Finding Our Forever Read online

  “Who...” Jill pressed.

  She pictured the muscles that bulged in Eli’s arms as he hefted box after box into her cottage. She really wanted to touch the smooth curve of his biceps. But it was the size of his broad chest and wide shoulders that really made her short of breath. “Who somehow gets under my skin!”

  “To whom you feel an immediate attraction, you mean.”

  “He’s good-looking. That’s all,” she said, hoping to minimize it.

  “That’s why you told him, out of the blue, that you have a boyfriend as if you were accusing him of hitting on you? Because he’s good-looking? What were you thinking?”

  “I don’t know! I was merely attempting to wall off the possibility. So I wouldn’t even consider it. That’s not too weird, is it?”

  “You might’ve gotten ahead of yourself, but... I’m guessing you succeeded. I doubt he’s hoping for anything now, so you can relax.”

  Cora took a deep breath. Jill was right. Maybe she hadn’t done it gracefully, but she’d put Elijah Turner on notice that she wasn’t a romantic possibility. Even if he hadn’t considered her one to begin with, establishing certain boundaries was important to her. She needed to focus, to keep her life simple while she was here so that she could do a good job for the kids at the ranch while getting to know Aiyana. If she decided she wanted to be part of Aiyana’s life, she’d eventually have to determine if Aiyana wanted to be part of hers—and break the news. Imagine how awkward it would be if the answer to that question was no and yet she was seeing Eli!

  “It’s better that we covered it early.”

  “If you say so. How’s the cottage?”

  “Small but cute.” She wandered over to a Mason jar filled with wildflowers that someone had left on her table. It was a thoughtful touch, one she hoped Eli wasn’t responsible for...

  “I can’t wait to see it.” Jill suddenly lowered her voice. “I’ve got to go. My boss is here.”

  Cora wasn’t even sure she said goodbye when they disconnected. Her attention had switched entirely to a small card she found beside the flowers.

  Welcome to New Horizons. We are so excited to have you here.

  Aiyana

  Bending slightly, Cora put her nose to one of the delicate yellow poppies that made up the bulk of the arrangement. “I hope you’ll be just as glad once you learn who I am,” she said as she exhaled.

  Chapter Four

  “So you’re the new art teacher.”

  Cora smiled at the middle-aged man with thick glasses who sat on her right side. “Yes.”

  “Ah. Makes sense at last.”

  “What makes sense?” she asked, but he didn’t get the chance to answer—or even introduce himself. Aiyana stood near the circulation desk and called the staff to order. Cora felt she knew where the man had been going with that comment, anyway. Everyone thought she’d gotten the job based on her looks. Otherwise, Gary Something-or-Other would’ve gotten it.

  “Thank you all for coming,” Aiyana said. “Although we had a few of you here during the summer, handling one program or another, classes were limited. So I hope, now that the rest of you are back, you feel refreshed, because I’m anticipating one of the best years in ranch history.”

  As Aiyana spoke, Cora glanced around. There were thirtysomething people in the room, an assortment of teachers and support staff, but she couldn’t see anyone even close to her own age. Half the people seemed to be in their forties, the other half in their fifties. A few looked even older.

  She was beginning to believe Jill and her mother were right: the next year was going to be terribly lonely...

  “Before we get started, let’s go over a few of the changes that have occurred in the past two and a half months. First, we will have 256 students when we start classes on the twenty-eighth, up from 223 last year. That’s a significant increase, so we’ll have to watch out for the newcomers and help them feel at home. We also have a new football coach—Larry Sanders, who played in the pros thirteen years ago. Larry couldn’t be here tonight due to a family commitment, but he’s been practicing with the boys for over a month. I believe he’ll be a real asset to our sports program—at least that’s what Elijah tells me. As most of you know, Elijah is our athletic director in addition to many other things—basically whatever he needs to be in order for the ranch to operate smoothly.”

  Cora’s neighbor leaned over. “Someone with real experience, huh? Maybe we’ll finally win a game,” he muttered.

  Cora didn’t respond; she was too interested in witnessing the pride on Aiyana’s face when she looked at her adopted son. They were close. That was obvious without either one of them having to say a word—but as nice as that was for Elijah, Cora found it a bit disheartening. Was there any room in Aiyana’s heart for her?

  Cora didn’t get the impression there was, but she didn’t have the chance to think about it for too long. Aiyana was moving on.

  “Not only do we have a new football coach, we have a new art instructor.” She stretched out her hand in invitation. “Cora, will you please stand?”

  Elijah’s eyes seemed to cut right through Cora as she got to her feet. Why she could feel the weight of his gaze and not anyone else’s, she couldn’t say, but she’d been struggling to ignore him since she walked into this meeting.

  After a nod to acknowledge all the smiling faces that were turned to see the new art instructor, she sank back into her seat.

  Aiyana was talking about how they were going to allow student government to run the assemblies from now on when the man next to her leaned over again. “Where have you taught before?” he asked.

