You already know Christy. Now meet her friend Sierra!

The Sierra Jensen Collection Excerpt from book 1—Only You, Sierra

Sierra Jensen gazed out the train window at the cold, wet English countryside. In an hour she and her friends would be back at Carnforth Hall with the other ministry teams that had spent the past week in various European countries. Endless pastures, frosted with winter’s ice, flashed past her window. Sierra sighed.

“What are you thinking?” Katie asked, uncurling from her comfy position on the train seat next to Sierra. Even though Katie was two years older than Sierra and they had met only two weeks ago, they had become close during the week they had just spent together in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

“About going back to the States.” Sierra smiled her wide, easy smile at Katie, but she was really looking past her. Across the aisle from them, their team leader. Doug, was sitting next to his girlfriend, Tracy.

Katie folded her arms and settled back against the upholstered seat. “I’m not ready to go home yet. I’d like to come back. Maybe next summer.”

Sierra noticed Tracy tilt her heart-shaped faced toward Doug’s, giving him a delicate smile that, by the look on his face, melted him to the core.

Katie looked over her shoulder to see what had distraded Sierra. Turning back to Sierra. Katie leaned forward and whispered. “Don’t they just make you sick?”

“Katie.” Sierra said in a hushed voice. “I thought you guys were all best friends. Why would it make you sick to see those two together?”

“It’sjust… well, look at them! They’re totally in love.”

“I know.” Sierra cast another glance at the couple, now talking softly and looking deeply into each other’s eyes. “I can’t imagine ever being in Tracy’s place and having a guy look at me like that.”

“Are you kidding?” Katie’s bright green eyes did a quick head-to-toe scan of Sierra. “Have you ever looked in a mirror, girl? First, you have the hair going for you. You have great hair! Wild, blond, curly. Very exotic.”

“Haven’t you noticed?” Sierra tugged at a curly loop of her long hair. “Straight, sleek hair happens to be in right now.”

“Oh sure, this week. Wait a few days. Everyone will be running out for perms so they can look just like you. And your smile happens to be award-winning. Fantastic clothes. And I don’t ever want to hear you complain about your body. “

“What body? I’m shaped like a tomboy.”

“Better to be shaped like a tomboy than a fullback.”

“You’re not shaped like a fullback,” Sierra protested.

“Okay, a halfback.”

“You’re both beautiful.” Stephen, the German guy on their team, inserted into the conversation. He was sitting directly across from them and had appeared to be sleeping.

Sierra blushed. He was the oldest one of their group, and his beard added to his older appearance.

Why do women find it a sport to criticize themselves to their friends?” Stephen leaned forward. You both are gorgeous young women on the outside and fantastically beautiful here—” he patted his heart— “where it really counts.”

“Then you tell us why all the guys aren’t falling at our feet.”

“Is that what you want, Katie?” In an uncharacteristic move. Stephen tumbled to the floor and bowed at their feet.

Sierra burst out laughing.

“Get out of here!” Katie said. “You’re making this a joke, and I’m serious.”

Stephen returned to his seat, a satisfied little grin across his usually serious face.

“You’re a guy. Tell us what you’re attracted to in a girl,” Katie said.

Stephen glanced at Tracy, then back at Sierra and Katie. “Well,” he began, but it was too late. His unspoken message seemed clear.

Katie threw her hands up in the air. “I knew it! You don’t have to say anything. You men are all alike! You all say it’s the personality and what’s on the inside that counts. But the truth is, your first choice every time is the Tracy type—the sweet, helpful, cute ones. Admit it! There’s little hope in this world for the few individualists like Sierra and me.”

“On the contrary. You’re both very attractive. To the right man. you will be a treasure. You just need to wait on God.”

“I know, I know,” Katie said. “And until then, we have our own little club, don’t we, Sierra?”

She and Katie had formed the Pals Only Club at the beginning of their trip. She slapped Katie a high five and said, “P.O. forever!”

“That’s right.” Katie said. “We may have lost Tracy, but it’s you, me, and Christy from here on out.”

“You women do not need a little club,” Stephen said. “Perhaps a caveman with a big club might be helpful…”

Instead of laughing at his joke, the girls gave Stephen a tandem groan and twisted their expressions into unappre-ciative scowls. He folded his arms against his chest, closed his eyes, and pretended to go back to sleep. But a crooked grin was on his lips.

“Come on,” Katie said. “Let’s get something to drink.”

Sierra followed her down the rocking aisle that led to the back of the train car. They passed through the sliding doors and headed for the compact snack bar at the end of next car. After buying Cokes, they stood to the side by the closed windows.

“Guys like Stephen really bug me.” Katie said. “First they’re all sweet and full of compliment, and then they make stupid jokes. You never know if they’re serious about all the nice stuff or not. Enough talk about guys. Let’s talk about something else.”

“It’ll be great to see all the other teams tonight and hear about everything that happened to them.”

“Yeah.” Katie agreed. “I can’t wait to hear about Christy’s week in Spain.”

“I still can’t believe they pulled her off our team at the last minute and sent her all the way to Spain after the rest of the Spanish team had already left. I don’t think I could have done what she did, traveling all by herself for two days and then joining up with a team of people she barely knew.”

“It’s like I kept saying,” Katie said, making a muscle-man pose, “she is Missionary Woman.”

Sierra smiled. “I felt as if I was just getting closer to her, and then they shipped her off on a moment’s notice. It must have been even harder for you to see her leave like that, since you guys have been best friends for so long.”

I’m sure it was a God-thing.” Katie finished her drink and tossed her can into the trash can.

Sierra thought about how much had happened during their week of ministry at the church in Belfast. Sierra and Katie had worked with the children, had performed in a drama group, had gone out street witnessing, had prayed with teenagers when they said they wanted to give their lives to God, and had visited some elderly women of the church who treated them to tea and cakes. It had been a life-changing experience for Sierra, and she was glad Katie had buddied up with her.

“You know,” Katie said as they headed back to their seats, “I’m sure God had a reason for taking Christy off our team. If nothing else, it let me get to know you, and I’m really glad for that.”

“I am too,” said Sierra. “I’m just starting to feel depressed now that it’s almost over.”

“Not so fast! We have two more days before we have to leave.” Katie pointed out.

“Next stop is ours,” Stephen said when they reached their seats.

Sierra fought off the sadness that crept in when she realized the next time she boarded a train in England it would be to go home. Something caught in her throat every time she thought about returning to the States.

She hadn’t been able to talk about it to Katie or anyone else. Maybe she should. Whenever she mentioned her situation, it had been with her usually cheerful, adventuresome spirit. No one knew that deep down she was nervous, knowing that everything in her life was going to be different when she returned home.