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Avery was pulling a load of clean sheets from the dryer when the doorbell sounded around the corner. She peeked her head around the door jamb and was surprised to see Pastor Necome with Margaret enter.
“Good Morning Avery.”
“Morning, Pastor. Morning Margaret.”
“We came to meet with you and Marissa this morning,” Margaret said with a small smile.
“Okay,” she straightened up from the work she was doing, as tension climbed her spine.
Avery had been here since the birth of her daughter Jayne just eight months ago, but she already considered Living River Ranch her home. She tried to recall anything she might have done that could have caused a problem so big Margaret would have called on Pastor Necome. She came up short. Marissa adored her and loved having Jayne around. Ruth, who baked with them on Wednesday, was passing on family recipes to her. Stormi, Belle, and she were fast becoming friends and had even gone to town for a night out twice now. Nothing she could rally from her memories explained this visit. Anxious, she followed them into the sitting area and saw Marissa enter from the other opening to the room directly from the kitchen.
“Thank you for considering my proposition,” Pastor Necome said, extending his hand out to Marissa.
“You haven’t asked for favors often, but I kind of listen when it involves your boss,” she said, with a good-hearted chuckle.
“Point taken, but I think we have a real opportunity to help a young lady in great need,” he said with a sad shake of his head.
They all found seats in the little sitting-room, and then Pastor Necome looked to Margaret to start the meeting.
“Marissa, I know we spoke in general about Emily Bradley, but Avery wanted to get you up to speed. We would like to extend her a job here at the B&B as another set of hands for Avery, as I know things are busier than ever. Besides, she might need some extra encouragement as she receives therapy with Belle. What we are going to have Pastor Necome share was done in the greatest of confidence, so we are trusting everyone here to keep this information close and not share it with others.”
She looked at Avery, who was curious about where this was going but nodded her head. She liked the idea of being able to help give back to a newcomer to the ranch, just like so many had done for her when she first arrived. On the other hand, from the solemn looks on Pastor Necome and Margaret’s face, she already knew it was not going to be a happy story they were about to share.
“Emily is from a farm outside of Duluth, Minnesota. We purposefully are trying to find a safe place for her far enough away from family that she would not be able to be located. Emily was found two months ago, in a dog crate outside because she had tried to go into town with some friends. Her father, who I will add, will be certainly judged by someone much smarter than us, is controlling and harsh with his treatment of her. Emily has sought refuge from her home, a place to heal, and a job where she can earn her keep. She has been in the haven of a women’s shelter until now and was brought to my attention through mutual friends in my field of work.”
“How old is Emily again?” Marissa interjected.
Pastor Necome sighed deeply, “the poor woman is twenty-four, but that is not obvious when you first see her as she is very underweight and skittish as an abused puppy. I thought her to be in her late teens when I went up to visit her this past weekend. She has a charming disposition, but she has been torn down a lot in her life and thus needs some help rebuilding her confidence to live the life I believe she can.”
“Well, that’s what Living River Ranch does,” Avery volunteered. “I will help in any way possible.”
“We will just need you to show her the way around and be patient as she learns the routine. If you have any issues or concerns that arise, we are all here to aid on a moment’s notice. We believe through integrating her into a routine and helping her learn to live outside of her family farm will be the best choice for her healing,” Margaret added.
“Absolutely, anything I can do,” Avery said, emphatically.
She felt silly about her earlier thoughts and so grateful to be included in such an important task as this. To be asked to do this, truly made her feel grateful and able to give back. Avery absolutely adored her daughter Jayne, and their little life they were carving out here on Living River Ranch. How a father could have hurt his grown daughter to such an extent was beyond Avery’s comprehension. The thought of doing anything that was not entirely in Jayne’s best interest was utterly foreign to her.
Belle had told her recently that people who hurt other people, typically had a mental illness or other compulsions that made them believe they were doing the right thing in many cases. Their version of good and bad had been distorted either due to their own experiences or due to an impairment on their part. The effects of these situations without intervention to break the cycle could be catastrophic to both the victim’s further capabilities and have an overall negative impact on society. It is critical to act and rectify things in time. Hopefully, even at twenty-four, they could get Emily to lead the best life possible.
After listening a bit longer to the conversation, Avery excused herself when the topic changed to some other concerns. She had a bounce in her step as she went back to the tasks at hand. She was looking forward to this new helper, and maybe if she was lucky, they might end up as friends.
