A Love Never Lost

A Love Never Lost

Stephanie Payne Hurt

Copyright © September 2012 Stephanie Payne Hurt

Smashwords Edition

All people named in this book and circumstances are strictly for the purpose of

composing a story and has no relevance to any living person.

Edited By: Kaleigh Faith Payne

Cover Design By: Kaleigh Faith Payne

CHAPTER 1

Four Years Earlier

As the sun slowly made its way above the trees, she could feel the warmth on her face. The ground still had dew from the cool of the night left in the shadows of the large oak trees that lined the yard. As though the birds knew that she was there, they started a chorus so beautiful, that even heaven would raise a brow. Lilly knew that she was wasting dear time by standing there with the rake in hand. She also knew that she had promised her mother that the yard would be clean by lunch.

Lilly had always been a dreamer. Her aunt always said that she was born out of her time. She had always fantasized about the ladies in their fine dresses, sitting on their large verandas drinking tea and fanning to beat the heat. She was obsessed with history. The civil war era was her favorite. She could recite battles fought, including dates and the victors.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear anyone come up behind her. She felt a tickle at the back of her neck. She tried to swat the bug, but it turned out to be a weed. She swung around to find Zane jerking the weed behind his back and acting innocent as usual. Zane was their neighbor to the left. His family had stables and Lily often went over to ride. He was eighteen now and four years her senior.

Zane! Stop that! What do you want anyway? He laughed at the face she made. They were good friends and had been since they were little. Zane had a brother Lilly's age named Tommy which meant a lot of teasing went on. Zane always knew how to make her laugh. When she had broken her leg last winter, both Zane and Tommy came over to make her days less miserable. Things would be changing soon, with Zane graduating from high school and his scholarship to a college up state.

I came by to see if you could help me work the horses today. Mr. Wendell just brought in three new ones today.

She smiled at the thought of helping. She adored horses and this was a good way to stay around them. Let me finish with the raking, which will be about twenty minutes. I'll meet you over at the stables at eleven.

Sounds great! That gives me time to clean out the stalls I have not finished. He ran back across the field that separated their land.

When she was done with the raking, she went to the house to let her mother know where she would be. Her mother knew that she loved every chance to get to work with the horses. Her dad had promised to get her a horse for her sixteenth birthday, if she promised to work for the feed and hay. She could almost count the days until then.

She ran all the way to the stables. When she opened the stable doors, she laughed at the dust that was flying out at her. Evidently Zane was still cleaning stalls.

Hey slowpoke, where are you?

He stepped out from the last stall and held up his rake. I am almost through. Let me empty the wheel barrow and put up the rake.

While she waited on him, she wondered by each stall petting noses that automatically extended to her. They knew her well by now. She would usually sneak them an apple or carrot. She was empty handed today though, but they seemed content with an affectionate rub.

Zane came out of the closet and patted his clothes to remove some of the dust. You’ve got to see the new horses that came in. He led her to the other end of the barn. When he opened the stall door, Lilly gasped with surprise. Inside were a mother and her colt. The colt was chestnut in color and had four white socks. Lilly fell instantly in love. Dad’s buying the mother and colt from Mr. Wendell.

Zane, I wish I were sixteen and could get my dad to purchase the colt. I just love him, with his little socked feet. He laughed when she described the colt’s legs and hooves as feet. They went back out of the stall and saddled up the horses to be worked.

They worked the horses for the next two hours, until Tommy came up. Hey guys! I just saw dad's purchases. That colt’s great and the mother too. I can't wait to give her a go. Dad said she was pretty fast. He grinned at the thought of riding wide open across the field.

Zane, did you tell Lilly that your paperwork came back on your scholarship? Lilly looked up and smiled. She knew how much that meant to Zane.

Oh, Zane, that’s great news! Zane laughed and started back to the barn.

He looked over his shoulder and said, When I leave, who will keep you two entertained? Lilly and Tommy laughed at his insinuation that he was their only entertainment.

Didn't you know that the only reason I come around is the horses? She put her tongue in cheek at the comment she made.

