Paternal Guardian
by
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Why would a grown woman climb into the open space between floors? Wouldn't she realize it could be dangerous in there? And then he heard a sound that made his heart freeze. A faint sound of a cat crying plaintively deep within the hidden spaces that had been opened up between floors so Gabe and his men could install new ducting for the heating and air conditioning, as well as new wiring for electrical use and phones.
She went in to get the cat, he realized. The space between floors was about two feet in height with open steel beams. He just hoped she kept her body on those beams rather than put any weight below them on the lightweight framing that held up the ceiling tiles. I need to get her out of there, cat or no cat, he decided.
"Sarah?" he called out. "Are you in here?"
"Gabe?" she answered. She was so startled to hear his voice she turned in the direction she heard his voice come from and in doing so one leg slipped off of the framing, causing her to lose her grasp with one of her hands. Her left hand began to slip and she knew it was only moments before she would lose her grip with that hand also. Her head went down and she swung rather wildly, striking her head on a thick post. The thud reverberated through the crawl space and was not only heard but also felt by Gabriel.
Gabriel opened his senses more and found she was hanging by one leg, head down. He sensed her impending loss of consciousness. Then he heard a 'thump' as her unconscious body fell from the framing onto the actual ceiling of the second floor. Since the ceiling tiles were hung on a flimsy framework, he was worried she might go crashing through to the floor below. He could hear the cracking noises from the tile framing and he knew it was only a matter of moments until it gave way under her weight.
Gabriel scurried hand and toe as quickly as he could across the framing trying to get to her before the ceiling gave way. As he approached where he suspected her location to be, he was able to see her body sprawled across the ceiling tiles. He could hear the tearing noises from the bending and breaking of the tiles below her.
He hooked one leg over the framework of the wood and steel reaching down to grab her before she fell through. He managed to grasp her blouse and squeeze his hand into a fist. He prayed her blouse would not tear.
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About the Book
Briel and seven of his trusted associates were leaving their dying world en route for the planet Earth where it was reported there were women of compassion. Since the women of the planet Atania were cold and harsh in their dealings with others lacking in any compassion, all eight men looked forward to meeting women of kind hearts and tender mercy toward others.
All eight men stood well over six feet in height and were in solid physical shape, since they had been the elite security force in their home world. They were aware they would stand out since they towered over the average Earthman in stature. But otherwise they believed they could blend in and discover new lives for themselves in this new world.
About the Author
Writing has always been something I wanted to do. In my school years I wrote romance for my girlfriends. They encouraged me to write more, but there wasn't enough time. During college I attended a Police Report Writing Class learning a lot. My profession required investigations on many subjects including those on vehicle accidents. As I decided to take an early retirement I began writing in earnest. With a dozen romances on the shelf and several children's stories, as well as some fiction, I continue to write to share the joy of finding that perfect other half for many women's dreams.