It all ended when Adam got well. He went back to school and back to being a big-shot sports king. Kelly was beneath his notice. He wasn’t going to admit to his friends that he’d spent time with a kid reading about the habits of elephants and cheetahs.

It took a while to realize that he wasn’t going to say more than hello to her in the halls. And that’s when she told everyone that she didn’t like him. When he came to their house to see Vera, she made sure she said something snotty to him.

She drove down the Montoya driveway and there was Miguel smiling at her. He was tall, broad shouldered, muscular, and his face was gorgeous.

“Look what the scrawny kid grew up to look like,” she muttered. “Miracles do happen.” Smiling broadly, she picked up her bag, then got out of the car and held out her hand to shake. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You can’t greet me like that!” He put his arms around her and twirled her around, then kissed her cheek enthusiastically.

When he put her down, she was blinking at him.

He had his hands on her shoulders and was looking at her, nearly nose to nose. “So Vera’s little sister grew up. And without a coating of feathers and fur.”

Kelly laughed. It was a family joke started by her father. He’d said that Kelly would grow up to have feathers and fur. “But I want mermaid scales,” she’d said, her lower lip trembling in disappointment.

“You look great.” Miguel slipped his arm about her shoulders and they started toward the barn. “I’d ask about your family, but Aunt Forey keeps us informed of every detail. You got dumped and now they’ve been pimping you out to every unmarried guy in the county. Is that right?”

“Exactly right. Want to hear what I’ve been through?”

“I want to hear every word.”

She told of her four awful dates and was pleased when he laughed at her stories. Delicious laugh, she thought.

When they got to the barn, he led the horse to her, then got out his tools. He expertly lifted the horse’s hoof and began using a knife to scrape away dirt and gravel.

“Tell me about you,” Kelly said. “What have you done since you were here last time?”

“Grew up some, but not too much. Went to school for a while, served a two-year tour in Vietnam.”

Kelly drew in her breath. “Vera used to participate in protests but Mom made her stop.”

“Did she?” He kept his head down. “I think I’ve found the problem.”

Kelly went to the hoof and used her own tool to scrape. “It’s an infection. Probably got a cut, then didn’t heal. Antibiotics should fix it. How are the other hooves?” Their heads were nearly touching.