I'm wounded with hurt. All this time I thought it was my good looks and sense of humor. He faked a whimper. All three left the barn laughing.

When graduation time did roll around, everyone was excited for Zane. He had decided to start college in the fall. This meant a lot of preparation. That summer Lilly did not see much of Zane. He had gone on his senior trip to the beach with friends. He came by to see her when he got back. He was sporting a great tan and talk of a new girlfriend.

Tommy told her later that the girl had told Zane that she would be leaving for college out of state. That made the relationship almost impossible, but they still wanted to write each other. Maybe he’d find a nice girl at the college he would be attending.

The day before Zane left, his parents gave him a huge party. He was surprised. His mother shed tears while she told everyone how happy she was for her son. His father just sniffed a lot and smiled. You could tell he was holding back. Zane gave everyone a big hug and kiss. He thanked everyone for coming. When the party started winding down, Zane came over to where Tommy and Lilly stood. I hope you two know how much I’ll miss you. They had a group hug. Lilly even shed a tear or two for her friend.

When school started back, things went back to normal. The school year went by in a whirl. It seemed like no time till it was summer again. Zane had decided to take summer courses. He was hoping to finish school early.

The next summer, Lilly turned sixteen. She finally got the colt that she fell in love with two years earlier. It would’ve been great to share the joy with Zane, but he was taking another summer of courses. She had only spoken with him a couple of times.

Chapter 2

When Lilly turned eighteen, her parents gave her a party. She was excited about graduating high school. Her parents were so proud. When she arrived at the party after the graduation celebration, she could not believe the people. Tommy came up to her and hugged her. They had graduated together. Can you believe we’re finally free? It feels great!

Lilly laughed at his enthusiasm, which she knew most of it was due to the girl he was dating. Then Lilly noticed someone lurking behind Tommy. She almost died when she realized it was Zane. He had changed a lot. He was no longer the boy next door, but a grown man stood before her.

Zane, it’s great to see you. I'm sorry we didn’t make it to your graduation last weekend. Congratulations!She gave him a hug.

You look great Lilly. You’re all grown up and out of high school. What are your plans now? They were talking as if they were total strangers.

I don't know at this point. I had thought of going to the community college, but I haven't decided yet.

He grinned and put his arm around her shoulders. Why don't I get you a glass of punch? We have a lot of catching up to do. They drank punch and talked. It had been four years since they had really had the chance to talk. It was almost midnight when they decided to go out to the stable to see Lilly's horse.

I remember when you first saw this horse. You said that day that you wanted it. I’m glad that your wish came true. Lilly stood rubbing Goldenrod's nose. She felt somewhat uncomfortable being alone with Zane. She’d known him all of her life, but yet he seemed so different. He wasn’t the same as he’d been when he left for college four years ago.

I was surprised when dad gave in. She’s been a good horse. I take a ride every morning down to the old oak in the pasture. She smiled remembering all the rides that the three of them had shared. Those memories were precious, but times had changed. They were all grown now.

He walked her back to her house in silence. He was noticing a difference in Lilly too. Tommy had kept Zane informed of all the things happening back home. He had even told Zane about their first double date. Tommy hadn’t liked Lilly's date all that much, but he was still dating his first girlfriend.

The moonlight shined just right on Lilly's blonde hair. She’d grown up a lot. He still couldn’t believe how grown up she looked. It’d been four years since they had been able to talk and get caught up, but she had changed so much.

It’s been good to see you Zane. We’ve missed you. She turned and smiled up at her old friend, but she had to try to remember him as he was four years ago. He was so different now.

I’ve missed you guys too. I can’t believe you and Tommy have graduated and turned eighteen. I still remember you as a young teenager following me around helping with the horses. He laughed at her look.

Well, that was a long time ago. I guess we’ve all changed. She was almost sad because of the distance between them now. She used to be able to carry on a conversation for hours with him and now she had a hard time just having polite small talk.

Did you want to take a ride with me in the morning? You know, like old times. He looked hopeful.

That sounds good. I don’t have any plans in the morning and Goldenrod needs the exercise. I’ll meet you at the old oak at around eight.

