“An animal dentist?”
“No, a human dentist.” He laughed. “The pair of us worked on this beautiful adult male tiger. I sedated him with a shot and monitored him while he was getting sleepy. When I felt like he was pretty good and under, I pried his mouth open and my buddy started working on extracting the tooth. Fortunately, my assessment was correct. There it was, a rotted tooth causing all that pain and discomfort. But it was in the very back. My buddy was nervous sticking his hands in the creature’s mouth, avoiding all those big, sharp teeth.” He took a sip and continued. “He gingerly worked on this huge wild animal, and about three quarters of the way through the job, the tiger twitched, then twitched again. My buddy the dentist pulled his hands out, eyes wide, scared to death. ‘Is he coming to?’
“Of course, I had no way of knowing how the tiger would react to sedation. I just looked at him, and said, ‘If you hurry you can finish.’ And he did. He’d probably never pulled a tooth that fast in his life. But he got it all. The beast healed quickly and all was well.”
Nora said, “And you both escaped with hands and fingers intact.”
“That’s right.”
“Wow.” They sat a little while longer and finished their glasses.
“More tea?” Patty said.
“No thanks, I better get going.” Shaw stood and kicked his legs out. “Need to get down to Georgetown for an appointment with a cow with a ripped udder.”
Nora took his empty glass and walked with him to the truck. Patty said her good-byes and escaped inside the apartment. He lingered at the open door of his truck, turned to face her. “I sure appreciate your help with the mare. Oh, and the iced tea.”
Nora beamed up at him. Was it because she’d hadn’t been this close to a handsome … no, gorgeous man in a good long time? But her heart was running away with her. He was handsome, rugged, and so nice. Solid and reliable. Hardworking and responsible. Oh, and he smelled good. Traits she’d always valued in a man. Is this why she’d never settled down with anyone? Because she couldn’t find a man who embodied all of them? A small town country vet was not exactly the type of man she’d always pictured herself with. She envisioned herself more with a big city, professional suit sort of man. But at this stage of her life, maybe she could revise that vision.
“My pleasure. I guess I’ll see you later when you come back to check on her?”
“You sure will.” His voice rumbled deep in his chest and she caught herself taking a step closer to him. Close enough that if he’d just lean down, he could easily rest his lips on hers. Her heart fluttered at the thought.
Of course, he didn’t kiss her. But he did put a hand on her shoulder and ran it down her arm to her elbow. Her nose caught a whiff of his scent … not a store bought cologne, but a simpler scent of bar soap, leather and the ocean breeze. She liked discovering how he smelled, and she’d pay attention next time to see if he smelled that way consistently.
“Would you like us to have some dinner ready for you?” she asked, looking up into his eyes.
“Absolutely not.” She felt a passing sense of disappointment until he continued. “This time it’s my turn to feed you two. I’ll bring something with me. It won’t be as good and homemade as the lunch Patty made, but it’ll be edible.”
“You don’t have to do that. You’re working all day. We’re not.”
“I insist.” He lingered with his hand still on her elbow, then he moved it to tug a lock of her hair out of her face. It was an intimate gesture, and suddenly a bubble popped. He pulled back. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“Don’t be,” Nora murmured. Definitely don’t be sorry for touching me, because I had a vision of you kissing me. Maybe Patty was right, he liked her? Yes, she was out of her element here. But enjoying every second.
The moment passed like an exhaled breath and they both returned to a more natural distance. Like the clearing of a throat, they re-set the scene and he jumped into his truck, pulling the door shut behind him. He leaned through the open window and said, “I’ll be back with dinner about seven-ish? Is that too late?”
“No, that’s perfect.”
“Great. I mean, we all have to eat, right? Might as well eat together.” He pulled out and with a wave through the window, was gone.
Nora walked back inside the apartment. Patty was drying the iced tea glasses and stacking them in the cabinet. She turned and looked at her sister. “You look breathless.”
Nora smirked. “I wanted him to kiss me.”
Patty put the last glass away. “And …?”
