That thought went out of her head when she entered the church sanctuary and didn’t see her aunt. Sara put a hand on Brian’s arm before they continued on. “Hattie’s not here. Something must be wrong.”
“Maybe she’s just late.”
“Do you think I should call and check?”
“Sara, relax. She’s probably just a few minutes behind us.”
Brian propelled her forward to a pew as the service began. The sanctuary was crowded and they ended up sitting shoulder to shoulder, a fact that would’ve sent Sara into raptures had it not been for worry over Hattie. She fidgeted all during worship until Brian took her hand in his. Instead of calming her, his action only succeeded in increasing the tension within her.
When the worship portion of the service ended, Sara slipped from the pew and went into the foyer after Brian offered her the use of his cell phone. She dialed Hattie’s number and the phone rang and rang on the other side before her aunt finally answered.
“Hattie! Are you okay? I thought you’d be at church this morning.”
“Sara, dear, stop worrying about me. I got in late last night as you know and I decided to sleep in this morning.”
She suddenly felt ridiculous. “Sorry. I just wanted to check up on you.”
“That’s very sweet. As you can hear, I’m doing just fine.”
Once again, Sara got the feeling she was being dismissed. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later. Get plenty of rest.”
“Goodbye, dear.”
She frowned as she made her way back to Brian’s side, dissatisfied with her aunt’s blithe excuses of late. Sara resolved to stop by on her way home just to be sure everything was okay, then she’d leave her aunt alone. After a moment, Sara remembered Brian had driven her to church.
She leaned close and lowered her voice. “Do you mind if we stop by my aunt’s house on the way home after the service?”
Brian found it difficult to follow the sermon when the female next to him persisted in teasing him with her light perfume and frequent whispers. He cleared his throat. “No, I don’t mind. Were you able to get a hold of her?”
“Yes, she said she slept in. But I still want to check in on her, just to make sure everything’s all right.”
“Fine.”
Sara relaxed against the back of the pew and appeared to forget about him completely. Brian spent the remainder of the service trying to keep his thoughts and hands off her, and realized the only way he’d get anything out of any church service in the future was to marry her.
He'd come to Oregon to find her—to ask her forgiveness, though he'd hoped for more. Now that she was back in his life, the not-so-old flame had been fanned into a forest fire. But did she feel the same way? Just because he stole a few kisses didn’t mean she’d fall into his arms if he proposed. He peered down at the side of her face, wondering what she really thought of him. As if sensing his gaze, Sara glanced up at him and gave him a smile of singular sweetness. Brian caught his breath. Well, there was one way to find out. No more nibbling at the edges. He decided to buy a ring the next day—just in case.
As they made their way to the doors after the service ended, Brian shook hands with several people and uttered inanities to a blur of faces, scarcely knowing to whom he spoke. He hustled Sara out to the truck, eager to divine any reciprocal feelings to bolster his decision.
Consumed by his thoughts, he was surprised to find they were already at Hattie’s house. Sara sat up straight and stared out the window. The sun neared its zenith and caused a blinding glare to bounce off the windshield of an unfamiliar vehicle parked in Hattie’s driveway.
He looked over at Sara. “Looks like she’s got visitors.”
Chapter Seventeen
“I’ve met most of her friends and I’ve never seen that car before,” Sara said, turning her avid gaze to him.
“So what do you want to do next? Knock on the door or go home?”
She puckered her brows. “I don’t want to interrupt if she’s visiting with someone, but at the same time I’m dying of curiosity. If she saw us drive up, then she’ll come out in a minute.”
Brian peered out his window. “The way her house is oriented, it’s entirely possible she has no idea we’re here.”
“That settles it, then. Just one little peek, and I’ll quit bugging her.”
“Do you mean you’re going to spy on her? What if she’s in the middle of a romantic tryst?”
Sara looked up at him and laughed. “I have never seen Hattie interested in any man before. She’s probably having tea with one of the ladies she works with.”
“Then why spy on her?”
“Not spy, peek,” she said, sliding out of the truck. “Are you coming with me or not?”
“Sure. You’ll need someone to help you talk your way out of an embarrassing moment.”
Sara shushed him. “Don’t let the truck door slam.”
Stifling a grin, Brian followed her stealthy lead around to the front of the house. They silently climbed the steps and approached the screen door. Because of the heat of the day, the main door was opened wide, giving a good view into the shady interior of the house.
The sound of a man’s voice caused Sara to freeze. She turned back to Brian with wide eyes. There’ll be no getting her to leave now, he thought ruefully. Furthering his plans for romance would have to wait for another time.
Sara angled alongside the door and peeked in. Brian came up close behind her, relishing this little interlude of nearness. Then his attention became riveted on the tableau inside. In amazement, he saw Hattie sitting next to a man on her couch. Tears streamed down her face as the man took her hands gently in his.
“I never got that letter, Hattie. If I had, I never would’ve let you go, you have to believe that.”
Sara let out a little gasp. Brian put a finger to his lips, and she nodded before turning back to watch.
Hattie lowered her eyes. “I believe you, Robert. But all those years...”
