I

Standing in one of her favorite places, Lily Peters let out a solemn sigh. It was said that home is where the heart is. But where was her heart? She flew out in only a few hours to return to her life in New Mexico. It was, she could admit, the last place she figured on settling in, but now it was where she called home.

She slowly turned away from the serial view that she'd always loved as a kid. She looked up at the clouds forming overhead. Knowing how suddenly Washington weather could change, she pulled her jacket tightly around her.

On her way home, Lily tried to soak in every last detail, it was, after all, a new chapter of her young life. She paused to listen to the music of the wind in the trees, the soft way the leaves rustled restlessly right before a storm. Oh, how she loved the storms, but she had her first real job as a vet and she was fresh out of vet school, she didn't want to risk it. So, she continued to walk leisurely home, but paused again as the first drops of rain hit her face.

One Year Later

He found her with her face turned toward the sky, almost as if the rain could cleanse her more than a proper shower could. Brian Marshall wasn't one who usually wasted time, but for some reason he was captivated. Her chestnut hair, turned even darker by the rain, curled softly on her back. And though he couldn't see her face he could imagine how peaceful it probably looked. He knew her eyes would be closed and the faintest trace of a smile would play on her lips. This was one of the few times, he knew, where you could see Lily actually at peace. In the year or so he'd known her, Lily was hardly ever calm and peaceful. He hated to have to break her spell.

“Lily,” he said softly as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Lily, your aunt asked me to come get you, says dinner's almost ready.”And even though it wasn't a bit cold outside, he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, letting it replace his hands.

Lily frowned. She wondered if he realized how his careless gestures, much like that one, made her feel. Had it been any other two people, and possibly a different situation, she might say her heart had just fluttered. But that wasn't it, not for Lily. She was done with men, had been for a good portion of her life. So she shrugged it off and continued to stand there.

“New Mexico storms are so much warmer than Washington's. There you can't stand outside and watch the lightening play in the clouds, it's usually too cold and too fierce. But you can hear the rain hitting your window and it can so easily lull you to sleep.”

Absently, he placed his hands back on her shoulder. He was born and raised in New Mexico, and he was painfully aware that she wasn't. “You miss home don't you; your family?”

Slowly, she opened her eyes and faced him. Thinking back on it later she would deem it a mistake, she wasn't prepared to see those emotion in his eyes. Pain, compassion, understanding, and so much more. He was an open book in her mind, and that's exactly what she wouldn't be.

“I have family here, a job, and I'm building my life. I'm making a home here,” she said as calmly as she could. “It's time I go in. I'll see you around Brian.”

Reluctantly, he lifted his hand from her shoulder and let it fall to his side. He knew he'd never understand her. He also knew, that for whatever reason, she kept herself closed off and at a distance from him and from outsiders. “I guess I'll see you around then Lily. Enjoy your dinner.”

She stood there a little longer watching his retreating back. She had to admit that, for a man, he had a nice rear view and profile. And the kindest heart a human can have, she secretly thought. Letting go of the peace she had found, she headed to what was considered home.

Lily walked in the door soaking wet and grabbed the towel she'd left by the door. “Aunt Mary-Anne, Uncle Ted. I'm home. Something smells great.”

Mary-Anne walked out of the laundry room and laughed. “Lily, you look like a wet rat. What happened?”

“Aunt Annie,” Lily said affectionately, “you know what happened.” She finished toweling herself down and headed toward the bathroom.

“Oh yes, my little storm chaser. It looks to me though, Lily, that it caught up with you.”

Sending her aunt an amused look, she went into the bathroom, “it did,” and shut the door.

“Ted, there's something she's not saying,” Mary-Anne was telling her husband later that night.

“Annie, dear, leave it be. Lily's a grown woman. She has her own life to live and her own choices to make. Maybe she's not ready for the life you have planned out for her.” Ted watched his wife as she paced their room. They'd been married for over 30 years and she still managed to take his breath away. He knew she only wanted what was best for her niece.

“She's hardly living a life Ted!” Annie exclaimed. “She goes to work, works out sometimes, goes horseback riding on weekends or her days off, but she doesn't go out with friends for anything. She has friends, that we can be sure of, but they don't go out. Ted, I'm worried about her.” She stopped pacing to look at her husband. After all of these years of marriage, he was still the most handsome man she knew.

“I know you are. I am too. But we can't make her learn what she needs to learn on her own. I don't care how old she is,” he added after a look from his wife. “Come to bed dear, it's getting late.”

In another part of the small house, Lily lay awake listening to her aunt and uncle talk. She knew they were right, she needed to start living more. How could she explain that fear ruled her life, that she could no longer trust outsiders- people outside the family. She trusted some people, like those she worked with and her friends from college, but it took her a while to trust new people.

Her aunt was right though, she had to admit. This needed to stop, and it needed to stop soon. Tomorrow she'd talk to Molly, see if she would help. She didn't know much but Lily had to start somewhere. And maybe Brian would like to join us, she thought and then scowled. No, she wouldn't let Brian in, no matter how long she'd wanted to. In her mind he was dangerous, as was any man she was attracted to. Men couldn't be trusted unless they were family, and even then there were some exceptions. She gave a small sigh. No matter how much she loved her family, some could not be trusted, even the women. Slowly, she rolled over and let the dark clutches of sleep claim her.

Brian lay in his bed thinking about the day and what it held. He couldn't dismiss the image of Lily standing in the rain. He'd seen her like that plenty of times over the past year, and yet, this time held more meaning and more mystery.

He knew tomorrow would be yet another day without any progress. Annie had asked him to try to get close to Lily, to help her break down that wall she'd put up. But how was he supposed to help her when every time she was around him she guarded herself again? To be completely honest, it was infuriating. The woman was so damn stubborn. Must be a Peters trait, he thought as remembered how long Annie had spent convincing him to help. He'd break through that wall. It'd just take time and patience. Just be careful not to get too close buddy, Brian silently warned himself. Yeah right. Like that would be an issue. Having finally convinced himself that he had nothing to worry about as far as Lily was concerned, Brian rolled over and fell into blissful sleep.