Skye (Rainbow Falls Book 1)

by Heather Gray

Tawny hooked a thumb in Jette’s direction. “What she said. Besides, Sam needs you.”

  Jette shushed her friend.

  Too late. “What about Sam?”

  Jette sighed, threw a glare at Tawny, and answered Skye. “There’s a hearing tomorrow. The District Court will listen to arguments to determine whether or not the City Council overstepped the legal boundaries of its authority. If it finds in favor of Samaritan’s Reach, the Council’s recent regulations will be overturned and their stranglehold on the shelter will be finished.”

  Skye’s breath caught in her throat. “How does it look?”

  Tawny crossed her arms. “Jette’s had all the Rainbow Girls praying like crazy since she got the hearing date. The Council has brought in a team of attorneys. Jette’s on her own. Her firm didn’t want her touching this one. They’re letting her, but they’re not backing her up.”

  Skye looked back and forth between the two women. It wasn’t her business. She wasn’t needed. Still. The future of the shelter hung in the balance. Gideon, Franco, Jack, Alan, the others. Not to mention the men like Rafael who would end up in jail instead of in a VA hospital if they didn’t have someone like Sam fighting for them. Sam. Samaritan’s Reach was his life. It would destroy him to lose it.

  Maybe not destroy. He was stronger than that. He wasn’t a quitter.

  But if he lost the shelter and left Rainbow Falls, she might never see him again.

  And that would destroy her.

  CHAPTER 38

  Sunny had made sure every man from Samaritan’s Reach had an interview-ready outfit. Sam needed to thank her. The men looked solid and professional.

  Sam stood silently as the men filed into the van. He shut the side door before climbing into the driver’s seat. It was time for their hearing. Jette would meet them at the courthouse. He could only hope that a gallery full of well-dressed men would help sway the judge.

  Parking was a tangled-up mess, and they ended up two blocks away from the municipal complex. Sam fed the meter with every coin he could find before leading his silent entourage of men down the sidewalk.

  He arrived at the front of the courthouse to find Rose, Ruby, Sunny, Fern, Tawny, and a couple others he didn’t know, waiting for him.

  Tawny’s wave encompassed the entire group of women as she nodded to Sam. “The Rainbow Girls are here to support you. You haven’t met us all yet, but we’ll be in the back row holding a little prayer vigil.” She shook the hand of each of the shelter’s residents. “We want you to know you’re not in this alone. We’re pulling for you, but more than that, we’re praying for you.”

  Before long, they were through security and inside. Sam sat next to Jette at a table while the attorneys for the City Council clustered around the other table. The courtroom wasn’t as glamorous as the ones he was used to seeing on television, but then, few things were.

  Both sides made their arguments, but the points each attorney made were lost on Sam. The fate of Samaritan’s Reach and his men was out of his control. It all rested on the words spoken by lawyers and a decision made by a single judge. Jette had already warned him. If the judge found against Samaritan’s Reach, there would be no point in appealing, and there was no way her firm would let her take on that kind of case pro bono. Technically, he could appeal. The chances of it doing him any good were slim to none, though.

  “Permission to approach the bench, Your Honor.”

  Sam glanced to his side. Jette was going off-script. She’d given him a blow-by-blow of what to expect, and this wasn’t part of it.

  “Permission granted.”

  Jette walked with a don’t-mess-with-me swagger as she approached the judge. As she spoke to him in low tones, the judge scanned the table filled with City Council attorneys until he finally pointed to one and waved him forward. The whispering between the judge and the two lawyers continued until that attorney raised his voice.

  “I object. She should have entered it into evidence if she wanted it to be admissible.”

  More whispering. What on earth was going on?

  “Objection!”

  The judge rolled his eyes. “This is a sidebar. You can’t object.”

  While they didn’t raise their voices again, the two attorneys whispered over each other at a rapid-fire pace.

  Was this good or bad? Jette should have clued him in ahead of time.

