The Love Letter (11 page)

She didn’t
wait for him to respond; she shoved the cart the final few feet to clear the door and did nothing to prevent it slamming shut. She might regret her rudeness later, but at that moment, she didn’t want to hear anything else Meredith had to say.

By the time she
replaced the cart and changed clothes, Sabrina’s anger had lessened enough for her to wish she’d handled the situation with more maturity. Storming out the door like a child was just the type of reaction he expected of her, and she hadn’t disappointed him. Why couldn’t she remain calm and composed around him? Did loving someone inevitably lead to a loss of control?

Meredith
put the incident with Sabrina out of his mind. The walk on the beach had enabled him to solve one of the problems with his main character. He couldn’t afford to dwell on trivial disagreements with a former student when there were such things as deadlines looming in the not too distant future. When the troublesome chapter was finally completed to his satisfaction, he ventured outside and sat down on the porch.

Hearing the sound of Sabrina’s voice through the open windows brought back the scene in his room. Meredith d
idn’t know why he’d asked her about the papers on his desk. There was nothing of real importance in them. Even if she’d looked at them, no harm would have been done. The new book was on his laptop, safe from prying eyes.

One thing was certain;
Sabrina didn’t like accusations about her character. But then he knew that already. He’d been subjected to those flashing green eyes on several occasions. So why did he keep referring to an event he knew now to be an anomaly and not indicative of her real nature? Was he afraid he might actually start to like Sabrina?

Two days later Carly was back on the job. During the afternoon, S
abrina left Casey in the kitchen making peanut butter fudge while she walked to the local farmer’s market. She ignored her sister’s reminder to get a raincoat. If it rained, she would soon dry.

As she strolled down the street, she swung the large canvas bag dangling from her fingers and went over the list Casey had rattled off.  By the time she arrived at the stand
with its ancient tin roof covering the long rows of tables, a light misty rain had begun to fall. Not unduly concerned about the weather, Sabrina took her time picking out zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers and tomatoes as well as watermelon and cantaloupe.

Half way back to the inn, the light drizzle
falling from the leaden sky changed to a steady downpour that had Sabrina soaked to the skin within minutes. When the lightning started, her lighthearted mood evaporated.

She needed to get somewhere less exposed
, and she needed to do it quickly. Unfortunately, she was in the least populated part of the island; there weren’t very many places from which to choose. Her closest option was the Victorian house. She wouldn’t be able to get inside, but she could take shelter on the porch.

Deciding not to
waste time walking back to the driveway, Sabrina sloshed her way through the soggy yard, hoping the owners weren’t around. With her hair plastered to her head and her clothes clinging like a second skin, she was in no condition to meet anyone.

When she finally made it to the porch, her breath
was coming in gasps, and she was shivering with cold. Sabrina let the bag fall from her numb fingers as she sank down to the floor. She never heard the door open, but she did hear Meredith’s forceful comment when he caught sight of her.

“For goodness sake, Sabrina, what have you done to yourself now?”

Her head came up abruptly. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. A terrible thought occurred to her. “Is this your house?”

“Why else would I be here?”

She bit her lip and looked away from him. “Well, you could have come here to escape the rain like I did.”

A
gleam appeared in his fascinating eyes. “There’s nothing conventional about your approach to life. You regard the entire world as your property.”

“
I couldn’t stay out in the storm – there was lightning. And this was the closest place. How was I to know it belonged to you?”

“
I understand all that, but where’s your umbrella and your car?”

“
I thought the rain would hold off until I got back.”

Meredith shook his head in disbelief.
“Ever heard of afternoon showers? They arrive about this time every day during the summer.”

“I know
that; I don’t mind getting wet. It’s the lightning I don’t care for.” A convulsive shiver went through her and she sneezed.

He
moved the sodden bag of vegetables against the wall and held out his hand. “Come on – it has to be warmer in the house. I might be able to find something for you to dry off with. All I need on my conscience is for you to catch pneumonia because I didn’t do anything to save you from yourself.”

Sabrina ignored his hand.
“You’re really reaching now. I’ll be fine. And anyway, I can’t go inside; I’ll drip all over your floors.”

Meredith didn’t waste any more time arguing.
He bent down, pulled her to her feet, and urged her through the door. “I’m not worried about the floors. I’m worried about what you’re going to wear after you get out of those wet clothes.”

At those last words, Sabrina
swung around to face him. “What are you talking about? I’m not taking off my clothes.” When he began unbuttoning his shirt, she backed away from him in alarm. “What are you doing? If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny!”

“
I’m the only one thinking sensibly, that’s for sure. Would you stop acting as if I’m responsible for the shape you’re in?”

Meredith
stripped off his shirt, and Sabrina’s thought processes ground to a halt as her eyes took in his muscular arms and chest. He smiled grimly at her reaction.

“
If you’re finished checking me out, we can move on to more important things. Go into that room behind you, take off that wet shirt and shorts and put this on. It should cover you well enough.”

Sabrina made no move to take the shirt from him. After that one long look, she hadn’t allowed her eyes to go any lower than his chin. She never imagined Meredith would be so athletically built. When did he have time to work out?

“I, uh, I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m warming up nicely now that I’m inside.” As if to disprove this theory, she sneezed again.

Meredith took a step closer.
“Let me put it another way. In your current state, I can check you out almost as thoroughly as you did me. Now, will you do as I said?”

