Colorado Cabin in the Pines (Peakview series Book 3) (7 page)

“Want a beer? There’s plenty in the fridge.”

Mary stood back up. “Don’t get up. I’ll grab one for myself.

Luke had really enjoyed having his new sister here these past couple of weeks. Since he had grown up with only a brother, he hadn’t known what to expect, but she was fun and always ready for adventure. She fit right in at the ranch. As much as he loved his father and June, it was nice to have someone his age around. He smiled as she walked back out on the porch clad in western jeans, boots and a hat. She looked the part of a Colorado cowgirl.

“Luke, you need a wife and some kids to share this place.”

He coughed as he choked on his beer. “I’m thinking about getting a dog. A friend of mine from high school has some German Shepherd pups that will be ready for new homes soon.”

“Well that would be nice. But seriously, do you have a special girl in your life? I don’t picture you as the hermit type.”

“Nope, not since high school. Penny moved to Chicago and left me and my bruised heart in the dust.”

“Mom mentioned something about her. Isn’t she back for the summer?”

“Yeah. But she’s going back to Chicago soon. She has a teaching job starting in August.” He stopped talking. Penny was leaving again. He didn’t talk about his feelings much. There wasn’t really anyone he trusted enough to share personal stuff. But Mary, she was easy to talk to, maybe she could give him some insight. He inhaled deeply. “I thought there might still be something between us when she first got back, but now I don’t think so. Women are confusing.”

Mary laughed. “Not any more than men. What happened? Did you talk to her about your feelings?”

“Nah. She came by one night—I thought there might be a spark. I was going to try and talk to her, but then her boyfriend from Chicago showed up.”

“Ouch. Is he still here?”

“Don’t know. It’s probably for the best. Could you picture me in Chicago? I don’t want to rob her of her dreams. She loves working with inner city kids. It’s just not meant to be.”

“You should get out there. Find someone new. You’re a great catch.”

Luke could feel his cheeks warm. “Thanks, sis. Maybe I’ll start dating again.” This was too hard to talk about. “So how about you? Any guys in your life?”

“Not at the moment. I’ve spent too much time traveling the past few years to get attached to anyone. Maybe I should move out here and look for a cowboy.” Mary winked.

“Let me know, I have some friends from high school who are still available. A woman could do worse than becoming a rancher’s wife.”

Long after Mary headed down to the main house, Luke sat on the porch gazing up at the stars. Why couldn’t he get Penny out of his head? She was history. He did enjoy company of the female variety though. Maybe he should start dating. Surely there were a few eligible girls his age still around. He needed to get out more. Or maybe he needed to call John and see about a puppy.

Penny hummed as she saddled Ginger on Monday. She was excited to start the week at Peak Adventure. She’d missed working with children this summer. She swung her leg up over the saddle, and calling Bandit to follow, took off at an easy lope toward the camp. She shivered. Even at the end of June, the air in Peakview County was brisk in the early morning hours. Crossing the highway, she slowed Ginger to a walk and headed down the steep trail which led to the winding path along the river. The fragrance of pine pungent from the dew still clinging to the branches. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the smells of home. Bandit let out a small yelp of joy and raced ahead, no doubt after some unsuspecting rabbit. The sun’s rays spread warmth in the patches where they peeked through the trees. As the camp buildings came into view, the happy sounds of children’s laughter interrupted nature’s calm.

Tying Ginger to the hitching rail in front of the main lodge, Penny made her way to the corral where the group of twenty-five new campers assembled. Okay, assembled might be stretching it. At least they were all in the confines of the large enclosure. A ragtag bunch of children ranging in age from 8 to 18 milled around. Some running and yelling, some climbing on the fences, others stood quietly to the side, looking uncomfortable and shy. A few stared defiantly, like they’d rather be anywhere else than here.

Penny opened the gate and slipped in, careful not the let anyone out in the process, and walked over to where Ryan and Willow were talking with other staff members.

“Mornin’.”

“Good morning to you.” Willow gave her a hug. “Welcome to the first day of our new camp session. Always crazy at first.” She turned to the small group of counselors. “Everyone, this is Penny Anderson. She’s going to be helping out the next few weeks.” She turned back to Penny. “We’re getting ready for the first ride. We’ll break the children into two smaller groups—one for those who are older or have some riding experience and a second for those who are younger and may need more help. Penny, I’m going to have you ride with the younger group along with Ryan and Tad.”

A nice looking young man with a huge smile shook her hand. “I’m Tad. It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to the zoo.”

Penny watched Willow and a couple others efficiently split the mob into two and herd the older group toward the barn. Eleven kids remained in her group. Ryan asked them to take seats on the benches surrounding the corral as he turned and lead a horse toward them. Penny followed the group over to the benches, noticing a small girl sitting off to the side by herself with tears forming in her eyes. She was dressed in a pink Peak Adventure t-shirt and ball cap, the official uniform of the camp. Her blue jeans were full of holes—not the kind that are put there to be fashionable. The small tennis shoes on her feet looked as though they’d been on their last legs before being handed down to her. Her thick, dark hair stuck out of the back of her cap in a long ponytail.

Penny took the seat next to her. “Hi. I’m Penny. What’s your name?”

“Marissa,” she said in a barely audible voice.

“It’s nice to meet you, Marissa. Are you excited about getting to ride a horse?”

“I…I don’t know. They’re really big.” Her anxious eyes looked up at Penny. Penny pulled her onto her lap.

“Horses are really nice. That’s my horse over there.” Penny pointed to where Ginger stood calmly at the rail.

As if sensing the child’s distress, Bandit put her paws up on Marissa’s lap and wagged her stub of a tail.

“Do you like dogs?”

“I’ve never had a pet.” The small voice squeaked.