  The judge lifted a hand. “Enough. The court calls Paul Erickson to the stand.”

  Paul? He’d moved on ages ago. What did he have to do with anything?

  A door to the left opened and Sam watched as Paul, one of his former residents, entered the courtroom dressed in jailhouse orange.

  He swore on the Bible and took a seat before Jette approached the stand. “Please state your name for the record.”

  “Paul Erickson.”

  “Mr. Erickson, are you familiar with Samaritan’s Reach?”

  “Yes.”

  “Were you a resident of Samaritan’s Reach?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you ever served in the military?”

  Paul’s gaze flicked to Sam then back to Jette. “No.”

  No wonder they’d never been able to get his Veteran’s benefits straightened out.

  “If you’re not a veteran, can you tell me why you went to Samaritan’s Reach?”

  “I was hired to do a job.”

  Sam’s breath caught in his throat.

  Cool as ice, Jette continued her questions. “What kind of job?”

  “Surveillance, mostly. Taking pictures, looking for things the city could cite as violations.”

  The underbrush… The feeling that someone was snooping…

  “And did you ever do anything more than surveille?”

  Paul shrugged. “I was instructed to sabotage things, to try to prevent the employees and volunteers from being able to do their jobs.”

  Jette tapped her toe. “Give me an example.”

  “There was this one guy, Rafael. A car backfired, and it set him off. I was supposed to go to the office and get Miss Skye, but I didn’t. So the situation escalated, and the police were called.”

  “Were you aware that if the police had to repeatedly come to Samaritan’s Reach, the shelter would be shut down?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “So you willfully set out to make it appear that Samaritan’s Reach was a blight on the community?”

  “When you put it like that…”

  “Just answer the question. ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’”

  “Yes.”

  Sam sat back in his chair. There had been times when he’d felt like he was being sabotaged, but he’d never considered that someone might actually be… He’d just thought he was getting paranoid.

  Jette crossed her arms. “Who hired you to surveille and sabotage Samaritan’s Reach?”

  Paul pointed to one of the attorneys at the City Council’s table. “That one there.”

  Jette’s eyes flicked in the direction of the clustered attorneys. “Let the record show that the witness indicated Michael Rothchild, the City Attorney for Rainbow Falls, Montana.”

  “Objection!” The rest of the attorneys all jumped to their feet at once.

  “Overruled. You’ll get your chance to cross examine.”

  Jette asked a couple more questions about how Paul was hired and paid.

  The attorneys for the other side tried to tear his testimony apart, but by that time, Sam had tuned out the proceedings. He’d had a plant right under his nose for months and hadn’t realized it. His pride wasn’t going to let go of that one anytime soon.

  The judge cleared his throat, and Sam’s attention returned to the courtroom.

  “Alright. I think I have everything I need to make a ruling. However, we have a full house here today. While statements from community members cannot change the law and therefore will not affect my decision, I will open the floor in case anyone would like to speak.”

  Fern made the short trek to the small podium. �
�My name is Fern Green. I’ve been helping out at the shelter. I’m a mechanic, and I’ve been keeping their van running and giving a few of the men pointers. They’re a commendable group of men, and they want to rise above the stigma of being homeless. Shutting down Samaritan’s Reach will rob them of that opportunity. Thank you.”

  Ruby and Rose approached the podium, but only one of them addressed the court. “My name is Ruby Rhed, and this is my sister Rose. We run an employment agency in Rainbow Falls. We have successfully placed several men from Samaritan’s Reach into temporary positions and have received positive feedback from those businesses. We would like to place them into long-term positions as well, but folks are reluctant to hire them when the future of the shelter is so uncertain. If you rule against the City Council, we’ll be able to assure these employers about the longevity of Samaritan’s Reach. Thank you.”

  The sisters retreated to the back.

  Sam kept his eyes trained forward. He wasn’t superstitious, but even so, he couldn’t help but worry that looking back at the crowd behind him would somehow jinx everything.

