"I promise I'll take it easy. No dancing, no running around. I'll sit in car and even let Percy drive." Zena knew she couldn't do much yet. Walking around the estate grounds was enough to get her winded, and her ribs still ached if she was too quick to stuck air into her lungs.

"All right. Lacey, you, Terry, and Percy make sure she keeps her promise, and I'll stay home in case one of you calls for help. You all have my number." Matt Henderson waited for their nods before he turned to leave, then stopped. "Oh Percy, have you got your full license? I mean I don't want you getting stopped for having passengers you shouldn't."

"Yes sir, I do. I had it within six months of my birthday. Mom made me drive to school and everywhere else to get it done quick."

"We are a go for our double date then?" Zena waited for her dad to answer.

"You are a go. Take your Lexus, it's big enough for the four of you. Have fun, and keep your phones charged. I put a couple of spare cords in your glove box. Percy has my permission to drive. Stay safe."

"I won't let you down, sir." Percy declared. "It's just a drive over to the next town, and a meal there. I want to show her the colors. The leaves have all turned now."

"We can stop at my place on the way by, and my mom will give us a picnic basket. She's been dying to talk to you again Zee," Terry added. "Something about that garden design you talked about after the pep rally.

Matt Henderson nodded. "Get out of here. Like I said, stay safe."

"Do we need jackets?" Zee asked as they stepped out into the sunshine. The sky was deep azure blue. The color you only saw for a few weeks every year in autumn. She wondered if the leaves in the mountains around Denver were gold. It was the one thing she missed. Her mother would take them up in a small plane to go sightseeing up the high valleys. The color of the aspens against the green of all the different coniferous trees was spectacular.

"Probably if we want to get out to take pictures," Lacey answered. "I always like to get a few every year. The views are amazing."

"Do you want to see the farm too?" Terry asked.

"As long as I can take it easy like Dad said. I'd love to see the goats and your vegetable gardens. Papa Juan's kitchen garden is incredible," Zee said, "and I think your mother's will be too."

"We can drive right up to the goat enclosure, and Mom will show off her gardens to anyone who asks."

"I'll go get my hoodie. I think that will be enough. It's pretty warm this afternoon." Zee turned to go back in.

"Which one do you want?" Lacey asked. "I'll go get it. Save you doing the stairs again."

"The pink one of course. Thanks Lace." She didn't want to admit it was a relief to let someone else do it. She wondered if she'd ever be able to take a deep breath again.

Lacey laughed and said, "I'll be right back. Get in the car. I'll catch up with you in a couple of minutes."

By the time Zee unlocked her car and Percy adjusted the driver's seat for his long legs, Lacey caught up with them. She slipped into the back seat behind Percy and tossed a neon pink hoodie into Zee's lap. She pulled her own off over her head because it was too warm inside the car.

"Oh, there's two remotes in there," Zee pointed to the small storage compartment at the front of the console. "One is for the garage, the other one is for the gate. We'll need them later. Papa Juan is cleaning the garage floor this afternoon, and Dad will close the gate after we leave. It's been open since we knew you were coming to get me."

"It's sad to see them closed all the time now." Terry turned to watch them close behind them.

"I think so too. But it does help me sleep at night." Zee watched them close too. Then she turned to face forward again. Freedom for the afternoon was great. She was tired of school and home. With everyone worried about her injuries she could barely go anywhere without someone tagging along. Especially her dad.

"Sit back, relax. There aren't many trees on the way to Terry's place." Percy said. "I promise we won't hound you to take it easy. I never liked it when Mom wanted to baby me when I hurt myself. I don't think you like it either."

"I don't. I know how much to push. If I don't, I'll never get back to dancing again." Zee was glad he understood.

Their conversation went from injuries to memories. Questions and answers flew back and forth as they drove. Before she knew it, they turned into a gravel lane and bumped over a cattle gate. It startled her and she let out a short squeaky scream.

"The goats never get out, but we have a few cows we milk for organic milk. They do. You should see how mad Mom gets when she catches them munching on her herb garden. But the point is, they don't get off our property because of those bumpy rails in the road. They can't figure out how to step on them to get across." Terry explained.

"Are cows really that stupid?" Zee asked.

"Sometimes Dad says he wonders how they remember to breathe. But no, it's just that they don't like the feel of those rails and the open holes between them. They will break their legs easily though, if there are badger holes and gopher colonies in a field it's the worst. They drop a leg into one of them and it's bad news."

"There's so much I don't understand about farming. It's a whole new world out there. Oh my God! I love your mother's gardens!" Zee spotted the grid of raised beds covering over half an acre behind Terry's home.

"They're so practical too. She even rotates the crops in them. Especially where early quick growing crops can be grown several times in a year. Like lettuce, radishes, and peas," Lacey said.

Percy stopped on the gravel pad in front of the house. After setting the parking brake, he hopped out, but not before Terry was already in the door yelling for his mother.

