Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) (4 page)

Pressing a hand to her own head, she avoided
his eyes. What had come over her? What was it about him that always
put her in such a state? She took a calming breath and reminded
herself he was still recuperating. “I meant what I said, Brian. I
plan on selling this place, and I need you to be out.”

Without waiting for a response, Sara grabbed
her purse and strode past him to the door. She felt Brian’s hand on
her arm, and it took all her self-control not to recoil from his
touch.

“Thank you for being here with me. It really
means a lot.”

The gentleness of his words unnerved her. To
her horror, Sara felt tears well up in her eyes. She quickly looked
away and tugged her arm free, all but bursting out the door. Once
outside, she inhaled the crisp morning air and battled to bring her
emotions under control. Her arm still burned with the imprint of
his hand. The way her heart still burned from the impact of his
faithlessness.

Sara stopped abruptly at the thought. Had
Brian ever really loved her? Or had he just used the words he knew
would melt away her reservations?

Her thoughts refused to clear. She blamed it
on a lack of sleep.

Straightening her shoulders, Sara marched
down the driveway. She got all the way to the road before she
realized she didn’t have a car.

Turning slowly, Sara looked at the main
house. She had no key and didn’t want to attempt a break-in. There
was only one option. Gazing out at the rolling farmland and further
out to the haze of mountains in the distance, she waited for her
heart rate to decelerate. When she felt more composed, Sara walked
back to the cottage.

Brian jumped away from the window when he
saw Sara coming back up the drive. The action caused his head to
spin, and he grabbed the kitchen chair for support until the
dizziness passed.

He wasn’t as recovered as he let on. Dealing
with the formidable Sara Andersen required him to marshal all his
resources for the morning confrontation. He experienced a stab of
regret knowing she was still grieving the loss of her grandfather.
But they needed to talk and he had to grasp at any opportunity.

Brian heard her steps crunching on the
gravel as she approached the cottage. He knew she didn’t have a car
with her, and Hattie wouldn’t know when to come without a phone
call. He also guessed Sara didn’t have a cell phone. She was
notoriously stubborn when it came to submitting to the age of
technology. When she knocked on the door, he smiled, knowing he’d
guessed correctly.

He composed his features
before turning the knob.
Step
lightly.
He opened
the door. “Why, Sara, what a pleasant surprise.”

She pinned him with a steely gaze. “As you
may have noticed, I don’t have a car. Can I use your phone to call
my aunt?”

“You don't have a cell?”

“I know you think I'm some kind of Luddite,
Brian, but bottom line, can I make a call or not?”

“Of course.”

She stepped past him, pointedly avoiding any
contact. Brian leaned against the door frame and motioned to the
phone on the kitchen wall. He watched her curl a lock of hair
around her ear before she dialed. When she bit her lower lip, he
knew Hattie wasn’t answering. Brian tried not to let the triumph
show in his eyes.

Sara finally hung up the phone and slowly
turned around. “My aunt isn’t home and I don’t know where she is at
the moment.” A line appeared between her brows. “Hattie knew I’d
need a ride home this morning.”

“Do you think she’s on her way here?”

“I don’t know what time she gets off work or
when she’ll come to pick me up.” Sara clutched her purse against
her chest like a shield. “What am I going to do?” she said more to
herself than to him.

“Well, you’re welcome to wait here until you
get a hold of her. Or I could give you a ride home.”

Sara shook her head. “I don’t think you’re
up to driving just yet.”

Brian shrugged and watched with tender
amusement as a variety of emotions flitted across her face.
Obviously, her desire to leave his presence warred with the
supposed danger of exposing herself to his driving abilities.

She glanced up at him and quickly looked
away. Brian saw a flash of distrust in her eyes and suspected it
went way beyond the operation of a vehicle. He felt a tide of heat
rush into his face. Perhaps he deserved such a look, but it still
pained him. Brian knew she considered him an ogre and more than
anything he wanted to change that opinion. He'd come all the way to
Oregon to do just that—only finding out from Eli that she'd settled
in Northern California.

