Sanctuary (Murrells Inlet Miracles Book 1)

by Larsen, Laurie

  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

  She stopped reading, not because it was over, but because a feeling of overwhelming power came over her. She could barely focus from the excitement that had hit her, but her eyes darted back to the beginning of the passage. “Inheritance. Is that why you thought God was pushing it my way?”

  He nodded. “That, and the whole part about helping others, the least of these. Isn’t that what your aunt instructed you in her will? Use the property to help others?”

  “Yes,” she said, breathless. “That’s exactly what she said.”

  “I wonder if she had this passage in mind.”

  She had no idea. But something about reading this passage, at this moment, had impacted her. God had reached her.

  She understood.

  She just didn’t know what to do about it. She reached a hand out to Shaw. “I have this really strong urge to pray. And let me tell you, those are words that have never come out of my mouth before.”

  He seemed to understand the importance of this action. He didn’t laugh, he didn’t joke. He gripped her hand, closed his eyes and bowed his head.

  Now what? Would he pray for her? Would he say the words like he did the last time? She paused, and waited. But no. It appeared he was waiting for her to speak. She settled down, reached deep into her heart, and said, “Dear Lord, thank you for bringing me this particular Bible passage. Thank you for speaking to Shaw and letting him know that I needed to hear this passage on this day. I know it wasn’t written for me. But today I feel like it was. I’ve been praying for guidance on my decision involving my aunt’s inheritance. I feel like this is my answer.”

  She quieted. Was this it? Was God using this man, and this Bible passage to tell her to move to Murrells Inlet? To give up her career as a lawyer and start something new to help others? The direction felt so strong she couldn’t ignore it. But she also didn’t want to jump into something ill-advised.

  “God, help me gain the confidence that this is your direction for me. That you want me to make a life-changing decision to leave Philadelphia and my law career behind, and accept Aunt Edie’s ranch. And make a new life here. You may think you’ve made it perfectly clear. I just need validation.”

  One more pause, and she squeezed Shaw’s hand. “You know I’m a rookie at this. Maybe that’s why you put Shaw in my life. To help me interpret your message. Thank you for being patient with me. Amen.”

  Shaw opened his eyes and lifted them to meet hers. She shrugged. “I tried.”

  “You did more than try. That was a rock star prayer. Good job.”

  A bubble of giddiness traveled up her esophagus. “I really felt something crazy when I first read that passage. An excitement, a physical feeling of, I don’t know, power and amazement.”

  Shaw nodded, his eyebrows showing he was impressed. “Passages in the Bible describe that kind of reaction when God has been present.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, I’m not. Here.” He pushed the Bible closer to her. “Your homework for next time. Find one or two of those passages.”

  Nora snorted. “Better yet. I’ll find the Bible online and search for it.”

  Shaw laughed. “Cheater.”

  When they finished their coffee, they went outside. The sun shone bright today, and they strolled toward a big shady oak tree that grew on the property about a half mile away. While they walked, Shaw told her, “I talked to Phil and Jan Rosewood last night.” He glanced over at Nora. “Thunder’s owners.”

  “Ahh, yes.”

  “They apologize for taking longer than they anticipated, but they’re done with their renovations. They’re ready to get Thunder back home.”

  “Oh!” A stab of disappointment hit her. She and Thunder were buddies. They were getting along fine. They’d walked together, ridden together, discovered an alligator together. And now, she was losing him. “I’m actually sorry to hear that.”

  “Are you?” He looked at her curiously.

  “Sure. Thunder and I are a pair. Sorry to see him go.”

  “The Rosewoods added another three feet to their fence that borders your property. Hopefully, that’ll contain him. But if you ever want to go visit, I’m sure you can head over.”

  “Are you taking him today?”

  “Yeah, when I leave here, I’ll load him up. I hitched my trailer to my truck.”

  “Okay. Well, I’ll say my goodbyes then.”

  They reached the big tree and sat on the ground in the shade. Nora scanned the horizon. It was an absolutely beautiful view, long waving grasses, massive trees and in the distance, the call of the ocean. “It’s very pleasant here in the shade,” she commented.

  “You’re right about that.” He sat quietly for a moment, then turned to her. “So, maybe if you decide to move here, you can get a horse to take Thunder’s place. You can ride on the beach and through the pasture, whenever you want.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I always loved horses as a kid, and I enjoyed riding Thunder the other day. I think I’d like getting back into riding.”

  “That’s very brave of you, considering the end result of that ride.”

  She chuckled. “That was a fluke. In my head, I know that not every ride will end up with getting thrown and attacked by an alligator. I got the worst over with.”

  He smiled in agreement. “Well, you say the word and I’ll help you locate a good mount, and negotiate a good price on him.”

  She looked at him and her smile was natural and pure joy. “Thank you.”

  They made their way back to the barn. He walked in and came out a few minutes later, leading Thunder. The horse’s black coat gleamed in the sunlight. A stab of tears attacked Nora’s eyes and she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I’m going to miss you, buddy. I really am.”

