Finding Our Forever

“Are we talking movie stars?” Cora hadn’t considered that possibility, but she supposed, since they weren’t far from LA, it was logical.

“A few. Others are the children of producers and movie execs, attorneys, doctors, that sort of thing.”

“Are the wealthy kids ones who are typically loved, or...”

Her lips curved into a rueful smile. “Oh, they’re loved, just a little more generously than would probably be best. From what I’ve seen, being given too much can be as difficult as being given too little.”

“Doesn’t that create quite a disparity? I mean...you mentioned taking in orphans who have no one to support them.”

“We have some of the richest and some of the poorest students in the state. But we make it clear from the beginning that everyone is on an equal footing here at the ranch. There is no favoritism, no bending of the rules because of who their parents are.”

“I can’t imagine that goes over very well—not for people who are used to receiving preferential treatment.”

“I’ve lost several students over that policy,” she admitted. “All parents agree to it when they enroll their child—but can change their minds once they want or need special treatment.” She pushed a strand of loose hair out of her face. “Regardless, I won’t bend. To me it’s a matter of integrity. And, if a parent will stand behind me, their son usually settles down and begins to learn the lessons they were hoping we’d teach him.”

Cora swallowed another bite of her cookie. “How does that play out in a social setting—for the kids, I mean?”

Aiyana took another sip of coffee. “Depends. We take a hard line on bullying, too—watch carefully for it. Most get the message early on that the rules are firmer here, but fair to all, and life falls into a sustainable rhythm. I don’t think we’re too terribly different from other high schools—all schools have some behavioral problems.”

“But you’ve taken on the behavioral problems other schools can no longer cope with. Doesn’t that ever make you feel...intimidated?”

“I wouldn’t want to go back and start over—I can tell you that,” she said with a mirthless chuckle. “But now that we’re up and running, and I’ve got the momentum that comes from doing this for so long, it’s easier than it was. Still, I couldn’t continue without the community support I’ve received, not to mention the devoted teachers we have here—and Elijah, who has such a knack for communicating with these boys. Even if I can’t get one to behave, he usually can.”

Cora pictured Aiyana’s son on top of that horse. “Elijah’s your secret weapon.”

“Absolutely.”

She studied Aiyana’s face. Her mother was so pretty despite the lines that were beginning to appear around her eyes and mouth and the ribbons of gray in her hair. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but...”

“Ask me anything,” she said.

“I was wondering what nationality you are.”

She seemed surprised by the question—that Cora would have any interest in that—but not put off. “My mother is a Nicaraguan immigrant. My father was a white farmhand in the Central Valley.”

“Are they still alive?”

“They are. But my mother is no longer with my father. He was an abusive man, so I don’t have any contact with him, either. For many years now she’s been with the farmer who employed them both and has been so much happier. What about you? What nationality are you?”

Cora thought it might be too coincidental if she were to say she was part Nicaraguan, but that was good to know—filled in one of the many blanks in her life. Aiyana had said her father was white; from her skin tone, Cora assumed hers was, too. “I’m a mix, I think.”

“And your parents? Where are they?”

“In LA. My father’s a financial planner. My mother’s sort of a...socialite.”

She smiled at that. “Do you have siblings?”

“An older brother who’s larger than life and terribly handsome. Like a lot of people in LA, he’s a movie producer. What about you?”

“I have one older brother and two younger brothers, but I don’t see my younger brothers very often.”

She seemed noticeably saddened by that. “They don’t live close?”

“My brothers are all over California. One owns a winery in Napa. One is in banking in San Francisco. The oldest runs the farm for my mom and stepdad in Los Banos, where I grew up.”

“Are they all married?”

“Yes. With kids. What about your brother?”

Suppressing her curiosity about why Aiyana had never married, Cora answered the question. “Still playing the field.”

“Sounds like my sons.”

“Where are they all? I mean, besides Eli, of course.”

“Gavin, my second oldest, has a house in town but works here. He’s a handyman, can fix anything.”

“Really?” Cora had been around for five days, yet she couldn’t recall ever seeing a handyman. “Was he at the meeting on Monday?”

“No. He’s not someone who likes to get involved in the administration aspect of the ranch. He prefers to remain in the background, which is why he lives in town.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty-eight. I adopted him three years after I adopted Elijah. Then there’s Dallas. He’s twenty-five and a mountain climber, so he’s usually off, traveling to remote destinations all over the world. I don’t get to see him much.” She seemed to regret that but moved on. “Seth is twenty-three. He recently graduated from UC Berkeley, wants to be a sculptor. That’s one of the reasons I love art so much,” she confided. “I’m not sure what I would’ve done with him if I hadn’t been able to reach him in that way...”

