Authors: Lesa Henderson
****
“He’s right in here,” Lee said, as he led her to where Sir was recovering. As soon as Megan saw the big dog, she rushed over to him. Lee watched Megan closely as she tenderly stroked the Great Dane’s large head and whispered to him. The Dane groggily looked up to her, adoringly, with woeful eyes.
Something inside Lee told him Megan was a special woman, albeit a hurt and confused one. By all indications, she was single but he just couldn’t understand how someone as lovely and compassionate as Megan could still be single.
Perhaps that was his blessing.
“Megan…” He interrupted her attention from Sir and she gazed up at him with grateful amber eyes. Lee cleared his throat—he could lose himself in those eyes. He had a sudden urge to wipe away the tears that had escaped. He doubted she knew how incredibly pretty she was, even with uncombed hair and dressed in baggy scrubs.
“We’ll need to keep him here for a couple of days to watch his progress. After that, you’ll be able to take him home, but his back leg may be sore for a while.”
“But it’s going to be okay, right?”
“Yes, I believe so. The bullet seems to have narrowly missed doing any nerve or muscle damage,” he assured her.
Megan’s eyes filled with tears again. She extended her hand once more and he grasped it. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am. I really appreciate you taking care of him the way you have.”
Lee continued to hold her hand. Her soft, warm hand seemed very small in his larger one. It made him feel powerful, like a protector of sorts. He nearly smiled at the foolish turn of his own thoughts.
He stared down at her intently. Of all their brief encounters, this was the most he’d ever seen her guard down. “You’re very welcome. I’m glad I was able to help. Listen…” He paused.
“Yes?” she prompted, looking up at him with wide eyes. Her rich chestnut hair cascaded down her back in soft waves.
Lee cleared his throat. “I really need to see the other patients, but before I do, I was wondering if…perhaps…you’d agree to have dinner with me sometime?”
It was as if spring suddenly ceased and winter returned, bringing with it an Arctic wind. Most of the chill was coming directly from Megan. She snatched her hand out of his. Eyes that were once warm with gratitude, now glared icily up at him. She backed away from him, as if she might catch something standing as close as she was.
“I don’t think so,” she gritted out.
Lee was taken aback and confused by her abruptness. “I merely thought—”
Megan interrupted yet again. “I’m not really interested in what you were thinking, Dr. Grainger. I really don’t know where you men get off. My answer is no. I’ll check in on Sir later. Good day.” With that, she nearly stormed from the building.
Lee stood in stunned silence for a moment. As he stared at the door that was still swinging from Megan’s forceful retreat, he prayed quietly, “Lord, I’m not sure what that was all about? Help me to understand what I’ve done to set her off. I want—”
Cindy popped her head through the door. “Lee, Mrs. Anderson and her Doberman are waiting in room four. And, boy is she in a mood.”
“Who? The Doberman or Mrs. Anderson?”
“Both,” Cindy responded, with a sympathetic smile.
Lee shook his head; maybe it was his day to deal with upset females.
****
Megan was murmuring to herself as she drove away.
“Of all the nerve! I can’t believe that man. Do I have ‘gullible idiot’ stamped on my forehead or something?” she ranted, as she gained speed. “What? Am I a married man magnet or something?”
Unwanted thoughts of Trevor filled her mind. The images danced painfully before her; his dark good looks, his taking her to dinner, Trevor’s hand on the small of her back as they walked into a room, him smiling down at her with intense brown eyes—
eyes that look right into your soul and lie without batting an eyelash.
She could,
almost
, smell the musky scent of his cologne, which lingered even after he was gone. She
could
still feel his betrayal, although it had been nearly two years.
A honking horn jolted Megan into the present and she jerked her vehicle out of the way of an oncoming truck. Angrily, she wiped at the tears sliding down her face. Trevor Raines had run over her, just as surely as that truck had nearly run her over. Only, he had not left behind a broken body; he had left a broken heart and a crumbled spirit. She’d loved two men unconditionally and they’d both betrayed her. She wouldn’t be giving the third a chance. With determination she pushed her thoughts aside and focused on driving. The twists and turns of the mountain roads could be perilous enough without the added danger of distractions.
