Daddy's Little Girl (A Homespun Romance) (11 page)

"Look mademoiselle." 

Sara stared.  That wasn't her in the mirror.

The woman who stared back at her was someone exotic, someone as far removed from plain Sara Adams of Rainbow Valley, as earth from sky.  The lines of the classic off-the-shoulder red floor length dress made her look taller.  The hairdresser had cut a wispy fringe that drew attention to her eyes.  Skillful make-up and what she wore made her look quite different. 

"You could be a model if you wished to, mademoiselle," the assistant who had helped slip the froth of red silk over her head said.  "You are gorgeous."

"Please call me Sara."  She had to hold on to the old, the ordinary, before her head floated away into the clouds.

Ties were brought in for her selection and Sara picked out three.  As the assistant left to pack them, the room was filled with people carrying lamps and a man whose hair was half pink and half gone.  A earring dangled from one ear and a cigarette from his mouth.

"Sara, this is Ramon.  He is a very, very gifted photographer.  I will be back when he's done."  Gina took a look at Sara's face and said, "Your fiancé wants pictures of you."

Ramon and his helpers left half an hour later, telling her she was exquisite.  Hoping that was the end of her day here, Sara turned back to the mirror for one last look.

They'd actually managed to cover up all her freckles.  Would Jason think all the money he'd spent on her had been worth it?  It would serve him right if he went into cardiac arrest when he saw the bill.  They would probably take his house and his car and his company when they found out he couldn't pay.

At exactly five minutes to four, Jason returned to Rudolfo's.  Had Sara enjoyed her day here?  For a minute this morning he had thought Sara was going to walk out on him. 

He'd made the remark about Dee Dee this morning out of sheer desperation.  He was beginning to recognize the stubborn glow that came into Sara's eyes, the same way he recognized Kelsey's habit of sticking out her bottom lip. 

"This way m'sieu."  The woman held a velvet curtain aside, and Jason walked into the room.

His gaze went to the woman before the mirror.  She had a beautiful back, emphasized by the way the red silk of her gown was draped low across it.  He lifted his gaze to the face reflected in the mirror and his heartbeat quickened.

"Sara?"

She didn't say anything, simply stared at him through the mirror, and he went nearer.  Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined her looking like this.  Her hair had been swept up in a new style, her eyes looked enormous, her red mouth an invitation he couldn't resist. 

"You look beautiful."  Putting a hand on her shoulder he bent and touched his mouth to the bare skin of her shoulder as if to reassure himself this really was Sara.  She jumped but didn't move away.

"You like it?"  The voice was the same. 

Uncertain, timid, seeking.

"I love it."  He lifted his other hand and touched the tip of one long dangling earring.  Sara had an incredibly beautiful neck and he wanted to take her somewhere quiet and private and nibble on it.  His gaze swept the way the silk clung to her breasts, defined her tiny waist and then flowed to the floor.

"This isn't really me."

His grasp on her shoulder tightened.  "This isn't a part of you that you're used to, but this was always a part of you, waiting to be discovered.  You can't hide from it any longer.  This is the part of you I wanted you to see Sara.  Now do you believe what I said to you that day at Burnham Beeches?  You've got eyes a man can both lose and find himself in."

He'd known she was beautiful, but her cool, elegant beauty surprised him.

Tension throbbed between them as they looked at each other in the mirror.  Jason made no effort to hide the longing in his eyes.

I want you Sara.  You're beautiful.

She seemed to sense his need because she turned to him searching his face.  Jason couldn't help himself.  Cupping her face with both hands he lowered his head.  He kissed her leisurely, as he'd always wanted to, coaxing her lips apart, teasing her tongue till it reached out to explore his own mouth.

"A mouth made for kissing," he said huskily, as he lifted his head.

"Ahem!"  The sound at the door had them both turning to it.  Jason looked at the young man who came in.

"Jason this is Geronimo," he heard Sara say.  "He did my hair."

"It was a pleasure to work with someone so beautiful mademoiselle.  Here are the packets that will help keep your hair as soft as silk."

"Thank you Geronimo."  There was a special softness about Sara's smile as she looked at the young man and a curl of anger flared in Jason.

"Thank you mademoiselle."  Lifting one of Sara's hands the young man pressed his mouth against it and then looked into her eyes as if he were a sick puppy.  "If you need anything...anything at all, you only have to call me.  My work and home phone number are on that card, and I will be happy to do anything for you."

Jason's fists clenched as the man left the room. 

"Ah there you are, mon ami!"  Gina slid into the room and smiled at Jason.  "Are you pleased?"