“He has...emotional issues?”

“Anger issues, mostly. I seem to gravitate to the most damaged of the boys. I can’t help trying to make them whole.”

Did Aiyana always accomplish that? Or were some of her sons too damaged? “Let’s see—Elijah, Gavin, Dallas and Seth. That’s four sons, but I heard you have eight,” Cora said. “What about the others?”

“Ryan and Taylor are twins. Well, they’re not actually related, but we call them twins because they’re the same age and have done just about everything together since they met here at the ranch. They’re still in college. Ryan wants to be a planetary scientist, and Taylor has set his sights on becoming a theoretical physicist. They’re both too brilliant for their own good,” she added. “Now that they’re actually applying themselves.”

“Where do they go to school?”

“MIT. Then I have Liam and Bentley, who go here. Liam’s a senior. Bentley’s a sophomore.”

“I wonder if I’ve seen either one of them around.”

“Not yet. They’ve been with Dallas at Yosemite the past ten days. He’s teaching them how to climb.”

“That’s nice of him.”

“They live to spend time with their older brothers.” She lowered her voice. “He better not let them get hurt, though.”

“It’s a scary sport.” Cora dusted the cookie crumbs off her “boyfriend” jeans. “Would you ever consider adopting more?”

Finished with her coffee, Aiyana pushed the cup aside. “I keep telling myself I need to stop. But every couple of years, it seems as if there’s at least one more I’m dying to take home with me.”

“That means...maybe?”

“I guess. It’ll depend on the circumstances.”

So she would take in another boy if she felt he needed her that much, Cora decided. “Did you always want a big family?” she asked and then held her breath. She thought this might be the most revealing question yet, that it might give her some clue as to why Aiyana hadn’t wanted her, but Aiyana’s face grew shuttered as she shook her head.

“No. Never thought I’d have any kids.”

Cora was dying to ask why, but there was something so forbidding in the sudden change in Aiyana’s expression and body language that she could tell it would be too intrusive. Aiyana had essentially slammed the door shut on that subject, and she didn’t stick around long enough to give Cora much of a chance to talk about anything else.

“I’d better go.” She reclaimed her empty cup as she stood. “It’s been wonderful having a chance to chat, but I’ve got a lot to do before the pizza party tonight. You’re coming, right?”

Cora had found a flyer taped to her door when she got back to her cottage last night announcing a Kickoff Party for all the teachers at a place called Moonstruck Pizza in town. “I haven’t made up my mind, to be honest.”

“Oh, don’t miss it,” she said. “The entire staff gets together the Friday before school starts to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of a new year. It’s a tradition.”

“And the students? They stay on campus?”

“Yes. The floor monitors keep an eye on them. So come to the party. It’ll give everyone a chance to get to know you. And there’ll be plenty of pizza and beer—and karaoke, if you sing.”

“I sing a little,” Cora said, but that was an understatement. She sang a lot. She and a handful of friends liked to compete in various local contests, enjoyed standing behind a mic. And she really needed to get out and have some fun. She just hoped Doug Maggleby wouldn’t be too determined to monopolize her time. She could easily imagine spending the evening trying to dodge him.

“So you’ll be there?” Aiyana seemed eager for her company.

At that point, Cora didn’t feel as if she could refuse—not if it might afford her a few minutes more with her birth mother. “Sure. Why not?” she said, but as soon as she agreed, she began to wonder if Elijah would be part of the festivities. Then she chided herself for having the desire to see him. She was letting herself get quite a “thing” for Aiyana’s handsome son, even though she barely knew him and he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in her.

* * *

He was there. Cora spotted Elijah as soon as she walked into the pizza parlor and hated herself for suddenly being so glad she’d come. She didn’t need to get her heart broken; she was trying to mend it by moving here, to finally get over the sense of rejection her adoption had engendered.

But she figured she shouldn’t be too hard on herself. She didn’t yet know anyone other than the staff she’d been introduced to at the school, so it wasn’t all that surprising she’d fixate on the one man she’d met who was in her age bracket—especially when she factored in how darned handsome he was.

She couldn’t get hurt if he never responded, anyway. His disinterest made the attraction safe. So she figured she might as well enjoy the view he provided, maybe even indulge in a few harmless fantasies. If allowing him to fuel her imagination helped pass the time and made her stint in Silver Springs more enjoyable, why not?

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