Saving Gideon (The Angel Chronicles Book 1)

by Mary May

  Catherine was nodding her head. “Sweetheart, Sherrilyn was a wealthy woman. Of course, a lot of her wealth is tied up in CDs and her investments, but, needless to say, you will live comfortably the rest of your life. You didn’t think she would give you this estate and not provide you with the means to keep it did you? It takes thousands of dollars a year just to maintain a place this size. She knew you wouldn’t be able to handle that on your own.”

  Sabrina sat back in her chair, stunned at what her mother was telling her. She honestly hadn’t given any thought to running this estate or the costs that it would incur. She knew there was money set aside for Edgar, but she hadn’t thought any further than that. “Is there enough that I could give some to Devon? He should have something; she was his sister.”

  Evan smiled. “Sabrina, there is enough to do what you want; we can go to the bank tomorrow and get actual figures for you. Then you will know what you’re dealing with, okay?”

  Sabrina smiled back. “I would like that.”

  Sabrina came back in the house the following morning and sat down hard on the couch with a shell- shocked look on her face. She was a millionaire…twenty times over! Most of it was tied up in CDs and investments, like her mother said, but still…she couldn’t really remember what the banker had told her after he said she was worth over twenty million dollars. She had zoned out after that. She thought he had said she had stock in Apple computers and Mobile refineries? Oh, and another five million in CDs that would mature in seven years. Sabrina leaned back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

  “You are too sneaky for your own good, Sherrilyn Foster! Thank you for everything…I will do my very best to follow your heart and open this place up for people in need. I think the first person on that list should be your brother. I love you, Sherrilyn, and I miss you like crazy already, but I wouldn’t wish you back if I could.” Sabrina bowed her head and prayed. “Lord, I thank You for this blessing. Please help me to do Your will with it and to use it to show people the way back into Your arms.” Sabrina then jumped up and ran to tell her mother.

  Gideon was happy that Sabrina wouldn’t have to worry about money or the cost of keeping a place the size of the estate going. He knew she was going to track down Devon and give him what she thought was his fair share. He wished he could be as open to receiving people as Sabrina was, but he had seen too much evil in the world and not all of it came from the pits of hell. He vowed he would keep a very close eye on Devon if he showed back up. It bothered him that he couldn’t get a “feel” for the young man. That just didn’t happen...ever! People ALWAYS gave off a vibe, but Devon felt muted somehow, and it made Gideon’s wings very… twitchy. One thing he had learned in the thousands of years of leading the armies of the Lord…twitchy wings spelled trouble.

  Chapter 26

  The following weeks were an adjustment period for Sabrina and Edgar. She wanted to treat him like family; he wanted to be treated like an employee. They finally settled on a compromise of Edgar being treated like a hired family member. It still made Sabrina cringe whenever he referred to her as madam, because that’s what he called Sherrilyn, but Edgar refused to budge on this. He stated she was the lady of the house and she would be addressed as such. Sabrina just rolled her eyes and said fine, but she wasn’t going to like it! Edgar replied her liking it wasn’t necessary. That made Sabrina do an about face.

  “Did you just use sarcasm, Edgar?” she asked in disbelief.

  Edgar then rolled his eyes. “Yes, I believe that’s the term for it, madam.”

  Sabrina cracked up at his dry tone. “Okie dokie then, Edgar using sarcasm…this is a red letter day for sure!” Still chuckling, Sabrina sat down at the kitchen table. She had received a response from the school where she had applied for a teaching position. She opened it and scanned the contents of the letter quickly, getting down to the part that told her yes or no about giving her the position. The final line gave her the answer.

  “After reviewing your lists of credentials, we have decide that at this time we would refrain from extending an employment opportunity. However, your resumé will remain on file for the next ninety days. If a position becomes available that we feel you will be suited for, we will, of course, call you at once. Thank you for submitting your resumé at Mountain View Elementary School, where teaching is our passion.”

  Sabrina wadded the letter up and tossed it into the nearby waste basket. “That had to be the most long-winded brush off I’ve ever received!” Edgar came into the kitchen and caught the tail end of her conversation with herself.

