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them.
    “Does this mean you forgive me?” he asked.
    She massaged her leg again. “I’m thinking about it.”
    “Do you have a heating pad or something?” He eyed the ruined limb. “You don’t need to hide it from me, but it looks painful.”
    “It used to be worse. At first, I thought I was going to die,” she said. “Even once I stabilized and they decided I’d live, I wanted to die. The doctors told me I’d never walk again.”
    “But you did. You’re a strong woman.” Curiosity consumed Zach. Lilly had yet to share many personal things with him. “Do you feel like telling me your story? You’ve listened to me go on and on about my writing for the past few months, but I don’t know much about you.”
    Lilly hesitated and looked away from him. Ghosts of thoughts flitted across her face. He stayed silent, giving her time to decide whether she wanted to confide in him.
    “There was an accident. Pieces of metal went into my leg and I nearly bled to death.” Lilly looked at the flowers. “My fiancé died.”
    “Oh, Lilly. That’s horrible.” He reached out to rub her arm but stopped himself just in time. “I didn’t know.”
    “No one here knows,” she replied. “I want to forget those things.”
    “You must miss your fiancé terribly.” Zach struggled to keep his voice level. He never imagined Lilly might be pining away for another man. It was not a happy thought.
    Lilly shook her head and took a deep breath; a sad smile played about her lips. “I suspect it’s not as hard for me as losing your wife was for you. It certainly changed my life though.” She shrugged. “I’m happy to be where I am now.”
    Zach wanted to question her further. He wondered what her fiancé had been like. What sort of man had Lilly fallen in love with? He could tell she was uncomfortable talking about it and decided not to press her further. If he stopped making an idiot of himself, maybe he’d learn more about her life later.
    “Grandma wanted me to tell you she expects you Monday morning.” He figured that was a safe subject.
    “Good,” Lilly replied. “I worried when I left there today.”
    “You shouldn’t have wasted a second thinking about it.” Zach smiled. “Grandma loves you. I was ordered to beg your forgiveness and convince you to accompany me to the party.”
    Lilly raised an eyebrow at him. “Now you’re asking because your grandmother wants you to?”
    Zach sighed. “You’re making this difficult on purpose, aren’t you?”
    Lilly didn’t reply but stood and retrieved glasses out of the cupboard. She poured the wine and offered him some, taking a small sip from her own before she sat back down.
    “This isn’t for Grandma.” Zach leaned forward and tentatively caressed her arm. “I want to get to know you better, although you may be the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met. I made a mistake in how I asked you, and I’m sorry for that.” He took her hand in his, relieved when she didn’t pull away. “My parents are throwing a boat party tomorrow night. I would be very honored if you would consent to be my date .”
    “And you’re not going to pay me?” she asked.
    “The way things are going, I might have you pay me .”
    To his relief, she laughed. “All right, you win. I’ll go.”
    Zach grinned and gulped down his wine. Considering he just committed himself to trying a relationship he said he didn’t want, he felt ridiculously happy. Perhaps Lilly would be different from all the other women. Grandma seemed to think she was, and her instincts weren’t often wrong.

Chapter Six
    Lilly took one last look in the mirror while waiting for Zach to pick her up. She left her hair loose around her shoulders and curly, since Zach seemed to prefer it that way. She hoped going back to her old look didn’t get someone thinking about how much she resembled the girl from New York.
    This was the first time since moving to Serenity she’d be with people who might have followed the