  She ran her hands over his shoulders and side and patted him. She stepped back and gave Shaw the nod. He walked Thunder to the trailer, and loaded him easily. “He’ll miss you too.” He made sure the door was fastened tight and walked toward the driver’s door of his truck. “By the way, I lined up my buddy to go find that alligator and relocate him. He can make it tomorrow.”

  “Oh, great! I don’t think I’m in any danger here, but it’ll be peace of mind to know that he’s gone.”

  “We’ll be by sometime in the morning.”

  “Good. Thanks.”

  He turned to his truck, put his boot up on the running board, about to hoist himself up. A pause, and then he turned back, his eyes connected with hers. In three solid steps, he’d reached her, ran his hand beneath her hair at the base of her neck and leaned in. His lips touched hers, gently at first, then growing in urgency and passion. Her eyes closed and she sank into the kiss, absorbing all the sensations. His solid strength as she brought her hands up to grip his biceps. His scent, and the crazy heartbeat he caused in her chest.

  She could definitely get used to this.

  He slowed the kiss again, caressed her cheek with one finger, and pulled away. He didn’t say a word, he just looked at her in the quiet.

  “I thought …?” she said.

  He exhaled. “I know.” He ducked his head. “You’re throwing me for a loop, Nora.”

  He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He gave a quick nod. There, better. Until a breeze came and blew it again. He watched. “Have a great day. See you tomorrow.”

  She contained her joy and lifted her hand in a wave. “See you tomorrow.” Then she stood and watched him drive away, Thunder in the trailer bouncing behind the truck. By the time he was out of sight, her heartbeat had just about
returned to normal.

  Later in the day, Nora’s self-imposed deadline loomed over her head. By Saturday, she wanted to have made a solid decision about her inheritance. The best way to come to a decision was to make some plans. She sat at the table and pulled the Bible over that Shaw had left her. Shaw’s yellow note was still stuck on the cover so she opened the thick book and found the verse again. Aunt Edie had stipulated that she needed to use the property to help others. Well, this verse outlined God’s expectations to his followers to help others. What better place to start, than here?

  First one in the Bible verse: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.

  She leaned back in her chair and looked up to the ceiling to think. Food, drink. Helping others who were hungry. Could she open a soup kitchen here? A place where she could make meals and offer them to the homeless or the hungry? A place people could come and get a full stomach and some nutrition?

  She pursed her lips. Sure, if Patty were here. Patty would be great at that. She would thrive making food for tons of people. Shopping for the ingredients, planning menus, cooking, serving and making sure everyone had their fill.

  But Nora? No way. She looked back at the Bible.

  I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me.

  Clothes. Now that was something she could get into. Nora loved clothes, particularly professional work clothes. She had a huge closet in her apartment in the city, filled with tailored suits, professional dresses, pant outfits, scarves, decorative jewelry. It was her one true vice, the amount of money and time she put into picking out her work wardrobe. She liked to wear a different look every day in the office, and have an outfit for every occasion.

  However, she wouldn’t need all that if she moved here. Maybe she could donate her work clothes to women trying to make their way into the workplace. Offering a professional outfit to a woman interviewing for a position could give her the confidence that she needed to present herself as a qualified candidate. Especially if the woman was on the lower end of the income scale. Maybe she put all her finances into her education, and now was on the cusp of breaking out in the work world, and couldn’t afford a designer wardrobe … yet … but just needed that helping hand.

  Nora was getting excited about this idea. She would need to do some outreach to other professional women in the area, to get donations. She’d need a full range of sizes in order to make this a valid enterprise. But think of the women she could help, using her skills and her success in the work world. She could mentor and guide others in their journeys.

  Now, that sounded like a valid use for this property. A valid endeavor, a way to help others, and an intriguing reason to leave her career in Philadelphia. A response to God’s direction to help the least of these.

  Of course, lawyers did their research. She went into her bedroom and brought her laptop out to the table. She opened a search engine and Googled for less than ten minutes before she found Dress For Success.org. She spent the next hour reading every page of the website, her heart filling with excitement the longer she read. She learned that Dress For Success was an international not-for-profit organization, and their mission was to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in life and at work. Their purpose was to offer long-lasting solutions to enable women to break the cycle of poverty. They were about much more than a new outfit. They offered programs to furnish women with the confidence they needed to carry them forward and the knowledge that they can actively define their lives.

  Heart pounding, Nora closed her eyes and said a prayer, “Is this it, Lord? Is this your purpose for my new life? It seems like a good fit. Please send me a sign.”

  Again, she was afraid to pull the trigger. But when she returned to the website and read about how this now-successful enterprise had started, she laughed out loud.

  The founder of Dress For Success was a second-year law student. She’d received an inheritance from a relative. And she decided that she would turn this gift into one that would keep giving.

