Lights and Shadows (Oregon In Love) (3 page)

By sheer force of will if necessary.

***

An hour later, Julia donned a rose-colored cashmere
dress to dispel the coolness of the inclement Oregon weather.
Emerging from the cottage, she noticed her brother’s truck in the
driveway. Pleased he made it home sooner than expected, she went in
the back door of the main house.

Julia expected there to be activity in the kitchen since
Marc was staying in one of the rooms upstairs. But the gleaming
kitchen was quiet and clean, with no evidence of breakfast. 

She poured herself a glass of water and looked out the
window to the blue haze of mountains beyond. She heard a rumble of
masculine laughter from Brian and Sara’s private quarters. Sipping
her water, she wondered if she should peek into the living room. She
might catch a glimpse of Marc Dorin, depending on when he left.

While Julia chafed at the idea of being paired up with
someone—which was obviously Sara’s plan—she had to admit she
found him intriguing. When they’d talked the evening before, she
noticed his dark eyes were the kind that often revealed little of the
person’s inner thoughts. But she sensed no guile in them. And he
didn’t treat her with the flirtatious glances or mannerisms she’d
come to expect from men. Marc seemed straightforward and even a
little bit shy, something which appealed to her.

He was handsome with his unusual coloring, but Julia
knew better than to let herself get carried away by that alone. She
wasn’t looking for a man. She could appreciate him from a distance,
but that was as far as it went.

Now the challenge would be to curtail any attempts Sara
had of matchmaking—but in such a way to avoid hurting her feelings.
People happy and in love often felt the need for everyone else around
them to be in the same situation—a forgivable but annoying problem.

The door that led to Brian and Sara’s quarters opened
and the couple came into the kitchen.

“
Good morning,” Julia said. “I thought you were
supposed to be out of town.”

 
Brian Farris, a taller, masculine version of
herself, stooped down to kiss her cheek. “Don’t sound so
disappointed, sis. I finished earlier than expected. But it’s back
to the grindstone today.”

Sara let out a cavernous yawn. “I don’t know how you
two are so chipper in the mornings.”

“
I tumble out of bed looking this good,” said Brian.
“It takes Julia quite a bit longer, of course, but she tries.”

Julia raised a brow and refilled her water glass while
Brian grabbed a muffin from the refrigerator.

Sara kissed him goodbye as he went out the door. Julia
saw the way Sara watched him through the kitchen window. When she
turned back to Julia, her eyes were luminous and her face, flushed.

“
I sure am partial to that brother of yours,” she
said, a sheepish grin on her face.

Julia experienced a stabbing pain
somewhere near the region of her heart. While thrilled with her
brother’s marriage, it also underlined her own singleness.
A
state with which I'm quite content.
“That’s good to know, since you married him and all,” Julia
said, forcing a note of teasing into her voice. “Where is he
working today?”

“
He’s going to look at a job in a town about twenty
miles from here. He shouldn’t be gone too long.”

“
Well, are you hungry? I see breakfast hasn’t been
started.”

“
I’m starved.”

“
Do you like crêpes?”

“
Sure, but you don’t need to cook for me. I’m
supposed to be doing that for you. You’re the guest. Besides, Brian
says you still haven’t really recovered from the car accident.”

Brothers and their big mouths
. Julia waved her to
the table. “He’s a worrywart. Go sit down. Cooking is a treat. I
don’t always have time for it at home.”

Sara settled at the kitchen table. “Let me guess, for
breakfast, lunch and dinner, you just pick up the phone and dial.”

Julia put a crêpe pan on the gas range. “You’re
catching on. But way, way back, I wanted to become a chef and went to
a cooking school, so I truly do love to cook.”

“
Why didn’t you stay with it?”

Julia shrugged, uncomfortable with trips down memory
lane. “I don’t know. It was during a restless time in my
life. I guess I was just trying to figure out where I fit.”

“
So you got into consulting after that?” Sara said,
rubbing her belly.

“
Actually, I did some catering and was a wedding
consultant for a time.”

“
Sounds like you finally found your niche in what
you’re doing now. Brian said you’ve been with your firm for
several years.”

Glad her back was to her sister-in-law, Julia thought
back to all her jobs. Working with brides eventually depressed her.
Cooking made her realize she had no family of her own to prepare
meals for. Consulting made her feel needed. She could solve problems,
and often her solutions brought improvement.
I
can’t say
that about other areas of my life
.

“
Ten years ago, one of the brides I worked with was
pleased with my effort and suggested I talk to her husband who ran a
professional consulting firm. I took her advice and got the job. And
starting at the bottom, I've enjoyed each new challenge. Eventually,
I may look into starting my own consulting business.” She winced at
her word choices.
Goodness, do I have to sound like a brochure?

When Sara didn’t respond, Julia felt relieved her
explanation seemed to satisfy her. She cracked an egg into a bowl and
cleared her throat. “Has Mr. Dorin eaten already?”

“
Brian said he left about six this morning. Last night
I packed a breakfast bag for him so he wouldn’t leave hungry.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t stop in on his way home from the
mountains, so we may not see him again for a while.”

Julia glanced at her sister-in-law, stifling a sliver of
disappointment.

Sara leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands.
“He’s cute, huh?”

“
I thought married women weren’t supposed to notice
things like that.”

Sara smiled. “A purely aesthetic observation, I assure
you.”

Julia opened the refrigerator door. “Do you want a
fruit compote with your crêpes?”

“
Whatever’s easier. He’s single, too, don’t
forget.”

“
Who?”

