Healing Gabriel
Authors: Elizabeth Kelly
HEALING
GABRIEL
By Elizabeth Kelly
Copyright 2013 Elizabeth Kelly
This book is the copyrighted property of
the author, and may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for commercial or
non-commercial purposes. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No
alteration of content is allowed.
Your support and respect for the property
of this author is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely
coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and
used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
Cover art by: LFD Designs for Authors
“Ms. Wilson!”
Morgan finished wiping the white board and turned to see the
little girl barreling towards her. Her mother trailed behind her.
“Hi Natalia.” Morgan knelt and hugged the blonde-haired
girl. “What are you still doing here?”
“Mama wants to talk to you.”
“Hi Morgan.” Natalia’s mother smiled and leaned against the
corner of Morgan’s desk.
“Hi Lacey. How are you?”
“Good.” She watched as Natalia wandered to her desk and
opened the lid of it. The little girl began to rummage through it.
“So, what’s up?” Morgan asked as she tripped over the leg
of her desk and fell into her chair.
“You okay?”
“Fine.” She rubbed her knee where she had banged it against
the seat of her chair. “I’m just clumsy.”
“You really are.” Lacey laughed. “I’ve never seen anyone
as uncoordinated as you. You must be one giant walking bruise.”
Morgan grinned. “You should see the one I have on my side
right now.”
Lacey patted her arm. “Would you like to join us this
weekend for a barbeque? Peter’s got grilling fever.”
“I’d love to. Thanks for the invite. That’s really nice of
you.”
Lacey shrugged. “I figured it would be a good way for you
to meet some more people. This is a small town but it can be hard to meet
other single people.”
Morgan gave her a wary look. “Are you trying to set me up
with someone?”
Lacey laughed. “No, I swear I’m not. But I thought you
might like to meet other people who can go out on a Friday night at a moment’s
notice.”
Morgan eyed her suspiciously. She had moved to town two
months ago, and started her new job as the grade one teacher at Martinvale
Elementary. Natalia was one of her students, and Morgan and Lacey had quickly
hit it off at the parent/teacher meet and greet.
She was thankful for Lacey’s friendship. She had moved to
the town of Martinvale after leaving the city she had called home for more than
fifteen years. After her mother had died, she had grown restless and tired of
both the city and her teaching position at one of the private schools. She
applied for the job in Martinvale on a whim, and was shocked when she was
offered the position.
The following three months had been a whirl of selling her
mother’s home, sorting through her possessions, and saying goodbye to her
friends, coworkers and students. Spurred by the urge for a clean start, she
had sold most of her mother’s furniture and put the majority of her personal
items into storage before moving to Martinvale.
“I promise I’m not.” Lacey repeated. She sat on the corner
of the desk and examined her brightly-painted fingernails. “How’s the house
hunt going?”
Morgan loaded her laptop into the pink computer bag. “Not
great. I’m getting really tired of living out of that motel.”
“Although,” she brightened, “I’m looking at a townhouse on
Denver Street next week. It looked promising on the internet ad.”
Lacey winced. “Yeah, don’t bother.”
“What? Why not?”
“Denver Street is in an awful part of town Morgan. Just
trust me – you don’t want to live there. Not unless you like having drug deals
going down outside your front door.”
Morgan sighed. “This is ridiculous. Who knew it would be
so difficult to find a place to live here? Maybe I’m just too picky.”
Lacey hesitated. “I might know of a place.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s a little bit outside of town but as long as you
don’t mind a longer drive to work…”
“I don’t care.” Morgan said eagerly. “Tell me about it.”
“Actually, it’s my parent’s farm. After they died my
brother took it over. He works from home and he raises sheep as a hobby.”
Morgan frowned. “I didn’t know you had a brother.” She had
gone for coffee and been to Lacey and Peter’s place half a dozen times, and
Lacey had never mentioned a brother.
“He uh – he keeps to himself. Anyway, there’s the main
farmhouse and there’s also a small carriage house behind it. Peter and I lived
in it for a while after we first got married. It’s small but cozy. I’m sure
my brother would rent it to you. At least until you find the perfect place to
buy.”
“Lacey, I can’t thank you enough.” Morgan hugged the small
blonde woman impulsively. “I am so sick of living out of a motel.”
