CHAPTER ONE
“Liar.”
“Cheat.”
“Give us back our money!”
The voices echoed through Kane’s mind, forcing him to wake up. Looking around, he remembered climbing on the bus heading west. Heading away from Athens, Ohio, to avoid the memories of his last day of college football, and maybe the end of his chances at a professional career. Still sleepy, he ran his hand over his head, expecting to feel the longer dreadlocks he’d worn for the last five years. But the stubble of a buzz cut under his fingers scraped his palms. A lot more than his haircut had changed.
Football had been important to him. From the elementary playground where he’d tossed the foam football around with his friends at recess, to the travel team he’d played on in middle school. His mom had driven him all around the state, giving up her weekends and vacations to provide him the chance to follow a dream. The times of playing in pouring rain, breaking his arm in one game…each memory had been etched into his soul.
His stomach burned when he thought about that final game and how his friends, his coaches, his teammates, and even his girlfriend had turned on him. No matter, he’d had to do it. Though the correct thing to do, good chance he’d cost himself his dream of playing in the NFL. Thank goodness his mother hadn’t lived to see how it went down. It’d started out just as any other game, but during the final plays, things went terribly wrong. Thankfully, the season had ended and he had a summer internship, far away from the world of college football. At least until the truth came out…if it ever did.
He stared out the window, taking in the changing scenery, and gave up on a nap. The flat, grassy fields had given way to hills. He couldn’t call them mountains yet. Having grown up in southern Ohio, among the Appalachian Mountains, nothing short of the Rockies would ever seem like a mountain to him.
Even with all the drama going on and his need to get away, a pang of homesickness hit him in the gut. After all, he’d not gone away to college like many other students. He’d stayed in Athens and played for the Bobcats. Telling everyone he planned to save money, he’d lied to hide the fact that after his mother’s death, he didn’t want to leave his home, where the memories of her love remained the strongest. Kane’s tune changed when he’d been approached about his football career this past year. As a junior, he had been poised for not only graduation, but professional football. He’d have to get used to leaving his small town at some point.
Moping didn’t do him any good, so Kane pulled a magazine from his pack. While he had read the article half a dozen times, he couldn’t help reading it again. The Heartsong Ranch meant more than the location for his upcoming internship—it offered another connection to his mother. The ranch purchased most of the horses raised at Final Chance Corrals. His mom had worked at the corral as a horse trainer up until her death. Each time a foal came into the facility, his mother guided the young animal through the process of becoming acclimated. Most of the foals had been abandoned by their mothers or had lost their sires in fires or other accidents. Getting them used to people, bridles, and eventually saddles had been their primary task.
He often worked side by side with his mother, helping to care for the animals, but his love of children drove him into the school of education at the university. With this internship, he would combine his passion for animals and his love of teaching.
In the seat next to Kane, the elderly man startled, waking up from a siesta. He had chosen this seat because the man had been sleeping and less interested in talking. He held his breath as he studied the man’s expression, one of fear as if the poor guy were a starving zombie. He reached down into his pack and pulled out a baseball cap, placing it on his head and tugging the brim low over his eyes.
Thoughts raced through Kane’s mind. Maybe the guy will fall back to sleep…maybe he won’t talk…maybe he won’t recognize me.
“Where you headed, boy?”
Rats. The man’s deep voice broke through his prayers. He let out the breath he’d been holding then closed the magazine and stuck it in his bag. His mom had taught him proper manners. “I’m heading to Whisper, Colorado. Where are you from?”
“Goin’ to see the grandkids in Boulder. I take this trip every year. Never gets easier.” The gentleman tugged a handkerchief from his pocket then wiped at his brow. “Harder now without the missus. We used to drive the mobile home and visit for a month. I’m too old to drive.” He waved his hand in front of his face. “Can’t see like I used to, especially at night. Besides, this way I get to sleep. So, what brings you way out west? You’re not from here with your twang.”
Trying to be polite, he didn’t ignore the man but kept his answers brief and to the point. Most people would rather talk about themselves than listen; he hoped to find a topic that’d get the guy talking, or even put him back to sleep. “I’ve got a job with The Heartsong Ranch. I’m working with them for the summer.”
The man closed his eyes, and Kane mentally fist bumped. But then the man spoke, “Seems to me I’ve heard of that place. Don’t they work with those handicapped kids?”
“Yep. I’m in college, studying elementary education with a major in special education. The ranch takes many of the foals my mom rescued, so it could have helped me land this internship.”
“Teaching is a wonderful career. My sainted Yvonne was a fourth grade teacher. She taught for over thirty years.” The old man blew his nose into the handkerchief, the noise so loud the little girl sitting across the aisle turned to gawk. “We’d talk about the kids, but most times, the administrators and the parents. Every school has those ones that are pieces of work.” He shook his head.
“Kids got no manners these days, either. Eavesdropping, butting into where they don’t belong.” The gentleman leaned over Kane and glared at the young girl. “Nosy little miss.” He frightened her into sitting back in her seat and hiding her face against her mom’s arm.
As the man returned to his space, he yawned. “Look, young man…you need to develop a thicker hide if you want to be a teacher. Gotta be forceful with people. Don’t let them run you over.” He yawned again. “Getting sleepy. Best of luck with your new job. Remember, be firm with those kids or they won’t respect you. Been nice chattin’.”
The man slumped against the window. Frightened for a moment that the guy had stopped breathing, Kane stared until he noticed the man’s chest rise and fall. While the gentleman seemed a little strange, as a traveling companion, the man didn’t bother him much. He could’ve had worse…like the wide receiver from the Bobcats who always got a boner while sleeping, or his former girlfriend who liked to dress him in the latest hip fashions and talk non-stop. Turning onto his side toward the now sleeping man, Kane folded his arm under his head and let sleep claim him.