Dr. Shelby Conrad III was stoking his internal fire. He was alone in his small skiff on the Blackwater Edisto River. He was navigating the uninhabited swampland. He could go hours without seeing another boat. If he did encounter another watercraft, they were there for similar reasons and a gentle nod was a zealous exchange.

Shelby was 44 years old. He owned two other fishing boats and a yacht, which contained dinghies larger than what he was navigating. The past three years had been challenging. Time in the swampland with the herons, egrets and alligators helped assess his recent triumphs and tragedies.

He met a great woman in Lexi Casmino. Their romance was magical. It helped Shelby get himself on firm ground. She was more impressed by his moves in the kitchen and on the barbecue than the size of his billfold. She had an ill daughter and he provided healing to both young Mae and her widowed mother.