As soon as Megan got to the cabin, she hit the shower. Afterward, her body felt better, cleaner, but her mind and emotions were another story.
“Is there anything that can wash away the guilt I carry from the relationship with Trevor?” she asked herself.
So far she’d found nothing.
Releasing an exasperated sigh, Megan plopped down on the couch in the living room, which seemed strangely empty without Sir’s large body sprawled nearby.
What in the world made men think they could have their cake and eat it too?
Like Trevor. Like her dad.
Her mind immediately drifted to the memory of a conversation she overheard when she was eight years old between her mother and a friend.
“What about this woman he’s seeing? Am I just supposed to ignore that? Well, I won’t…I can’t.” Helen
told
her friend Susan.
“It’s a passing thing, my dear, a mere distraction. Remember, it’s you and Megan he comes home to each night.”
“Hardly.” Helen snorted.
“Is he aware you know about her?”
“How could he be? I’ve suspected for some time, but I’ve only been certain since this morning.”
“What will you do?” Susan asked.
Helen began crying again and Megan had to strain to hear her.
“Confront him, I guess. Oh, Susan, I don’t know...she’s young, tall, blonde and beautiful. How can I compete with that?”
“You may not be twenty-three, but you are not minced meat, darling. You are a very attractive and young looking thirty-five-year-old.”
“What can he be thinking? Sleeping with his secretary—a woman seventeen years his junior?” Helen exclaimed.
Susan responded knowingly. “Haven’t you ever heard of a mid-life crisis? Men go through it all the time. It makes them feel young again. It’s what men do.”
Helen sniffled and blew her nose again. “For pity’s sake, Susan, how long do
es a
crisis last?”
Megan shook her head at the memory. Her parent’s marriage survived the
crisis
for only three years after that.
Was Trevor having
a crisis? And Lee?
It seemed to Megan that the women were the ones with the crises. They were the ones left with broken hearts and broken trust.
She plumped the pillow roughly, while uttering a frustrated prayer, “Lord, are there any honorable and trustworthy men out there?”
Chapter Six
Over the next two days, Megan called often to check on Sir’s progress. She even stopped by the clinic on two occasions, managing both times to avoid Lee. On both her visits, Sir begged her pitifully, with his sweet woeful eyes, to take him home. On the last visit, Cindy had extracted a promise from her to meet for lunch. Megan agreed that when Sir was due to come home, she would first meet Cindy for lunch and afterward follow her back to the clinic to retrieve her beloved Great Dane.
So, on Friday, Megan and Cindy met at the Laurel Ridge Deli. They’d arranged it so they arrived before the lunch crowd and were able to get an outdoor table. The sun had helped remove most of the morning chill, and though it could not yet be considered warm, it was still pleasant.
“What’s with the smile?” Cindy asked from across the table causing Megan to realize she’d been daydreaming a bit.
“I was just thinking how lucky I am to be living here.” Megan spoke what was in her heart.
“You mean how blessed you are.”
“Okay,” Megan conceded with another smile and a shrug. “Blessed.”
“I’m serious, Meg. The Bible declares that God appoints our steps. In other words, He directs our every step. He brought you here.” Cindy used every opportunity to gently nudge Megan toward the love of God. She never did it in an overbearing fashion so Megan wasn’t offended and knew Cindy was genuinely concerned. Theirs was a friendship built on years and trust. Perhaps, that was why Megan could never take issue with her dear friend, even if she was unable to see things in the same light as Cindy.
“Well either way, it’s a long way from Atlanta,” Megan admitted.
“Yes, it is. Speaking of Atlanta, how’s your mom?”
“She’s doing well. I’ve haven’t gotten to talk to her as often lately.” Megan grew thoughtful for a moment.
“That’s odd. Usually if you haven’t called her in a timely fashion, she’s calling you to see why.”
Megan nodded. “And if she doesn’t get me then—”
“She calls me,” Cindy finished, with a laugh.
“I know. Sorry.”
“No, you’re not and you don’t need to be. Your mom’s great. You’ve been through a lot together.”
