A New Hope

by M. L. Ray

  Jenna gathered up her stuff and prepared to leave, “I can’t wait to see her. Maybe she’ll tell me what’s going on. Your parents seem pretty worried as well.”

  As Trey helped Jenna into his vehicle moments later, he paused and looked her in the eyes, “Thanks. I know you’ve been through a lot these last two days, but if you can get Michelle to open up to you, I for one, would be grateful. I just can’t seem to reach her, and she arrived home looking as if she’d just lost everything! I think she was even crying in the shower before I headed this direction.”

  Jenna nodded her head and then placed a hand on Trey’s arm, “I’ll do what I can. As for the crying in the shower thing, it’s something us women do when we don’t want to burden anyone else with our tears. I’ve spent more than my fair share of time crying in the shower. I’ll see what I can do to get her to talk to me, but I won’t force the issue. She’ll talk when she’s ready, we just have to be there to listen when that times comes.”

  Trey reached a hand out and clasped Jenna’s neck, “You’re something special, do you know that?”

  “Not really. I’m just me.”

  “Well, just you is pretty special and I want you to know that I’m amazed at the strength you’ve shown these last two days. I know its bad timing, but I want a chance to get to know you better. I know I only asked for a few days, until the paperwork arrived from Denver, but would you consider sticking around a bit longer.”

  Jenna looked into his warm eyes and felt her heartbeat kick up just a notch, “I might already be considering that.”

  Trey looked at her with a smile, “Really?” He waited until she nodded and then he leaned a bit closer, “That’s good. That’s real good.”

  Jenna could feel herself leaning into him, and once again found herself wishing he would take her in his strong arms. She could smell his aftershave, and she could see where he had nicked himself that morning while shaving, but none of that really was as important as the fact that he was looking at her with such warmth and…caring? Affection? She couldn’t quite place the emotion she saw in his eyes, but it made her feel all gooey inside and she didn’t want him to ever stop looking at her like that.

  Trey watched her watching him and longed to take the next step in building a relationship with her, but he held himself back. It’s still too soon. Kissing her on the forehead, he released his hold on her and then stepped back, “Good. I hear there’s a harvest party next weekend over at the high school. Would you go with me?”

  Jenna was still trying to process the fact that Trey had just kissed her. Not romantically on the lips, but on the forehead. Nevertheless, it hadn’t felt platonic, and he wasn’t related to her. She gazed up at him and silently nodded, her eyes straying to his lips before moving back up to his eyes.

  Trey could see the question on her face, and whispered softly, “Slowly, Jenna. We’re going to take things slowly and step by step. You’ve been through enough heartache, I won’t be responsible for adding to it.”

  Jenna thought his comments were the sweetest thing she’d ever heard. Her experience with romance was almost non-existent, and the role models she’d had the last few years weren’t any kind of recommendation for building strong relationships. She mentally flashed back to the way her parents had been prior to her mother’s death. They had been completely devoted to one another, and focused solely on caring for each other in a way that she had recognized was special, even as a young girl.

  That was what she wanted in a relationship, and whether or not Trey was the man to explore that with, she wasn’t sure. As she watched him jog around the front of the vehicle, Teresa’s words from that morning came back to her – Don’t be afraid, and trust in God’s plan for your life.

  As they headed back to Trey’s home, Jenna said a silent prayer asking God to give her wisdom and the strength needed to help her friend. Jenna was already starting to heal, and now it was time to help Michelle do the same. Her future in Cathedral Hills, and possibly with Trey, was still up in the air, but for the moment, she was at peace, knowing that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She’d leave tomorrow in His capable hands!

  Chapter 18

  “Michelle?” Tyler Jameson asked, trying to keep the shock from his voice.

  Michelle heard someone call her name and whirled around, almost dropping the paperwork she held in her hands. She scanned the area around the fire ring until she placed the voice. Tyler? Oh God, what is he doing here?

  “Tyler.” Michelle was proud of herself for keeping her voice nice and calm. “What brings you to Camp Red Bird?”

  “I’m taking over the horseback riding program and thinking about retiring.” Tyler looked Michelle over, narrowing his eyes as he took in her too-slim figure and the dark circles beneath her eyes. “Have you been sick?”

  Heartbroken? Yes! Physically ill? No! “Not really, I just haven’t been getting a lot of sleep.” There is no way I’m going to admit how badly you hurt me. I’m made of stronger stuff than that!

  “So, the camp seems to be going well.”

  “It is. I thought you were still competing. I didn’t realize you had decided to retire.” You couldn’t even call and tell me that our last fight was pointless after all? Michelle swallowed back the tears that were threatening to fall. She shuffled her feet, anxious to get away from him before she made a complete fool of herself.

  Tyler and she had been dancing around their attraction to each other since they were seniors in high school. Then he had taken off on the rodeo circuit, and she had gone away to college. She’d run into him at a rodeo on the eastern slope two years earlier, and the two had reconnected.

