Home to Hope Mountain
A place called Hope Hayley Sorenson uses horses to help people heal. But when neighbor Adam Banks asks for her expertise with his teenage daughter, she says no. How can she get involved when all she sees is their past? And the attraction Hayley feels for Adam makes her anything but objective!Yet Adam isn't deterred, and in getting to know the woman they call the horse whisperer, he realizes that she's dealing with her own pain. As Hayley etches a place in Adam's heart, all he wants is to give her the home she truly deserves.
Читать Home to Hope Mountain онлайн беплатно
A place called Hope
Hayley Sorenson uses horses to help people heal. But when neighbor Adam Banks asks for her expertise with his teenage daughter, she says no. How can she get involved when all she sees is their past? And the attraction Hayley feels for Adam makes her anything but objective!
Yet Adam isnât deterred, and in getting to know the woman they call the horse whisperer, he realizes that sheâs dealing with her own pain. As Hayley etches a place in Adamâs heart, all he wants is to give her the home she truly deserves.
Adamâs deep voice betrayed nothing but sincerity
So much generosity was overwhelming, especially in the face of her standoffishness. âItâs kind of you but I canât accept.â
âWhy not? Give me one good reason.â
Hayleyâs hand hovered over the key in the ignition, itching to turn it. She didnât have a good reason. But she had her pride. âYou donât even know me and youâre inviting me to live in your cottage.â
âNot knowing you is all the more reason to keep a close eye on the therapist whoâs treating my daughter. What do you say? Youâd, of course, be free to come and go, and do whatever you normally do.â
It was so tempting. Her garage would be cold and dark even with candles. But accepting would mean admitting she was a stoneâs throw from being homeless. âNo. Thank you, but no.â
âWhy not? It makes sense. I have this big house and a cottage and youâre toughing it out in a garage.â
Ah, he felt guilty. Why should she care? His guilt wasnât her problem.
Dear Reader,
In the summer of 2009, my home state of Victoria was caught in the grip of devastating bushfires known as Black Saturday. People not from Australia might think the term âbushâ means small bushes, but it can also mean the forest. The toll from Black Saturday was horrendous: one hundred and seventy-three human lives were lost and over two thousand homes destroyed, plus countless livestock and wildlife.
Home to Hope Mountain isnât about death and destruction, though. Itâs about survival and recovery and the resilience of the human spirit. Itâs about the ability of the land to regenerate. And about a small community that pulls together to put the tragic past behind them and rebuild their lives. Itâs about the power of love to heal and to renew hope for the future.
Although Iâve drawn on stories of the bushfires, neither the town of Hope Mountain nor any characters or their experiences are based on real places or people.
The Horses For Hope program is real, however, and does amazing work for people suffering from a variety of mental health issues. It was this program and not the fires that was the inspiration for this book. I hope Iâve done the program, and the amazing bond between horses and humans, justice in my portrayal. Iâve taken liberties with the programâs method of funding for plot purposes. Any other inaccuracies are inadvertent.
Thanks to Colin Emonson for answering my many questions and explaining how the therapy works. For more information go to www.horsesforhope.org.au/.
I love to hear from readers. To drop me a line, or to find out more about my books, go to www.joankilby.com.
Warm regards,
Joan Kilby
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When Joan Kilby isnât writing her next Mills & Boon Superromance title, she loves to travel, often to Asia which is right on Australiaâs doorstep, so to speak. Now that her three children are grown, she and her husband enjoy the role reversal of taking off and leaving the kids to take care of the house and pets.
To the victims, human and animal, of bushfires.
To the brave firefighters and emergency workers who put their lives on the line in times of extreme danger.
And to the survivors who rebuild their lives with courage and hope.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
ADAM BANKS DROVE down his winding, rutted driveway while his fourteen-year-old daughter, Summer, nodded to music only she could hear through the earbuds dangling beneath her long red hair.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy of eucalyptus. Birds warbled and twittered above the smooth purr of his vintage Mercedes-Benz. The open window let in a cool breeze that held just a hint of spring.
When he came to the road he looked both ways then began to pull out.
âLook out, Dad!â Summer yelled.
A horse and rider crashed through the forest and shot past right in front of him.
Adam slammed on the brakes and swore under his breath. âI saw her. Did she see me?â
The blonde woman on the dapple gray hauled on the reins, struggling to control the fiery horse. âIâm sorry. Really sorry. My horse has some issues.â
Adam stuck his head out the window, his heart still racing. Heâd damn near run her down and the shock of it made him rude when he wouldnât normally be. âLooks to me like youâre the one with the problem.â
