Hilary Walker

Riding Out the Wreckage Hilary Walker

Father Michael is in his new house and open to receive visitors, starting with a long overdue dinner for Catholic horse trainer, Jack Harper and his family. Then, at the behest of his bishop, he plays host for two months to the handsome seminarian and ex-footballer, Reverend Paul Mattick.

In swift succession, the priest is faced with a series of crises, including the impending death of his father.

When a suicidal parishioner begs for help, Father Michael brings him to Jack's farm, where a week-old foal singles him out for attention.

Meanwhile, Jack's son Joe has lost his Christian faith. The teen is suffering a painful ulcerative colitis flare and now his beloved horse, Duke, is badly injured. How could a good God inflict such things on him?

Lucy, a lively teenage girl, enters Joe's life. But his parents worry; her Christian family is not Catholic. Father Michael reminds them that heaven is open to other denominations.

Using Jack's horses, Reverend Mattick's sports background and the collaboration of the nearby Lutheran church, Father Michael pursues his mission to save souls, alleviate distress - and lose some weight.