  He had still been traveling on the circuit, but Colorado Springs had been an easy jaunt from Denver in-between competitions. He had come to town at least once a month and she had rearranged her schedule to spend as much time with him as possible.

  When the State finals had been in Denver, she had driven down to watch and been horrified to see the top bull rider on the circuit have his neck broken when his glove had gotten caught up in the ropes. Before they’d been able to free him, his neck had snapped and he’d stopped breathing. The medical team had worked on him for hours, but he had finally been declared dead the next day.

  She had pleaded with Tyler to stop and find something else to do. That same rodeo he’d dislocated his shoulder, requiring a surgical fix, and three months of therapy before he was released to start riding again. Michelle had been sure he felt for her the same way she felt for him. They had discussed coming back to Cathedral Hills and starting a rodeo training school and a therapeutic riding program for kids, but once he’d received his doctor’s release, he’d been off and running.

  The last time she’d seen him, they had argued fiercely over what she viewed as his defection and lack of feelings for her. He tried to explain to her he just needed one more successful season, but she hadn’t been willing to listen. When he drove away, she mourned his loss, sure she would be mourning him for real in the very near future.

  Tyler watched the emotions on Michelle’s face, knowing she was remembering the way he’d left a year and some ago. He hadn’t handled her fears very well, and had accused her of wanting to control him and steal his dreams from him. The accusations had been unfair, and he had acted out in a very juvenile fashion, driving away and nearly getting himself killed that weekend when he drew a bull he knew he couldn’t ride and not withdrawing.

  He’d spent five days in the hospital for broken ribs, and a broken collarbone, but still his pride had kept him going. The latest disaster to befall one of his own, had finally woken him up and managed to help him realize what was truly important in life. He’d gone straight to Michelle, hoping to beg her for forgiveness and start again, only to find out that she had quit her job suddenly and gone back home.

  That information had spurred his decisions, and it had taken him only three weeks to put the ball in motion. He’d been planning to look Michelle up this weekend, and was
totally unprepared for this meeting. Here. In this place.

  Swallowing, he offered, “I was planning on looking you up this weekend, once I got settled in Cathedral Hills. I was hoping you’d have dinner with me or something.”

  Michelle started shaking her head as she backed away from him. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m glad you decided to retire. I’m sure your parents will be glad to have you back home.”

  “Michelle, wait…we need to talk. I know the last time…”

  Michelle kept backing up, not even caring that she was very close to the edge of the slope. “Tyler, really, I don’t have time to talk right now. I need to get these forms over to …”

  “Michelle, watch out…”

  “Don’t worry about me. I…,” her voice broke off on a cry as she took one too many steps backwards, losing her footing and starting a backwards fall down the slope of the mountain.

  Michelle threw the papers up in the air, trying to twist her body to break her fall and keep from ending up at the bottom of the ravine, but her foot caught in a root. She felt and heard a loud wrenching sound from her ankle as she fell to her side, ending with her upside down and only saved from tumbling further by the agonizing pain in her ankle.

  “Michelle! Hang on! Don’t move!” Tyler hurriedly scrambled down the slope until he was level with her hips. “Reach up and give me your hands and I’ll untangle your foot.”

  Michelle tried to breathe through the pain and do as he requested, but as she started to pull herself up, the pain overwhelmed her and she blacked out.

  Tyler noticed the exact moment she fainted, and made short work of untangling her foot and then pulling her back up to even ground. The camp nurse removed her boot and after a careful examination, didn’t think anything was broken, but also didn’t want Michelle trying to drive on it.

  When Tyler stepped in and offered to drive her home, Michelle said nothing, but Tyler didn’t let it phase him. He knew he had hurt her, and he saw this as a chance to start making amends. He tried to engage her in conversation as they drove down the mountain, but Michelle refused to even look at him.

  When they arrived at Trey’s house, he watched as she hobbled inside the house and shut him out. He didn’t press the issue, but if Michelle thought things were finished between them, she didn’t know him very well at all. He was as tenacious as they came, and he was determined to show Michelle that their futures belonged together. As he drove away from Trey’s home, he started planning his campaign. Michelle Cottrell belonged with him. Now he just needed to prove to her that he knew that as well!

  Why should I be discouraged and why should the shadows fall?

  Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home?

  When Jesus is my portion, my constant Friend is He,

  His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me;

  His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

  I sing because I'm happy;

  I sing because I'm free;

  His eye is on the sparrow

  And I know He watches me.

  Let not your heart be troubled; these tender words I hear;

  And resting on his goodness I lose my doubts and fears;

  For by the path He leadeth but one step I may see;

  His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me;

  His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

  I sing because I'm happy;

  I sing because I'm free;

  His eye is on the sparrow

  And I know He watches me.

