Jamie Learns to Love

About the Book

Short Summary

Jamie, a teenaged girl who does´t get along with her mother, turns for solace to her mare, Dream. Close to her father, who helps her nurse a blind kitten, raise three orphaned lambs and win a trophy for her riding, Jamie must face a painful truth about him. Close friends, Mike and Ann help Jamie discover her own strength and a faith that gets her through this tragedy. When a beautiful filly is born to Dream several months after her father´s death, Jamie and her mother are able to celebrate this new life together.

Short Author Biography

Kay Nation loves living in New Mexico with her husband, Bob, and a very large cat named Popcorn. While raising two daughters who loved riding horses and showing sheep at the county fair each year, Kay worked as a teacher and counselor. She has published a non-fiction book for young adults as well as several short stories.

Synopsis

As Jamie practices barrel racing for the upcoming Grant County Fair, she is upset about moving from this acreage nestled against the Colorado Rockies that she loves so much. Her mother owns a dress shop in town and wants to move closer to work. Jamie is furious at her mother for not understanding what is important to her. She would have to board her mare, Dream, and give up three orphan lambs she is raising to show at the fair. Awakened by Dream’s whinny, she and her father attempt to rescue the lambs from marauding coyotes. The next day, Jamie rides well and wins the high-point trophy in the gymkhana. Her dad is there to cheer her on, even though his headaches are getting worse and causing concern. She thinks about the foal Dream will have in the spring and listens reluctantly as her dad tries to help her understand her mother. Jamie discovers three orphaned kittens, one blind. She and her good friend, Anne, practice for the Fair and Jamie describes her plan to run away if the family moves to town. Her father gets dizzy while loading hay and his headaches become worse. Her parents find a house in town they would like to buy. Jamie is concerned about her dad’s health, as well as where Dream will have her foal once they move to town. As elsewhere in the novel, we learn about Jamie’s interior processes. Riding by the river, Jamie and Dream encounter a rattlesnake. When she gets home, she sees the For Sale sign in front of the house. Mike comes over and Jamie discovers new feelings for the boy she has ridden with for years. Confused about her feelings for Mike and the sale of the house, she talks to Anne and Anne’s mom. Learning her dad has a brain tumor, Jamie turns to her two friends for support. Anne, Mike and Jamie wander through the fair and end up on the Ferris wheel. Mike pulls her close and she enjoys being near to him. She and Anne practice the barrels and poles as Mike watches. Anne invites her to go to the church youth group. Envying Anne the faith she talks about so easily, Jamie agrees. On the first day of the Grant County Fair, Anne, Jamie and Mike all compete in Showmanship, Reining, and Western Horsemanship. When she looks up to find her dad in the stands, he is missing. She rushes up to find he has been taken to the hospital. While her mom is at work, Jamie discovers her mother’s journal and reads about the anger and hurt her mom feels about her dad’s infidelity. Numb from shock, she rides off on Dream and meets Mike. She wants to be held and Mike is only too eager to comply, but she stops him. Returning home, she finds out her dad’s condition is critical. Jamie, her two married sisters and her mom support a difficult decision made by her father. Jamie is surprised to see how much her mother loves him. As they all comfort each other, Jamie decides not to bring up what she read in her mom’s journal. At her father’s funeral, Reverend Blair talks about her dad in such a loving way that Jamie listens through h

About the Author

Kay Nation loves living in New Mexico with her husband, Bob, and a very large cat named Popcorn. While raising two daughters who loved riding horses and showing sheep at the county fair each year, Kay worked as a teacher and counselor. She has published a non-fiction book for young adults as well as several short stories.