“And he didn’t. Not that I thought he would. But he did touch my arm and brushed some hair out of my face.”
Patty made a fist and pumped it in the air. “Yes! I knew it!”
Nora pushed on, “He’s bringing dinner over at seven. But he said not to expect a home-cooked meal.”
“Oh, how sweet!” She closed the cabinet and put the towel on the counter. “I’ll feel good leaving you, knowing that the two of you are heading in the right direction.”
Nora frowned. “What?”
Patty blinked. “My flight leaves tomorrow.”
“Oh, my gosh. I totally forgot! Has it been a week already?”
Patty nodded. “A week tomorrow.”
“Oh darn,” Nora mumbled. It wouldn’t be the same around here without her. They’d had fun, and they had shared so much this week. As sisters, they shared a great bond, but never made enough time for each other.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do?” Patty asked softly.
Nora huffed out a breath. “Not really. I feel like I’m on a vacation here. I’m just here for some fun and relaxation but I’ll go back home soon.”
“But …”
“But I keep forgetting that if I really take ownership of this place, there would be nothing relaxing about it. And if I lose my job, I won’t have a home to go to.”
“Whoa, who said anything about losing your job?”
Nora sat on the couch. “Tony is doing an investigation right now. He’s scouring all my files of the Samson Merger. If he finds evidence that I knew what Henry was doing while I was managing the merger, he’ll fire me. And, possibly, press criminal charges.”
Patty gave her head a frustrated shake. “But you’re forgetting one thing. You are innocent. Henry may have engaged in something illegal, but you had no knowledge of it. You’re not going to be fired! Or for God’s sake, arrested!”
Nora closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing her racing pulse. “You’re right, of course. I’m just getting nervous because he’s been investigating me a week already and he hasn’t cleared me yet. What’s he looking at? What’s he going to find?”
Patty reached over and rubbed her hand. “Nothing. He’ll find absolutely nothing.”
Nora nodded. “Right.” And for some unknown, unexpected reason, tears filled her eyes and dripped down her cheeks.
“Oh, sweetie!” Patty exclaimed and came to sit beside her on the couch, put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “What are you crying about?”
Nora took a few deep breaths and tried to take control of her emotions before she spoke. “What would become of me if I couldn’t go back to the law firm? My whole identity is tied up in the fact that I’m a partner at Gibson, Monroe and Ramsey. If that were no longer true, there’s really nothing left in my life.” And how absolutely depressing was that reality?
“Nora, a lawyer is what you do. Not who you are.”
Nora stared at her sister. If only that sentiment were true. But in her heart, she knew it wasn’t. She’d worked her whole life to be a lawyer, a successful one. But if that were suddenly ripped from her life, what would she do? Who would she be? She’d always strived for approval, for praise, for achievement. She received all that from her work. It’s what drove her. Without it … emptiness.
“What if they let me back but no one respects me anymore? What if the staff thinks I was guilty all along, and Tony got me o
ff? Because I was a partner, or,” she gasped, “because I’m a woman? That would absolutely kill me, Patty.”
“They’re not going to think that. Everyone you work with knows how hard you work and what a good job you do.”
“But it looks suspicious, how they made me sneak off under the cover of night, and send an email to explain my absence.”
“Well, that was Tony’s direction. In my opinion, that was mishandled.”
Nora nodded, sniffed. “But Tony’s in charge. I may not agree with how he’s handling everything, but he’s calling the shots.”
Patty stared at her, and Nora knew her brain waves were churning; she was getting an idea. “Why does he get to call the shots? You’re still a partner there. What would happen if you just walked back into work one day? What would he do? What could he do?”
“He told me to take a sabbatical until his investigation into my project was done.”
“Yes he did. And you’ve given him a week. I’m suggesting you go back to work. Just show up! You know you’re innocent. Take your power back.”
Nora laughed. She had to love her sister. “It’s an approach I hadn’t really considered, I’ll say that much.”