  Nora inhaled deeply. If that wasn’t God’s affirmation that she was on the right track, she didn’t know what was.

  The founder had partnered with a church and opened Dress For Success in the church basement that year. Now, after a glorious period of growth, affiliates can be found in 140 cities across the United States, and in 21 countries. Nora clicked on the link to Start an Affiliate. She was twenty minutes into studying the qualifications for starting a new affiliate when her phone rang. It was Patty.

  “Hi! You’re not going to believe this. I’ve figured out how to follow Aunt Edie’s request and use this property to help others.”

  “You’re kidding! How exciting. Tell me.”

  Nora filled her in, starting with Shaw’s feeling that God had led him to a Bible verse intended for her. She read it to Patty, then launched straight into her excitement about discovering Dress For Success, and how it seemed like a perfect fit, especially considering the background and similarities of the founder.

  “Oh Nora, yes. This is great. Such a good fit for you and your background.”

  Nora smiled happily. “And I think I’d have the flexibility within the affiliate to offer workshops on resume writing, interview skills, time management, whatever I felt like my clientele needed in order to go from interview to employed. A full service not-for-profit designed to get women out into the work world, successful and fulfilled.”

  “This is awesome,” Patty said. “And who knows, once you get that up and running, maybe you could do something else too.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. I was hoping you’d use the property to help animals. I mean, sure, you have the mansion where you could set up your Dress For Success affiliate. Set up racks of donated clothes, provide dressing rooms, hold workshops in the different rooms. But what about all the fenced-in property? Wouldn’t it be cool to offer a sanctuary for homeless animals who are either sick or old or misplaced? Shaw could provide veterinary services, and you could just love and cuddle them and give them a home.”

  “Hmmm, that does sound nice. But a lot of work.”

  “Depends on what type of animals. Dogs would be labor-intensive. But what about livestock? Horses and cows and goats. They’d just be out in the pasture, feeding on grass, an occasional scoop of oats, pretty self-sufficient.”

  Nora nodded. She didn’t think it would be as easy as Patty was making it sound, but it was an intriguing idea. She loved animals. And she’d already told Shaw she wanted to buy a horse. Maybe the horse would enjoy the company of other animals that needed a home. She was accustomed to being busy at work for at least ten hours a day. Maybe she’d need more than one endeavor to keep her feeling productive in her new life.

  She filled Patty in on the alligator, and Shaw’s plans to capture it tomorrow. Then Patty targeted the conversation to a new topic. “Speaking of Shaw, how’s the hunk doing?”

  A smile burst onto Nora’s face. She couldn’t help it. She felt like a teenager again every time she thought about Shaw. “Good.”

  “Oh! There’s a story there. Tell me.”

  Her happiness over what appeared to be a developing relationship with the man made her spill the details with her sister. She told Patty about their date to the Marsh Walk, the kisses they’d shared, and his confession that he wanted to spend more time with her. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He is a really quality man, Patty. He’s a man of God, and he allows God to lead him. He’s in tune with God. That’s something completely new to me.”

  “He’s a good man.”

  “Yes, he really is. I’m very optimistic about where we seem to be heading, together. He wants to take it slow, and I think that’s great. I honestly think God has put the two of us together, to help get me on the right track with this inheritance. Is that crazy?”

  “No
, of course it isn’t. God puts people in our lives to help us follow his will. It’s not crazy at all.”

  “Then … maybe God put Shaw in my path, and helped us meet each other because he’s got plans for me. Not in Philadelphia. In Murrells Inlet.” She let out a deep breath. “It’s hard for me to even fathom, but maybe God is telling me to leave the law firm because he has other things in mind for my future. Is that possible?”

  “Oh boy!” Patty exclaimed. “This is it! It’s all coming together. You’ve figured out how to use the property to help others, you’re excited about this Dress For Success thing, and you’ve got a relationship with a new man to look forward to. Wow.”

  “Well, don’t jinx it,” Nora laughed. The last thing she wanted was a big letdown and heartbreak. She didn’t want to take anything for granted. And, she certainly wasn’t an expert on relationships. But this one seemed … promising?

  “I’m happy for you, sis.”

  Nora’s eyes teared up. This was a life-changer. A positive change in her life. All she needed to do was take that last step and accept it. Make it happen. Cut ties with her old life. Now.

  “Patty, I really think I’m going to accept the inheritance. Am I absolutely insane for doing it?”

  “No! You’re ready for a change! You’ve been a lawyer for what, twenty five years? Been there, done that. You have this awesome new opportunity and you’re working it out. You’re not just jumping in. You’re you – you’re preparing. You’re going through all the steps. And all signs are pointing to the fact that you should do this.”

  Nora’s heart raced and she let out a breath. “You think so?” she muttered, but she knew Patty was right. “I gave myself till Saturday to make my decision.”

  “Okay. But unless the world falls apart between now and Saturday, I can’t imagine why you’d change your mind. Go for it, sis. And I’ll be down with the girls to help you move in.”