He lowered himself onto a chair. “Since you
aren’t willing to risk being in the truck with me, maybe I could
show you some of the improvements at the farmhouse.”

Sara quirked a brow.

“If you’re still concerned about my health,
don’t worry, it won’t be anything too strenuous,” he added.

“I, um, don’t have a key yet.”

“But I do.” To prove his point, he stood and
reached over to a rack on the side of the cupboard. Brian held up
the key for her inspection.

Sara crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll
go alone. I don’t want any repeat of yesterday.”

“If I feel even a hint of dizziness, I
promise to fall neatly into your arms. You’ve already proven
yourself capable in that area.”

She turned away, but not before he caught
her look of scorn. Despite this, he sensed her curiosity prevented
her from refusing. He tugged on a pair of running shoes. “Ready?”
he said, ignoring the pounding in his temples.

She shrugged. Brian smiled encouragingly and
led her out the door. As they approached the farmhouse, he reminded
himself to treat her gently. His first inclination made him want to
tease her. Sara had proved so easy to tease in the past. Brian
conceded this wasn’t the time or the place.

He considered it a big step
she agreed to spend any time with him at all, even if she really
had no other choice. His illness might be called providential in
that respect. Brian glanced up at the blue sky as if for
confirmation.
Well, Lord? Think Sara will
ever come around?

A glance at his old girlfriend and her stiff
posture sent a twinge of uncertainty through him. Of course, he
knew he couldn’t just waltz back into her life and resume their
tumultuous romance. First things first. He settled on a goal of
getting Sara to smile at him that day. Surely, that wasn’t too much
to ask.

Brian unlocked the dilapidated back door and
stepped aside, allowing Sara to precede him. He watched as she
entered and looked around. This would be emotional for her, and he
regretted not having the right to comfort her the way he
wished.

Sara entered the kitchen and noted it looked
as dark and poky as ever. She also noticed construction work had
apparently been started. A few of the cabinets were torn out and
one part of a wall demolished, exposing the framing beneath.

Past the kitchen, the living room and dining
room combined into a large open area. The house boasted a bedroom
on the main floor with a small bathroom and four spacious bedrooms
upstairs, with a half bath. She knew her grandfather had occupied
the lower bedroom to avoid using the stairs.

Pretty much everything appeared the same,
only darker and dingier than she remembered. Dusty sheers lined the
windows and cobwebs hung low from every corner, undoubtedly
contributing to the musty smell. Sara realized Eli must’ve been too
weak to do much upkeep. She felt guilty not coming to help more
often. Her guilt deepened at the profound feeling of emptiness in
the house. Her grandpa was truly gone. Tears clouded her vision and
she wondered if Hattie had been right after all. Maybe she wasn’t
ready for this.

Keenly aware of Brian’s presence, Sara
wended her way through the rooms. He shadowed her steps but said
nothing, and for that she was grateful. In the first floor bedroom,
she saw her grandfather’s effects. The room was fairly neat and
ordered, with a small TV in one corner and potted plants lining the
windowsills. His roll top desk sat in the sunlight, stacked high
with books and papers, looking as if he’d momentarily stepped away
from his work.

She turned to Brian. “I thought you said you
had done some repair work. I haven’t seen much that looks
improved.”

“Actually, I’ve done extensive structural
repairs including dry rot work under the house. I had just started
on the kitchen when...”

Sara wrapped her arms around herself and
took several steps away from him. “I understand,” she said
faintly.

“You know, your grandfather had big plans
for this place,” Brian said after a moment.

“He’s lived here for the last twenty-five
years. Why didn’t he do anything before now?”

“Because he was a dreamer, like you.”

Sara spun around to face him. “It seems you
knew him very well,” she snapped, failing to suppress the sarcasm
from her voice. “Just how long have you been in Buell Creek
anyway?”

“A few months.”

She looked at him steadily. “I can’t imagine
why.”