“Then let’s not waste another moment being apart.” Still holding her hands, the man sank onto one knee and gazed adoringly into her eyes. “Marry me.”
Hattie’s face radiated joy as she said, “Yes.”
Robert raised her hands to his lips. “I promise to cherish you forever, Hattie. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
The couple existed insulated in a cocoon of emotion. Brian knew they’d never notice the two interlopers on the front porch. As if by mutual consent, he and Sara quietly made their way down the steps and back to the truck. He glanced over at Sara to see how she was taking this new development. She sat rigidly with her hands in her lap, her cheeks tinged deep pink as he pulled away from the house.
She looked so demure and agitated at the same time that it suddenly dawned on him what he was doing wrong. Instead of treating her like spun glass, he kissed her every chance he got. After witnessing the scene at Hattie’s house, it explained why Sara often stared up at him like a rabbit being hypnotized by a snake when he was about to kiss her. What she wanted was a storybook courtship.
And so she should have it, he decided. Even if it killed him.
No more winks, meaningful looks, or stolen kisses. From here on out, it was roses and romance, and no touching until he could persuade her to marry him. Brian gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white with the strength of his conviction.
Sara shot a sideways look at Brian and suppressed a shudder. What on earth made him look so grim? She hoped he wasn’t disgusted with her conduct from the night before. He was probably used to girls throwing themselves at him and maybe he assumed she was like all the rest.
Her thoughts returned to Hattie. What a shock! While glad of her aunt’s obvious happiness, a part of her felt quite hurt that Hattie never said anything about this to her. Who was this Robert guy? Someone Hattie had a history with, judging from the eavesdropped conversation. She hoped he wasn’t a loser who’d break her heart. Sara planned to watch him closely. A
nd they were getting married! ‘Robert’ would be her uncle. Uncle Robert. She wrinkled her nose. It would definitely take some getting used to.
A few minutes later they arrived at the farmhouse. In spite of the thoughts swirling in her head, she noticed how a new coat of exterior paint had transformed the house. The main body was painted a dark gray-green. The trim was painted a much lighter shade and the refinished front door glowed with warm brown tones.
Before she could get out of the truck, Brian told her to wait. He jumped out and came around to the passenger side, and opened her door. Sara gave him an odd look, but accepted his help out.
Together they walked up the repaired front porch and into the living room. Since it remained bare of furniture, they sat down at the dining room table.
Sara tossed her purse onto an empty chair and turned to Brian. “Can you believe that? Hattie has a boyfriend!”
“A fiancé, from the sound of it.”
She looked at him sharply, wondering at the strange tone in his voice. “Yes, fiancé.”
“And you had no idea about any of this?”
She shook her head. “Not really. I mean, I knew she was gone from home quite a bit, and she seemed reticent about giving out any information. But that there was a man involved never occurred to me.”
“Why not? Your aunt is pretty and she’s as sweet as they get. It’s amazing she hasn’t been snapped up before this.”
“It sounded like he and Hattie had been together before. I wonder what happened. Something about a letter?”
“Sounds a little like what happened with us.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged, but the look in his eyes gave lie to his easy manner. “We have a similar history.”
Sara stared down at her hands. A new thought sprang to mind. Apparently Hattie and Robert were kept apart due to a misunderstanding. The result was wasted years.
Although she dreaded rejection, she suddenly realized if she didn’t try and take what was right in front of her, she might regret it for the rest of her life. The notion of years spent without Brian made her feel decidedly ill. But did she have the courage to open her heart fully to him? Especially after what happened two years ago?
The phone rang. Glad for the diversion, Sara leaned over and grabbed the receiver. “Hattie! Um, how are things going?” She turned to Brian and made a face. “Oh, really? That sounds great. See you there.”
She sighed and hung up the phone. “She said there’s someone she wants us to meet and wants us to come out to her place.”
“What time?”
“Now.”
“Are you ready for this?”
Sara took a deep breath. “I guess.”
Brian motioned her forward. “After you.”
Aside from the fact that he insisted on opening not only the front door but his truck door as well, she felt glad of his company in this new situation. At her aunt’s house, Sara slowly preceded him up the porch steps and timidly knocked on the door.
The door swung open and the beaming face of her aunt met them in welcome. “Come in!”
As they stepped inside, Sara’s eyes instinctively went to her aunt’s left hand. Sure enough, a brilliant diamond ring sparkled on her third finger. She composed her features and smiled warmly at the man who came up behind Hattie.
“Sara, Brian, I want you to meet Robert Hastings. Robert, my niece and her, um...”
Brian reached out and shook Robert’s hand. “Brian Farris. I’m doing a remodel at Sara’s house.”
Sara blushed at the word stumble and shook his hand as well. Robert Hastings, quite a bit taller than Hattie, had piercing blue eyes in a tanned face and dark brown hair liberally sprinkled with gray. His eyes were lit with tenderness when he looked at Hattie. Sara felt a queer little tug at her heart. There seemed nothing worrisome about this man. She decided to relax and trust her aunt’s judgment.
“Let’s go into the living room, shall we?” Robert said.