  Harry the barber voiced his praise of Samaritan’s Reach next.

  Then the flea market’s manager.

  Pastor Dennis even got up there to speak. “The people who attend New Hope Church of Rainbow Falls are enriched by the attendance of the men from Samaritan’s Reach. I’ve seen genuine spiritual growth in some. Mild curiosity in others. Regardless, though, as believers, we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, and having these men in our midst has helped my congregation embrace that concept and turn it into a reality.”

  He glanced down at his notes before continuing. “Because of the positive impact Samaritan’s Reach has had on our congregation, we now have an afterschool club for grade-schoolers three days every week so parents don’t have to worry about their kids going home to an empty and unsupervised house. Meanwhile, those students get tutoring if they need it, help with their homework, and an opportunity to play games and be kids. We’ve also started a voluntary carpool service of sorts where we can come to the aid of the elderly or those without transportation to make it to the doctor or other appointments. There’s more we want to do, too, and all because Samaritan’s Reach is here in Rainbow Falls doing its part to make our community better.”

  Miss Rebecca, with the help of her walker, came next. “As you might can tell, I’m not in the best of shape. I haven’t had to worry about a thing around my house, though. These men have taken care of my yard and even fixed some things in the house that needed repairs. It was all their idea, too. Sam called me one day and said he had a proposition for me, and the next thing I knew, my house was in better shape than it had been in for years. When I realized how serious the men were about helping, I gave Sam a list of other shut-ins and seniors who could do with a visit.”

  She put her hands on her hips — despite the walker — and stared the judge down. “Over the next month, Sam brought a team of men to each and every one of those people and took care of everything they needed done, plus some. They did all this without any expectation of compensation. They did it because it was good and right and because they want to be contributing members of society. By upholding the Council’s foolhardy and overstepping regulations, you’ll be depriving this community of a valuable asset.” Pastor Dennis helped her turn her walker around. On her way past his table, she winked at Sam.

  Then Gideon. The men had nominated him to speak for them. “Your Honor, thank you for giving us a chance to be heard. I am speaking on behalf of all the veterans at Samaritan’s Reach, and I want you to know that we are all better men for having the experience of living there. Sam Madison didn’t just give us a roof over our heads. He gave us hope. He is helping to educate us, integrate us back into society, and turn our lives around not just for a day or a week but for a lifetime. Every man who has spent even a day at that shelter will tell you, he owes Sam his life. If you shut down Samaritan’s Reach, you’re robbing every single one of us — and all the men to come — of a future we can be proud of.”

  Jette glanced over her shoulder and nodded at someone. She’d gone over the list of speakers with Sam, and as far as he could tell, they’d all spoken. He couldn’t turn around to see who it was without being obvious, and he couldn’t even peek over at the podium easily because Jette was sitting between it and him.

  “Thank you, Your Honor, for allowing us an opportunity to speak.”

  Sam’s head snapped up while his heart turned inside out and beat a rushing pulse in his temples.

  “My name is Skye Blue. I first met Sam Madison on an airplane. He scared me a bit. He’s an intimidating guy to look at. When he talked about Samaritan’s Reach, though, I realized that I’d done the worst possible thing. I’d judged him by appearance. Underneath that somewhat daunting exterior, he’s a wonderful man who loves God and who fights every day to help the men in his care build better lives for themselves.”

  Sam drank in the sight of her. His mornings had been empty without her, and his days… Nothing had been the same since she’d gone.

  “I visited the shelter one day, and I did something that triggered a PTSD episode in one of the men. He didn’t assault me or anything like that, but the experience still terrified me and left me shaken. That man is now sitting in this courtroom. He’s registered for college classes, is in counseling for his PTSD, and is stepping up to help lead new men coming into the shelter. His journey is far from over, but the progress he has made with the support of Samaritan’s Reach has turned his life around.”

