“Obviously she did since she married him. How long did they wait before getting engaged?” Sarah gazed at her empty ring finger, and longing created a hollow feeling in her stomach.
“He didn’t pop the question for another six months, when he came for a second visit. Until he deployed, they’ve been inseparable. He’s a real nice guy. You’ll like him when you get to meet him.”
“Do you think I will…get to meet him, I mean?” Did he intend his words to be encouraging or was he just being polite?
“What about you?” She forced herself to ask the question she dreaded. “Is there someone special in your life?”
He straightened and inched back to sitting on the edge of the bed, then took a deep breath. “There was at one time, but we were just too different. I need someone in my life who is patient, down-to-earth, and accepting of different cultures.”
“That’s exactly the type of person I’d like, too.” Recollections of how Wolf had turned the other cheek after being beaten by the Cavalry when they mistakenly assumed he had robbed the post supply played in her mind. He managed to understand their abhorrence for half-breeds when she couldn’t begin to fathom how anyone could treat another human being with such blatant hatred. Again, she flashed on the scars she imagined marred his olive-skinned back and wished for a peek beneath his shirt.
“I think Peg has her eye on you,” Sarah teased, comfortable now there was no attraction on his part…or at least that’s what he’d said. Tension tightened her shoulders and neck.
“Aw, she’s pretty enough, but she’s way too much like my ex girlfriend. Our neighbor is a little…what’s the word I’m looking for?”
“Fake, conniving, boastful, flashy, excessive, over-the-top?” All the things Sarah thought of the woman bubbled out.
Wolf grinned. “I think pretentious is what I had in mind.”
Sarah’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Oh, I guess I got a little carried away. I suppose you can tell Peg isn’t my favorite person, and seeing her in the same costume I picked was the final straw.”
“That was strange, wasn’t it? I didn’t expect to see one Wonder Woman, let alone two. What made you pick that particular character?”
Did she dare be honest? Admit she wanted to wow him…to outshine Peg for once? Instead, she nibbled her bottom lip. Confessing her feelings met the criteria for all the bad things she’d just said to describe her nemesis.
“So are you going to tell me or not?”
“Sorry, I had to think about it for a minute. I guess I picked a super hero because the costume caught my eye when I was looking through the racks.” The lie rolled off her tongue with ease, but the taste it left wasn’t easy to swallow, and it had nothing to do with having a sore throat.
He eased off the bed and stood. Peering down at her, he smiled. “Like I said earlier, I thought you looked fantastic.
Her cheeks warmed, and the adoration she sought made her squirm with discomfort. “I’m thirsty. May I have a can of soda?” Seemed like a stupid request at the time, but it was the first thing that popped into her mind.
“Anything your heart desires.” He stood and flashed that winning smile.
As he left the bedroom, she pondered what her heart really desired--him. Inside, doubt niggled at her. So, he thought she looked good, but would he tell Peg the same thing? Men often said exactly what a woman wanted to hear, even if they didn’t mean it. Still, Wolf had never lied to her, even when the truth wasn’t pleasant to hear. In the dream, he’d warned her that associating with him would cost her, but she never expected the price to be the pain of losing him.
Chapter Eight
Wolf returned with a cold root beer and handed it to Sarah. “Here, hope you like it, it’s the last can in the fridge. As a matter of fact, there isn’t much else in there. If you make a list, I’ll go shopping for you.”
Options raced through her mind: continue to play up her weakness or make a miraculous recovery and ask him to take her along. The idea of shopping side by side with him summoned a smile she couldn’t suppress.
“Did I say something amusing?” He arched a brow.
“Oh, no. I was just thinking it might do me good to get out of this bed and move around a bit. I have a job and I’d like to keep it.” She giggled, but the threat was there. Mr. Crane was not a patient man when it came to absence. In fact, Sarah rarely took a break because of his hawkish way of watching every move his employees made.
She tossed back the covers and dangled her legs over the bedside. “Rather than a list, how about taking me along?”
Consternation creased Wolf’s forehead, and before he had time to question her, she popped to her feet. Weakness drained into her limbs, pooling in her fingertips and toes. She struggled with the dizziness that made the room spin. Wolf reached out and steadied her. “Are you sure you should be up?”
She shrugged free of his pleasing grasp. “Just need to get my bearings. After being in bed almost three days, I sort of feel like a sailor who’s been out to sea and needs to get back on dry land. I’ll be fine. Just let me change clothes and do something with my bed head.”
“Well, I suppose it’s better if I go with you than risk having you set off by yourself. While you get ready, I’ll run next door and see if Molly needs me to pick up anything for her.” He spun on his heel and left. At the click of the front door, Sarah made her way to her closet.
