Wishing on a Rodeo Moon (Women of Character) (23 page)

"Riverdale?
That's not far from where I'm living now." Tye looked at the doctor
doubtfully. "My riding is coming along. I'm doing pretty good on my
own."

"I
didn’t mean for yourself. It's for disabled kids. Maybe you could donate
your services. It's a non-profit program, so there's not a lot of money."

"It's
for kids with disabilities?"

"All
types of disabilities. Riding is a great confidence builder for kids and
adults."

Tye left
the doctor's office with the riding clinic's address in her pocket. On the way
home, just out of curiosity, she drove down the back road where the riding
stable was located.

Parking
her vehicle beside a small red barn, Tye walked around the back of the barn,
following the sound of voices to a small fenced paddock.

Two boys
and a girl, about ten years old, each rode a horse in the enclosed area.
Several adults watched from outside the arena as a tall woman wearing
skin-tight riding breeches and leather boots gave instruction to the mounted
children.

The
children wore safety helmets and three teenage girls on foot led a horse each,
while another person walked beside each horse.

"Okay,
now everyone bring your horse to a halt." The instructor appeared to be in
her early thirties with dark hair tucked up under a wide-brimmed straw hat.
Briefly, she glanced at Tye, then back at her students. "Michael, pull
gently on the reins and hold them steady. Very good. Everyone give your horse a
pat for a job well done. Parents, you may come into the arena now. The girls
will help each child dismount."

As the
children began to dismount with their helpers the instructor turned to Tye, an
inquiring lift to her brows. When Tye looked at the woman fully she could see
how striking she was. She had a creamy complexion, slim dark brows, and a full,
sensuous mouth.

"Hello,
my name's Tye." Tye held out her hand.

"I'm
Samantha Evans, the manager here." Samantha took her hand firmly, then
gave a sigh. "Sorry, but if you're looking to get a child into this program,
we can't handle anymore."

"No,
actually, Dr. Winan's from Oklahoma City told me about this place. I thought
I'd check it out." Tye made a sudden decision. "He thought maybe I
could help you out, Samantha."

"Call
me Sam. Samantha’s such a mouthful. So Dr. Winans sent you? Do you know
anything about horses?" Sam asked immediately, her eyes lighting with
interest.

Tye
smiled. "I grew up with them."

"Really?
I'm liking you already. We can always use extra help. Right now, though, that's
the least of our problems. It looks like the funding for this program is drying
up, which means that will be the end of it. We'll know in a few weeks, maybe
less. The outlook isn't good."

"Is
there another program that can take these kids?"

Sam
turned to wave at the children and parents leaving. She shook her head.
"No, not in this area. What with rising insurance costs and old equipment
that has to be replaced, we're having trouble meeting the program expenses this
year. The lease on this private property is almost up and it doesn't look like
it will be renewed." With a grimace, Sam threw Tye a glance and asked
jokingly, "You look familiar...you're not somebody rich, are you?"

"Sorry,
I can't claim that."

The loss
of this program will be a blow, it's such good therapy for the kids. We've had
to cut down on our lesson size, but at this point I'm happy for any extra
help."

"What
does it cost to run an operation like this?"

"There's
a lot of small costs that add up, but I'm not familiar with all of them. The
director could answer that question better. Why, do you know someone who could
help?" The note of hope in Sam’s voice was all too clear to Tye. She
felt guilty shaking her head and dashing the other woman’s hopes.

"I
was just curious. It seems a shame to discontinue a worthwhile program."
Tye wasn't really sure why she had asked.

"Well,
the biggest thing is the red tape involved. You have to follow certain
guidelines if you want to be a certified instructor, and you have to keep up
with the CPR training, your certification. It’s getting tougher to find
volunteers that will take the training and then show up regularly." Sam
waved her arm to indicate the young girls helping the children dismount in the
arena. "Annie, Mira and Jen are about the only ones I can count on any
more to show up when I need them. I get a break on the insurance, but the
program equipment that we use is in need of replacement, not to mention some of
the horses are getting too old. We've got nine healthy horses, but with feed
bills, routine veterinary and farrier visits, donated money doesn't go very
far."