  The professional polish fell away from Skye’s voice as she continued. “The changes in him didn’t come from a haircut and a toothbrush. They came from inside. They came from being in an environment where he felt safe, where he could speak freely about his experiences, and where Sam Madison and his staff work tirelessly to find and build on the strengths of each resident so they can grow in confidence and ability.”

  Skye smoothed her hands down the sides of her business suit before picking up where she’d left off. “Despite my experience that first day — or maybe because of it — I kept going back. I couldn’t see what it was, but I knew there was something valuable going on there. And even though it scared me, I wanted to be a part of it. What’s happening at Samaritan’s Reach goes beyond the facts. It’s about more than the number of men they house, the amount of money they can raise, or the contributions they make to this community. Those are all important pieces of information to have, but you need to understand that this shelter is transforming lives, and no set of data can tell you what that means or how much a single changed life can touch the world. Let alone a whole group of changed lives. I know your decision today has to be based on law and not emotion, and I want you to know that nobody here will react in anger if you make a ruling we don’t agree with. Our hearts will, however, be broken, as will the dreams of these men.”

  Sam fought the urge to go to her. She was here for Samaritan’s Reach, maybe even for the men. She hadn’t come back for him, though. He needed to remember that.

  Skye thanked the judge for his time and returned to her seat. Her eyes passed over Sam, and the touch of her gaze scorched him.

  Don’t go, Skye. Don’t run away again.

  CHAPTER 39

  Skye sat there, tucked in between Fern and Tawny, in the back row of the courtroom gallery. The other Rainbow Girls were praying. She knew that, but what was she supposed to say to God?

  She had to try, though. For Sam. If there was a chance God was real, she needed to try.

  Okay, God. This the part where I’m supposed to promise I’ll go to church every Sunday for a year if You keep the shelter open. I can’t do that, though. Going to church doesn’t matter if I spend every second of it wishing I were somewhere else.

  As if they’d coordinated the whole thing, Tawny and Fern each reached over and gripped one of her hands. Skye squeezed their hands in return and continued her one-sided monologue.

  So here�
��s the thing. I’m not even sure You’re real or, if You are, that I want anything to do with You. I won’t make promises about going to church. But I’ll promise to be real with You. I’ll be honest. I’ll tell You what’s on my mind, and I won’t pretend to think, feel, or believe something I don’t. If You are what everyone else seems to think, then You already know what Samaritan’s Reach means to me. You know how I feel about these men, and… about Sam. You know. Please help them. Don’t let the City Council shut them down. It means too much to too many people, and it’s not just helping the homeless vets. It’s helping everybody. I’m a better person because of Samaritan’s Reach. Without it, who knows? I’d still be sitting at my kitchen counter running a company I don’t want, from a laptop I refuse to update because I was too afraid of change. I’m not that person anymore, and it’s because of Sam…

  “The court finds in favor of the plaintiff. The Rainbow Falls City Council acted outside its legal rights to impose unfair and unreasonable regulations on businesses within the community. What’s more, they appear to have targeted a single business, an act reprehensible in an entity whose purpose is to represent and protect all the town’s citizens. I hope the voters of Rainbow Falls remember this when it’s time for re-election. Case closed.”

  The judge banged his gavel, but everyone else sat there in silence. He cleared his throat and looked over his glasses at the people in his courtroom. “This is the part where you cheer. Samaritan’s Reach is staying open.”

  Tawny jumped up. Since she still held Skye’s hand, Skye got yanked up out of her seat too. She returned Tawny’s hug, then turned to hug Fern.

  She was dragged out into the aisle, and one by one, the Rainbow Girls hugged her. Each of the men from the shelter pulled her into a hug, too.

  Alan scuffed his toe against the floor. “You know I’m sorry I scared you that day, right?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Skye watched as Sam shook Jette’s hand and made his way through the small gate and toward his men. “It’s over. You don’t need to apologize anymore.”