Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) (10 page)

A dull red mounted his cheeks. “Sara...ah…I
know it must have sounded terrible.”

“So you do remember.”

He sighed. “Now I do. He was being very nosy
about our relationship and I just agreed with whatever he said to
get him off my back.”

Sara remembered that day in Technicolor,
could still feel the lump in her throat, the pain of being unable
to cry. “Is that the best you can do?”

“It’s the truth!”

She slumped against the seat and looked out
the window. What a pointless conversation.

Brian leaned toward her. “At the time I have
to admit I had hoped for...things to continue in the direction they
were heading. But you have to believe I really cared for you.”

He reached across the seat and took her
hand. Sara tried to ignore the calloused warmth of his touch
against her skin.

“I can try to explain and give you a bunch
of excuses, but I don’t have any. I was wrong to treat you that
way, Sara and I’m truly sorry I hurt you. Is there any hope you can
forgive me?” He tugged on her hand until she looked him full in the
face.

Brian’s imploring gaze her made it difficult
to think. Sara averted her eyes. What could she say to his appeal
of forgiveness? She knew she couldn’t hold this against him
forever. Scripture bound her to forgive. The problem was, she
thought she had. His proximity the last few days stirred afresh all
the old pain and bitterness, feelings she assumed long dead and
buried.

Her face burned when she thought of that
last night together. To be honest, she needed to acknowledge the
fact she’d hardly resisted his advances those years ago. In some
ways, she shared his guilt.

Sara saw only one option. She looked up at
him, measuring her words, wanting to say one thing, but knowing she
must say another. “Of course I forgive you.”

Brian pressed her hand. “Thank you, Sara. I
know I don’t deserve it.”

She nibbled her lower lip. “You weren’t the
only one in the wrong. Will…you forgive me as well?”

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Done.”

Sara found herself unable to look away. Her
breathing became erratic. She attempted to tug her hand free. He
refused to let go.

“Are we friends now? Can we put this behind
us?”

She nodded, relieved when he released her.
Sara swiveled her gaze out the window again, hoping to calm her
scattered thoughts and pounding heart. She thought of Daryl.
Although she felt emotionally spent, she wanted an explanation for
Brian's conduct from the previous evening. She decided she must
know or else worry over it forever.

She turned back to him and took a deep
breath. “So...what about last night?”

Brian ran his finger along the dusty dash
and took his time before answering. “What can I say, Sara. You’re
infinitely kissable.”

“Oh!” She glared at him. “That’s ridiculous!
I thought you said you’d changed!”

He had the grace to look chagrined. “I’m
sorry I took advantage of the situation last night, and besides, I
was jealous of that flaky Daryl. Forgive me?”

His tone sounded so insincere, she didn’t
know whether to smile or get mad all over again. She decided to end
the conversation before it descended any further. “Don’t you think
we should get going?”

Brian’s gaze rested on her for a few seconds
more before he started up the Honda. Sara didn’t relax until they
traveled several more miles. She shot him a furtive look and
thought of what he said about being jealous. Did he mean it? A
little glow of pleasure spread within her.

They stopped at a fast food restaurant for
lunch and after eating, Sara took over the driving to give Brian a
break. He promptly went to sleep, which greatly annoyed her for
some reason. Her glance slid over to where he slept. He looked so
completely relaxed, with the hard angles of his face softened in
repose. She’d always envied his air of insouciance. Oh, to be so
unfettered by the concerns other mortals grappled with. Her
thoughts turned to what he'd said about changing.

In some ways, Sara could
admit he
had
changed.

While he retained the same easy-going nature
she remembered of old, he did behave in a more sensitive and
thoughtful manner. But was it just an act? She never could tell
with him. Her emotions always confused the issue. It seemed he only
had to look at her in that beguiling way and she forgot any
affiliation with him was doomed to failure.

Reading all those letters the night before
brought to the fore the more tender feelings she once experienced
for Brian. Last night when he stood so close, she confessed a part
of her hoped he’d kiss her.