  After his earlier comment, Cora almost provided the name of the high school that had offered her a permanent position a few weeks ago, but a quick word with Aiyana or Elijah would too easily reveal the truth, since she’d been honest with them. “I’ve never had a permanent position.”

  “You’re a brand-new teacher?”

  “Relatively new,” she admitted. “I’ve been subbing for six years.”

  “Do you have any idea how difficult some of the boys who come here can be?”

  Aiyana hadn’t given the bad behavior Cora was likely to encounter much emphasis. But Cora had known from the beginning that this school wasn’t for the well-adjusted. “I understand that most of the boys come from a very difficult background,” she replied. “But it shouldn’t be too much of a change. You should see how some regular students treat substitutes,” she joked.

  The man laughed but quickly sobered. “Subbing isn’t easy. Kids will get away with whatever they can. Still, for an attractive young woman of your age—”

  “I’m nearly thirty,” she broke in, but she had to wonder—in her hurry to get close to Aiyana, had she given what she might face here enough weight?

  “Still,” the man said. “It won’t be easy. I hope you haven’t gotten in over your head.”

  When Cora glanced up, she happened to catch Elijah watching her. He didn’t look away, as she expected him to; he continued to measure her with those enigmatic eyes. Was he experiencing any doubts about having hired her?

  Possibly. Probably. She hated to even consider that. But if she had to fight to find her place in the world, she’d do it. She supposed, in that respect, she wasn’t much different from Elijah or the other boys who’d come through here, or were still attending.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said—and hoped it was true.

  * * *

  “I see you met Sean Travers.”

  Cora recognized Elijah’s voice even before she turned to see him standing at her elbow. Why he’d put her through the discomfort approaching her was bound to cause, however, she couldn’t say.

  “The guy who was sitting next to me?” she asked.

  “Yes. Our science teacher—or ranch pessimist, depe
nding on how well you know him.”

  She nibbled at the cookie she’d just snagged from the refreshment table. “He doesn’t think I’m capable of teaching here. I guess I look too young and delicate to handle the boys who act out.”

  “Does that shake your confidence?”

  “I admit I’m a little worried. Everyone seems to believe the job should’ve gone to a man named Gary...”

  “Seton,” he filled in as he handed her a cup of punch. “Because he’s local—they know him.”

  “But...”

  “It wasn’t their decision,” he said simply.

  She couldn’t help envying him his long, dark eyelashes. She knew she had pretty eyes—guys told her that all the time—but she felt his were prettier. “No. It was yours. So...can you tell me why?”

  “Why I chose you?”

  “I know it isn’t what they all seem to think. You made that clear earlier.”

  He took a sip of his own punch. “As far as I’m concerned, your competition has no...vision.”

  “Am I supposed to understand what that means?”

  His massive shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I wasn’t impressed with his work.”

  “You were impressed with mine?”

  “You’re talented,” he said evenly. “Perhaps more than you know.”

  “I’m teaching art, not selling it. I’m guessing he was at least proficient.”

  Elijah finally shifted that unnerving gaze away from her. “You have to understand certain concepts to be able to teach them.”

  “What concepts are you specifically referring to?” she asked, but someone else approached him at that moment, interrupting, and he turned away without answering.

  Since Eli fell deep into conversation with a woman who looked sixty or so and was concerned about a particular student Cora had no way of knowing, she felt awkward standing there waiting for the chance to speak to him again. So she gave them some privacy by carrying her punch over to the corner. She was looking for an unobtrusive vantage point from which to observe her birth mother. Aiyana was mingling with the staff. But then Cora saw the science teacher who’d sat next to her approach Aiyana and knew, when they both glanced in her direction, that they were talking about her. Sean Travers was expressing his reservations.

  Disgruntled that this man she’d barely met would jump to conclusions based on her age and gender, and start to advocate against her, Cora finished her punch, dropped the paper cup in the wastebasket and left the library. Her phone kept vibrating in her pocket anyway, making her feel as if someone really needed to reach her.

  When she got outside and felt she could check, caller ID indicated it was her father.

  Gazing up at more stars than she’d ever seen in the sky before, she wandered around the campus as she spoke to him. Most of the students were away, at home if they had a home to go to, for a quick holiday before classes started in earnest, so the campus was quiet, especially this far from the outdoor basketball courts and the dorms.

  “So are you going to like it there?” her father asked.

  She tried to let the energy in his voice help lift the depression that had set in. “It’s definitely going to be a change.”

  “A positive one, though, right?”

  “Sure,” she said, kicking a small pebble across the sidewalk.

  “Whoa. Is something wrong?”

  “It’s just different, that’s all. I’m not used to smelling manure at night. Or seeing stars that shine so bright.”

  “The manure can’t be pleasant, but the stars sound nice.”

  “They are nice. And the manure isn’t all that bad, not if I stay away from the livestock pens. I guess it’s more that... I’m beginning to wonder what made me think I could handle teenage boys who have significant behavioral issues.” She’d mostly been thinking of her own emotional issues, not the responsibility she would feel to be a guiding light to teenage boys who’d lost their way. Was she bound to disappoint Aiyana and Elijah and let her students down?

