Someone to Trust Read online

  ****

  The following morning, Megan attended the sunrise Easter service. It was a service she wouldn’t be able to easily push from her mind.

  Standing in front of a packed church, Pastor Dan read from his Bible, “Matthew 13 verses 44 -46 says, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

  As usual he left the pulpit and walked down in front of the crowd. “I want to put this in perspective for you on this Resurrection Sunday, if I can. You see you are a treasure to the Lord—you are so much so that when He found you, He sold all He had to purchase you.” The pastor paused a moment to let his words sink in. He had everyone’s rapt attention and moved on, “You are that pearl the Bible speaks of and Jesus is the merchant who gave up everything to have you.”

  “In other words, Jesus left his home…heaven, giving up all He had to purchase you. He did this because He finds value in you. This is confirmed further for us in John 3:16. A verse we can all probably quote.”

  The message conveyed by Pastor Dan was that God loved the people of the world so much He gave His only Son. On a more personal note, she was reminded God loved her—Megan—so much He sacrificed His son on her behalf. Of course, having made a commitment to Christ when she was a child, the story was familiar to her. But, when her father left and never returned, he had taken her faith with him. She had questioned how God could love her if her own father couldn’t.

  However, on this beautiful sunrise Easter morning, her heart was more open than it had been in years. A small spark of hope was ignited in Megan. Hope that God, the Father, truly cared for her as an individual. Perhaps He had not forsaken her as her earthly father had.

  Megan didn’t realize a tear had rolled down her cheek until she felt Lee’s touch. He was sitting next to her and reached down, covering her hand with his.

  At the close of the service, Alan, Cindy and baby Katie got into their car and followed Lee and Megan across the mountain to Chatley. During the past week, each had received a warm invitation from Aunt Vera to come celebrate Resurrection Sunday at the Inn. The restaurant portion of the bed & breakfast would be closed in honor of the holiday. However, the foursome was invited to join Aunt Vera and Uncle Tom for a private meal.

  None could refuse the sweet invitation to spend time in their company. They all had grown quite fond of Lee’s relatives and certainly wouldn’t forego the tempting and savory dishes awaiting them.

  For a few miles Megan and Lee rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Lee spoke, “The message this morning was really well done.”

  Message. Funny that it’s called a message. Was it a message to her? Was God trying to get a message to her?

  “Yes, it was,” she answered aloud. Silence filled the truck again, and after a few moments, Megan whispered the question she’d been longing to ask.

  “Do you believe it?”

  Lee took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at her.

  “Do you believe God loves us so much individually that if we were the only ones He would still send His son to die for us?”

  “Yes, I do, Megan,” Lee answered, without reservation. “Don’t you?”

  Did she? Megan pondered it for a moment and Lee gave her space to think about it.

  “I want to. I want to believe it, Lee,” she responded, with a catch in her voice.

  “Then do,” he said, taking a hand off the wheel and covering hers.

  The final ten minutes of the ride to Chatley was made in silence as Megan contemplated the message from Pastor Dan. And from God; it was a message of love.

  Chapter Thirteen

  April showers bring May flowers. Megan stepped onto the back porch of her cabin with her usual cup of coffee in hand. She looked across what she referred to as her mountains, at a virtual canvas of vivid color. The flowers were in full bloom, dotting the hills with a festival of yellow, violet, fuchsia and crimson.

  As Megan sat in the cushioned patio chair, she reflected on the two weeks since Easter. She had been incredibly busy, spending nearly every day with Lee.

  The busyness was due to encroaching deadlines with some of the work for her clients as well as a result of Katie getting very sick and needing her mommy at home. The girl who usually filled in for Cindy was away on vacation so she had no other option except to call on Megan for help.

  “Just answer the phone, Meg, take appointments and help Lee and Alan when they need it. I know you can handle it or I would never have asked,” Cindy explained.

  “Don’t worry about it. Just take care of our little angel,” Megan assured her.

  “Amy will be in at three o’clock every afternoon to relieve you.” Cindy reminded her of the high school girl who worked afternoons at the clinic.

  “Don’t worry; I’ll be fine. I’m sure it won’t run as smoothly as when you are there but we’ll manage.” As Megan spoke, she could hear the baby begin to cry hoarsely in the background.

  “Gotta go,” Cindy rushed and then added, “Thanks, Meg.” Megan didn’t have a chance to respond as her friend quickly hung up.

  Managing, as Megan had put it, was far harder than it looked. She had never realized just how busy Wolff Animal Clinic could be. Cindy always made it look so easy whenever Megan dropped by. Easy, it was not, especially when she was trying to squeeze her copywriting in between phone calls.