Sara now realized her success at putting him
out of her mind these last two years had depended solely on his
absence. Brian’s physical presence threatened her emotional
equilibrium now as much as it had then. Maybe more so.

Gripping the steering wheel, Sara choked
back a sickening truth. If Brian took her in his arms right now,
she’d melt into them in that disgusting, love-struck ninny way like
last night—provided she survived the resulting automobile
accident.

Sara’s lips tugged into a smile. She was
glad they talked. A weight had lifted from her shoulders and she
felt she could view him without the haze of anguish clouding her
vision. They’d become friends. Casual acquaintances, really.

He’d soon become bored with small town life
and move on. She’d make cinnamon rolls as a thoughtful going-away
gesture. The whole Brian Farris episode of her life would be a
cautionary tale and she’d grow spiritually by leaps and bounds,
amazing others with her sage wisdom and advice.

By the time they arrived in Oregon, Sara
felt quite magnanimous and gave Brian an effusive smile when he
awoke.

Chapter Nine

Sara let out a yawn. She felt bleary from
arriving home so late the night before. Taking a sip of tea, she
listened to her aunt describe some of the occurrences of her
patients on her rounds.

Sara’s mind wandered back
to the subject of Brian. Hattie mentioned earlier that Brian and a
friend finished unloading the trailer, storing everything in the
living room at the farmhouse.
Very handy
thing to have a man around
.

“Dear, I wonder if I might borrow your
grandfather’s truck for a while. My Corolla is acting up and I’ll
need to have it looked at.”

Sara laughed at the thought of her delicate
aunt trying to manage the beastly pickup. “Use my car, Hattie. The
Ford isn’t terribly reliable.”

“I couldn’t impose—”

“Yes, you could.” She grabbed her purse that
had been sitting on the table, and pulled out the keys. She pressed
them into Hattie’s hand. “Not another word. The truck is fine for
what little driving I’ll need to do.”

Hattie blushed and smiled. “Thank you.” She
took a breath. “So, how did the move go?”

“Oh, it went fine.”

“You came back a little sooner than I
expected.”

“Yes, with Brian’s help, we got things done
quickly.”

“How did things, um, go between you
two?”

Sara smiled. She thought back to the evening
Brian kissed her. Just a moment of madness, really. A surreal event
in her otherwise ordered adult life. She was glad to be back to the
real world, a place where the sun glinted off the Formica and shone
red through the hummingbird feeder outside the window. “Just fine.
We got everything patched up.” She took another sip of tea.

“You mean,” Hattie
sputtered, “you’re back
together?
”

Sara choked on her tea. “Of course not! What
I mean is that we were able to tie up loose ends, so to speak.” She
shrugged. “He’ll be moving soon at any rate, and I won’t have to be
bothered much longer by his presence.”

Hattie’s eyebrows rose. “That’s odd. He told
me a few months ago he changed his license and insurance to comply
with Oregon's requirements. That sounds to me like he plans to
stay.”

Sara’s smile faltered. “But I was going to
make him cinnamon rolls!”

“Oh, what a nice idea, dear. I have just the
recipe.” Her aunt got up from the table and went to a cupboard
where she kept her recipe box.

She leaned weakly against
the back of the chair as all her plans went awry. What did Brian
see in Buell Creek anyway? She slapped the tabletop with her hand,
making the teacups rattle.
He needs to
go!
There was no other way around
it.

Sara thought of his determination to stay in
the cottage. Only the ravings of an ill man, right? She planned to
move to the farmhouse, but if she did and he stayed, they’d
be...neighbors!

Sara rubbed her face. Seeing him on a daily
basis would be too much to bear. Imagine looking out her window and
seeing him there. Seeing him grin and wink, just as he did now.

“Oh!” Sara jumped when she realized the real
life version stood on the porch.

Brian waved at her through the screen door.
Hattie saw him as well and went to let him in.

Sara realized her disheveled state,
consisting of a wrinkled T-shirt and floral pajama bottoms. She
bolted from the table and hurried into her room to change, peeved
he'd caught her looking so unkempt.