"Very."  Jason tried to fight the feeling that maybe this had all been a mistake.  He didn't want other men staring at Sara as if they wanted to take her home with them.

"The photographer said the pictures will be delivered to the flat in a day.  He says if mademoiselle is interested in a modeling job, he can recommend an agency."

"She is not."

Gina looked amused.  "I told him so already," she said smoothly.  "A few of Sara's things have been put in your car.  The rest will be sent to your home."

"Thank you Gina."

Sara told herself she should have known that at Rudolfo's, important customers weren't presented with anything as common as a bill before they left.  It was probably slipped in a gold foil envelope and delivered by a winged messenger to their home addresses.

Jason turned to her again and said, "You look great.  Wait till Dee Dee sees you.  Plain and ordinary, hah!"

Her balloon of happiness burst so quickly, Sara wasn't sure she'd ever had one.  Of course, this was all to impress Dee Dee and convince her that Sara was genuine fiancé material.  All part of her job, nothing more.

Cupping Sara's elbow, Jason steered her out of the salon.  "Where are we going?"  she asked Jason, as he put her into the limo drawn up at the curb.  What had happened to his car?  Maybe this was part of the crash course in Personal Enhancement 101 she had to have before Dee Dee arrived.

"You'll see."

Jason cursed himself.  Sara had changed the minute he'd mentioned Dee Dee.  He had opened his mouth so wide that he'd stuffed both his size eleven feet into it.  He watched Sara's profile as she stared out the window. 

"Tired?"

"A little."

"I have something for you."

Sara stared at the box he handed her.  "Open it."

Another ring?  Or maybe this time it was a tiara.  That might just about impress Dee Dee.  Close to tears, and not sure why, Sara lifted the lid of the eight by four box.

She picked up the envelope inside and stared at the tickets.  "Tickets to Swan Lake?  For tonight?  Oh Jason!"

His heart lifted. It was the first real note of happiness he had heard in her voice all day.  "Oh, Sara!"

The teasing note in his voice made her blush.  "You shouldn't spend all this money on me."

"I got the tickets cheap.  Would you like to go?"

She nodded, but a frown pleated her brow a second later.  "What's wrong?"

"I've hardly seen Kelsey all day," she said.  "Do you think we could stop by the flat for a few minutes?"

Jason shot her a surprised glance.  He should know by now that Kelsey always came first with Sara.  "Kelsey's fine.  Mrs. Binty thought you might be worrying about her and she sent a message."

"What is it?"

"She said you're to enjoy the evening and not fash yourself with worry, whatever fash yourself means."

Jason took her to a small French bistro for dinner before the ballet.  Excusing himself after they were seated, he picked up the suiter he'd carried into the restaurant from the limo, and said, "Be back in a minute."

The sight of him in a tux, a silky red bow that matched her dress exactly, at his neck, made Sara stare.  She'd never seen Jason look more handsome.

"I had to keep up with you," he said lightly in answer to the question in her eyes.

Confusion jumped in to share the space with a strange new excitement in Sara's mind.  It was getting harder and harder to remember that she and Jason were just practicing their roles.

He persuaded her to try the quail in pastry with port sauce, and he had the lamb cutlets with crème of sweet pepper.  Sara stopped objecting to anything; in fact she stopped looking at the prices on the menu...if this was all part of her education there was nothing she could do.

She noticed Jason got increasingly quiet as they ate.  Maybe her freckles were showing, and he was regretting the huge amount of money he'd been forced to spend on her?

He looked up and their gazes tangled.  "I called Dee Dee and invited her to stay with us."

Sara's fork slipped from her hand, landing with a little clatter on her plate.  "You did what?"

"I followed your advice, but if she sets one foot wrong she's going to be out of that flat before you can say `grandmother'."

Sara stared at him.  "What made you do that?"

"I thought about what you said.  Maybe if she does see Kelsey and me together, it will change her mind.  I've tried everything else, I might as well give your way a shot."

It would be her fault if it didn't work out. 

Sara picked up her fork, hoping that she hadn't been wrong about the look of love she'd seen in Dee Dee's eyes when she'd looked at Kelsey.

She knew how much it must have taken for Jason to make the offer.  Having Dee Dee stay at the flat would be like opening up a vein.  The constant reminders of his wife would be hard on him.  It only proved that Jason would go to any lengths for Kelsey.

Sara picked up a glass of water and tried to swallow the lump in her throat.  She had to play her part right.

At the ballet, Jason watched Sara more than he watched the stage.  The famous dancers were impressive, but he would have given anything to be able to capture the expressions on Sara's face as she watched them. 