  “I’m assuming that the letter contained a negative response?” He questioned.

  Sabrina gave a short laugh. “Yeah, Edgar, it definitely contained a negative response.”

  He leaned against the counter and in a very un-Edgar like way said, “Why do you even want to work? You don’t have any need for the money.”

  Sabrina sighed. “I know that. It’s just I went to college for four years and studied very hard to receive my teaching degree. It seems wasteful not to use it. Besides that, I like teaching; I miss it. I feel rather useless around here. You take care of the estate and other than raising Charlie I’m not doing anything at all!”

  Edgar looked at her sharply. “You are doing the most important job of all, Miss Sabrina. You are being a mother to your child and I would think you would be thankful to have the chance to be a stay-at-home mother. I know many would jump at the chance that has been given to you. Perhaps you just need to change your view of what the situation really is.”

  Sabrina stared at the butler, her eyes wide. “Wow, Edgar, you said a mouthful! I think you’re right; I should just concentrate on raising Charlie for now. If the Lord wants me to do something else, it will come along when the time is right!” She leaned over and kissed the bristly cheek of the man and went to get Charlie up from her nap.

  From there the relationship between Sabrina and the butler was more comfortable. Sabrina was content to stay home and volunteer at the church and other charities that kept her busy and made her feel useful and helpful. One of her favorite charities was volunteering at the local animal shelter. She had always had a great love for animals, but since leaving her parents’ home she hadn’t had any pets of her own. She decided that Charlie needed a dog to play with. Edgar wasn’t happy about the idea at all, saying that beasts belonged outside. Sabrina didn’t agree with him, and the idea of a small terrier or perhaps a beagle playing in the house with Charlie and sleeping at the foot her bed made her get a little teary eyed. So they all loaded up in the car and headed to the local shelter to find the perfect little companion dog.

  Gideon was in the back seat with Charlie and he had his own reservations about the whole dog idea. Most animals were very sensitive to spiritual beings but most especially dogs and cats. He wondered how the animal would react and how he would be able to keep it from barking its head off at him.

  They pulled into the shelter. When they entered the back where the kennels were, the dogs all started a frenzy of barking, yapping and deep woofing at him. They walked up and down the row commenting on one animal or another. Sabrina saw several small dogs that were exactly what she had in mind, but they didn’t seem quite right; they were lacking… something. She had decided to come back another day when one of the shelter volunteers came into the kennel area. Actually she saw a large sheepdog drag the poor soul into the kennel area. It looked as though the dog had just had a bath and it appeared the volunteer had gotten one as well. They were both soaked. The dog came running up to Gideon and just slid to a stop at the angel’s feet, looking up at him adoringly. His long tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, and his black button eyes were barely visible beneath the mop of shaggy hair that covered his face. He was wagging his tail so hard drops of water flew everywhere! Sabrina laughed at the comical expression on the dog’s face. He looked so happy to see them. The volunteer apologized and was trying to offer Sabrina and Edgar a towel to wipe of the water. Edgar l
ooked appalled and was backing away from the mountain of fur and flying water. Charlie laughed with excitement, and Gideon groaned and shook his head; he knew this was going to be the one.

  Moppet was sitting in the back of the car with Charlie and Gideon. Of course, Sabrina was the only one that didn’t know the giant animal was parked in his lap and kept trying to lick his face then would look confused when the long slobbering tongue would pass right through Gideon’s cheek. Even though the dog’s tongue never actually touched him, Gideon cringed anyway. Why in all the heavens did Sabrina have to choose this huge hairy slobbering beast? What happened to the small terrier idea? His only consolation was that Edgar looked just as unhappy as Gideon did. He tried to reason with Miss Sabrina that a smaller dog would really be more appropriate as an indoor pet. Sabrina just laughed.

  “Oh, look at him, Edgar! He loves us already! I just couldn’t resist all that happiness that he was giving off. He will be perfect. Charlie loves him already, too.”

  The ride home was a nightmare. Finally Gideon couldn’t take any more doggy breath and flew along outside the car, which caused a whole new problem. Moppet found it very exciting indeed to have someone flying beside the car, so he was bounding back and forth barking and woofing enthusiastically.