  It seemed the phone never stopped ringing, and during the time she had been helping out, her assistance had been needed by either Alan or Lee for several emergencies.

  Apparently, Alan was the most sought after, and most inexpensive, veterinarian in the surrounding counties. The waiting room was always full so it was no wonder he wanted Lee as a partner.

  Being with Lee on a daily basis, and watching him interact with both pets and their owners, had increased Megan’s admiration of him. His positive attitude never waned. She’d studied him intently, watching for a secret side to be exposed, but there wasn’t one. He was constant. Even under pressure, he remained steady, always patient and kind.

  Only once did he remotely look like he might lose his cool. That was when it appeared an animal was being abused. The dog’s owner became very belligerent toward Megan as she questioned him about the dog’s condition so she could write the information on the chart.

  “He got caught in some barbed wire, okay? Why can’t you stop asking me so many questions about how my dog got hurt and get him seen about?”

  “I’m sorry, sir, I’m just doing my job. Our doctor will need this information so he can properly treat your dog. It will save time once you get him back there,” Megan calmly explained.

  “Get on with it then,” the man snapped.

  Lee must have overheard the man’s tone of voice and stepped quietly from the examining room. It was obvious by the stiffness with which Lee carried himself that he was very angry. However, he maintained great control of his temper.

  “Sir, could you follow me down the hall, please?” he politely asked the man. Megan never knew what Lee said to the man, for Lee never raised his voice. Nonetheless, the man returned to the waiting room with a subdued attitude. He gruffly apologized to Megan, informing her he would be returning for his dog in several days.

  Megan turned at the gentle pressure of Lee’s hand on her shoulder, looking up at him. “I don’t know what you said to him, but it seemed to straighten him out.”

  “I can’t tolerate anyone mistreating an animal, or a friend.”

  Megan couldn’t help thinking that Lee, like Sir, could be intimidating without so much as a growl, probably due to their size. This thought made her giggle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, I was just thinking how much you remind me of Sir,” she said, with a teasing sparkle i
n her eye.

  With a puzzled look, he quipped, “Thanks…I think.” He cocked his head to one side in much the same way Sir often did, saying, “You’re going to have to explain that to me when we have more time.”

  “Maybe,” Megan teased again before Lee rushed off to another patient and she returned to work at the front desk.

  Explain it to him? She needed someone to explain it to her. What was she to explain? Should she show that he was both strong yet gentle, protective and kind, with a wonderful sense of humor? Besides, he was the most handsome man she had ever met and she found him completely irresistible.

  Oh Lord, what is happening here? Am I falling in love with him?

  Shocked by that prospect, she plopped unceremoniously hard into the rolling desk chair, causing it to roll backward with her in it. It stopped with a loud clang when it came in contact with the metal filing cabinet. Silence filled the room as everyone’s attention turned to Megan and all talking in the lobby ceased. A dog whined and a cat hissed at the clamorous disruption, which sparked a chain of barking, growling and hissing from the other pet patrons.

  “Sorry,” Megan offered, in a bit of a daze, to the patrons and their pets. The befuddlement was less from the impact of the cabinet and more from the impact of the thought. The thought that she—Megan McCormick, the woman who’d sworn off men for eternity—could possibly be falling for Dr. Lee Grainger, veterinarian extraordinaire.

  It was a preposterous idea!

  Coming back to reality, after reliving the events of the day, Megan was still unsure what to think. Nonetheless, as she now sipped coffee and contemplated it on her back porch, it seemed not just likely, but highly likely.

  The fact was that a strong attraction existed between them; she couldn’t deny it. The question she had to now ask was if Lee could ever care for her the same way she had grown to care for him. Was it possible?

  An accusing voice whispered in her mind, you’re not worthy of someone like him and don’t deserve his affection. He deserves someone—better. Besides, there was the issue of his faith. To put it more concisely, the issue was her lack of it.

  Although she was closer to believing and trusting than she was when she first met Lee, she wasn’t there yet. In her heart, she knew that would be an issue for him.

  At the ringing of the phone, she pushed her thoughts aside and went in to answer it. The deep voice on the other end caused her heart to flutter and brought an involuntary smile to her face.

  “Hi, are you busy today?”

  She hesitated a moment. “Not really. I’ve pretty much wrapped everything up. Why?”

  “I have the day off. We’ve both been working like dogs—pardon the pun—and I wondered if you’d enjoy a picnic in one of the most beautiful spots in the county?”

  He posed the request in such a casual and non-threatening fashion that a quick yes escaped from her lips before she even had time to consider it.

  “Great. One more thing, would you mind hiking to that beautiful spot?”

  Again, Megan’s response was quick. “Not at all. Where is it?”

  “It’s a surprise. I’ll get everything together. Can you meet me in Laurel Ridge in say…an hour?”