Engrossed in the story, she was oblivious of him.  The tears on her cheeks as the story unfolded created a strange ache in his chest.  He wanted to put his arms around Sara, tell her that it was only make believe, that real life was happier.  The need shook Jason with its intensity.  He had never felt this way about Diana. 

Sara didn't want to talk on the way home and Jason was content with the way she sat close to him.  "That was beautiful, Jason.  Thank you."

He put an arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his side.  "Would you like a liqueur?"

"No, thank you."

He poured himself a creme-de-menthe from the bar in the limo, and sipped it.  "Try it," he said holding the crystal liqueur glass up.

Sara sipped it, her gaze tangling with his.  Jason set the glass down and reached for her.  Her mouth met his with an urgency that surprised him.  She raised her hands and placed them on his shoulders urging his closer.  Jason's mouth left hers long enough to trail down the side of her neck and then return to her soft lips again.

His hands caressed her slim shoulders and then his thumbs traced the neckline of her dress just where the gentle swell of her breasts began.

"Sara," he murmured against her lips.

The sound of his voice reminded her they were in a limo, that any minute now it was going to pull up at the Towers. 

Sara pulled away from Jason as he reached for her again.  This was madness.  She couldn't give in to it.

"Sara, it's all right.  No one can see us back here."

"No Jason." 

She knew what he meant.  They could turn the fake engagement into a reality, get married.  Only it would never be all right, because accepting a business marriage would mean surrendering her dreams.  Passion couldn't take the place of love.  "I still want my freedom."

He drew away from her as if she had slapped him.  Sitting back in his corner, he ran a hand through his hair and looked out of the window on his side.

A thousand explanations tumbled around in Sara's head, but she couldn't voice any.  Her heart beat too fast and she was desperately afraid that she couldn't control what she felt for Jason Graham.

CHAPTER
EIGHT

He didn't see her in the morning before he left for work.  Was Sara sleeping in, or avoiding him?

"Miss Sara offered to go to the market for me this morning," Mrs. Binty told him as made his breakfast.  "Don't know why, because she can
't tell the difference between monkfish and plaice."

She was avoiding him.  Jason's heart sank.  Forcing Sara to take this job, by threatening to complain about her friend had been bad enough.  Did she feel that he was threatening her in a more personal way now?

He had to find a way of letting Sara know she had a right to try her new wings.

Dee Dee arrived Wednesday night, a few minutes after Jason got home from a four hour meeting.  She hugged Kelsey, cast Sara a quick look and said, "You look different."

Sara resisted the impulse to tug at the neckline of the peacock blue silk blouse she wore.  It was one of the new ones, lower in front than she was used to. 

"Did you have a good journey?  Kelsey's been waiting for her Grandma."  She picked up Dee Dee's hand luggage and smiled at her.  "You must be tired.  Let me show you to your room."

Dee Dee looked startled by the warmth of Sara's welcome.  "Well...I am a bit tired."

Sara stole a quick look at Jason.  His expression told her nothing.  "Mrs. Bintys got a nice dinner waiting.  Would you like a tray in your room?  Kelsey and I were worn out after our trip here.  Jason, honey, I'll be right back."

Jason honey's eyes narrowed dangerously before he said, "Right."

The sight of Sara with her hair loose about her shoulders, smiling at him as if she loved him, disturbed him.  The blue jeans hugged the curves of her bottom, and the neck of the blouse gave him a glimpse of the figure usually hidden under skirts and long sweaters. 

The `Jason, honey' had been a surprise.  It had also been a reminder how easily women could change.  Diana had and Sara had proved that she could play a number of roles well.  Was her other role...that of a shy, self-effacing woman, an act too?

The sight of Dee Dee had upset him.  Jason's temper rose as the cab driver brought in all her luggage.  Two designer shopping bags were filled with toys that Kelsey didn't need.

Sara had whisked Dee Dee away quick, which was a good thing, because if she said or did one thing to upset anyone, she was leaving, and he didn't want to throw her out tonight.

Jason picked up his briefcase and headed for his room.  Kelsey had left the room with Sara and Dee Dee and he could hear the murmur of voices from the guest room.  He caught a glimpse of a vase of flowers on Dee Dee's dresser as he passed the open door and knew Sara had put it in there.  He only hoped she would be strong enough to cope with Dee Dee in the days to come. 

Forty eight hours later, Jason was hoping he would be strong enough to cope.  Not with Dee Dee, who was strangely quiet around him, but with Sara who'd thrown herself wholeheartedly into the role of fiancé.