Patty laughed too, and settled back into the couch. “Or don’t. Stay here and enjoy an indefinite amount of time away from the craziness and stress of the office. Thank your lucky stars that you now have a reason to be gone from there indefinitely. Sink into southern beach life. You may never want to go back!”
Nora considered the alternatives. “You should have been the lawyer, Patty. You just presented convincing arguments for both sides of the issue.”
Patty laughed. “No, not me. You’re the lawyer.”
They decided to take a long walk together. When they reached the beach, they removed their shoes and walked barefoot in the sand.
A knock on the door had them scurrying to finish setting the table. Nora wiped her hands down her hips and answered the door. Shaw stood on the landing, a smile on his face and a bucket of fried chicken in his hands, along with a separate brown paper bag. When he stepped inside, the aroma of deep fried deliciousness filled the small apartment.
“I love fried chicken,” Nora said happily. Patty came over to greet Shaw and took the bucket from him. He followed her to the table with the bag. When he started pulling out side dishes, both ladies moaned.
“Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cole slaw, biscuits, butter and honey. Think we can fill our stomachs on that?” He looked up at them expectantly.
They laughed. Nora was thinking if she filled her stomach with all that, she’d need a crane to get out of the chair.
“But … what’s for dessert?” Patty quipped. They all chuckled.
They sat and ate, and conversation came easily. He was such an easy man to talk to. Nora was around men constantly in the work setting, but she didn’t have an abundance of experience with men in a social setting. But this particular man made it simple. He listened, he commented, he contributed, he laughed when appropriate.
“You’ll need to do me a favor and stop in on my sister when you stop in on Maggie. I’m leaving to go home tomorrow,” said Patty.
Nora’s face warmed and she hoped she wasn’t blushing as brightly as she feared. She wondered if she could subtly smack Patty’s arm without Shaw seeing. On the other hand, it didn’t matter to her if he saw. She smacked Patty’s arm. Shaw grinned and Nora said, “She’s always trying to embarrass me.”
“Hey, it’s the neighborly thing to do. Friends check on each other. Friends eat together. Nothing to be embarrassed about.” She soaked in his beautiful smile, and then he winked at her and her heart pounded harder.
“So, Patty, you’re leaving to go back home. Have you decided what you want to do long-term, Nora?”
“No, I really haven’t. I’m in sort of a transitionary period at work, I guess you could say. I’m enjoying being here, and it’s reminding me so much of Aunt Edie, and why I loved her and why I loved visiting her here. But eventually … it could be tomorrow or it could be a month from now … I’ll be going back to work. And once I’m there, I just won’t have the time to come down here very often. And I’m afraid if I’m not here frequently, the whole thing would go to shambles.”
Shaw nodded. “It is a place that needs constant upkeep. Edie found that out when she went into her assisted living facility. She needed help maintaining it because she didn’t live here anymore. She worried about it constantly.”
Nora hated the thought of Aunt Edie laying in her bed, worried about the upkeep of her property. “How do you know?”
“I used to visit her.”
Warmth flooded her. “Well, that was awfully sweet of you.”
“She and I were friends. I enjoyed her company, and I knew it was hard for her to be there without contact with people. And besides, I was often there anywhere. Visiting …” he sniffed and looked away, “… someone else.”
Nora looked up. Awkwardness filled the air. There was obviously a story there … who was he visiting? … but it wasn’t any of her business. The moment passed.
Shaw went on, “The place really needs someone younger and energetic, with some maintenance skills to take care of some of this stuff. I didn’t have time to take care of it myself for Edie, but I did make some phone calls to hire some folks to do it for her to reduce her anxiety about it.”
“That was nice of you. I’m sure she appreciated your help.” Nora’s heart fell. None of those words described herself. Younger? Nope. She was in her late forties, quickly approaching fifty. That’s not ‘younger’ by anyone’s definition. Energetic? She liked to think she exuded energy in the office, but once she got home for the night, her evenings were all about sinking into the couch and watching TV a few hours before going to bed and starting it all over again. And maintenance skills? Nope. Not her. Not a one.
