New Friends

Shane spotted Rita's friendly smiling face in the crowded sanctuary and made a beeline for her. Rita smiled at her as if she was her long lost sister. She hooked her arm with Shane's and said how good it was to see her in church. Shane gave her a hug and realised she was really happy to have a friend and ally in town already. Shane looked around at the generally friendly faces in the congregation and asked Rita to point her towards the mayor. Rita edged her towards a young family sitting in the second row of pews on the other side. They walked over to them, arm in arm.

"Mr. Mayor, I'd like to introduce you to Miss McInerney." Rita said, pointing to Shane. The mayor got up immediately and with a friendly smile, shook Shane's hand warmly.

"How good it is to make your acquaintance, Miss McInerney."

"Likewise, Mr Hallett." Ryan then looked around and said, "Where's Mr. McInerney? Is it your husband or your father?" Shane looked surprised and confused.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I've been dealing with a Mr. Shane McInerney up until now. We should wait for him to join us to discuss business, as I don't wish to offend him."

"Mr. Hallett, you've been dealing with me, MISS Shane McInerney! Your town already has my money, so I'd appreciate your support as we start up our business relationship." Ryan's jaw dropped!

"Ah… of course… I beg your pardon." He looked around, as if searching for some way out of this awkward situation. His eyes landed on his wife.

"Yes! Please allow me to introduce my wife." He turned to the lady who was attending to two little girls, aged around 2 and 4 years old and said, "Maddy, please!" Maddy stood up and Ryan made the introduction. As Shane extended her hand to Maddy, the lady's jaw dropped too. However, she recovered quickly, grabbed Shane's hand with both of hers and laughed delightedly.

"Oh my dear, how wonderful it is to meet you. How delightful it is to have another female business owner in our town and owner of a newspaper business, of all things!" She turned and looked pointedly at her husband, who seemed incredibly uncomfortable. Shane looked between the two of them with an inquisitive expression. Mrs. Hallett looked back at her and explained. "You see, I wanted to buy the newspaper business myself, as I'm a journalist by trade. I'm insatiable for news and information in general. I can't get enough of newspapers, I even keep old ones. However, Ryan said nobody would trust a female newspaper publisher. The world is apparently not ready for us yet." She reached for Shane's hand again and pressing it she said, "I hope you prove all of them wrong, my dear and if you need my support, all you need to do is ask." Shane smiled and nodded.

The pastor got up and called the congregation to worship. He had a delightful foreign accent that made him even more charming. He had the perfect balance of an admonishing and loving sermon. He was also funny without too much effort. Shane thought it was a breath of fresh air to hear a minister with a sense of humour. The hour passed quickly. When the service was finished, Shane found herself mobbed by half the congregation who wanted to meet the Gazette's new owner. Some of the men even patted her on the back as if to say she was now one of them. When the crowd started to disperse, Ryan again approached her and said, "I think you should meet with some of the prominent business people in town. Please meet us for lunch at the Inn in about half an hour." Shane squared her shoulders and said, "It will be my pleasure, Mr. Hallett." When Shane told Rita about the meeting, Rita said she wouldn't be alone, as there were several business women in town already, including her, as her parents had literally washed their hands of managing the mercantile.

When Shane arrived back at the Inn, she saw a long table set up with about 15 chairs around it. Slowly the business people started to arrive. She was surprised by the number of them. There were many men of all ages and a few women as well; including a saloon madam known simply as Glynis… it was a business too after all.

Shane was officially introduced to Michael Wheeler, the lawyer, Matt Jacobs, the apothecary, his brother Josh Jacobs, the doctor, Henry Bennett, the blacksmith, Teresa Capodiamonte, the dressmaker, Benjamin Parker, the wagon maker, Dudley Curley, the barber, Rob Casey, the carpenter, Jack Marashak, the banker, Jonathan and Katherine Walker, accountants, Gabe, the saloon owner and his wife Hattie, a performer. Also, Joey Castelluci, the lumberjack, Bobby Richards, the stable keeper, and Norman Dorman the pony express rider. Oh and how could she forget... the sheriff, Lester Kimsickle and his deputy Thomas Owen Walker? There were also lots of ranchers and farmers and last but definitely not least, Oliver O'Toole, the postmaster! Shane looked around, and gave a friendly nod to all of them. When her eyes locked on Mr. O'Toole, the gorgeous man who had helped her with the breakfast menu, she felt her face burn. She knew she was blushing outrageously and she wanted to run upstairs and hide. She hoped nobody else noticed, but she saw that he did, as he gave her an almost imperceptible nod and a half smile.

Oliver was amazed at how brave this woman was. She was facing some sort of panel inquiry, as if she was trying to pass herself off as some kind of imposter pretending to be something she wasn't. She had a folder filled with work credentials, including a wonderful reference from her boss at the Washington Post in DC and a number of cut out clips from the newspaper. Her articles covered a wide range of different subjects. She was obviously over qualified for a small country newspaper and undoubtedly knew her industry very well. She was also beautiful… hang on, why was this even relevant? He asked himself, appalled with the direction of his thoughts. He forced his thoughts back to the business at hand. He knew she was going to face some serious scrutiny to prove herself in this town, but this blonde beauty seemed to be up to the task. He decided on the spot he was going to do whatever she needed in order to help her succeed. He hated to see people gang up on others. He wasn't going to stand by and watch the town's business community arrogantly destroy someone's dream just because they thought she was the wrong sex.