That sounds like a plan. I’ll see you in the morning. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. He drew back quickly. He felt something in that simple kiss on her cheek he’d not expected. He decided to let it go. This was his friend.

She felt the same shock go through her. She turned and opened the screen door. Goodnight.

Goodnight Lilly. He turned and started back across to his house. He must be tired from the trip home. He would never think of Lilly in a romantic way. She was his old friend. Their families had been friends since they were small. He shook his head and laughed.

Lilly walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. What was the spark that she felt at his simple kiss on her cheek? She smiled to herself. She must’ve been mistaken. Maybe it was just static electricity. She walked through the house turning off lights and headed up for bed.

Chapter 3

Lilly arrived at the old oak first the next morning. She laughed at Zane when he rode up to the old tree. He looked half asleep.

You look like you hardly slept. She reached over and patted his horse on the neck.

He looked up and smiled. He’d not slept. His mind kept going back to the kiss and the spark he’d felt. He’d been so full of guilt. She was like a sister to him. Why on earth would he feel anything but brotherly affection?

Well, I guess I was overly tired from moving back home this week. How’d you sleep? He turned to look at her.

I slept like a baby. I was exhausted from the preparation for the party. Mom had me running everywhere to get ready for it. She laughed and adjusted her reins. Where’d you want to ride to?

Let’s head for the river. It’s been so long since I have been there. She nodded and started her horse in that direction.

Zane followed beside her, his mind still on the kiss. He watched her ride ahead of him. She was different now. Her hair was longer and her face more mature. She was a woman now, not that silly kid that followed him everywhere. He missed the kid in a lot of ways, but it would be fun to get to know the grown up version of his friend.

When they reached the river, Lilly got off her horse and let her walk around. She laughed when Zane looked stiff getting off his.

Are you getting too old to ride anymore? He grinned and winked at her.

I bet I can still out ride you little nymph.

She smiled at the old pet name that he had called her when she was smaller. When the horses have had some water we will see about that.

He walked over and picked up some stones. He began to skip them across the water’s edge. His mind was still groggy from the lack of sleep.

Well, what now? You have a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, are you going to stay here or what? She was hoping her friend would stay here, but she knew that this was a small town and accounting jobs probably were hard to come by.

I haven’t decided yet. I’ve had some offers from the firm that I worked at for the last year. Also a company out of DC is talking to me. I’m going to think about it for a week or so. You know, take a break before I hit the real road. He picked a morning glory and handed it to her. He remembered how she liked them.

I know what you mean. I’ve had several offers from different colleges, but nothing has really just looked appealing. Dad said for me to wait a little while, maybe something would strike my fancy. She looked up at the trees and then across the water. She knew the thing she most dreaded was leaving this place. She loved her home and the land around it. She loved her horse and would not want to leave her behind.

Well, have you thought about a major? He turned to look at her. She looked like she was really struggling with that one.

I don’t know. I love working with the horses. Maybe I’ll do something with that. One of the colleges I’ve heard from offers large animal vet degrees, but that takes so long. I’d even thought about taking some type of physical therapy for animals. She looked at him and smiled.

That would be a great way to get to do what you have a passion for. You have always had a way with animals. He wondered where she’d be in five years, or even where he’d be. Things changed so much when you got older.

Tommy said he had decided to go to the local trade school. I think he just wants to stay near Beth. They’re so in love. She had a dreamy look come over her face. I hope that someday I’ll find the kind of love they have.

Zane turned to look at her. He knew that one day she would find an awesome guy that’d sweep her off her feet. He had a funny feeling come over him at the thought of Lilly with a man. He laughed and stood up. He was going crazy.

He reached out his hand to help her up. Come on. Let’s see if you still got it.

She laughed and ran to get on Goldenrod. She was gone before he could get on his horse. He laughed and nudged his horse into a run. They raced neck and neck for a while, but soon slowed up, both laughing.

I guess you haven’t totally lost it. She reached over and punched him in the arm.

Well, not totally. He grinned and wagged