“I’m going to let you settle in and get some rest,” his host said. “I’ll pick you up at six. Come hungry.”
After Josh left, Travis explored the cabin. If he accepted the offer, it would be a great place to stay. The cabin was immensely comfortable, and the lake outside was a gem. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and took it out to the screened porch and its comfortable chairs.
Covenant Falls looked like a nice town, but he had grown up near an even smaller one and was familiar with its pitfalls. Everyone knew everyone’s business, and Travis preferred the anonymity of a large town.
But this project of Josh Manning’s was intriguing. Travis was fully aware of the problems vets often had when returning home. Many, if not most, soldiers joined to learn a skill, earn an education or make it a lifetime career. Deployments were long and frequent, and your buddies became your lifeline, as well as your family. Leaving due to injury was devastating.
He knew that first-hand. He would listen tonight, but he already knew he wanted to be involved.
He needed a mission, and this sounded like a good one.
* * *
JENNY’S SISTER LOST no time in finding a three bedroom condo she loved. The owner was being transferred overseas, needed a quick sale and was more than happy to add his furniture to the sale.
Jenny moved in with her two weeks later after her father returned to the family home and railed against both sisters, Lenore for ending her marriage and Jenny for taking Lenore’s side.
In the next few weeks, Jenny found an unexpected friend in her sister and a special kinship with Charlie, who was, as Lenore said, very much like herself. They spent a lot of time together as Lenore studied for the Colorado real estate exam.
They shared books and discussed the news on television, and Jenny recounted stories of overseas adventures minus the bad ones.
But as much as she enjoyed the new relationships, her restlessness returned. She wanted to roam again. Visit new places, meet new people. Charlie seemed to understand, and together they combed newspapers, magazines and the internet to find that special “something.”
It was Charlie who found it in one of Lenore’s Colorado travel magazines that her mother was collecting for future clients.
“Look,” Charlie said excitedly. “Here’s a story about an inn in a town named Covenant Falls. I’ve never heard of it, but it’s in Colorado. It mentions a horse therapy program.”
The article featured an inn with the catchy name of the Camel Trail Inn. One line in the short article really struck her. “Innkeeper Susan Hall said many of the town’s outdoor activities are operated by veterans, and plans are underway to develop an equine therapy program for veterans.”
The latter paragraph struck her like lightning. It was exactly what she’d been searching for.
She smiled. A little-known town named Covenant Falls. An inn named the Camel Trail Inn, veterans offering outdoor activities and possibly an equine therapy program.
It was the story she was looking for.
“YOU HAVE TO be kidding!” Travis exclaimed.
“Afraid not,” Josh Manning said over the phone.
Three weeks after Travis’s first trip to Covenant Falls, he’d finally moved into Josh’s cabin.
He hadn’t known at first whether he was the right person for the job. He liked the ideas he’d heard at supper that first night. He liked Jubal Pierce and his business partner, Luke, and their commitment to an equine therapy program. He’d seen enough vets in Walter Reed and rehab to know how debilitating the aftermath of war could be.
But he’d wanted to do some research on his own first. He’d spent three weeks back in Washington on his laptop, getting to know equine therapy programs available for veterans. Some received grants, some fees from the VA and some public support. Still, there was more need than availability.
Jubal, though, was impatient. He wanted to get moving. Riding and a horse named Jacko had helped him survive the rough months after leaving the SEALs. He was determined to do the same for others. He’d read about and talked to providers. He knew the need.
Jubal’s commitment to hire Danny was the deciding factor. The kid had been uncertain, having never lived in a small town nor worked with horses. He wasn’t sure what he could do with one leg, and he didn’t want to let Travis down. Travis felt it was the other way around. He didn’t want to let the kid down.
So Travis was there to work on the details, and Danny had moved out to Jubal’s ranch and was now helping to build a bunkhouse of sorts for single participants in the program. Other vets in town had pledged to help, and Danny would learn about construction, as well as horses.
Danny had been awed by working with a SEAL, and Jubal had been pleased with his work ethic and eagerness to learn. For the time being, he used a spare room at Jubal’s ranch, but would move into the bunkhouse once it was finished. The job offered a small salary, as well as room and board.
Everything seemed fine until Travis received the phone call from Josh.
“I have some news,” Josh said, sounding unhappy.
Travis waited for the other shoe to drop.
“A reporter called my wife, as well as the manager of our inn,” Josh said. “She’d heard about Covenant Falls and the veterans here. She wants to do a story.”
“A reporter?” An image of his ex-fiancé skipped through his mind.
“Yeah. I checked on her, and she’s pretty high-powered. Jennifer Talbot. She works for several news agencies. Did some reporting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.”
“I know the name,” Travis said. “Concentrated on soldiers and civilians more than tactics. But why the interest in Covenant Falls? It’s peanuts compared to what she’s been doing. We don’t even know if there will be an equine therapy program yet, much less what it might look like. It’s a hell of a long way from being a reality.”
“Eve told her, but she was insistent. Long story short, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Dammit,” Travis said. He’d had contact with reporters before. Many went for the headline, not the meat of the story. And too many got the meat wrong.
“My sentiments exactly. It’s much too early. But she made a reservation at the inn. Indefinite stay starting on Thursday.”
“What is she doing back here in the States?”
“She didn’t say. Susan was too busy answering the reporter’s questions. I gather this Jennifer Talbot is interested in doing a story about veterans coming here, and Susan mentioned the equine therapy project and Jubal’s name. Talbot apparently seized on it.” Josh hesitated, then added, “Talbot then called my wife for more details. Eve was cautious. She knows how we feel about our privacy and that Jubal definitely does not want this project to be about him. One reason he moved here was to get away from the publicity about his captivity and escape. He went through hell, and he doesn’t want to live through it again in the newspapers.”
“It might be hard to avoid it now,” Travis said. After a moment of consideration, he added, “Publicity would probably help bring in donations.”
“We don’t want that kind of publicity,” Josh said. “First of all, we don’t even know if we’ll go ahead. Second, if we do go ahead, the wrong kind of publicity could scare vets away. We’ll want word of mouth through the