Sabrina glanced down and realized what he was talking about.
With a startled gasp, she snatched the shirt out of his hands and ran into the other room. The low laugh that followed her sent a different kind of shiver through her.

O
nce inside, she called out, “There’s no door to this room!”

“Does it matter?
I’ve already seen plenty.”

“Oh! You don’t have to keep bringing that up.”

Meredith laughed again. “It’s difficult for me to think of anything else right now.”

He could hear her moving around and then,
“You’re right. This shirt is long on me.”

W
hen she rejoined him, Meredith wondered if he should have left her in her wet clothes. The picture she made wearing his shirt with her hair hanging in wispy waves around her face was far more disturbing. In a matter of seconds, the situation had acquired an intimacy that he at least found difficult to ignore. He had no way of knowing if his companion felt the same way.

“
Give those wet things to me. I’ll throw them in the dryer. They’ll be ready for you to wear in no time.” He eyed her from head to toe. “You certainly can’t arrive back at the inn wearing my shirt and little else. Neither of us would live that down.”

She handed him the clothes. “You could have explained all this before you started taking off your shirt.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t think the situation called for an explanation. It was obvious what had to be done. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Meredith
strolled down the hall and through a doorway at the end. Sabrina heard the drone of the dryer. When he reappeared, he wore a t-shirt that did little to hide the muscular body underneath. Sabrina found herself staring again. Did she have to make it so obvious that she found him attractive?

“
Are you doing some of the renovation yourself?” she asked when the silence had gone on too long.

“
Just the inside stuff. Since you’re here, would you like to see the rest of the house?”

“
Yes, if you don’t mind showing me.”

Meredith didn’t mind at all – he needed something to
divert his thoughts. Sabrina looked appealing enough in his shirt to make him uncomfortable. It didn’t seem right to feel this way about a former student.

S
abrina soon forgot about her unusual attire, something her companion couldn’t manage even when he was able to drag his eyes away from her. Meredith knew he’d be seeing this scene in his mind for a long time.

Her delight in the house was evident from the start
, and despite all the distractions of her appearance, he found her enthusiasm pleasing. Sabrina couldn’t have been more interested if she was the owner. He patiently answered her questions and didn’t hurry her from room to room. They’d just finished the downstairs when his cell phone rang.

“
Go on upstairs; I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

With a nod, Sabrina ventured up the elaborately carved spiral staircase.
As he watched her move up the steps, he sighed soundlessly. Every time he wore that shirt he would remember this day.

Sabrina
heard him answer the phone, and there was no mistaking who he was talking to. Only Juliet brought that certain tone into his deep voice. Squelching a sudden feeling of envy, she walked along the long hall, peering into empty rooms. Envy gradually gave way to guilt.

What was she doing here? S
he was taking Meredith’s time when he could be with Juliet. He had been on the point of leaving when he discovered her on the porch. How could she have forgotten that? Surely her clothes would be dry enough by now.

As she
turned toward the stairs, Sabrina saw him coming to meet her. When their eyes met, a peculiar feeling passed through her. With any other man, she would have called it attraction. With Meredith, it had to be something else. Feeling foolish for even imagining such a thing, she hurriedly turned into one of the rooms.

Smaller than the others,
this room had faded wallpaper depicting rocking horses and bars on the low windows. She had walked into what had once been a nursery. When Meredith stepped in behind her, she fled to the window, pretending an absorption in the rainy landscape.

“Easy to tell what this room was
. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it.”

Without turning, Sabrina asked, “You don’t plan to have children?”

“I need a wife first.”

Thinking of Juliet, she answered,
“That shouldn’t be difficult.”

Meredith laughed shortly.
“Why do you say that?”

Feeling foolish, she turned to face him.
Maybe they hadn’t discussed marriage yet. “Well, because you’re sort of famous, aren’t you? Meeting women shouldn’t be a problem.”

“It depends on what kind of woman I’m looking for.”

Sabrina walked toward the door, hating herself for wanting to ask him to elaborate on that statement. “Don’t you think my clothes are ready by now? Casey will be wondering what happened to me.”

“
I called Casey and told her you were with me. Did you see everything up here?”

“Yes, I think so.
I’m glad to know this old house will have new life again.”

Meredith
chuckled. “It’s unfortunate that so much work must be done to make that happen.”

As
she followed him down the stairs, Sabrina asked, “So this is where you’re coming in two weeks.”

“Yes, though it won’t be
completely finished for another month.”

“
Why was that such a big secret?”

“
Because I want privacy; something very difficult to come by.”

Sabrina’s cheeks bloomed with color. “I won’t make the mistake of coming here again.”

“Don’t be so sensitive. I wasn’t referring to you specifically.”

“
Weren’t you? I don’t need it spelled out in words.” She paused to look around one last time. “It’s a beautiful house; I hope you’ll be very happy here.”

“Th
ank you, Sabrina. If Juliet succeeds in talking me into a housewarming party, I’ll make sure you get an invitation.”

“That’s quite a concession considering our history.
”

Meredith hardly heard her.
Seemingly out of nowhere, one of the lines from that fateful letter floated through his mind.
“Your eyes look on me with an indifference that cuts deep into my soul; how I wish they would just once look on me with love.”
Why did he have to think of that now?