  Sabrina laughed. “What in the world is he barking at? He is so funny!” Charlie would squeal and kick her feet whenever Moppet would jump over her seat to get to the other side of the car. Edgar didn’t look amused and said the canine must be unstable and they should return him to the shelter before it was too late.

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Edgar! There is nothing wrong with Moppet. He is just very excited to be going home. I think he knows he is going home, don’t you?”

  Gideon started flying over the top of the car, hoping that if the dog couldn’t see him he would settle down. That only made the dog start howling mournfully at the top of his doggy lungs when he couldn’t see Gideon anymore. Edgar held his hands over his ears and glared at Sabrina accusingly while Moppet howled his heart out. Sabrina laughed at Edgar’s expression and Charlie started giggling. Finally Gideon just resigned himself to being a dog seat and got back in the car. Moppet immediately stopped howling and started whipping his tail back and forth, slapping Edgar in the face, which earned Sabrina another glare from the old butler. Sabrina was laughing helplessly at the indignant look Edgar was giving her.

  “Oh, come on, a little doggy hair never killed anyone. Didn’t you have pets as a kid?”

  Edgar turned his head to avoid getting a mouthful of fluffy tail when he answered. “No, we did not have pets and we certainly didn’t have a woolly mammoth ride in a car with us or reside in the house. This creature is going to destroy everything Miss Sabrina, mark my words.”

  They finally made the turn in to the driveway and Moppet stopped wagging and licking long enough to look out the window at his new home. When Sabrina opened the door, the sheepdog stepped carefully over Charlie and jumped to the ground and looking around at the expansive lawn starting running laps around the car and lawn. He would run back to Gideon and crouch with his butt in the air begging Gideon to play with him. Gideon waved his hands, trying to “shoo” the dog away, but Moppet just kept prancing in front of him. Sabrina was leaning in the car getting Charlie out of the car seat, out of ear shot, so Edgar walked over to where Gideon was desperately trying to get Moppet to go away and whispered, “It would seem that the beast has taken a rather strong liking to you, angel, imagine that.” Then he strolled into the house, leaving Gideon to deal with the mountain of furry enthusiasm.

  Moppet took to his new surroundings very quickly and, just as Sabrina had hoped, he became Charlie’s constant companion. They would play for hours on end and then at night they both piled up in the toddler’s bed and slept peacefully. Sabrina tried to keep the dog on the floor to sleep, even buying him a large plush bed to sleep in, but in the morning she came in to find Charlie sleeping in the dog’s bed with Moppet. She gave up and made sure he was bathed regularly. She knew she had made the right choice with Moppet, even if Edgar felt very differently.

  The English sheepdog knew only two speeds which was an all-out dead run and a sudden skidding stop. He did everything with the outlandish love of life that Sabrina had found so endearing. Of course, that meant that he had to learn a few house rules. Rule number one: Moppet must never ever go in Edgar’s rooms. Rule number two pretty much enforced rule number one: Moppet must stay away from Edgar.

  Sabrina loved the silly dog immediately. He had such a love of life and was always making her laugh with his antics. The only area of concern was sometimes he would run up to something that only he could see and wag his tail and lick at the thin air. It was the most bizarre thing she had ever seen a dog do! When she mentioned it to Edgar, he stood his ground about the dog being unstable and he hoped Sabrina kept the receipt. One thing that Sabrina noticed was that with Moppet in the house Sherrilyn’s absence was less painful. Sabrina knew that Sherrilyn would have loved the outgoing dog and she felt she had her blessing. Life was settling into a nice routine that kept Sabrina busy and fulfilled, but she would find herself listening for the rumble of a black Harley and would pray for Devon.

  Easter was just around the corner and of course Sabrina had gone all out in decorating the house and grounds around the estate. She had decided to host a huge egg hunt the weekend before Easter; it was a wonderful success. Children from all over the city came and hunted for the brightly-colored eggs and prizes. Moppet had as much fun playing with all the children and sniffing out the eggs for Charlie.