Wriggling out of her sleepwear, she then
donned an embroidered periwinkle sun dress. In the bathroom, she
brushed her hair and scrubbed her teeth. When she came back into
the kitchen several minutes later, she found Hattie and Brian
sitting at the table, talking like old friends. They looked up at
her entrance.

“Oh, don’t you look a picture, dear,” Hattie
said.

Sara groaned inwardly at being brought to
attention. Sliding onto her chair, she sipped her now-cold tea.

“I was just telling Mr. Farris how you plan
to make him cinnamon rolls.”

“Hattie!” A surge of embarrassment fired her
face. She shot her aunt a look of pure frustration. When she
glanced at Brian, he smiled pleasantly.

“Sounds yummy.”

Sara lowered her eyes to hide her churning
emotions and took a cleansing breath. When she felt she could
reenter the conversation with a modicum of dignity, she cleared her
throat.

Then Hattie pointed to magazines and plan
books on the table. On one side lay a large portfolio.

“Look, Sara. Mr. Farris brought over some
things to help you decide how to fix up the farmhouse.”

“Pardon me?” she asked, stiffening.

Brian pushed the portfolio over to her.
“Just some examples of my work.”

Sara arched her brows. This was going way
too fast. She considered it a little presumptuous of him to assume
he’d be doing any work on the house. She still needed to digest the
fact he planned to stay. Reluctantly, she opened the portfolio and
feigned interest at the photos inside.

As she perused each page, Sara became
impressed with the scope of Brian’s skills. The photos showed
examples of his expertise in restoring old storefronts and
completing tasteful remodels on older homes. Page after page
detailed the fact he easily possessed the qualifications to work on
her grandfather’s house.

But his presumption rankled. Sensing his
gaze, Sara carefully closed the book. “Very nice.”

“Thank you.”

“Can you recommend any builders who might be
willing to give me a bid?”

“Sara!” Hattie scolded.

Sara sent Brian an innocent look. His
expression became shuttered. A pang of guilt forced her to lower
her gaze.

Brian leaned back in his chair. “That’s all
right, Hattie. It’s a free marketplace after all. I do know of a
couple of good builders in this area who would be happy to give you
bids.”

He extracted a business card from his jacket
pocket and wrote down two names before passing it along the table
to Sara. “Their numbers are in the phonebook.”

Sara knew she behaved
badly, but felt so
pressured
. “Thank you,” she
mumbled.

Brian scooted his chair away from the table
and stood. “Thank you, Hattie, for the tea.” He looked down at
Sara, his features devoid of expression. “I’ll leave these things
here for you to use for ideas.”

Sara turned the card over and over in her
fingers. She heard the screen door squeak open and snap shut.

Hattie clucked her tongue. “How could you be
so rude, Sara? Isn’t it obvious that he’s the one for the job?”

“I don’t know,” she said wretchedly. “This
is all happening too fast! I thought he was moving!”

“Well, I think you hurt his feelings.”

“That man doesn’t have any feelings.”

Hattie stood up and put her hands on her
hips. “Brian Farris is a friend of this family and he deserves to
be treated as such. I’m now convinced you’re not recovered from
your trip, and I suggest that you go to your room and think about
what you’ve done.”

Not sure what to say in her defense, Sara
crumpled the business card in her hand. Hattie chastised her like a
child because she'd acted like one. She got up from the table and
trudged to her room.

***

Brian looked up from the trade magazine he
held in his hands. Through the window, he saw Sara driving up in
Eli’s old truck. He threw down the magazine and went to open the
front door of the cottage. The sun, setting fast, washed the sky in
purple and orange lights as he went out to meet her. Little dust
devils scurried along the driveway in the blustery wind.

Sara climbed out of the truck and stood,
looking unsure of herself. She wore faded blue jeans and a denim
jacket worn over a light pink T-shirt. Tucking a straying lock of
hair behind her ear, she took a few steps in his direction.

Brian watched expectantly as she approached
him. After yesterday morning, he didn’t know when he’d see her
again. Her visit surprised him.