Donna opened her eyes and rolled over. It was the eve of their wedding and she was feeling everything but what a young bride should be feeling. Today she'd pick up their wedding cake and the yard at the farm would be decked out in last-minute party supplies for their impending nuptials.

                       She buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled groan. Why couldn't they just love each other? Why couldn't they just want to be married? She shoved Robert's shoulder.

                       "Get up." Robert sat up and sniffled, clearly paying the price for last night's foray into the rain. "What time is it?" He asked.

                       "Six." Donna replied, getting out of bed. "I'll start breakfast, you walk the dog." She instructed. She headed down the stairs, followed by Robert.

                       Robert sat on the couch, pulling on yesterday's jeans and a pair of boots. Donna eyed him through the kitchen window. It wasn't his fault he was in love with someone else. He was just a devoted brother to a fault. He would've married a prostitute if it meant keeping Mark and Delilah with him.

                        Donna grabbed the eggs out of the refrigerator and the pan. Robert stood up and took one apologetic look at her before hooking the leash to Jack's collar and heading out the door.

                       After breakfast and showering, the pair dropped the kids off at school and headed for the farm.

                      At the kitchen table, Robert stared out the back window where the sun cast its early light over the green pasture that was to be the site of their wedding. "What is it we gotta do today?" He asked as Michelle appeared in the kitchen.

                    "Well, you already harvested everything that was ready, and Donna you vaccinated Hubert, right?" Donna nodded.

                   "That was pretty much everything. Just herd and feed the animals, and then we can start decorating." She said, a touch of excitement in her voice.

                  Robert nodded, and went to the back door, letting himself and Donna out into the yard. It was a bittersweet moment, as the two walked through the bright morning in silence to the grounds where their pasts and their ambitions would be put to rest forevermore.

                 When they reached the first barn Donna slid the doors open and took one last look at him, a mix of sadness, sympathy, some substitute for love, and something that said one last time as friends. And there they headed, for their steeds.