"What
about private donations?"

"Some
trickles in, but we lack an administrator to get our name out there, which
involves another salary. We don't have the funds to hire someone to bring in
the money."

"It
sounds like a vicious circle."

"You
hit the nail on the head. However," Sam said with a smile, "on a
brighter note I'm determined to keep going until, and if, they close us
down."

Tye stared
at the children. The little girl, now in a wheelchair on a ramp beside her
horse, was tenderly patting her horse’s neck. Tye swallowed hard, touched
by the obvious happiness on the child’s face. "I'd love to help. I
don't live that far away, just the other side of High Flats."

"High
Flats ― I have a friend who lives there. Jake Miller. Do you know
him?"

Tye's
throat felt dry. "Yeah, I know Jake. That's a funny coincidence. I rent
half of his house."

Sam gave
her an interested look. "What did you say your last name was?"

"I
didn't, but it's Tye Jenkins."

Sam
opened her eyes the slightest fraction, then slowly nodded her head in
confirmation. "I thought I recognized you from somewhere. Am I pleased to
meet you! Just about everyone around these parts has heard of you. I was sorry
to hear about your accident. You must've had a rough time. It's a big waste
when rodeo lost you."

"Well,
it hasn't lost me yet. I plan to go back," Tye said lightly. "Right
now I'm looking for something to fill in the time while I recuperate. I think
this might be just the thing, if you think we can work together."

Sam
quickly said, "I don't think we'll have any problem working together. I
appreciate anyone who's willing to donate time." She took off her hat and
fanned her face and neck. "So tell me, how is Jake these days?"

"Fine,
I'll tell him you asked about him. Have you known Jake long?"

"About
nine years. I’ve hauled his horses a few times."

Tye felt
a hard lump in her throat. "You knew him when he played football?"

"I
met him sometime after he quit. It was terrible that he had to give it up. A
lot of guys would have turned their back on the family responsibility and taken
the scholarship, but not Jake."

Tye
hadn't known Jake had finally been offered the scholarship. She had left before
that and Jake hadn’t mentioned it. Her heart ached for the young man Jake
had been; she hurt for him and all he had lost. She knew she had added to his
hurt. How could she ever make it up to him?

The
admiration in Sam’s voice made Tye begin to wonder about a lot of things,
like about a past relationship she might be stumbling onto. The thought of Jake
with another woman speared through her, leaving a burning pain in its wake. It
was only natural there would have been other women in the intervening years.
Tye knew she should probably leave it alone, but she couldn't.

"Maybe
I'm being nosey but I'm going to ask anyway. Jake and I are seeing each other,
so before you and I work together I should probably know if you two have any
past history."

Sam looked
momentarily surprised by Tye's forthrightness, then she laughed. "No, we
weren't involved, but not for want of trying on my part. A few months ago Jake
needed a horse trucked to the vet and he called me. I hadn't seen Jake in
awhile and we got reacquainted, but I gained the impression he was seeing
someone else." Sam gave her a wide grin. "It must have been you, Tye.
How did you hook up with Jake?"

"Oh,
uh, he's a friend of my brother Ben, and we knew each other as kids. Ben set it
up so I could rent the apartment in Jake's house."

"That
was a lucky break for you, Tye, but anyway, Jake and I have never been more
than friends."

Months
ago Sam had thought Jake was involved with someone else. That would be right
around the time she had had her accident. Tye wondered if Jake had been seeing
someone else the night he came to the rodeo.

A nasty
thought insinuated itself. Tye wondered if she was just in a convenient time
and place. Maybe she had caught Jake in between women. What a terrible thought,
but maybe true. Jake knew of her inexperience where men were concerned, but he
hadn’t disclosed any of his past.

 Tye
had made it clear she didn't want or need any commitment from Jake. Even so,
Tye realized she had taken it for granted that Jake was heart whole and wanted
an exclusive relationship with her, for as long as it lasted. Why hadn’t
she thought of that before?

As
several cars pulled into the parking lot dust rose in the air. Sam squinted
through the whirling cloud. "My next lessons are here," she said.
"If you want to stick around, I'll show you the ropes. I guess I won't
need to check your credentials," she said with a quick laugh. "Your
reputation can stand on its own. If you're serious about helping you can start
off leading the horse. I have a feeling this can work for both of us."