  She couldn’t abide the thought of failure.

  “Don’t make it too complicated, babe,” her father said.

  “In what way?”

  “Everyone responds to love.”

  “I have to do more than love them, Dad. I have to teach them. And what if they won’t let me?”

  “If you love them, they’ll trust you. Love and trust come first. Then you’ll be able to teach. I promise you.”

  She thought of Gary Seton. Maybe he had no “vision,” whatever Elijah meant by that. But she was willing to bet he’d be firmer when it came to meting out discipline. She didn’t want to punish anyone. “I’m not sure why these people hired me,” she grumbled.

  “They must’ve seen what your mother and I see in you.”

  “And that is...”

  “You can do anything.”

  Tears filled her eyes. She was tired, which made her emotional. But she was also experiencing a little culture shock, and she missed her family already. “Maybe I was a bit hasty making the decision to come here, Dad.”

  “It’s only for a year, honey. Do your best. That’s all anyone can ask. And come see us when you can.”

  She wiped her cheeks as she told him she loved him. But she felt even worse after she disconnected. She had good parents. The conversation she’d just had with her father proved it yet again. So why was she betraying them?

  * * *

  The moment she got back to her cottage, Cora went straight to bed. She had a lot of unpacking yet to do, but she figured that could wait. She needed sleep, knew it would help her cope with all the recent changes—as well as the uncertainty.

  Fortunately, she felt a lot better when she woke up. She spent the morning unpacking the rest of her belongings and stacking the cardboard from the boxes in her SUV so she could take it to a recycling center. Then she decided to go into town to look around, have lunch and buy a few groceries. Someone—she guessed Aiyana since Aiyana had also been responsible for the flowers—had put a few essentials, like eggs, bread and milk, in her fridge, but the cupboards needed to be stocked.

  Cora was halfway to town when she saw a man on horseback galloping down a dirt road off to her right. She would’ve thought nothing of it—she could only see the rider from the back as he wove in and out of the trees between them—but she recognized the man. It was Elijah Turner!

  She pulled over and angled her head to see through the passenger window, trying to get a better look. He was something else. A puzzle. What drove him? What did he want out of life? Had he put the past behind him? How did he feel about the boys who came to the ranch? Did he see himself in each one? Where were the people who’d abused him? Did he have any contact with them? Was his work enough to fulfill him? Or was he seeing someone?

  Maybe he was dating around...

  Cora was also curious to learn how he’d gotten that scar on his face—but equally afraid to find out. What she’d read about him scared her. She didn’t want to imagine him going through any more pain and suffering than what she’d been forced to imagine when she’d read that article about him. She wondered if other people had the same reaction—if they shied away from him for fear they might have to walk into that darkness.

  Movement behind him caught her eye, and she realized that he wasn’t alone. He had three boys with him. It looked as though he was taking some New Horizons students out for a ride...

  She glanced into her backseat. She had her camera, had brought it to take some pictures of Silver Springs she could send to Jill and her family. She still planned to do that, but her fingers itched to take a few shots of him and those boys first. She’d never seen a man sit so comfortably in the saddle as Elijah. And she loved the way he kept looking back at the boys, like a mother hen checking her chicks.

  This wasn’t a
bout admiring Aiyana’s adopted son so much as it was about the symbolism she saw here, she told herself as she cut the engine. He represented a man who’d not only survived tremendous difficulty but risen above it. Someone who’d conquered his demons. And now he was helping others battle theirs. There was a great deal of artistic beauty in that, and she had to capture it.

  She couldn’t get a clear shot from the roadside, however. There were too many trees in between.

  After hiking down the embankment, she wove through the forest to get close enough. Luckily for her, or she never would’ve caught up with them, Elijah and the boys had stopped and were laughing and talking while drinking from a canteen Eli passed around.

  She fastened her heavy telephoto lens to the expensive camera her parents had given her for Christmas last year and clicked away, using a fast shutter speed so that the pictures wouldn’t turn out blurry. In one picture, she captured Elijah laughing. She’d never seen him smile, not so easily. He was in his element out here, and he cared about the boys he was with. Those two things were readily apparent; she could see it in both his body language and his expression.

  Cora was disappointed when he put the lid on the canteen, slung it over his body, where he’d been carrying it before, and charged up the next hill, making it impossible for her to get any more pictures of him.

  As the boys whooped and hollered in their efforts to keep up with him, she hiked back to her car. They were having a blast. She could easily imagine any problem they had disappearing while they were out enjoying the beautiful scenery and the equally beautiful weather.

  Witnessing the impact Elijah was having on the students at the ranch—by taking enough interest to guide them on a ride even during their “off” period—inspired her. He was embracing the spirit of his job. Like Aiyana, he was doing it for the right reasons. And so could she. She had a lot of love to give. Who needed it more than abused, neglected and angry teens?

  How are you doing today?

  Her father’s text came in just before Cora started her car. Better, she wrote.