PROLOGUE
The sky was as dark and blustery as Lily’smind.She knew there had to be more to life than this.A strangeplace was calling her, just as the wind picked up dust to blow inher eyes.Wiping them with a tissue brought tears as well as dirt.Her old car climbed laboriously up and down the noisy streets,looking for the sign that would show her the way out.So manypeople were walking along the sidewalks -- bustling, talking andlaughing.The Chinese bakery with its unique smells beckoned to herone more time.
Mist from the harbor crept over her.Sheshivered and buttoned her jacket.Inhaling that fresh ocean smell,she would miss the port with all its diversions and familiarity.There was no place in the world like this one, but her needs weregreater than the City could accommodate.A little peace was neededand it wouldn’t be found here.Not now… It was time to trysomething new.She would need a different reason to come backhere.
Would a change of scene do it?Repair thathole in her heart and rearrange her senses?She was leaving a placeshe loved for the unknown.At that moment, Lily felt like she hadkicked herself out of Paradise.
* * *
CHAPTER ONE
The hot Nevada air was as dry as a bone.Fromher window, the low hills, in the not so far away distance, frontedthe snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountain range.A hawk glided withinview, tracking a motionless hare hiding in the sagebrush.Coyotesmade their presence known only by sound.Old and getting olderdescribed the building where Lily found herself.There was dry rotaround the door, the plumbing was questionable, paint was peelingoff the walls and she was thrilled to be here.
At least her room was a good size.The roomat her last job felt like a broom closet.Room space was alwaystight and last person hired got the crappy room.Apparently, thatwas a universal law in school management.It was her first year atNaples Elementary School and she had just landed a job here.Napleswas a small community in an historic western area south of CarsonCity, Nevada.The town was advertised to be the oldest community inNevada with the oldest bar, the oldest this and the oldest that.The downtown area was ringed with spacious ranches and huge homesleading up the jagged road to Lake Tahoe.You just couldn’t beat itfor all out landscape beauty.Hers had been quite a rapid move fromSan Francisco but when she had decided to act, she did.Coming toNaples had been her dad’s idea.He had lived there for a while as achild and had wonderful memories of the area.She was hoping therewere still a few people in town who might remember her family.
Lily smiled again at the four students facingher.She had a limited number because of their learningdifficulties.Arturo, Jesse, Sara and Cole were all five years oldand as cute as cute could be.They sat watching her and couldn’t bemore cooperative.Lily knew from classroom experience that all herstudents cooperating at the same time was a rare event, so shedecided to bring out the poetry while she could.After reading abook about horses to her students, one of them, Jesse, became quiteanimated.
“Do you know that my daddy has bunches ofhorses on our ranch?They are black and brown and white and copperand….”Jesse brightened as he continued describing their horses.“My daddy lets me ride all the time.We go down by the stream andfish sometimes.”
Lily thought Jesse was adorable.He had on abright red Western shirt and jeans with a belt buckle that had a“J” on it.His clear blue eyes looked right through her with theintensity of his feelings.A mop of blonde hair that stuck out inlots of places would occasionally fall in his face and he wouldautomatically push it back.It was a never-ending struggle: Jesseand that hair.
“Yeah, Jesse has all these horses and we goand ride sometimes,” said Arturo.He did his work slowly butsteadily, which was beginning to endear him to Lily.
“Jesse’s dad takes us all up to his ranchsometimes.I ride the black horse named Scout when I’m up there.Mymommy thinks Jesse’s dad is just the greatest.She said he’s cutetoo!”added Sara with Cole nodding his head.They were twins withattention deficit problems making it difficult for Lily to keepthem focused on the task at hand.
It was obvious they were all about to burstwith more comments about Jesse’s ranch and horse stories, so shedecided to get going with her lesson plan before it fell apart.
“Jesse, tell me one thing you remember aboutour story today,” asked Lily.
Jesse thought about that for a minute beforeanswering.
“Well, the wild horse wanted to be free andso he knocked down the gate.”
“Very good!Arturo, what is one thing youremember?”
“Hmm…um.I think the little girl got mad athim or something.”
“Okay, that’s pretty close.Let’s take a lookat that page to see what she did.”Lily went on with her lesson toelicit more responses from the children.The twins would blurtanswers out of turn, while Arturo would raise his hand.
Next Lily took out one of her poems.She wasa poet at heart who loved writing down abstract notions that cameinto her head.This poem was about a horse that she had seen ridingthrough a field by her house at dusk.The horse had taken herbreath away with his speed and sense of purpose.Where in the worldwas he going?She read the lines telling of the orange and redevening sky, and the sounds the horse made as he galloped as fasthe could.The children listened spellbound with an occasional “oo”and “ah” spilling out.
“That’s really cool, Miss Cable,” said Cole.“Could we do that too?”
“That is exactly what I want you to do, Cole.Everyone take a piece of paper from your desks and I will help youwrite a special poem.”
For the next thirty minutes, Lily helped thechildren write a poem about a horse.Jesse knitted his brow, lickedthe tip of his pencil and wrote what he was thinking, obviouslydeep in thought.Arturo broke his pencil and took his time lookingfor the separate parts that fell under his desk.Sara gazedabsent-mindedly out the window.Cole was more industrious and keptwriting while Lily instructed, although he had to tell her what hewas doing every other minute.
In time, they all had a few lines written.After reading their poems aloud, Lily asked them to draw some kindof picture on their papers below their poems that took them therest of the school time.The bell rang before they had finishedputting away all papers, crayons, markers and pencils.
“We’ll finish this Monday, everyone.Have anice weekend!”Lily laughed as the noisy children all bumped intoeach other trying to put things away and get out the door as fastas they could.
With a big smile, Jesse ran up to herdesk.
“Would you like to ride my horse sometime,Miss Cable?”He had fallen into Arturo picking up his Iron Manbackpack and was nursing a bruised knee.The mop of hair fell inhis face again.Could he be any cuter?Lily looked longingly at hislittle heart-shaped face.She remembered something and then pushedthe thought away.
“I would like that very much, Jesse.How niceof you to ask me.But maybe you should ask your dad first.Don’tyou think you should do that?”
“Ask me what?”said a deep voice from theclassroom door.