"I
hope so, I'd like that," Tye said. A feeling of excitement wound through
her. For the first time in her life she felt as if there were many
possibilities open to her. It was an empowering moment and she couldn't exactly
understand why since she had always had the freedom to make her own choices.
For the first time, she contemplated doing something for someone else, not for
herself. Maybe that was the difference. It made her feel lighter inside.

Pushing
back her shoulders, Tye concentrated on Sam’s teaching style. Later, she
helped saddle the lesson horses, then watched the routine the children expected
to find during each lesson. A new sense of purpose filled her. These children
needed this program, and maybe she needed them.

Several
hours later Tye drove quickly up the driveway to the ranch and pulled her
vehicle up next to the deck ramp. A sense of excitement gripped her, and it
hadn't abated since she had left the riding school. She had spent the entire
afternoon there, much longer than she had at first anticipated. Right now she
needed to share her news with Jake. Lifting her wrist Tye glanced at her watch.
Jake should be home by now, it was well after six.

Without
thinking twice about it, Tye hurried toward Jake's side of the house. Gripping
the brass knob she swung the door open and burst into his living room, but she
found it empty.

"Jake!"
She didn't see him, but it didn't deter her from walking through the house.
"Jake, Jake! Where are you? Wait until I tell you what's happened!"
Tye moved down the short corridor to his office. It was empty, but seeing the
pile of boxes in one corner, Tye was reminded of her earlier promise to find
another place to live. Jake’s renovation plans. That brought her up short.
Jake’s plans had not changed, had they? Those boxes were one more
reminder that she lived here for a limited time.

Impatiently,
she looked across the hall into the bedroom but he wasn't there either.

"Tye?"
She heard Jake call out.

Tye walked
back toward the kitchen. "Jake, you'll never guess what I did today."

"Out
on the back deck, Tye." Tye rounded the corner of the kitchen and saw him
standing in the sliding glass door that led out to the pool deck.

"Hey,
Jake!" With an exuberant lunge forward Tye reached him and looped her arms
around his neck. Standing on tiptoe she planted a noisy kiss on his
whisker-shadowed chin, then ran a string of kisses down his throat. He steadied
her when she deliberately leaned her weight against him, her fingers pulling
playfully at the buttons on his shirt.

"Ooh,
you didn't shave today...didn't you go to work?" she asked with a gay
laugh, noticing his worn out jeans. Without waiting for a reply she rushed on.
"You'll never guess what I did. First of all Doc Winans gave me a clean
bill of health, and then he told me about a program that teaches disabled kids
to ride. Remember that idea you had about the same thing? Out of curiosity I
drove out there...and one thing led to another. I'm going to help out..." She
suddenly noticed he hadn't said a word and his hands held hers still on his
shirt. Tye went motionless, then looked past his shoulder and noticed for the
first time the man who stood on the pool patio. Hands on his hips, he tipped
his cowboy hat back and watched her.

Unlacing
her fingers, Tye dropped her arms to her sides almost guiltily.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed, running her palms down the sides of her
jeans. Unaccountably, she felt a flush mount her cheeks.

"Hello,
Tye-girl," Lanny Jenkins said quietly. His graying hair was brushed back
as usual, but there seemed to be more lines in his face. He looked tired, and
something about her father's voice alerted Tye. There was a certain quietness
that she remembered as a child. She braced her shoulders, a strange foreboding
filling her. Quickly, she banished the thought. This was her father, he cared
about her and she loved him. He had never knowingly hurt her.

"I
was in town for a spell so I thought I'd stop by to see my little girl."

He
watched her with a questioning look in his eyes. Almost defiantly, Tye placed
her hand on Jake's shoulder, feeling the tensing of the muscles beneath his
shirt. She glanced into his face, but his expression gave nothing away. She
gave him one more quick peck on the cheek and turned. Awkwardly, she took a
step forward, for the first time that day feeling as if her artificial limb
weighed her down. "I didn't see you standing there, Daddy."