  “Sure. Where?”

  “The roadside picnic area, near the deli. There’s a small parking lot where your car will be safe.”

  “Okay. See you in an hour,” she agreed, before they disconnected.

  ****

  An hour and fifteen minutes later, Lee was pulling his truck off the road, several miles outside of Laurel Ridge headed toward Chatley. Throughout the surrounding area were miles and miles of hiking trails. These trails along with fishing, rafting and gorgeous scenery brought many of the vacationers to the area. Megan had only found time to go on a couple of the trails, especially since she didn’t like hiking alone.

  Excited, she climbed out of the truck and slipped on the lightweight backpack she’d brought. Lee’s backpack was slightly bigger and she assumed their lunch was among the things he had packed in it.

  She was prepared for the hike, dressed in hiking boots and khaki walking shorts that rolled up at the knees. She paired them with a brown tank top, which she’d thrown a lightweight white cotton shirt over and left unbuttoned.

  Her hair was pulled back under the baseball cap she wore. She stood uncomfortably for a moment under Lee’s perusal but relaxed when he grinned and gave her the thumbs-up.

  “I really like the cap,” he complimented, with a nod.

  “Thank you.”

  “Seriously, it suits you.”

  Megan blushed at his forthright compliment but couldn’t help the thrill his words gave her. She knew Lee wouldn’t have complimented her if he didn’t mean it.

  “Thank you, kind sir.” She curtsied to make light of it.

  Lee nodded, and following her cue, asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Absolutely,” she said, enthusiastically with a wide grin and a nod.

  “Okay, let’s go.” He headed into the woods onto the path leading up the mountain. Megan followed close behind enjoying the solitude of nature and its encompassing sounds.

  Lee kept a steady pace, stopping occasionally for water or to point out wildlife and flowers. When the path widened, he fell back, slowed his pace and took Megan’s hand. They walked this way for some time and talked quietly about everything and nothing. Then the path ran into the river, curving beside it and narrowing; Lee took the lead again with Megan following in amicable silence.

  As Megan walked behind Lee, she couldn’t help but notice the way his shirt stretched across the expanse of his broad shoulders. For a mere moment, she allowed herself to wonder what the firm display of muscles would feel like beneath her fingers as her arms wrapped around him. She knew he would feel solid and strong and she, in turn, would feel protected and safe. What would it be like to throw caution to the wind and give in to the feelings she was having—to give him her heart?

  Snap out of it, Megan!

  “Megan—Megan? Are you okay back there?”

  The sound of Lee’s voice snapped her out of the walking daydream, only to look up and find she wasn’t walking at all. She was standing still in the middle of the trail while Lee had advanced some distance ahead of her. He was now looking back at her in obvious concern. She knew she must look like an idiot just standing there gawking.

  “Are you feeling okay? Is there something wrong?” he inquired, worry written all over his face.

  She shook her head and smiled her reassurance. “No. I was just taking in…uh…” She looked around and then back up at him, answering truthfully, “God’s wonderful creation.”

  Lee nodded his head in understanding, although Megan was sure he missed it entirely. Thankfully.

  “Do you need me to slow down?” he asked as she closed the gap between them.

  “No, no. The pace is fine,” she assured him. As long as I keep my thoughts under control.

  “The path widens again not far from here, so if you get distracted again, I’ll be right next to you. We can stop and take as much time as you like to look around.”

  Megan had no clue how to respond so she simply nodded and smiled as he turned and began the trek once again.

  Around the next curve, just as Lee promised, the path indeed widened and once again they were able to walk side-by-side. Lee reached down and took her hand in his. Walking like this, next to him, seemed like the most natural thing in the world to be doing. It was comfortable. It felt right. Yet, for Megan, that could be all wrong.

  Suddenly, Lee stopped in mid-stride and motioned to their right, across the stream and up the slope to a cluster of trees. At first, Megan didn’t see what Lee was pointing to and then something black moved in the bushes. She softly gasped in delight. A black bear cub was feasting on some berries from the bushes.

  “He’s adorable,” Megan whispered to Lee, who gave her an amused look.

  “Yes, well, his mother may not be quite so adorable.”

&nbs
p; Megan grimaced. “Do you think she’s around?”

  Lee nodded, looking around. “Most definitely.”

  The cub, as if understanding their conversation, returned their curious stare with a tilt of his head and then turned, loping off into the trees. Most likely, he headed back to his mother.

  “I’ve never seen a bear in the wild before,” Megan said, with excitement. “That’s not something you see in the city.”

  Lee gave her a lopsided grin and quipped, “Oh, I don’t know; I think I’ve a seen a bear there on more than one occasion.”