A Handful of Hope
Page 20
Sara frowned. She hadn’t realized they’d have to go up as a group. That’s what she got for not reading the excursion information more carefully. Ah well, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, right? At least there wasn’t a cruise ship in port today, flooding the area with even more people working their way up the rocks as water crashed over them. In fact, Sara only saw one other group lining up. Even if her group was second in line, the whole trek shouldn’t take more than an hour. That left plenty of time to poke through the long line of stalls manned by local craftspeople and to find something to eat. Then she could honestly tell everyone that she hadn’t stayed in the resort her entire vacation. Win-win.
Sara moved into the line as it formed and took the hand of the man in front of her. His wife, maybe girlfriend, was in front of him and fixed Sara with a frown. What was she supposed to do? The guides were walking down the line making sure everyone was holding hands. Maybe going on excursions like this wasn’t a great idea for couples who didn’t like other people.
The woman behind her tapped her shoulder and offered her hand with a smile. At least some people were friendly.
The group ahead of them, composed mostly of teenagers from what Sara could see, was finally on its way up the falls, which meant their group could now begin the trek. The water was cold. Colder than she’d expected. She certainly wasn’t going to be getting any wetter than she had to on this climb. She’d save any water sports for the ocean. She could snorkel just off the beach outside her room without freezing to death.
Up ahead, a girl shrieked and slipped off a rock into a pool between levels of the falls. Sara winced and looked down at her footing, watching where she put her feet more carefully. Of course, that kept her from doing much looking around. This was supposed to be a beautiful climb and she was missing most of it.
When they reached the mid-point, the guide gestured for them to drop hands. “We’ll take a short rest here. You can sit, if you want to.”
Sara shook her head and turned to look up the remainder of the falls. The group ahead of them was nearing the top. The rush of water over the rocks was breathtaking. God sure made amazing things. She turned and looked down over what they’d already climbed, her eyes widening at the height.
“All right, form back up and let’s continue,” the guide hollered from the front of the group.
Some groaned as they stood. The man in front of her didn’t reach back for her hand. That was fine. Sara was managing okay without his help, and she didn’t particularly want to deal with the death glares his wife had shot her way for the first half of the trek.
There were a few more slips and splashes—not all accidental, as the guides were urging people to jump in at various spots—before they reached the top. Sara turned and looked back down, following the falls as they splashed against the rocks and threw rainbows into the air, then let her gaze drift across the beach to the ocean.
“I can’t...it hurts.” The words, punctuated by sobs, made Sara turn. A teenage girl leaned against a large rock, with one foot off the ground. A man about Sara’s age with a grim look on his face stood beside her.
“It’s not far to the van. We’ll head back to the church and...maybe they can call a doctor. I’ll have to check with the pastor and see what he recommends.”
Sara crossed to them, wiping her hands on her damp shorts. “Hi. I overheard a little. Maybe I can help?”
“Are you a doctor?” The man’s eyebrows lifted, hope evident in his expression.
“No. But I’m a physical therapist. I can probably tell you if something’s broken. What hurts?”
The girl sniffled. “My ankle. It got caught between some rocks as I climbed.”
Sara squatted and lifted the girl’s foot. The fact that she could put it down, even with very little pressure on it, was a good sign. It wasn’t very swollen and though it caused a few whimpers, it had full range of motion with no popping or grinding sounds. Sara stood and faced the man. “I think it’s a sprain, worst case. If your daughter stays off it for the rest of today she should be fine tomorrow. If you can find an elastic wrap and elevate it with ice, that’ll be even better.”
“She’s not my daughter. But we can manage the bandage and ice.” He turned to look at the girl. “You’re going to be okay. Maybe you can help with the puppet show for the kids tonight instead of the soccer game we were going to organize.”
“Okay, Adam.” The girl wiped a tear off her cheek and tried to stand, peering up at Adam through her lashes. “I think I’m going to need help getting to the van though.”
Adam cleared his throat, pink heating his cheeks. “Maybe I can find Molly and she can carry you on her back.”
Sara stifled a smile. Apparently Adam had caught the subtle flirtation and was backing away as fast as he could. “What if she leaned on me? I can help, we’ll follow you, and that’ll get her to a place to put her foot up faster than if you have to go find someone else and bring them back here.”
He studied Sara before nodding. “Okay. Thanks...”
“Sara. Sara Reynolds.” She stuck out her hand.
“Adam Lassiter.” A shiver raced through her as he took her hand firmly in his. Must be a delayed reaction to the cold water of the falls. The sooner she got this girl to their van and herself on the shuttle back to her resort, the better. She obviously needed dry clothes and time in the sun.
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Author’s Note
Thank you for reading A Handful of Hope! I hope that you enjoyed getting to know Jen and David. I would appreciate it if you’d help others enjoy it too by leaving a review on any e-book retailer’s website, social media, and telling your friends about it. Any success my books have is owed to readers like you who take the time to tell others about my stories. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
In this book, the heroine, Jen, suffers from depression. This is something with which I am, sadly, all too familiar. It’s also something that most of us have either experienced or know someone who has. And yet, so often, the church shies away from talking about it in a helpful, meaningful way. It’s my prayer that we, as the body of Christ, can find a way to better bind up the wounds of those among us who suffer.
I continue to owe a huge debt of gratitude to my husband and sons for giving me the time to write, my sister for her unflinching support and encouragement, and my critique partners Heather Gray and Jan Elder for catching all the times I use the same word six times in two paragraphs.
More than anything, I’m grateful that God continues to give me words and makes it possible for me to write them down.
I’d love to hear from you! You can connect with me on Facebook my webpage or via email. To stay current with news and occasional giveaways, please subscribe to my newsletter.
About the Author
Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of computers, math, and organization steered her into computer science at Wheaton College, she always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. This continued through a Master’s program in Software Engineering, several years in the computer industry, teaching programming at the college level, and a Ph.D. in Computer Technology in Education. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity.
Elizabeth is the author of more than ten books, both fiction and non-fiction. She lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.
More Books by Elizabeth Maddrey
Arcadia Valley Romance – Baxter Family Bakery Series
Loaves & Wishes (in Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley)
Muffins & Moonbeams
Cookies & Candlelight (September 2017)
Donuts & Daydreams (March 2018)
The ‘Operation Romance’ Series
Operation Mistletoe
Operation Valentine
Operation Fireworks
Operation Back-to-School
The ‘Taste of Romance’ Series
A Splash of Substance
A Pinch of Promise
A Dash of Daring
A Handful of Hope
A Tidbit of Trust (Summer 2017)
The ‘Grant Us Grace’ Series
Joint Venture
Wisdom to Know
Courage to Change
Serenity to Accept
The ‘Remnants’ Series:
Faith Departed
Hope Deferred
Love Defined
Stand alone novellas
Kinsale Kisses: An Irish Romance
Non-Fiction
A Walk in the Valley: Christian encouragement for your journey through infertility
For the most recent listing of all my books, please visit my website.