“
Marc Dorin, that’s who. Don’t tell me you’re
not interested.”

She placed the ingredients on the counter and shut the
refrigerator door. “I’m not.”

“
Why?”

Julia rearranged items on the counter. “He’s a baby
for one thing. I’m in my thirties and he’s in his twenties, or so
you said.”

Sara sputtered. “He’s turning twenty-nine this year
and you’re only thirty-one. Sheesh! Besides, there’s six years
between Brian and me.”

“
That’s different.”

“
Now you're just being silly.” Her sister-in-law
drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “I have a feeling age has
little to do with this. So you’re truly not interested?”

“
Nope.” Julia poured the crêpe batter into the hot
pan and watched it cook. “This really would be better if the batter
could’ve sat for a few hours.” A few seconds later, she turned
the crêpe over. When two were complete, she arranged them on a
plate, filled each with a ricotta cheese mixture and topped them with
cherry compote. After finishing the plate with a decorative red
drizzle, she sprinkled the crepes with powdered sugar and set the
plate in front of Sara.

“
Wow, very pretty.” She picked up her fork. “None
for you?”

Julia joined her at the table. “I don’t eat
breakfast.”

Sara took a bite and sighed. “This is heavenly. I’m
used to eating Cheerios every morning.”

“
I’m glad you like it.”

“
I should hire you to cook for our guests.”

“
Actually, I had planned on suggesting it myself.”

Sara shook her head. “You’re here for a break.
Besides, I was just joking. Right now we’re only averaging about
three guests a week, so I can handle it.”

Julia smiled and leaned forward. “You’re pregnant
and shouldn’t be running around so much. I have nothing to do. As a
matter of fact, I’m a bit at loose ends—”

“
You’ve only been here four days! And you’ve
already cleaned the house from top to bottom
twice
!
”

“
I guess I’m not used to having so much time on my
hands. But really, cooking is such a treat for me. It would be a
great diversion. Please?”

“
Brian has already mentioned he would like to hire
help for the last couple months of my pregnancy, but I know he would
refuse to hire you.”

Julia allowed herself a smug smile. “I can handle my
brother.”

Sara shook her head and took another bite. A fat red
cherry fell off her fork and landed on the white fabric of the blouse
stretched over her tummy. “Good grief! What a mess!”

Julia jumped up to get a napkin, but even after careful
dabbing, a bright red stain remained on the fabric.

“
Great. Another maternity top ruined. I’ve only got
three left and I can’t stand them. One’s a sailor design and the
other two have giant floppy bows on the front. They’re hideous!”

Julia laughed at her sister-in-law’s disgruntled
expression. “Do you have any plans for the day?”

Sara curled a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I
have to go into town later for groceries. Why?”

She waggled her eyebrows. “How do you feel about
making a detour to the nearest mall?”

“
For some new maternity clothes?”

“
Yes,” Julia replied, glancing out the kitchen
window. “Look outside. It’s a shopper’s sky.”

Sara giggled. “You tell that by looking outside, hmm?”

“
Okay, any day is a shopping day. Now hurry and eat so
we can go!”

***

After breakfast, Julia followed Sara out into
the driveway. The sun peeked from behind the clouds as they climbed
into Sara’s ‘68 blue Mustang, which Julia insisted on driving.

“
This looks familiar,” she said, snapping her
seatbelt. “Brian had one similar to it in California.”

Sara nodded. “He told me about his ‘baby’. When we
met, I had an old Chevy pickup that was prone to die, so when he
found this for sale, he said if I insisted on driving something old,
it might as well have a little class.”

“
Men and cars,” Julia said with a laugh, pulling out
onto the road.

“
They say you can tell a lot about a man by the car he
drives. What kind of man would you say drives a newer black
four-wheel-drive pickup?”

Julia gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the gas.
The Mustang roared in response as they pulled out onto the road. She
let out a breath. “Look, I appreciate what you’re attempting, but
I have to discourage you in the strongest of terms. I’m sure Mr.
Dorin is a wonderful person—”

“
And good looking, employed, and a Christian,” Sara
said, ticking each item off on her fingers. “They don’t come a
dime a dozen you know.”

“
But,” Julia continued firmly, “I’m not
interested in any kind of dalliance, even if he were so inclined.”

“
Not even something serious?”

“
Especially not a serious relationship. You wouldn’t
be the first to try to set me up, so I’ll have to ask you to
channel your matchmaking energies toward someone more promising.”

“
But don’t you want to fall in love and get
married?”

Julia stared at the winding road before her until she
could speak without a wobble in her voice. “I’ve been through
that…and it’s not something I want to repeat.”

Sara touched her arm. “I’m so sorry. I don’t seem
to know when to stop. Please forgive me?”

Julia forced a reassuring smile to her lips. “It’s
all right. I know you just want everyone to be as happy as you are,
and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I have a full life and I’m
content with where I am right now.”

The moment the words were out,
Julia realized she’d just uttered a lie. She’d used the excuse so
often it came automatically.
I
once believed the words. What's changed?

She thought back to her first marriage. Possibly the
biggest failure on record, it had lasted less than thirty-six hours.
The pain brought by the dredged-up memories always surprised her in
its intensity. With great effort, she dragged her mind back to the
present. The day had too much potential to cloud with morose thoughts
from the past.

***

Sara had to smile at the way Julia commandeered the
shopping expedition once they arrived at the mall. Julia hustled her
into a fitting room and told her to stay put. After several minutes,
she returned with an array of blouses, casual tops, pants, and
dresses.