"Ow! Why did you do that?" Zeke rubbed his cheek while he bent over picking up his fallen hat.

"Oh my God! I'm sorry." Talia moved away from him.

"It's ok. I probably deserved it. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that."

Talia nodded. "Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be back at the ranch?"

"A few of the guys heard you scream. I wanted to make sure you were ok." Zeke sat on the grassy shore.

Talia walked over to the rock her clothes had been drying on. Hopping up she pulled her knees to her chest. "As you can see I am fine."

Zeke sighed. "So, what made you scream? A spider?"

The glare Talia shot at him should have made him combust. "It was a demonic stink weasel."

"What?" A confused look on his face.

"A skunk. It just popped out of the brush, turned its butt toward me and I screamed. I turned off the path and ran to get away from the horrible animal."

His face got really tight and he looked at his hands. When his shoulders began to shake Talia got angry.

"You're laughing at me? I ran all the way to the lake, fell down the embankment and went into the lake fully clothed hoping I didn't get any of the skunk spray on me."

He didn't bother holding back his laughter anymore. His booming laughter scattered some birds in the nearby trees. Talia sat watching him laugh himself silly.

He took a few deep breaths before answering her. "Her name is Sally."

"Whose name is Sally?"

"The skunk's name is Sally. She is Ben and Addie's pet. She can't spray but she loves pretending she can. You aren't the first person she's done that to."

"Wait. I thought I smelled something when I was running through the forest."

"I don't know what that was, but it wasn't Sally." He shrugged.

Talia thought for a moment. "A skunk for a pet? Why was she loose in the woods?"

"They let her out to wander while they work. She is always waiting for them when they get home."

"Are you telling me a fucking fake skunk scared me, had me running through the woods like a maniac and jumping into the lake fully clothed?" He nodded. "That skunk is an asshole. Now, I'm going to get stupid chub rub from my wet pants. Just ignore when I start walking around like a cowboy." She jumped down and crumpled when she landed.

Zeke jumped up running over to her. "What's wrong?"

Pain shot up her leg. Her ankle was swelling as she tried to flex it. She cried out from the pain. "I think I hurt my ankle when I fell down the embankment. It wasn't too bad until now."

"Are you going to be ok?"

She shrugged. "I need a few minutes. Maybe I just twisted it the wrong way or something."

Zeke took her foot into his lap. Gently taking her shoe and sock off he winced at her increasingly swelling joint. "You are going to need more than a few minutes. This needs ice and ibuprofen."

"I will be fine. Just go back to the ranch."

His brow furrowed. "I'm not fucking going back without you. What the hell kind of guy do you think I am?"

Talia leaned against the rock and closed her eyes.

"Answer me, Lia. Do you really think I would do that?"

"God, Zeke! I don't know what to think anymore."

Zeke stood. "But, there is a part of you that really thinks I'm an asshole. That I would leave a woman I care about and just asked to date out in the woods with an injury. Thanks for that, Lia. That explains a lot."

"Oh, stop being so damn dramatic, Zeke. Just because all of a sudden you find me interesting doesn't mean our years of history disappears."

"What the hell did I do to you for you to dislike me so much? I don't understand. I never have."

"So, we are going to have this conversation now that I can't get up and walk away?" Talia crossed her arms.

Zeke mirrored her movement standing a few feet away. "Why not? Let's finally clear the air."

"Alright. I haven't always disliked you, Zeke. In fact, I had a huge crush on you when we were in sixth grade. I wanted to ask you to go with me to our end of the year dance. I practiced in front of the mirror what I was going to say, how I was going to act and even my reaction when you'd said yes."

He had a confused look on his face. "You never asked me to a dance."

"No, I didn't. The day I was going to ask you I followed you and Rex into the woods. I didn't want to ask you in front of Rex because well it was Rex. So, I hid in a bush hoping Rex would walk away or do something away from you. That's when I heard Rex telling you about my plan on asking you. I hadn't even known Rex caught me practicing. It was embarrassing that Rex caught me, but your reaction was what hurt. You pretended to gag and puke. You said you wouldn't go with me if I was the last person on earth. The two of you laughed at how gross I was." Talia sighed looking at her hands. "You broke my heart that day, Zeke."

"I was eleven, Lia. An idiot kid who didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. You have really hung onto that for years?"

Talia grimaced. "That is only one time you hurt me, Zeke. Every time your friends made fun of me in middle school and high school you said nothing. You laughed along with them. Your arrogance, ignorance and stupidity made me hate you. I tolerated you being around because you were Rex's best friend. Never in a million years would I have thought we'd be in this situation."