Lacey hugged her back. “You’re welcome. Why don’t we meet
there tomorrow night around seven? I’ll text you the address.”
* * *
Morgan stepped out of her car and glanced around curiously.
There was a large blue truck parked in the driveway but no sign of Lacey’s
car. She leaned against her car for a moment and then walked towards the large
white farmhouse. Lacey’s brother was probably at home; she would introduce
herself.
She knocked on the front door of the farmhouse, it was badly
in need of painting, and waited patiently. After a few moments she knocked
again. When there was still no answer, she stepped off the porch and walked
around the side of the house. She gave a gasp of delight. The backyard was a
gorgeous jungle of flowers. It was early spring but already there were a large
amount of bright blooms of flowers nodding gently in the slight breeze. She
could only imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer.
She could see the carriage house at the back of the yard and
she followed the small footpath of stones, stopping to smell a fragrant bright
yellow hyacinth bush. She climbed the small porch, tripping on the stairs but
catching herself before she could fall, and peered into one of the front
windows. She cupped her hands around her face to cut the glare of the setting
sun.
She knocked on the door and when there was no answer, tried
the handle. It turned easily under her hand and she stepped into the cool and
slightly musty smelling house. She was standing in the kitchen and she
squinted in the gloom and tried the light switch. Nothing happened, and she
shrugged and moved deeper into the house.
It could use a good cleaning but she was immediately charmed
by the small house. She walked down the hallway, peeking through the first
doorway to see the small living room. Furniture, covered in dusty white
sheets, filled the room and she glanced around curiously before continuing down
the hall. A door on the left opened to reveal a small bathroom. She grinned
delightedly at the old-fashioned bath tub, and ran her hand over the pedestal
sink before moving back down the hallway. There was a door at the end and she
opened it, expecting to see a small bedroom. It was a bedroom but it was much
larger than she had anticipated. There was a gas fireplace on the far wall
with a small sitting area and a double bed, hidden under a large sheet, was
pushed up against the wall next to it.
It would be so nice to lay in the bed on a cold night and
read with the fireplace on. Already half in love with the place she moved
towards the large window, intending to pull back the dark curtains so she could
see the room more clearly.
As she reached for the curtains a low growling started. She
turned and stared at the dog standing in the doorway. It was an Australian
shepherd type dog, she imagined Lacey’s brother probably used it to help herd
the sheep, and she stared steadily at it.
She wasn’t afraid of dogs, not even ones that were growling
at her, and she simply said, “Good dog,” in a calm and confident voice.
The dog stopped growling and cocked his head at her. “Come
here puppy.” She made a kissing noise and patted her leg and the dog slunk
into the room, its tail between its legs and its nose sniffing the air
delicately.
She made another kissing noise and waited patiently as the
dog drew closer. It sniffed at her pant leg and she said, “good dog” in a
soothing voice but made no move to pet it. It sniffed at her hand and when its
tail began to wag a little, she gently patted the side of its neck.
“Such a good doggie.” The dog chuffed and nudged her with
its cold nose. She smiled and sunk her fingers into the deep fur on his neck
and scratched. “Does that feel good puppy? Do you want a bum rub? Huh? Does
the good puppy want a bum rub?”
She scratched the top of the dog’s back near its rump. The
dog gave another soft chuff and pressed its upper body against her legs. Its
whole back end was wagging now and she laughed softly. “Does that feel good?
What’s your name puppy? Do you have a collar?”
She searched around the thick fur of its neck and found its
collar. Before she could find a name tag, a rough voice spoke from the
doorway. “Who the hell are you?”
She jumped and the dog gave a short bark and skittered
away. Her heart thumping in her chest, she squinted at the shadowy figure
standing in the doorway.
“My name’s Morgan. I’m a friend of Lacey’s. You must be
her brother.” She started forward, her hand held out, and the man took another
step back.
“Don’t come any closer. Why are you here?” He snapped.
The dog weaved anxiously around his legs, whining a little
and staring up at him. He rested his hand briefly on the dog’s head and it sat
beside him, tail thumping against the floor.
Morgan halted and stared nervously at the man. She was
starting to get a bad feeling in her stomach and she glanced uneasily around
the room. He was blocking her way out and she could feel tingles of alarm
racing down her spine.