  Whenever I am tempted; whenever clouds arise;

  When songs give place to sighing; when hope within me dies;

  I draw the closer to Him; from care He sets me free;

  His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me;

  His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

  Chapter 19

  A year and a few months earlier…

  Michelle Cottrell watched Tyler as he climbed into the chute, trying not to focus on the sounds coming from the raging animal he was preparing to sit upon. He only needed to ride for eight seconds, but she knew without a doubt it would be the longest eight seconds of her life.

  She watched as the handlers tried to steady the animal, and when Tyler looked straight at her and tipped his hat to her, she couldn’t hold back the smile and the small wave she sent in his direction. She and Tyler had grown up together, he being two years ahead of her.

  She’d secretly held a girlish crush on him since her pre-teens, but nothing had even come of it until the spring of her senior year. Tyler had already graduated and was making a name for himself in the rodeo circuit for calf roping. He had come back to town for the holidays and then stuck around to help his folks out during the cold winter months.

  Because Michelle was friends with his sister, Brooke, they had seen each other quite often. There had been an attraction from the beginning, but Michelle had been realistic and kept things light and friendly, knowing that she was heading to Wyoming and college in the fall. Tyler had earned enough points to compete on the Professional Bull Rider’s circuit come spring, and would be traveling around the western United States. Neither of them was ready for a relationship.

  That didn’t mean she hadn’t often wondered what it might be like to be his girlfriend. Michelle had plenty of boys she called friends, but she had always kept things on the friendship level. Her parents were the pastors of the little church in Cathedral Hills, and had a wonderful marriage. She’d grown up knowing that she would only ever give her heart once, and she had protected it as best as she could.

  Almost a year ago, she had been at the Denver Coliseum looking for a runaway when she had run into Tyler. He had been there for the bull riding competition, and had invited her to dinner after his ride. Since she had been unsuccessful in locating the young girl her team was looking for, she had accepted.

  The two had become long distance friends, with Tyler coming to Denver at least once a month to see her. Over that time, they had sent emails and text messages back and forth, and talked with each other for countless hours on the phone.

  When the buzzer sounded and the chute was opened, Michelle watched as the animal named Torpedo lunged out of the gate. Twisting and turning to try and dislodge his rider, Tyler held on, keeping one arm in the air as the rules required and moving fluidly with the animal. When the eight second buzzer sounded, the crowd went crazy, but Michelle wasn’t ready to celebrate yet. Tyler was still on the animal’s back!

  The rodeo clowns came rushing forward to distract the bull, and she watched as Tyler attempted to throw himself clear, but he was too close to the boards of the arena. His body went flying through the air, smashing against the boards to crumple on the hard packed dirt below. Michelle surged to her feet and silently prayed for him to get up.

  The next five seconds seemed like eternity. Help was headed for his still body, when suddenly he lifted a hand and pushed himself up to his feet. He was cradling his arm against his side at an odd angle, but Michelle didn’t pay much attention to that. Tyler was alive!

  She kept her eyes on his body as he was helped out of the arena, sitting in the midst of his cheering fans, as a revelation stole her ability to think of anything else. She loved Tyler Jameson!

  Chapter 20

  Present Day…

  Michelle exited the small office she used when staying at Camp Red Bird, trying to keep her sense of disillusionment at bay. In her hands were letters from both the state and the county. Not only were the fees going up, but they were imposing more insurance restrictions on facilities like the camp, fees that would either mean upping the cost to the campers, or finding additional funding sources. The thought of shutting down the camp wasn’t even worth a consideration.

  Camp Red Bird had been in operation since the Cottrell’s had first come to Cathedral Hills. It was situated in the mountains above Cathedral Hills, at approximately eight thousand feet, and not only ca
tered to children’s summer camps, but to various retreats throughout the year. As long as she had breath to fight, and a brain to seek out new funding sources, Camp Red Bird would remain operational!

  She had just spent the last two hours researching grants and other sources of income that might get the camp financially healthy once again, and the most plausible avenue seemed in the area of therapy and social reconditioning. The camp was uniquely situated to handle both, with just a few major changes to how things were done.

  Therapy could be offered in a variety of ways, some of them groundbreaking, and thus available for all sorts of new grant programs. The empathetic nature of horses made them the ideal species to teach independence and build trust and a sense of responsibility. Michelle had always dreamed of working with horses, the main reason she had gone to school in Wyoming. They had a training center where they were researching using horseback riding as a form of therapy for disabled kids. She’d had the privilege of working with those kids all four years while she’d been at college, with hopes of opening her own operation in Colorado, but student loans and the need for a stable income source had taken precedence. When she’d been offered a job working for the State of Colorado Social Services Division, she’d been in no position to turn it down.

  She’d never given up her dream though, and she’d continue to study up on new treatments for not only kids, but also teens and young adults. Social reconditioning for teens and young adults was a little more complex than dealing with younger children.

  After doing her research earlier in the day, she’d already decided they needed to focus on kids on the lower end of the age spectrum. There were security protocols to develop, education needs that would have to be addressed, and then there was the actual social work aspect – something she was qualified to do, but not all alone. She was going to need help!