MasukWhen we stepped inside, Doctor Martin and I gasped as we looked at a huge open floor plan similar to the rest of the houses. There were two staircases; one that ended just to the left of the front door and one that ended to the left of the back door. Doctor Martin nodded, “I like the two sets of stairs. It makes it easier for the kids to go at their own speeds. I have a son who has run over his younger siblings more than once.”I laughed, “Well, he may still do it, but he may do it less now.” Doctor Martin laughed, “I really hope so. This looks like a house my kids would love.” I asked, “Is it a house you could love?” She looked me in the eyes and smiled, “I already love it and I haven’t even seen it all.” I laughed, “I’m sure the rest won’t let you down.”She sat on the huge sectional and smiled, “This is the perfect couch. It’s the right size too. I could see myself taking a nap here on my day off.” I chuckled, “Would you like to check out the kitchen?” She nodded, “Of course.” When
We took the elevator down to the first floor and walked to the back door and then outside. I knew she was taking us to the stables, and I could not wait to see it. Doctor Martin saw my excitement and asked, “Where are we headed?” I chuckled, “We are on our way to the stables.” She asked, “Animal therapy?” I nodded. She smiled, “I can’t wait to see it.” I chuckled, “I was thinking the same thing.”As soon as we reached the stable doors, Lori explained, “Inside this building is our animal therapy area. We have a therapist on staff who specializes in animal therapy for both children and adults.” Linda Jones asked, “Do you also have a trainer on staff?” I nodded, “We do. He actually sleeps in the stables at night. He wants his scent to be recognizable by all the animals.”Lori opened the barn doors and we all stepped inside. She yelled, “Goldie!” Just then, a beautiful Golden Retriever ran to Lori and sat at her feet. Lori smiled, “That’s a good girl.” She turned to us, “Goldie is a licens
When we stepped into the house, all we saw was a desk and a decorative wall behind it with an open door. Lori started, “This room is the front office. We decided to set it up this way to keep abusers from knowing this is a women’s shelter. The secretary knows how to greet people and tells them we are Runaway Angel Resort. She is also required to sign an NDA before she is told anything about the place.”Louis was the first to speak, “This looks like a hazard if an abuser happens to show up.” I smiled, “It could be, but the secretary is also specially trained in firearms safety and has a sharpshooter medal. She is also a former Tai Kwon Do instructor and an MMA fighter.”Louis chuckled, “Can you say overkill?” Everyone laughed until I responded, “We take the safety of our residents very seriously. Our secretary also goes with us if we need to take a couple residents to town.” His cheeks blushed, “I’m sorry, Harley. I truly was not meaning to sound pretentious. I was just trying to joke.
After a filling lunch, Daniel and I went to the garage and took the SUV to the clinic to pick up Dr. Martin. When she reached the vehicle, Daniel opened the back door to let her in. She thanked him as she sat and Daniel closed the door, then got in the front seat. I asked, “Are you ready to see the shelter?” She smiled, “I am. I would love to hear about it while we’re on our way there.”I smiled, “I decided on the name ‘Runaway Angel’. It’s not just a shelter, either. We have a therapist on staff who is trained in equine therapy. We also have horses who are trained to be therapy horses too. We have an exam room and office for a doctor, but honestly, our doctor that we had chosen decided she wanted to stay where she was.”Dr. Martin smiled, “First, I am absolutely in love with that name. It’s so appropriate yet obscure enough to throw off the general public. Second, I love the equine therapy idea. I think that form of therapy is amazing in getting people to open up. Third, if this place
Daniel and I spent two hours staging the shop and I was about to suggest we stop when there was a knock at the front door. I looked outside and found Ray standing there with a covered tray in front of him. I unlocked the door and asked, “Hey, Ray, how’s it going?” He answered, “It’s going great. I’m actually hoping you have some watch bands made. I’ve had a huge creative streak going lately and I need to unload some stock.”Daniel and I laughed as we all walked to my workshop. I smiled, “It just so happens that I have a bunch made. What designs were you thinking of?” He lifted the cover from the velvet tray. I gasped and laughed at the same time. Ray furrowed his brow, “What’s so funny?” Daniel looked at the watch faces and chuckled, “You’ll see.”Daniel walked into the vault and came back with a wide tray. I unlocked the lid and lifted it. At the very next moment, Ray chuckled as he shook his head, “I should’ve known you would have matching bands for every face I’ve made.” I laughed,
When I opened my eyes Amy and Annie were standing over me. Annie asked, “What happened? You scared me to death.” I picked my head up from the back of the couch and rubbed the back of my neck, “I don’t know what happened. I just sat down on the couch and must have passed out because I don’t remember what else happened.”Amy decided, “I think I need to call an ambulance so we can take you to the hospital to be checked out”. I answered, “No there’s no need to do that. I’m awake now. I’ll be okay.” Amy reluctantly agreed, “That’s fine, but I’m watching you. Just in case your blood sugar is low, I want you to drink some orange juice.”Annie agreed, “And I texted Daniel while you were out. I just texted him to let him know you just woke up.” Just then the door to the stairs flew open and Daniel was in front of me faster than I had ever seen anyone move. I watched him kneel in front of me and asked, “Hey love, how are you feeling?” I shrugged, “I feel fine. My neck is a bit sore, but I feel o
When I woke up, I was in the back of an ambulance, and we were going to the hospital. I tried to sit up, but I was strapped in. I started yelling at the EMTs, “My friends. All of my friends were in that limo! Where are they?” One of the EMTs stopped messing with the monitors, “Hey, take it easy. We
The room was suddenly so quiet until Angela answered, “Neither am I, so what she said.” The room erupted in laughter and we all celebrated two proposals. I watched Scott help Amy stand and they walked away from us to an empty corner of the VIP floor.When they came back, Amy had both arms around his
I woke up the next morning and turned on my phone. Several missed calls from Victor; all from before he spoke with Lacey and one good morning text from Daniel, which made me smile. I texted him back, “Good morning. Thank you for giving me a reason to smile. A real rarity before my first cup of coffe
When we arrived at the café, Victor and Daya were already waiting at a table. The look on Victor’s face when he saw his brother walk in with me was priceless. Daniel and I looked at each other and smirked at their mouths gaping open. We walked to their table and sat opposite them.I held up one fing