It was a month since he'd met Sara.  A month in which he'd steadily lost all control.  Her `hello' and `goodbye' kisses heated his blood and confused his thinking.  Tonight she'd gotten from the dinner table to get a special hot sauce for Dee Dee, and her hand had rested on his shoulder.  The smile she'd given him had been warm, only her eyes had been expressionless as she'd looked into his.

Jason didn't know how to handle the way he felt about her.  He'd ruthlessly subdued his first impulse to take her somewhere quiet where he could kiss her as he wanted to and tell her that she'd touched a part of him no one ever had. 

Telling her would not be wise though.  There was no way he was going to let history repeat himself.  Sara must never feel, like Di had, that he'd coerced her into anything.  If freedom was what she wanted, freedom was what she had to have.

His first plan that he would give her six months of living on her own before he proposed didn't seem like such a sound one now.  Sara seemed to have changed so much in the time he'd known her.  Her new clothes, her hair, even the light make-up she used, drew many admiring glances when they were out in public.  Jason had to deal with a new fear...what if Sara fell in love with someone else, while he waited in the wings?

Worry drove Jason to stay late at the office over the next few days, working harder than he ever had before to tie up all the legal aspects of the new deals he was making.

Sara couldn't understand the restlessness that snowballed inside her in the course of Dee Dee's visit.  Having Dee Dee around gave her the excuse she needed to kiss Jason.  She enjoyed the feel of his mouth against hers.  Hot, sweet, demanding.  This morning he had pulled her against him and claimed her mouth as if he would never let her go.  The look of desire in Jason's eyes unnerved her.  She was playing with fire, and if she wasn't careful it would burn her.

"Are you sure you'll be all right with Dee Dee?"  Jason asked Sara.  He'd stayed at the flat, hoping to find a way of talking to Sara alone.  Instead he'd received a phone call mid-morning that made it necessary to go to a meeting in Paris.  This trip's come up so suddenly there's nothing I can do about it.  I'll be back tomorrow night."

There was no way to postpone the trip without risking losing a big new deal, but leaving Sara with Dee Dee, made him feel he was abandoning the little brown owl to an eagle.  Jason recognized the signs in his household.  Even-tempered Mrs. Binty had looked upset the last day or two, and Mr. Binty had asked him privately how long Dee Dee would be staying.  Dee Dee was doing what she always did best...rubbing everyone  the wrong way.

"I'll be fine," Sara said. 

"How are you and Dee Dee getting along?"

"We're doing fine."

The answer came a little too quick.  Jason reached out and took Sara's chin in his hand.  "Sara, look at me.  I don't want you to have to put up with any nonsense.  Remember the terms of our contract?  I don't want you hiding anything from me."

She wrenched out of his grasp.  "Don't worry about it Jason.  I told you everything's fine."

Sara fought the strangest feeling of desolation welling inside after Jason left.  Without an audience there had been no need for them to kiss goodbye.

The next day dragged.  She encouraged Dee Dee to accompany Kelsey and Mrs. Binty to the Park, and she tried to concentrate on her writing.  Half an hour of staring at a blank page of paper and she gave up.

Jason had taken over her mind and her heart.  Longing flooded her to feel his arms around her again, to be kissed, to watch that incredible molten heat in Jason's eyes.

Sara got to her feet, knocking her notebook to the floor in her hurry.  Stop making a total idiot of yourself.  Picking the book up she decided to go and check on the soup Mrs. Binty had left simmering on the stove. 

She hadn't expected to miss Jason so much.  Neither had she expected to wake up today with this feeling of excitement inside, telling her she was glad about his return.  For his sake and Kelsey's, she hoped having Dee Dee here would mend some fences.

It wasn't easy.  Dee Dee had a knack for upsetting people without even trying.  Her insistent questions about Kelsey's routine had upset Mrs. Binty and she persisted in telling Sara how happy Jason and her Diana had been, how it was impossible for Jason to ever love like that again.

Was that why Jason had wanted to marry her?  Because Sara Adams, mouse, would be undemanding and fill the slot of wife and mother without expecting him too much of him?

A tiny spark of rebellion flared in Sara's breast.  She was done with being a doormat...of any kind.  Maybe it was insane to want to be loved just for herself, but it was one area where she wasn't accepting any half-measures.  If she couldn't have it all, she would opt for nothing, however hard that was.

She was in the living room with Kelsey that night, reading a story about a family.  When she came to the end of it, Sara said, "Kelsey's got so many people in her family.  Daddy and Sara and Grandma.  Mr. and Mrs. Binty.  Let's see how many people those are.  One, two, three, four, five."