“Meet Bandit. She loves everyone.”

The child leaned down to pat her head and Bandit licked her cheek. Marissa giggled. Leave it to her dog to be able to break the ice better than Penny had been able to. She directed the child’s attention to Ryan who was explaining the parts of the horse and the saddle. “Never walk up behind a horse or make any sudden movements. You don’t want to get kicked. Horses are very nice animals, but if you scare them, they might react.” He demonstrated how to get in the saddle and hold the reins.

Marissa’s dark brown eyes got wider and wider.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find you a very small gentle horse.” Instinctively she hugged the small girl to her side. “Have you been to the mountains before?”

“Nope.”

“I live here. Where do you live?”

The child looked hesitantly down at her feet. “I just moved so I don’t know the address yet. Somewhere in Denver, Colorado.”

“I’m so glad you are here. Can we be friends?”

The child nodded.

“Good. Let’s find you a horse to also be your friend.” She grabbed the child’s hand and walked over to where Ryan and Tad matched kids with horses. “Marissa would like a very nice and very small horse, please,” she said with a grin.

“One small, nice horse coming right up.” Ryan smiled at the child. He turned to Penny. “Little Joe should be prefect for her.” He pointed to a small black and white Pinto, who looked considerably past his prime—the hairs on his muzzle fading to gray.

Penny led Marissa over to where the small horse stood, looking half asleep. “Pet his face and let him know you’re his friend.” The child reached up tentatively.

“He’s soft.” She smiled.

After checking the cinch, Penny helped Marissa climb into the saddle and adjusted the stirrups. All around them, the other children also mounted their horses. “Don’t leave me,” Marissa pleaded.

“I won’t. I promise.” Penny grabbed Little Joe’s lead rope. “I’m going to hang right on to this rope until you feel comfortable with me letting go.” With that, she led the horse into the corral and began to walk slowly around the edge, giving instructions and encouragement as they went. Some of the rest of the staff members were doing the same thing with other children.

Ryan, having successfully saddled the entire group, walked up beside them. “Marissa, how are you and Little Joe getting along?”

Marissa beamed down at him. “He is my new friend and so is Penny.”

Turning to Penny, Ryan added, “The plan is to mainly stay in the corral this morning. Let the kids get used to their horses. If all goes well, we’ll take a short trail ride at the end.”

Penny led Little Joe around the enclosure a few more times, watching Marissa visably relax. “You’re doing such a great job! Do you think you can handle him yourself, so I can go get Ginger and ride with you?”

“Yep.” Marissa exuded confidence at her new found skill and fell in line behind the other campers.

Penny walked over to Ginger. She couldn’t help wondering about her new friend’s circumstances. She’d make sure to ask Willow about the child later.

The next few hours flew by. By the end of the morning session, all of the campers were controlling their horses well enough to leave the corral and ride a circle around the camp itself. Lunch was a picnic in the meadow, with lots of laughter and silliness going on. Marissa sat by Penny’s side, but by the end of the meal started giggling with the other little girls around them. In the afternoon, they took a short trail ride down by the river and during a break let the kids take off their shoes and wade in the icy water. By the time they rode back up to the barn, Penny needed a break. After hugging the girls and sending them to the craft cabin where some other counselors would lead them in a quiet activity, Penny helped unsaddle and brush down the horses, before walking over to the lodge in search of Willow. As she walked into the cool interior, Willow looked up from the mound of paperwork on her desk.

“How did your first day go?”

“Great. I think. I fell in love with each and every child.”

“That’s the risk of this job. They all need more love than we can give them. Some of them don’t get much of it at home.”

“What’s Marissa’s story?”

“I saw that she’d latched on to you. It’s very sad. Dad’s been in prison for years. I’m not sure she even remembers him, which in her case could be a blessing. I hear he wasn’t a nice guy. Mom’s into drugs way more than she’s into raising a child. From what I understand, she’s been on and off the wagon more times than we could count. Thankfully, Grandma was there to step in and take care of Marissa when her daughter was too high or drunk. Mom finally disappeared a couple of years ago, and Marissa lived fulltime with Grandma. Grandma didn’t have much money or education, but she did manage to keep a roof over the child’s head and get her to school. That is, until a couple of months ago when Grandma became ill. Social workers were called by the her teacher because Marissa reported she only ate at school. Grandma is now in a nursing home, and Marissa was placed in a foster home a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think she’s had time to adjust yet. Fortunately we were able to get funding to bring her here for a couple weeks of fun. There hasn’t been much of that in her life recently—maybe ever.”

“That explains a lot.” Penny felt tears forming in her eyes for her sweet, little friend. Having grown up an only child with two amazing parents, it was hard to fathom what this child had been through. She prayed that in some small way she’d be able to help her during these next couple of weeks.

“We do what we can for them and try not to let it overwhelm us.” Willow rubbed her pregnant belly. “You can be done for the day, now that the rides are finished. Thank you so much. Can we count on you coming back tomorrow?”

“I wouldn’t miss it. See you bright and early.”

As she turned Ginger toward home, her heart broke for all the neglected or mistreated children. She was reaffirmed in the knowledge that her life’s work needed to be about making the world a better place—one child at a time.

***

After letting Ginger out in the pasture for the night, instead of being tired from all of the activity at camp, Penny felt energized. She glanced at her watch and since it was only 3:30, she decided to drive into Peakview. Several of the children had asked her about the different flowers and rocks along their ride. She had to admit that although she was familiar with some of Colorado’s wildflowers, such as the bright, red Indian Paint Brush and the white and purple Columbines, there were still many she didn’t know by name. She’d noticed the new bookstore in town. It was about time she stopped by and looked around. Maybe she could find some books to help identify the beauty of nature for the children.