After everyone settled, Hattie offered refreshments. She and Brian refused, not wanting to stall the inevitable announcement.
“Sara, dear,” began her aunt, perched on the couch next to Robert, “you were too young to remember this, but I met Robert almost twenty years ago. We met when I was at college.”
Brian sensed Sara stiffen and stifled an impulse to reach out to her.
“We dated and...and fell in love.” Hattie looked up at Robert with tears in her eyes. “He was in the army and had orders to ship out to Europe. We had a big fight about something, I can’t remember what now, but I refused to speak to him before he had to go.”
Under his breath, Brian muttered, “That sounds familiar.”
“He left a letter, but for one reason or another, it never reached me and I thought...the worst, I’m afraid.”
Robert took Hattie’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“And then a few months later I learned he had married and I was angrier than ever. I refused to read any of his correspondence after that and so never knew until recently that there was another Robert Hastings in his unit who had married. Robert ended up staying in the service in Europe and only just returned to America two years ago after retiring from the army.”
“I was half-way around the world, but even through all the years, you were never far from my heart,” Robert said, patting her hand. “But I was too crusty and fearful to contact you, sure you were happy with someone else.”
Hattie blushed. “We met again while I was at a medical conference last spring, before Eli passed away. Robert was there for the same conference as he’s a respiratory therapist. We began to see each other, slowly at first, and now....”
“And now Hattie’s agreed to be my wife.”
Brian watched with tender amusement as Sara sprang from the chair and embraced her aunt. Despite her foreknowledge, she seemed genuinely surprised.
After all the hugs and tears, and exclamations over the ring, they decided to go out to lunch together. Brian had to admit Robert seemed above-board and was pleased with the way he fit so naturally into the picture.
There were times during lunch when Brian caught Sara’s gaze. Her gray eyes were filled with flitting emotions and a touch of wariness. He was more determined than ever to treat her like china and win her affection the way he should’ve from the beginning.
By the time they returned to the farmhouse, Sara felt the need to lie down. After Brian went to his cottage, she trailed into her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. Her emotions were spent. From the sentimental joy of Hattie’s reunion with Robert, to the knowledge she could lose Brian out of the same misplaced stubbornness and fear, she felt she’d run the full gamut of emotions between hope and despair.
She didn’t want to think about how she’d feel if Brian only toyed with her affections without being serious about her. I can agonize about that tomorrow.
Sara hugged a pillow to her chest and decided if she didn’t want to repeat her aunt’s history, she needed to tell Brian exactly what was in her heart. No matter the outcome, she needed to lay it all on the line. Closing her mind to thoughts of rejection, she resolved to talk to him soon.
Before it became twenty years later.
Chapter Eighteen
After adjusting the pictures on the walls of each bedroom until they hung perfectly straight and smoothing out all the handmade quilts on each bed, Sara felt confident the upstairs rooms were ready for the open house tomorrow. She double-checked the master bath with its gleaming tiles and fancy bathtub before making her way downstairs.
With the construction so close to completion and the date of an upcoming annual town festival, Sara had earlier decided to combine the two and set the date for the bed and breakfast’s open house with the Buell Creek Founders’ Day Celebration. The title sounded bigger than the actual event, Sara thought wryly. The festival boasted a farmer’s market, a downtown sidewalk sale, a tractor pull, a hottest chili contest/feed, and a petting zoo. A few local bands would pla
y throughout the weekend and a small carnival would take over the elementary school’s parking lot.
The decision had left them with just a week to get everything done. Brian had assured her it was possible, but after she started advertising the open house, she entertained doubts the remodel would be complete in time. Hattie promised to help with the food for the open house and that took off some pressure, but there was still so much to do. Sara had worked with a will on the seemingly endless list of last minute tasks, and as the days flew past, she became craven, avoiding her ‘talk’ with Brian. Now that the house was ready, she no longer had an excuse for avoiding him.
It was especially difficult to broach the subject. He seemed once again distant, the teasing glint absent from his eyes. He'd adopted a reserved and formal manner, at odds with his normally gregarious personality. Sara wondered if the pressures of completing the job on time left him no opportunity to seek her out. Her mind shied away from the notion he no longer had an interest in her. The idea pained her too much to consider.
She casually walked through the rooms on the lookout for Brian. Her steps took her through the living room, where the refinished oak floors glowed with a mellow light from the mica torchiér lamps. Mission style furniture and wicker chairs flanked either side of the stone fireplace.
In the dining room, she paused to look out the new bay window toward the hazy mountains in the distance. As she made her way through the kitchen, she could hardly believe the transformation. Black granite countertops contrasted with the brushed steel of the appliances. Clear vertical grain fir cabinets and terra cotta flooring gave the room a warm, homey feel.
Sara suddenly knew without a doubt her grandfather would’ve been please with the result of the remodel. Her eyes filmed over with tears as a wave of loneliness threatened to overwhelm her. She missed him dreadfully and knew he would’ve given her wisdom and insight into her predicament with her contractor. With a sad little shake of her head, she continued in the search for Brian.
Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) Page 14