Jake's Bride (6 page)

A short while later, Sara heard the telephone ring downstairs.  She'd unplugged the phone in her mother's bedroom.  From the foot of the stairs, Jake called, "Sara, it's for you."

She couldn't imagine who would be calling her unless it was Mr. Gunthry.  "I'm coming."

She hurried down the stairs.  Before she lifted the receiver to her ear, Jake said, "It's a guy named Mark."

Sara smiled.  Mark was a good friend and had been her next door apartment neighbor.  Sinking down on the floor where the phone lay, she crossed her legs under her.

Jake was almost finished removing furniture from the living room to the garage.  All that remained were the end tables and coffee table.  He concentrated on them now, making sure nothing was left in the small drawers.  He listened, not feeling guilty in the least.  The past few weeks, he'd felt as if his life had been turned upside down.  The more he saw Christopher, the more time he wanted to spend with him.  Each time he left his son, he didn't like the feeling.

There was only one solution to not leaving Christopher...having Christopher live with him.  Yet he couldn't take a child from his mother.  Besides, there were no grounds.  From what Jake could see, Christopher came first with Sara.  Always.

Of course, there was another solution.  He could marry  Sara.  After all, she'd taken care of their son and from what he could tell had done a very good job.  She'd raised him alone and Jake knew that couldn't have been easy.  On the other hand, at any time she could have called him.  Why hadn't she?

He wondered about her decision to stay in L.A.  Was she doing it for herself, for him, for Christopher?  Was she staying out of guilt?  Where Sara was concerned, there were too many questions and not enough answers.  Because he didn't know if he could believe what she told him.  He didn't know if he could believe her about anything important ever again.

The problem was that whenever he came within two feet of her...

"Hi, Mark.  I meant to call but things have been hectic.   Thanksgiving?  I hope to get back sooner than that to pick up the boxes I left with Mr. Jenkins."  She glanced sideways at Jake as if she wished he weren't within hearing distance.

Tough.  He was staying.  Sara had driven back to Wasco twice, returning with carfuls both times.  The boxes were stacked in Eloise's garage.  Sara had taken Christopher to Wasco with her.  Those were the only two days Jake had missed seeing his son since he'd learned he had one.  Now, he wondered how much time Sara had spent with this man named Mark.

"No, I know we didn't have much since it was furnished," Sara said.  "I left a few boxes I couldn't fit into the car.  Mr. Jenkins was great.  He pro-rated the month."  She listened for a moment.  "If you could do that, it would save me another trip up.  I'll send you a money order so you can ship them.  You have my aunt's address?"  She smiled and listened again.

"Christopher is fine.  He hasn't mentioned yet what he wants for Christmas.  A fire engine?  I'm sure he'd love it.  I've been trying to get Mom's estate in order but now I'll concentrate on him and the holidays...Sure you can talk to him.  Hold on."  She cupped her hand over the receiver.  "Christopher.  Mark wants to tell you something."

Jake watched his son run to the phone, eager to talk to the man on the other end of the line.  While Sara looked on, Christopher chattered to Mark about his aunt, the ice cream cone he had yesterday and finally said, "I have a Daddy now."  He held out the receiver to his mother.

Sara took the phone.  "Yes, I did.  I wasn't going to get into that now."  She glanced up at Jake.  "Yes, everything's fine.  I'll write or call when we're more settled."

After a few more minutes of conversation, she hung up.   Christopher ran back to the kitchen to be with Eloise and Jake asked, "Who's Mark?"

Sara rose from the floor.  "He was a neighbor...and friend."

"How much of a friend?"

"He's going to send the few remaining boxes so I don't have to drive back up."

"Have you known him long?"

"Ever since I moved to Wasco."

"He's not married, I take it."

"No.  Divorced."

"Were you ever lovers?"  Jake figured if he shocked her, she'd tell him the truth.

Totally astonished, Sara just gaped at Jake.  As the astonishment wore off, annoyance took its place.  Most of the time Jake acted as if he didn't want anything to do with her.  Now, he wanted to know about her love life?  His interest intrigued her and also gave her hope.  Because if he cared...

"Why does it matter if I was involved with Mark?"

Gold sparks flashed in his eyes.  "So you were."

"I didn't say that.  I want to know why you care."

"Because what you do affects our son.  I want to know if this man was in and out of your apartment as if it was his, if he stayed overnight—"

"All right!" she broke in, deciding answering him was the lesser of all evils.  "Mark and I were never lovers.  After Christopher was born, he helped me out a lot.  We even dated for a while.  But we both knew we were meant to be friends."

"Just friends."

She'd said it once, she wasn't going to say it again.

But Jake kept probing.  "Does he know about us?"

All she could do was be honest with Jake and hope he'd eventually believe her.  "Yes.  He knows Christopher is yours.  I didn't see him when I went back to pack up so I didn't have a chance to tell him I'd told you about Christopher."

"Why did he call?"

Sara knew Jake was showing too much interest to merely be concerned about what had happened in Wasco.  She almost  smiled.  Almost.  "He wanted to know if Christopher would like a fire engine for Christmas."

Jake was exasperated with himself for caring who Mark was, how close he'd been to Sara, and what he meant to her now.  He didn't like the idea of another man buying his son gifts, of another man helping Sara after the birth of his son.  Yet guilt stabbed him, too.  As Christopher's father, he should be thinking about what his son wanted for Christmas, how to make their first Christmas together special.

He tried to put the topic of Sara's romantic past aside.  "Have you bought Christopher anything yet?"

She shook her head.  "No.  I've got to get organized."

"Maybe you and I could go Christmas shopping some night.  After the auction." 

Sara gave him a radiant smile that could light up all of L.A.  "I'd like that."