“Are you – are you not Lacey’s brother?” She swallowed
nervously.
“I am.” He confirmed. “Answer my question – why are you
here?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m meeting Lacey here. She said
I might be able to rent the carriage house from you? I’m new in town. I um, I
teach at the elementary school. Natalia’s one of my students.”
She was babbling, her nerves getting the best of her, and
she suddenly turned and grabbed the curtains. “Do you mind if I open the
curtains? It’s kind of dark in here.”
“No! Wait – “
She ignored him and drew back the curtains, blinking as the
light from the setting sun flooded into the room.
“There, that’s better.” She turned around and her breath
caught in her throat. The man had moved across the bedroom with a silent,
spooky speed until he was standing directly behind her.
“Did you come to see the freak? Is that it?” He grabbed
her arm and pushed her until her back was pressed against the cold glass of the
window. “Take a good look then sweetheart.”
For the first time, she noticed the terrible burns that were
on the left side of his face. They started at his temple and swept down his
face and neck to disappear inside the collar of his shirt.
His dark blue eyes glittered angrily at her as she stared at
the scars on his face. “Satisfied? Get a good enough look? Are you – “
“Gabriel!” The man turned and Morgan breathed a sigh of
relief when she saw Lacey standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Natalia was
with her and she hugged the dog before running towards them.
“Hi Uncle Gabe!” She jumped at him and he caught her,
picking her up and settling her in the crook of his arm.
“Hi Nat. What are you doing here?”
“We’re showing Ms. Wilson the house. Mama says she’s going
to live here.”
Gabe glanced back at Morgan before staring at Lacey. “Did
she now? Lacey, can I speak with you in private please?”
Lacey shook her head. “Nope.”
She walked by her brother and her daughter, glaring fiercely
at Gabriel over Natalia’s head before smiling at Morgan. She linked her arm
through Morgan’s and squeezed it tightly.
“Morgan, this is my brother Gabriel Dern. Gabe, this is
Natalia’s teacher and my friend, Morgan Wilson.”
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Dern.” Morgan held her hand
out. Gabriel grunted in reply and took her hand. An unexpected shiver ran
through her at his touch and he immediately pulled his hand away, turning away
so that the burned side of his face was hidden from her view.
“Call him Gabe.” Lacey said airily. “So, what do you think
of the place Morgan?”
“It’s very nice.” Morgan replied. She cleared her throat
nervously. “If it’s available, I’ll take it.”
“Actually,” Gabe had set Natalia down and was scowling at
Lacey, “it’s not for rent. I don’t – “
“Be quiet Gabriel.” Lacey snapped. “It is for rent and
Morgan, we’d be happy to have you stay here.”
“Lacey – “
Lacey sighed and touched Natalia’s head. “Honey, why don’t
you show Ms. Wilson the barn while I speak with your Uncle Gabe. I bet she’d
like to see it.”
“Okay.” Natalia held her hand out. “Come on Ms. Wilson.
The barn kind of smells but there are new kittens in it.”
Morgan took her hand, giving Lacey an uncertain look.
“Lacey maybe – “
“Go on Morgan. I’ll be right out.” Lacey smiled at her and
Morgan allowed Natalia to lead her from the room.
The moment they were gone, Lacey turned and smacked her
brother hard on his right arm. “What the hell Gabriel? You’re being so rude!”
“I’m being rude? I find some chick wandering around my
house and I’m being the rude one? And what the hell are you doing? You’re renting
it out without even asking me?”
“One – it’s not your house, it’s our house. Two – Morgan is
my friend and she needs a place to stay for a while. I’ve offered her the
carriage house.”
“You should have asked me first! I don’t want her here!”
“I don’t care.” Lacey glared at him. “It’ll do you some
good to have another person around here. It’s not good for you to spend so
much time alone. Do you think mom and dad would want you to be living alone in
the dark? You hardly leave the farm anymore Gabe. It’s not healthy.”
“I don’t need you telling me what to do. I’m perfectly
happy being out here by myself. I don’t need a bunch of people looking at me
and whispering behind my back. Nor do I need some woman living in my back yard
and staring at me all day. Did you ever think that I live out here by myself
because I’m tired of people staring at me? Tired of seeing the goddamn pity in
their eyes?”