
