Guardian of the Fountain Read Free Page B

of
the humanitarian nurses at the clinic. The blonde girl was probably a new
nurse. He would ask Dr. Wilson about her next week when he dropped off
supplies.
    * * *
           “I think
that’s the last of the crates, Dr. Wilson.” Brant removed his work gloves and
wiped his brow with his arm.
           “I
appreciate it. If there is anything I can do for you, let me know. You do so
much for this clinic already. We are forever in your debt.” Dr. Wilson shook
Brant’s hand warmly.
           “It’s my
pleasure. But I do have one favor. Who is that new nurse you have working
here?”
           “Ah,
Chrissie. She is a rare gem. I see you’ve noticed her.” Dr. Wilson cocked a
brow and grinned.
           “Well, of
course I noticed her. She is the first naturally blonde girl I’ve seen in the
village.” Brant felt the corners of his lips turn up at the thought of her in
her bathing suit.
           “She’s a
new shipment from the States. Came here just last week and is already
invaluable to me. Her work ethic puts us all to shame. The only problem is her
Spanish.” Dr. Wilson chuckled. “But give her six months, and she’ll be talking
like a native. She’s a quick learner. Just yesterday, she mastered stitches
that took me three months to learn. You stay away, Brant Wilson. I don’t want
you running away with my best nurse.”
           “Oh, don’t
worry. I’ve got my hands full with Valencia.”
    *   *   *
           Chrissie
walked by Arturo’s produce stand on her way home from work. Her feet ached,
although her spirits were high. Her spirit radiated joy from the service she
was doing at the clinic. Who knew that working for only room and board could be
so fulfilling? She was going to have a hard time leaving in almost six months’
time. The previous six months had flown by in a flurry of busywork.
    Papayas,
bananas, mangoes, and many other delicious fruits lined the table in the
market. Every morning for the past five months, she had bought something to
supplement her packed lunch, and Arturo always managed to sneak in a little
more than she expected. Then on the way home, she would pick from his stand and
a few other stands in the market for dinner.
           “Venezuela
is good for you, mija. You glow now.”
           “It’s all
this fresh food I’ve been eating. The produce in the States tastes like dirt
compared to yours. I don’t think eating from a vending machine on night shift
is so good for the health, either.” Chrissie picked three apricots from a
basket and handed them to Arturo.
    Arturo
took them and put them in a paper sack with a bunch of bananas. “On the house,”
he said. “María said she wants you to stop by the casa. She says her heart
hurts again.”
    “You
and I both know that she has a stronger heart than any thirty-year-old.”
    “Sí,
her heart hurts because it misses you. She has adopted you as one of her own.
Can’t say I blame her.”
    “I
see her every morning on my way to work.” Chrissie’s words were filled with
amusement. “But I will go because I miss her too.” Her laughter amazed her. Six months ago, I never would’ve thought
this was possible, to find such happiness in my life that doesn’t involve Trey.
He was time wasted .
    “Say
hello to Marla for me, mija.”
    “Thank
you, Arturo. I will.”
    * * *
           “It’s been
a few months since you got rid of that chupacabra of a woman. It is time to
move on, and I have the perfect girl for you.” María continued to knead the
bread dough in her bowl. Flour dusted her arms all the way up to her elbows. A
tidy cook was one thing María was not.
    Brant
sighed heavily. “I don’t want to date anymore. I’ve searched this long for a
girl, and have come up empty-handed. I just don’t think it is in the cards for
me. I can’t leave this place for longer than a week. I have too many
responsibilities.” Brant leaned the kitchen chair back against