She looked up at a sound near the doorway.  Dee Dee stood there looking as if she'd seen a ghost.  Without a word she turned away and Sara sighed.  Maybe the picture she'd drawn had hurt Dee Dee by reminding her that Sara was usurping her daughter's rightful place.

When she went to bed at eleven, Jason still hadn't come in.  Sara thought he had left for work when she came out to have breakfast with Kelsey the next morning but he was at the breakfast table.

"Hello, Sara!"  He hugged and kissed Kelsey.  Sara was so glad to see him that she just stared at him, taking in everything about his appearance.  She'd missed him so much.

"Jason, I didn't hear you come in last night."  Dee Dee bustled into the room and poured herself a cup of coffee.  The inquisitive way she turned and looked at her, reminded Sara that she hadn't said anything.

"Jason!"  Sara launched herself at him putting her arms around him and burying her face in his chest.  "It's so good to have you back."

She lifted her face, surprised when Jason bent and kissed her taking his time about it. 

It's all part of the job, Sara told herself, as her mouth opened under the pressure form Jason's lips.  It's all part of the job.

"I missed you."

She stared at him in wonder.  There was nothing in his eyes to show the words were part of their act.

"I missed you too."  Sara put a hand up and toyed with a button on his shirt.  "Why didn't you wake me up when you got in?"

"There was no point in it.  It was three a.m. and you looked exhausted."

He had looked in on her?  Sara felt the color on her face deepen.  Hopefully her freckles weren't the glow-in-the dark kind, and she hadn't been snoring.

Sara turned to Dee Dee, taken aback by the way Kelsey's grandmother was studying her.  "Well, Mrs. Binty’s at the market and Kelsey and I are going to the Park."

At the word park, Kelsey scrambled off Jason's lap and hurried to her room to get the light cotton jacket, Mrs. Binty always put on her.  Returning she held it out to Sara, who helped her slip it on and watched her button it.  "You be a good girl for Grandma, okay sweetheart?"

Kelsey nodded and gave Sara a kiss on the mouth, before turning to do the same for her father.

"We'll be back at eleven," Dee Dee said, as they walked out the door.

"Was she trying to tell us something?"  Jason asked.

"I think she was just trying to give us some time together."

"Dee Dee?”  Jason sounded as if he might launch into an argument but he just shrugged and said, “Oh well! Sit down and eat."

Sara sat and helped herself to some oatmeal from the dish Mrs. Binty had left on the table.

"So, how have things been here?"

"We've been fine.  How was your trip?"

Jason was not to be sidetracked.  "Has Dee Dee been making a nuisance of herself?"

"No.  We've been getting along fine.  I like her."

"I forgot to get some tissues."  Dee Dee walked over to the counter, pulled five out of the box and stuck them in the pocket of her jacket.  "There, we're all set now."

Still holding Kelsey's hand she walked out as Kelsey waved to them.

Sara bit her lip.  Had Dee Dee heard them discussing her?

As the front door closed, Sara looked at Jason, "Deep down she's very lonely Jason. Give her a chance."

He looked as if a bolt of lightning had struck him.  "Me?  She's the one who's taking me to court.  She's the one who wants to take Kelsey away from me."

"She lost a daughter...her only child.  Kelsey's all she has left of Diana."  There she'd actually said the woman's name out loud to Jason.  "She's afraid."

"Sara...."

"Let me finish, please."  She couldn't get her courage up like this till next year.  "Jason, Dee Dee hasn't mentioned the case once since she got here.  Can't you forget the case, forget everything, and just treat Dee Dee as if she's Kelsey's grandmother here for a visit?"

He pushed his chair away from the table, but didn't get up.  "You're asking a lot, Sara.  Dee Dee isn't about to change, no matter what I do."

Sara didn't believe that.  "Kelsey's going to be the real loser, in this battle.  Have you thought that she might like to have a grandmother around as she's growing up?  There's a time when she'll want to know about Diana and who better to tell her than Dee Dee?  You don't like talking about her, and Kelsey's entitled to know about her mother."

The look in Jason's eyes made Sara say quickly.  "I understand perfectly why it's so hard for you.  I mean you loved Diana and ...."  her voice trailed away whens he saw the way Jason's face darkened. 

"I loved Diana when I married her.  I stopped loving her when I realized Diana had never loved me, just the man she'd thought she could turn me into."

Sara swallowed.  The tightness around Jason's mouth told her how hard it was for him to discuss his wife.

"I'm sorry.  It's none of my business really, but family's important.  You have to bury the hatchet for Kelsey’s sake."

Family's important.