They stared at each other. Zeke broke eye contact first walking toward the water. Talia heaved a sigh of relief. She watched him pick up a rock then skip it across the lake. It didn't skip. It sunk. He tried it again. It sunk. A giggle started to bubble up as Zeke continued to attempt skipping the rocks. Every one of them sunk.

He picked up yet another with the same result. Talia burst out laughing. Zeke spun to her. "What?"

"Oh my God! You are horrible at that. Have you ever skipped rocks before?"

"I had to do it for one of the movies I was in."

Talia cocked her eyebrow. "You know it was the character you played who could do it, right? Did you have a stunt double doing that for you? There is no way they got a good take with you doing it."

A blush crept up his neck. "Yes."

"You're serious!" That set her off on another set of giggles. So much so she fell over laughing.

"I'm glad you find it funny. I was trying to be contemplative."

"Yeah and that turned out to be an epic failure."

"Do you know how to do it?"

"Of course. I was a girl scout."

"I'd say come over here and prove it but with your injury I'd be afraid you'd topple over."

Talia pulled herself into a standing position using the rock. When she tried to put weight on her leg she winced. Nope! That wasn't going to happen.

"It's probably a good idea for me to not do that today, but another day I will show you how it's done superstar." She grinned at him.

"Look, Lia, I have to-" thunder rumbled above them.

"Oh shit!" Talia looked up. A summer storm was rolling toward them at an increasing speed. They needed to leave immediately, or they'd get drenched.

Talia frantically looked around. She found a sturdy looking stick. Picking it up she tested if it held her weight. It did. Her steps were tentative while leaning on the stick. Feeling the pain with each step, she forced herself to breathe through the pain. When she heard a crack of lightning she picked up speed. Pain or no pain she needed to move her ass.

"What are you doing? Let me carry you." Zeke walked beside her at a decidedly slower pace than normal.

"Shut up and let's go. I am fine."

"Fine." Zeke huffed when she batted away his hand. "You are one of the most stubborn women I've ever met."

"Some how I doubt that." She was so focused on walking faster she didn't realize the stick she was using was bending at a precarious angle.

Talia heard a snap then she was falling. The stick decided to snap when they had just crested the top of the embankment. Her arms wind milled attempting to grab something, to stop her fall. It was too late, she fell backward rolling down the embankment. Again.

She rolled to a stop face first at the bottom. With a loud burst of thunder and a flash of lightning the clouds opened up. Rain poured from the sky. Talia rolled on her back letting the rain hit her face. The area around her got increasingly muddy. Wiping the water off her face she saw Zeke running toward her.

"Ok." He picked her up then began sprinting up the hill.

Talia watched his face as he ran with her in his arms. The rain fell harder and faster. Wind blew around them kicking up leaves and sticks. Zeke's face was tight with concentration. His legs ate up the distance better than she would have with two good legs.

They broke through the woods onto the ranch. Zeke headed straight to the nearest building. It was the horse barn. He burst through the doors. Hera and Zeus nickered at the disturbance.

Zeke placed her on a hay bale. He walked over to a shelf and grabbed a rag. Tossing one to her, she attempted to dry her dripping hair. While wiping his face he walked over to the barn door. He closed it muffling the storm outside. Rain and wind battered the roof. It echoed throughout the structure causing Talia to shiver.

The storm outside raged against the barn. Talia's ankle throbbed. Between the pain in her ankle and the proximity of Zeke, the storm didn't bother her for once.

"You know this isn't a new thing." Zeke said with his back to her.

"What are you talking about?"

His shoulders tensed. "My feelings for you. They aren't new."

Talia had a confused look on her face. "I don't understand."

Zeke turned toward her. "I have wanted you since we were in first grade. I didn't know what that meant back then, but I definitely do now."

"Everything you've ever said and done says otherwise."

Zeke threw his hands in the air. "I know. I'm a dumbass. I should have said something a long time ago."

"But, if you cared for me so much why did you let them say those things to me?"

A look of shame crossed his features. "I never paid attention to what those assholes said. When you were around all I saw was you. If I ever did hear what they said I ignored it. It didn't matter to me. All I knew were you were the most wonderful person I'd ever known. I never thought about how it affected you. If I could go back in time I would. I'd beat those assholes to a pulp. But, I can't." Zeke bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Lia."

Talia sat stunned. Zeke walked over to Peg petting her mane. His back to her. All she wanted to do was hug him. Delicately getting to her feet she limped, like a pirate with a peg leg, over to him. She tapped him on his shoulder.

"Stop calling meLia. I hate that." She smiled. Fisting his shirt, she pulled him to her. Herlips crashed against his.