Every once in a while during this week, she’d let her mind wander to the possibility of her living here, working here – not as a lawyer, but in some sort of capacity like Aunt Edie had. Not giving riding lessons, and not in competitions, but something involving horses, or animals, and the beach. She loved it here, and now that she was back and was given the opportunity to stay, she didn’t want to give that up.
But then her mind would wander back to what she’d be sacrificing in order to make this a reality. Her career. Her law firm. Her mid-city apartment. Her lifestyle. She’d worked hard for all those things. How could she possibly just fling them away to go live on a farm in a small southern beach town? When she realized that she was actually considering it, she wondered if she was going crazy.
“I’m no closer to a decision about accepting my aunt’s inheritance than when I got here.”
Shaw nodded. “I understand. Take your time. Don’t rush into anything, or do anything you’ll regret.”
Nora nodded. The weight of the decision felt like it was beginning to crush her chest.
“Have you ever prayed about a big decision you have to make?”
She blinked at him, stared. “Um, sure, I guess.”
“I find that it really helps. When something big faces me, I pray for God’s guidance. I don’t pray for an immediate answer. I pray that he will lead me in the right direction, so that when the decision is made, I’ll have faith that it is God’s will.”
“Does that work?”
He chuckled, breaking the spell. “I believe it does.”
The idea hit her and before she could change her mind or talk herself out of it, she said, “Will you pray with me now?”
Shaw’s eyebrows went up, and Nora didn’t even want to look at Patty’s reaction. She just stayed focused on Shaw’s face. “I’d love to.”
He held out both palms, and Nora and Patty placed one of their hands in each of his, then the sisters reached across the table and grasped hands as well. They sat in the quiet, closed their eyes, and finally Shaw said aloud, “Dear Lord. We thank you for the bountiful gift that our dear Edie
has left to her niece, Nora. We thank you for her generosity and we thank you for the strong bond of family. However, God, Nora needs help deciding what to do with this offering. Nora has a full life miles away from here. As much as she’d love to accept this property and make a home here, she already has a home, and a career and responsibilities. What is your direction for her life, God? Should she leave behind what is now familiar, all that she has worked for, to come to Murrells Inlet and take over this ranch? Or is it your will for her to stay in Philadelphia doing her work, and make this property available to someone else to run? This is the dilemma Nora is facing, God, and we need you to intervene and make it clear to Nora what to do.”
He squeezed both their hands. “Amen.” Shaw drew in a breath. “It’s a start. As they say in the shampoo business, rather, rinse, repeat. The repeat is the important part. Pray often.”
Nora got the impression that he wasn’t just saying it. He was a man who practiced what he preached. He appeared to be a man who let his faith lead his way in life, and this was something that she had heard of, certainly, but she didn’t know anyone who actually did it. Her own family had never been against church, but no one had made it a regular part of their lives. She’d occasionally say a prayer, more often than not, “Help me with this, God!” But as soon as she did, her life would march on, her own independent self in the driver’s seat, not calling on God for help, or thanking him for the help he’d just provided.
It intrigued her that Shaw might lean on God a little more heavily than the other people in her life.
They shared a nice evening sitting in the living room, letting the heavy dinner set, getting to know each other better. After an hour or so, Shaw stood and said, “I’d better go check on our patient.”
“I’ll go with you,” Nora announced.
Patty smiled approvingly and said, “I’ll clean up the kitchen.”
Shaw opened the door, let her through and followed her into the barn. They made their way companionably to Maggie’s stall. When she spotted him, she nickered and he talked softly to her while he let himself into the stall, ran his hands over her head, neck and body. He lingered on her pregnant belly and stroked her gently. He pulled a thermometer out of his medical bag and inserted it, Nora looking away to give the expectant mother an ounce of privacy. He looked at the reading, patted her neck and said, “Atta girl. You’re doing great, babe.”
Sanctuary (Murrells Inlet Miracles Book 1) Page 9