Once the business part of the meeting concluded, it was time for lunch. Sheriff Kimsickle approached Shane and asked her in a most flowery and flirtatious way to sit with him at a separate table. She looked around, panicking, hoping for some sort of deliverance from the situation. She searched the room and her eyes landed, for some odd reason, on Oliver. He understood her desperate silent plea for help . He got up from his seat and approached both of them.

"Hi Sheriff, Miss McInerney already promised to sit with me, as we have some business ideas to discuss related to her mail delivery from Washington DC."

"Hey, O'Toole, don't you have some personal business of your own to attend to, such as finding your runaway wife?" Oliver's face got beet red, but he quickly composed himself.

"I thought tracking down runaway people was your job, Sheriff. Are you saying you've failed to locate my wife and now you want me to do your job for you?" "Stand back, O'Toole, you're in my wheelhouse now."

Oliver was unmoved. "What possible business do you have to discuss with Miss McInerney? Unless it is to arrest her for attempting to preside over a business predominantly administered by men?" Lester didn't understand big words. He didn't know if Oliver was insulting him or not. Rather than show his ignorance, he simply tipped his hat to Shane and said, "Another day, then, Missy." He walked out of the restaurant laughing. He indeed was the most obnoxious person that Shane had ever met.

Shane didn't know what had just happened right in front of her. The two men were literally at each other's throats. She had no idea if she was even the reason for it. Either way, Oliver pulled out a chair for her at a table nearby set for two.

"Miss McInerney, I must apologise for those heated words between the sheriff and myself. Let's just say the two of us are not the best of friends."

Shane nodded. "I'm really sorry for putting you in that situation to start with, Mr. O'Toole. Miss Haywith warned me yesterday to steer clear of the sheriff. I must confess I panicked when he asked me to join him." Oliver simply nodded.

"You have nothing to apologise for. When it comes to defending and protecting any woman from the sheriff's inappropriate advances, I hope I will never back down and let that happen."

She nodded and looked down, her eyes landing on his left hand, adorned by a wedding ring, resting on the table. His gaze followed hers to his own hands. He cleared his throat. She looked up again and they stared at each other for a few seconds. She could get lost in those mesmerising eyes. What? Are you crazy, Shane? She berated herself. Get your act together, girl.

"So, please tell me why an intelligent woman with an impressive resume with one of the biggest newspapers in the country would choose to open a tiny newspaper business in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere?" Then he flashed her a most gorgeous smile. She felt her face blushing again. Why on earth did this perfect MARRIED stranger, seem to knock the air out of her lungs so easily? She thought of Steve Marek. How was it possible he never made her feel all warm inside like this man?

"Well, Mr. O'Toole, let me tell you. The Washington Post is indeed a massive paper and I'm just a tiny fish in that huge pond. Now I'm the sole owner of my own newspaper. A big fish in a tiny pond!" And she flashed him a most charming smile of her own. Oliver caught his breath. This woman was not only smart and beautiful, she had spunk! He smiled at her warmly and said, "Well, Miss McInerney, you have a friend in me. Please, if you need anything, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. I will not refuse your offer, since I am certain I will need it."

They finished lunch and then lingered at their table for hours afterwards. He shared information regarding the area and its population, along with stories about the farmers and ranchers around. He also shared about his job. He was a local boy, born and bred in Copper Creek. He went to college in Houston, Texas, but returned to his roots to work with the USPS. He explained it was in his blood through his great grandfather who had been a pony express rider, as well as his grandfather and father who had long postal careers.

Shane shared about her love of writing and reading. Her degrees in literature, art, and philosophy. Her love of Shakespeare. He lit up when she mentioned Shakespeare. They started quoting it back and forth and laughed as they remembered together pieces they had completely forgotten over the years.

It was almost 3 o'clock when Eleanor came to sit with them. They were the last two customers in the restaurant and she was exhausted and keen to put her feet up. She brought a pot of peppermint and ginger tea with 3 new cups. The 3 of them had a very nice relaxing time. Eleanor was funny and very direct. She said what she meant and meant what she said.

She looked directly into Shane's eyes and asked point blank, "Have you got a man waiting for you in DC or coming to join you here?" Shane was taken aback by the directness of her question, but she was equally direct, and definitely not feeling the need to use subterfuge.

"No, not anymore. I was engaged for a year, but it turned out to be a mistake. I thank the good Lord I recognized it in time." Oliver looked uncomfortable with the subject and soon decided it was time for him to go home. He said goodbye to both of them and walked out. It had been a very long time since he'd had such an enjoyable Sunday.

Shane was about to say goodbye as well to her hostess and climb the stairs to her bedroom when Eleanor said, rooting her to her chair, "Honey, did you notice the ring on his finger?"

Shane looked directly at her and without hesitation she said, "Yes, I did. I don't know the story behind it but I've gathered there's some secret in his life that revolves around his wife. If you're worried I'm going to mess with him, please don't! I'm not the home wrecker type."

"That's the thing, honey, the home is already broken and it's hardly a secret. The whole town knows. But he's very vulnerable. Please don't add to his heartache." Shane nodded as if she was promising something, although she didn't know what that might be. She said goodnight and climbed the stairs. She didn't know why, but she felt like crying, like something big had shifted in the heavenly realms.

As she relaxed in her bedroom and took stock of the day's events, she prayed fervently and with her heart full of gratitude and anticipation. "Dear Lord, thank you for bringing me into this community. I feel as if you have something special for me to do here. Whatever it is, prepare and equip me. Thank you for my new friends. Please protect them. I pray in your precious name. Amen."