The Daughter They Forgot

In our town, every family that welcomed a daughter planted a cherry tree the year she was born.

When she got married, the tree would be cut down and crafted into two matching hope chests, filled with her dowry as a blessing that husband and wife would stay together for life.

Half a month before my sister's wedding and mine, my brother, Ace Bates, came home with the finished chests. He struggled to carry them through the front door. Rianne's eyes lit up the moment she saw them.