  Her mother and Evan came down, along with Carl and Keelie. The upcoming wedding in June was what the ladies were discussing while the men talked about the opening of The Desert Rose Bakery. Keelie had decided to wear her grandmother’s gown and asked Sabrina to be a bridesmaid. Catherine would act as her Matron of Honor. Sabrina wondered if she would have to wear buckskin, too. Apparently the thought must have registered on her face because Keelie laughed, “Only if you want to, Sabrina. The other bridesmaids are wearing simple slip dresses in a rich brown and carrying bouquets of dried white and yellow roses with feathers instead of the traditional green leaves.”

  “Oh, that sounds lovely!” Sabrina said in wonder. “I can’t wait to see them! Tell me what else you’re planning; I love how you’re mixing your traditions with ours.”

  Keelie told her the ceremony would take place at an overlook on Lake O’ the Cherokees. Her uncle would perform the marriage ceremony as he was a licensed minister as well as a Kiowah Holy man. Keelie smiled. “This sounds much more intimidating than it really is. Most clansmen now are business men or ranchers, but Carl doesn’t know that.”

  Catherine laughed out loud, knowing what poor Carl would be thinking.

  “We just get together to talk about the old times and uphold the most sacred traditions for the younger generations.”

  Sabrina smiled. “Well, I can’t wait; I bet it will be a beautiful wedding!”

  Easter Sunday was beautiful and sunny. After the sunrise service ended, the group came back home to find a black Harley sitting in the drive way. Catherine looked at Sabrina, who just shrugged and shook her head. Gideon frowned fiercely and felt his shoulders tense up and his wings bristle. Devon was sitting in the kitchen with Edgar while the butler prepared the Easter dinner. Devon stood up when they entered the room and Sabrina was struck again by how tall the man was. It really wasn’t necessary, she thought, being a little less than five foot four herself.

  “I hope you don’t mind; I know I wasn’t invited for Easter.”

  Catherine went to hug him. “Of course, we don’t mind and you’re family. You are always invited for everything!” Devon smiled at Catherine and, of all things, twin dimples appeared in his cheeks. Sabrina extended her hand and welcomed him as well as Carl and Evan. Devon then focused his blue gaze on the little girl in Sabrina’s arms.

  “Well, now, who is this little angel?” Sabrina had dressed Charlie in
a cream and white lace dress with white stockings and pale pink sandals. Her strawberry blonde curls were pulled back in a high ponytail with a pale pink ribbon. Sabrina was very surprised when Charlie actually reached out for Devon. The man lifted the little girl high over his head, making her squeal with glee and making her guardian itch to pull her out of his arms.

  Gideon just didn’t trust Devon. His gut was telling him to be very careful with this man and his gut had never steered him wrong! Devon settled Charlie on his hip like he was an old pro with children and stood there making faces at her while the others watched amazed.

  Sabrina laughed, “Wow, you’re good with her; I’ll give you that. She rarely goes to strangers and never to a man she doesn’t know! I’m impressed!”

  Devon winked at Sabrina. “She just knows a good thing when she sees it, don’t you, sweetheart?” Gideon stood as close to Charlie has he could get, and the little girl looked over at him and smiled and reached for him! No matter how many times Gideon tried to tell her or to demonstrate he couldn’t hold her, she still asked for him from time to time. Gideon reached out to touch Charlie, and his hand ghosted through her so he knew she wasn’t in danger, but that didn’t make his wings any less twitchy at all.

  Throughout dinner the conversation flowed and everyone enjoyed themselves. Devon was more open and relaxed than he was before, almost like a different person. Sabrina noticed but kept it to herself; she had her hands full keeping Charlie from feeding Moppet all of her dinner. The dog stayed between Devon and Charlie. Devon was the first person that the dog didn’t instantly love. He wasn’t aggressive just…watchful. Gideon decided then maybe the dog had some worth after all.

  Gideon appeared in Edgar’s room later than night. The butler never seemed startled by Gideon’s sudden appearances. He seemed to expect him all the time. Edgar was sitting at his table carving on some wooden blocks. Gideon sat down uninvited and picked one up, turning it over in his hands. Edgar was making blocks with the alphabet on them. On one side he would carve the letter then on the other side he would carve an animal that started with that letter; they were really well done.