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“I have to admi t̶ this is pretty amazing.”
    She smiled at him and he thought he’d never seen anyone so beautiful. Tear tracked cheeks and red eyes didn’t detract at all. She glowed with a beauty more pure, vibrant and real than any he'd ever seen.  And in that moment something happened that had never happened before.
    He fell in love.
    It took his breath. Literally, stole it from him. “Willa.” He could barely speak for the emotion that overpowered him.
     
    Something swept through Willa that brought fresh tears to her eyes. Never in her life had she heard someone speak her name in that way. She’d hated her name since she was old enough to know it but the way it fell from Zeb’s lips like a prayer was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard.
    It overwhelmed her and then it scared her. She couldn’t let herself fall victim to Zeb’s charm. He hated Calder County. He would leave her. Again. She’d suffered his loss once and still had not gotten over her love for him. She couldn’t face that again.
    When he reached for her she got to her feet and backed away.
    “No.”
    “Willa.” He stood and moved toward her.
    “No.” Why was that one syllable all she could manage and why did it carry no weight, not even to her?
    “Willa.” He took her face in his hands and she closed her eyes, her strength fleeing. She felt his breath on her face and then the feel of his lips on hers. It was not a kiss of passion. It was so much more. She felt it in every cell of her body. Here she was, standing on the porch of the only home she’d ever known and this kiss spoke of homecoming. Of being where she was destined to be.
    It was the most astonishing and joyous moment of her life. And almost before she could grasp the magnitude of it the world went black.
     
    Zeb caught her as she suddenly went limp. Lobo whined beside him. “I’ve got her,” Zeb said and swept her up in his arms. He managed to get the screen door open to the house. Lobo brushed by him as he entered. He carried Willa to the couch in the front room and placed her gently on it then sat beside her.
    “Willa?  Honey, can you hear me?”
    Her lack of response scared him. It must have scared Lobo as well because he whined and lay down beside the couch. Almost immediately, a ruckus of chattering ensued. The five ferrets tore into the room and onto the couch, touching Willa’s face, climbing all over her whining and chattering.
    Zeb shuttered as one of them climbed up his arm, nosed his face and then patted it frantically, chattering a mile a minute. God those things gave him the creeps.  But they but were not nearly as frightening as Willa lying there unconscious.
    He patted her face. “Willa?  Honey wake up.”
     
    Willa was vaguely aware of a voice but she didn’t want to give it attention. She was on her swing. Zeb was there, a gangly teenage boy with a smile that was brighter than the sun. He was pushing her and with each push she got closer to the sky.
    He stopped and her swing slowed and finally stilled. Willa grinned at him. “You’re my ever after, Zeb Childress. Just you wait and see.”
    Suddenly there was darkness. Where was she?  In a room. She was on a floor. She could feel the wood beneath her. She wanted to move but when she tried pain lanced through her so strong, she screamed. Then she saw him. Zeb. He was lying beside her. There was blood on his face and his skin was pale. Too pale. His lips were moving but no sound emerged.
    It scared the living hell out of her.
    “Zeb!”
    With her scream, she returned to reality to find Zeb sitting beside her, holding onto her, concern clear on his face.
    “God almighty, Willa. You scared the hell outta me. Are you okay?”
    “Fine. I’m fine.” She lied and pushed herself up into a sitting position.
    “I don’t know. Maybe I should take you over to County Hospital and get you checked out.”
    “No. I’m fine,” she insisted. “Seriously,” she added at the look he gave her.