“Yeah,” Megan agreed softly, thinking of her mom and how she pulled them through after her dad’s desertion and death. She’d shown remarkable strength and character. Instead of simply carrying on with life and living comfortably from her husband’s insurance policy, her mother made some life-altering decisions. She’d gone to real estate school, sold the big house and bought something moderate, but nice, for the two of them. She moved them into it and began a career at which she excelled and still loved today.
“She’s amazing,” Cindy said, as if reading her mind.
Megan smiled. “That she is. She’s a rock.”
“Not to mention smart, beautiful and talented.”
“Yes, she is,” Megan proudly agreed a second time. For a few minutes, Megan was lost in memories of her mom raising her, showering her with love, teaching her to be independent and to think for herself, all while showing her how to have integrity and character.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, their sandwiches were delivered. Just as Megan took a bite of her sandwich, Cindy abruptly changed the subject.
“So, what do you think of Lee Grainger?”
Megan choked, spewing sandwich pieces across the table as she did. The other pieces went down her throat in such a fashion she began to cough. After a few hearty pats on the back from Cindy and a couple of swallows of soda, Megan was able to breathe again.
“Are you all right now?”
Megan nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry I spit my food on you.”
“No problem. I’m a mother and accustomed to being spit on.” Cindy laughed, but not being one who was easily dissuaded, returned to the question. “As I was asking before the projectile sandwich hit me, what do you think of Lee Grainger? I know he’s very handsome, but that was some response.”
“Boy, you sure know how to change the subject.” Megan took a bite of her sandwich as she stalled for time and chewed slowly trying to think of the best way to answer her friend’s question. She didn’t want to create any problems or hurt Cindy.
“Really, Cindy, it would be unkind of me to comment negatively about a friend of yours and Alan’s,” Megan answered truthfully and evasively. Cindy’s mouth popped open in surprise.
“How could you form a negative opinion based on one meeting—the encounter being one where he saved your dog’s life?” Cindy was obviously perplexed.
“It was more than one encounter. Let’s just say Dr. Grainger and I have bumped into each other a couple of times,” Megan somewhat explained.
“Still, I’m assuming those were brief encounters. Lee is one of the kindest, most dependable, trustworthy men I know. He and Alan are cut from the same cloth, you know. He serves the Lord faithfully, he’s intelligent and he’s handsome to boot—”
“If you must know, he asked me out!” Megan blurted, before Cindy could continue with her recitation of Dr. Grainger’s wonderful attributes.
“And?”
“And he’s married!” Megan exclaimed, with an exasperated breath.
Good grief, what’s wrong with Cindy?
Had she taken leave of her senses?
“He is?” Cindy asked in confusion and then adamantly responded, “He is not!”
It was Megan’s turn to be confused. “He’s not?”
“Not to my knowledge and I should know. He’s living in the cabin on the back of our property until he decides if he wants to move here and take on the partnership with Alan. He eats dinner at my table nearly every evening.”
Megan swallowed hard. Then, she swallowed again. This was a lot of information to digest. It would seem she’d been misinformed. As she replayed the events in her mind, she realized she hadn’t been informed at all—she had assumed. Her lack of trust for the opposite sex had caused her to completely misjudge Cindy and Alan’s friend. As a result, she had treated him harshly.
“But…I thought…somehow I’ve gotten my wires crossed, Cindy, and I’m afraid I haven’t been very pleasant to your friend Lee.” She would forego mentioning dumping macaroni salad all over him, although that had been an accident.
“I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to make amends, and if I know Lee, he will be quick to forgive you,” Cindy tried reassuring her.
“I’m afraid I’ve made a terrible impression on the man. I don’t know what I’ll say,” Megan admitted.
“How about—I’m sorry. Followed by, what about that date?” Cindy teased.
“You’re terrible.” Megan laughed.
“Yeah, but you gotta love me.”
“That I do,” Megan agreed and then continued on a serious note. “I definitely need to apologize, but even if he does speak to me again, I don’t think I’m ready to date.”
Cindy didn’t press the issue. In high school and in college they had kept no secrets, sharing all of the hurts from childhood and all of their hopes for the future. Cindy knew Megan was a very private and proud person while she knew Cindy was sensitive and would wait until she was ready to share whatever it was. Until then, Cindy would continue to pray for her.