In Wafford Springs, Silence Speaks Loudest of All . . . The small town of Wafford Springs, Florida never really recovered from the scandal caused by selfish, beautiful Lil Stallings, who twisted men around her finger. Lil is gone, but she left heartbreak and sorrow behind. When her mother, Mattie Stallings, receives a letter from Lil, it's the last thing she expects. She and her brother Lester Canfield are utterly unprepared for the news: Lil is sending her daughter, Dessa, to live with them. Mattie and Lester are full of apprehension...what if Dessa is like Lil? They can't endure that pain again, and neither can the community. But what they don't know is that Dessa is a unique child-a child who unnerves Lil to the core, and whom she and her revolving string of lovers must get away from...a child who sees everything, but keeps to herself; a child who responds to her mother's abuse and neglect with a wisdom beyond her years. Dessa's arrival will cause a shake-up in this sleepy Florida town...bringing opportunities for change that none of them expected. Luminous and rich, with beautifully drawn characters and a compelling story, Wafford Springs is a story of betrayal and redemption, of small-town politics and community spirit...all surrounded by life on the farm, and the personalities of the animals who are as much a part of Wafford Springs as the people are.