A Sanctuary Christmas Tale by Lisa Phillips

Author:Lisa Phillips
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Two Dogs Publishing, LLC.

Chapter 9

“Ready?”

Shelby sat completely still on the bed in Medical Center Examination Room One. Elliot waited for her to nod or give him some other signal she was set for him to stitch the gash on her cheek. He’d cleaned the cuts on her face and applied a gel to make sure they didn’t get infected, but one particularly long gash needed a couple of stitches.

“Shelby?”

She glanced at him with only her eyes and gave him a long blink that was as good as a nod.

“Okay.” He touched the soft skin of her cheek with one hand. It only took a minute to put two stitches in, place gauze over it, and secure it with medical tape. Her eyelashes were as dark as her hair, her eyes like caramel. Her cheek bones were high and her lips full.

Would he have noticed if he hadn’t had to stitch her up? If the mayor’s reckless action hadn’t caused her to get hurt, would Elliot have ever been given the chance to study her features this closely?

She’d shut down, probably due to shock. Her hairline was damp, and he’d noticed her squeeze her shaky hands together. He turned away to clean up, mostly so she didn’t think he was a creeper. “All done.”

Her gentle exhale evaporated into the room. Elliot wanted to hug her. Instead, he settled for distracting her in another way. “So, what is there to do in this town?”

Shelby gingerly got off the bed. Elliot reached for her elbow, but she stepped out of reach. “Coffee? There’s a diner, and we can stop in the sheriff’s office on the way to make the report. He’ll want to know what happened.”

Elliot nodded. “Okay.”

She stepped to the door first and reached for the handle. The door flung open so fast Elliot barely pulled her out of the way. Again. What was wrong with the people in this town?

The big, African American security guard filled the doorway, dressed in dark jeans and a sweater. “What happened?” His voice boomed.

Shelby rushed into his arms. His face gentled as he wrapped his arms around her. Xander looked up and gave Elliot a conciliatory smile.

So she didn’t need him. Apparently, she needed this guy. Elliot didn’t like the realization he was jealous of the big man, Shelby’s friend. But she hadn’t turned to Elliot for support.

Shelby sighed and leaned back to explain about the mayor’s accident. If she was going to tell the sheriff the same story, Elliot would have to take some time—maybe tomorrow—to explain the look he’d seen in the mayor’s eye. The intent. Shelby didn’t need to know it might not have been an accident, especially if she was only going to argue with his assessment, which he felt like she would.

Elliot said, “How did you know something had happened?”

It was Shelby who turned to answer his question. “Xander locks up the medical center and then heads to the diner for dinner. The medical center is on his route home.”

“Saw the lights on.” Xander rocked back on his heels and then turned to Shelby.

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