When she smiled like that, he remembered all the good times.  He hadn't looked forward to Christmas in a very long time.  A child always made Christmas special.  A child and...a family.  He wanted his son to feel the stable solidity of a family.  Jake moved away from the furniture and closer to Sara.  "I'd like to make Christmas special this year for Christopher."

"So would I."

The pulse at Sara's throat fluttered, and he could count each beat.  The round neckline of her T-shirt just gave him a brief glimpse of the soft skin above her breasts.  He remembered the softness, the suppleness, the heat when he'd aroused her.

"I'd better finish upstairs," she murmured.

On impulse, Jake laid his hand on her arm.  "Come with me to the garage.  See if everything is set up the way you want it."

She studied his hand on her arm, then lifted her gaze to his.  "All right."  As he took his hand away, she looked around the empty room.  "This is so hard."

"You can cancel the auction."

"And do what?  Put it all in storage?  No.  I have to let go.  I have Mom's china and her perfume bottle collection.  The rest..."  Sara shrugged.  "It's not going to help me remember her better."

Jake wasn't so sure of that.  Sara was putting up a brave front, but getting rid of her mother's things hurt her.  He wished he could make it easier somehow.  He knew how loss hurt, how it lasted.  He didn't want her to regret not keeping those things that were dear to her mother.

In the garage, Sara examined each piece of furniture sitting around the perimeter.  "I'm giving Mom's sideboard buffet to Aunt El.  She was with her when she bought it."

As Sara talked, she slowly crossed to an old-fashioned cherry vanity.  The bench was covered in needlepoint.  Sitting on it, she lovingly ran her fingers over the carved handles of the small vanity drawers.  "I remember sitting and watching Mom while she put on her perfume and jewelry.  When I played dress-up, she'd sit me on the bench and help me apply lipstick.  Then she'd say, 'You can only keep it on for a little while.  Remember you're only pretending to be grown-up.  You shouldn't wear lipstick until you're sixteen.'"

Jake saw the tears glisten in Sara's eyes.  "Why don't you keep the vanity?"

Raising her head, Sara met his gaze in the mirror.  "Where would I put it?"

"I can keep it for you.  In my guest room.  When you get settled somewhere, you'll have it."  Though the idea of her settling somewhere other than with him was disconcerting.  It shouldn't be.  She'd left him.  She'd lied to him.  He didn't trust her.  Still the idea of her and Christopher being someplace else, maybe moving someplace else, increased the ache in his heart.

Sara's bottom lip quivered, and he could tell she was fighting tears.  Finally, she managed, "I would like to keep this."

He said brusquely, "Consider it done.  I'll ask Nathan if I can borrow his SUV tonight."

Rising from the bench, Sara came toward him.  He wasn't sure what she was going to do until she did it.  Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him gently on the cheek.  It was as light as the whisper of an angel--the softness of her lips, the slight brush of her breast against his arm, the sweet smell of her--and it was over faster than he could blink.  But he felt all of it in every fiber of his being.

"Thank you, Jake.  Your help and understanding mean a lot to me."

The urge to draw her into his arms was so strong he could imagine tasting her.  But there was still too much between them--too many doubts, too much history.

He ignored the sting of desire and let her lean away.  He thought again about asking her to marry him.  Then he swore to himself that this time he was going to be careful because he wouldn't let her steal his heart again.

Chapter Three

The following evening, Eloise answered Jake's knock.  "Jake.  Sara's not here.  Was she expecting you?"

"No.  I thought I'd drop by and take her and Christopher for ice cream."  He also wanted to tell her that he'd set up an expense fund for Christopher.  Getting to know his son had been his main preoccupation during the last few weeks.  But yesterday after the auction, he'd realized the proceeds from it wouldn't last Sara very long.

"You can come in if you'd like.  She had a few errands."

"Christopher went with her?"

"Those two are inseparable.  I guess it's because...hmm, well...it doesn't matter.  Anyway, they shouldn't be too much longer.  It's soon Christopher's bedtime."

"You don't mind if I wait?  I have a few things I'd like to discuss with Sara."

"Of course, I don't mind.  I like the company.  I'm going to miss those two when they move out.  But I know Sara.  As soon as she finds a job, she'll find a place of their own."

A place of their own.  The two of them are inseparable
.  Jake's heart ached, the same ache he'd felt since he'd seen Sara again, since she'd told him they had a son, since he'd become attached to his son.  He hated not being able to see Christopher any time day or night.  He hated feeling like the third wheel.

"I'm watching an old movie," Eloise explained.  "Care to join me?  Or would you rather play gin rummy?"

Jake smiled.  "Think you can beat me?"

"Any day."  She motioned toward the kitchen table.  "Pull up a chair and we'll see who really knows how to play."

At first, time passed quickly as Eloise rejoiced in her luck, calling it skill.  She won the first game.  And the second...  Because Jake was getting restless.  Glancing at the clock became more important than the cards in his hand.

Finally, after Eloise won another round, he snapped his cards on the table.  "Where did you say Sara went?"

"I think she said she might start Christmas shopping."

Was she going to do that without him?  She'd said they could shop for Christopher together.  With their son along, she couldn't be buying much.

At nine-thirty, Jake went to the front door and looked out.  Black.  Everything was black.  He didn't like the feeling in his gut.

Eloise came up behind him.

"Does she usually stay out this late?"

Eloise shook her head.  "No.  She's particular about Christopher's bedtime.  And she usually calls. But she's been  having some problems with her cell phone keeping its charge.  It might have died again."

"She seemed to get through the auction okay yesterday.  Was she more upset than she let on?"

"I don't think so.  Oh, there were some tears because she misses Jennie and yesterday was difficult, but she talked to many of the people who bought her mother's things.  She told me afterward she felt they were the type to cherish them."

"She wouldn't have gone back to Wasco."

"Not without telling me."