Zena took her time. She still winced when she used her right arm for anything. It was almost a week and a half since Anya used her boots to kick her, but it felt like she would never get her old self back. Easing onto her feet, she did notice her back was better than it was yesterday. No more uncomfortable ache when she was relaxing in a car seat.

"Let's take a walk through the garden," Lacey said. "I'm still trying to get used to calling Terry's parents by their first names. They've been Mr. and Mrs. all my life."

"It's as weird as calling your parents Aunt and Uncle. But man, I'd rather have them than Uncle Stanley and the witch he's married too." Zena said. "But good news, I think the bruise on my back is healing. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stay in the car for very long, but no pain anymore."

"Good stuff. I'm going to ask Percy to change his plans a bit. We can go from here up to the riding school where they board their horses. I meant it when I said I wanted to meet his horse."

"Great idea. We can eat our picnic whenever we want, so it doesn't matter where we go. I've got a full tank of gas, so that's no worry either."

"Hello Zena, Lacey." Anna Skettis approached with a huge smile.

"Hi, Anna." Lacey looked awkward as she greeted Terry's mother.

"Hi," Zena echoed her twin, and took the easy way out not using her name. She wondered where his father was.

"I'm looking to do some flower beds for next year. I want to be able to harvest them for organic soaps and for edibles for the new organic healthy eating restaurants in Concord. That's what I wanted to talk to you two about. You're the experts on flowers around here."

"Really, you need to talk to Papa Juan. He's the one who taught me everything," Lacey protested.

"She's right Mrs. Skettis. He's the expert. He even knows how to keep roses going in the greenhouse over the winter," Zena said. "You should come up to the mansion and talk to him."

"Please, call me Anna. It's time you did, you're almost adults now. You will be before you graduate."

"But still, you need to talk to Juan Chiccaro. He's amazing with flowers and he knows every trick in the book to keep them healthy." Lacey urged. "I'll ask him when he's free to talk to you. He's brought the roses and daisies into the greenhouse after the first frost."

"All right if you think he'll help me. Now that's out of the way, let's go visit the goats. They're right this way."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Zena grabbed her ribs and tried to stop laughing. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen anything like that."

"We raise them for their meat. I know they're kind of funny the way they faint, but their meat is highly sought after by some of our South American immigrants. There are others we shear for their wool, and I send it out to be spun into mohair. Then there are the milking goats as well." Anna was grinning at the sight of two more goats falling over on their sides.

"Do you make goat cheese too?" Zena asked. "I love Feta cheese. And do they hurt themselves doing that?"

"We do, and I use some of the herbs and peppers we grow in it. I put some of it in the picnic basket I put together for you all. And no, they don't hurt themselves. They don't climb like the other breeds."

Zena admired the sure footed Angora goats with their shaggy coats. The artificial cliff side in their enclosure had narrow trails along the concrete slope. "I never new mohair came from a goat. What about angora wool though?"

"That comes from rabbits. I'm thinking about getting a few of them as well." Anna took a breath to explain more of her plans when her twin interrupted them.

"Let's get back to the car. I want to get up to the stables and meet Terry's horse." Lacey said. "And there's a spot up in the hills where we can eat our picnic. It's on the way over to the next town. The trees are gorgeous, and the drive is so pretty."

"Lacey's right, I'll go on for hours with my projects and plans if you let me," Anna admitted cheerfully, turning toward their house. "I'm sure Terry has found the picnic basket by now.

"Is it just me, or did he grow another couple of inches?" Lacey asked.

"He did. I think he's as tall as his Dad now. Caught up with Percy I think."

As they arrived at Zena's car, Anna peered in through the back windows and spoke once more. "Go on with you," Anna said as they arrived back at the Lexus. "I see the basket is in the back." Anna took a huge breath, and yelled, "Terrance Allan Skettis get your butt over here. Time for you to get moving."

"Where did you learn to yell like that?" Zena asked.

"Training. I used to be a Marine." Anna opened the front passenger door for her.

"Thanks, Anna," Zena said. "This was fun. I learned to yell and to scream in an acting class. I like your way too."

"Don't be a stranger." Anna said as she closed the door. Zena believed she meant it. No wonder Aunt Deanne liked her so much.

I think I like her. I hope I get a chance to talk to Percy's Mom again soon. We didn't really get a chance after the pep rally. I'm liking this town and the people I've met a lot. I had no idea.

Terry came out of the house, with Percy right behind him. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here. Your mom is something else." Zena said as Percy started the car.

"She's the best. I grabbed some apples and carrots. Treats for the horses. I hope you aren't scared of them." Terry said.

"I have no idea. I'm ready to find out." Zena said from the front seat.

"What she said, lets get going." Lacey buckled her seat belt as Percy started the car.

Zena smiled. Her twin sounded a little worried. She wasn't.

I think there used to be a scared little girl inside me. I was mean first so no one could hurt me. Now I know I can face anything. Two attacks by Anya have taught me to hold my head high. Fake it till you make it works. Whoever said that first had it right.