“I think you can.”

The words hung in the air. Sara’s gaze
wavered. She finally looked away. “I didn’t see you at the
funeral.”

“That’s something I deeply regret, Sara. I
was out of town visiting my sister. Hattie tried to reach me about
his passing, but I didn’t leave anyone a forwarding number. I got
back the day after the service.”

Sara detected the genuine sorrow in his
eyes. She lifted her chin. “Tell me about the plans you and he
discussed.”

Brian walked across the bedroom and looked
out the window toward the cottage. “He originally just wanted to
bring the house back to good condition. But with the growth of the
town, he thought about turning it into a bed and breakfast.”

“It’s certainly big enough,” she said, her
gaze roaming about, looking for some merit to the idea. But the
task seemed too daunting to consider. Not to mention the
expense.

“He told me he’d been thinking about
starting renovations a long time ago,” Brian said. “But he couldn’t
tear himself away from his writing to give the plan the attention
it would demand.”

Sara curved her lips into a smile. Her
grandfather’s passion for poetry and literature inspired her own
interest in that direction. She remembered him as rather private
about his work and looked forward to reading what he left
behind.

Brian saw her misty smile
and acknowledged that he'd met his immediate goal. Of course, he
would’ve preferred the smile be directed at
him
. But it was a start. “Seen
enough?”

Sara nodded. “For now. I’ll be back soon to
get it cleaned up.” She sighed. “I’m going to have to ask for
another leave of absence from work.”

“What do you do?” As if he didn’t know. He’d
pumped Eli for as much information as he could get. And Eli had
proved quite cooperative.

“I work for the Crescent City library as a
Librarian Assistant.”

“Sounds interesting.”

She shrugged. “I guess.”

Brian wracked his tired brain for something
else to say, but noticed Sara beginning to look strained. “Do you
want to try calling your aunt again?”

She seemed relieved at the suggestion.
“Yes.”

They walked into the kitchen in silence. She
used the phone there and this time got a hold of her aunt. After
hanging up, she turned to him. “She’s on her way.”

“Do you want to wait here in the dining
room?”

“Okay.”

Brian sat down at the dining room table and
Sara followed suite. She kept her eyes averted and fiddled with the
clasp on her purse. He allowed himself the simple pleasure of
looking at her unhindered. Two years was a long time to go without
the sight of her in person and he delighted in this
opportunity.

She appeared little
changed. Her shoulder-length hair was cut shorter, and he liked the
way it curled up slightly at the ends.
Her
countenance has changed
, he thought wryly.
She used to have a more dreamy expression. He remembered her shy
smile and the way her eyes glowed like silver when she talked about
something especially important to her. They used to glow that way
for him.

If he did things right, he hoped they might
again.

Brian heard the sound of a
motor in the driveway.
Too
soon
. Sara jumped up and headed for the
door. She muttered a goodbye and disappeared. He went to the window
and saw Hattie emerge from the car. Evidently ignoring Sara’s
intention to leave immediately, Hattie entered the house, took one
look at him and shook her head.

“Back to bed.”

His headache growing in vehemence, Brian
didn’t argue. He tacked his way back to the cottage, with Hattie at
his heels, and crawled back into bed, sighing as he settled onto
the fresh sheets. A coughing fit gripped him. He gratefully poured
a glass of water from the replenished pitcher.

Hattie fussed about him with her stethoscope
and thermometer until she seemed satisfied he was on the mend. She
motioned toward the pitcher of water. “Stay where you are until
that is empty. Do you understand?”

Brian nodded meekly and
thanked her. When she left, he made himself more comfortable and
thought about his encounter with Sara. Surely she retained some
feelings for him. Then he remembered her prickly attitude. Brian
made a face. He was after
positive
feelings.

He tried to come up with a plan to get back
into her good graces. But any tactical strategies he thought of
became muddled with the strength of his feelings. Brian decided he
needed to put things into perspective. He bowed his head and
prayed.