Still weak as a pup, her energy level improved as she slipped on her blue jeans and a sweater. The frost she’d noticed clinging to the bedroom windowsill indicated the weather had grown colder. She plucked through her closet and found her blue corduroy jacket, then tossed it on the bed. In the bathroom, she ran a brush through her tangled locks, put on a little blush and mascara, applied some lipstick and sprayed her favorite cologne behind her ears and at the base of her throat. The room immediately smelled of sweet jasmine and spice.
* * *
Wolf had his hand on the knob of his apartment when the door across the hall opened. He turned to find his gaze locked with Peg’s. She stepped into the hallway. “Oh, there you are,” she cooed in her sexiest voice, straightening her shoulders and thrusting out her bosom, very much exposed in her low-cut top. “I’ve stopped by to see you a few times, but Molly told me you’ve been caring for our neighbor. How’s she doing?”
The way she crooked her fingers and stared at her nails didn’t demonstrate much interest.
“Sarah’s doing much better. In fact, we’re going to the grocery story this morning.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun.” She snickered. “In fact, I’ve been wondering if we’re going to continue with our Saturday dinners. If not, then I’d like to invite you over to my place this weekend. I have a new recipe I’d like to try out.”
The way she eyed him, he sensed he might be a main ingredient. Although most men would be flattered to have such a good-looking and sexy woman openly flirt with them, everything about Peg screamed “warning.”
“Hmmm, let me check with Molly and Sarah. I see no reason why we can’t go back to our original plan, and I believe this is our Saturday coming up.” He released an inward relieving sigh with his fast-thinking. For some reason, the saying, ‘safety in numbers’ rang in his head.
She turned her lips down in a childish pout and hooked her arm around his. “Darn, I was hoping we could spend some alone time, but maybe we can plan dinner at my place for another night.”
“Sure.” He smiled, although he had no intention of getting involved with her. He was drawn to Sarah, and although he sensed a commonality with her, he had yet to discover exactly what it was. In a strange way, he felt as though he’d known her before they met at her front door.
Peg stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Ok, then raincheck on our date. Be sure and let me know the decision on our group dinner this weekend.”
Maybe it was her arrogance and confidence that made him uneasy, but no matter how much emphasize she put on their pending date, she
had a long wait ahead of her. He shrugged free of her grasp and stepped away. “Yeah, I’ll have Molly give you a call. Gotta run, nice to see you, Peg.”
He ducked inside his apartment, leaned against the door, and fluttered his lips with a loud exhalation. Molly looked up from the sofa where she thumbed through a fashion magazine. She cocked her head and eyed him.
“Are you all right?”
“I think so. I just ran into the man-eater across the hall. That woman scares me.”
Molly giggled. “Are you kidding? A big burly guy like you afraid of one little ol’ gal?”
“She looks at me like a steak lover eyes a fillet. I guess if I was interested, I might be flattered.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t interested. Peg’s quite a looker.” Molly closed the magazine and put it aside. She dipped her chin and looked up at him through her eyelashes. “Could it be that you’ve got Sarah on your mind?”
“If you must know, Miss Nosy, I like Sarah quite a bit. She’s comfortable to be around, and she’s not bad on the eyes either.”
Molly leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. She cupped her chin. “When you say comfortable, what exactly do you mean?”
“Y-you know…” he grappled with how to explain his feelings. “Have you ever met someone and felt like you’ve known them for a long time?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe you said that. I get the same exact feeling. The moment you introduced us, I got goose bumps…like I was meeting an old girlfriend or classmate.”
Wolf screwed his mouth to the side and pondered. “Wow. Maybe there is such a thing as a past life.” He laughed at how absurd he sounded. “Anyhow, we’ll have to chat about it later. Sarah’s waiting for me to go with her to the grocery store. I just stopped in to see if you need anything. Oh, and do you have any objections to us taking our turn for Saturday dinner?”
“Fine with me. In fact, it gives me something to look forward to.”
“Are you saying, I’m boring?” He grinned and dashed out the door.
* * *
Sarah leaned on the cart, feeling invigorated by the outing. She squared her shoulders and held her head high, delighting in the obvious jealous stares from several female shoppers in the supermarket. Wolf looked yummy in his jeans and matching jacket. The subtle green stripe amid the blue and brown ones in the tee he wore beneath his coat enhanced the sparkle in his hazel eyes. She loved how his hair kissed his collar, and the sexy swagger of his walk. Just based on appearance alone, who wouldn’t want him for their own?
She stopped mid-aisle and peered at the basket’s contents. “Let’s see, you’ve got milk and bread for you and Molly, low fat for me, my fruit, soup, hamburger meat, paper towels, and fresh fruit.” She looked up and smiled. “I think I’ve got everything.”
He peered down his nose. “What about soda. I think that’s what prompted this trip.”
“I’d much rather have juice, but thanks to your therapeutic research, I can’t have any until I stop taking my antibiotics.” She laughed. “I suppose I can deal with diet cola until then.”
“Diet?” He stood back and looked her up and down. “Why? You don’t need to lose weight.”
She giggled. “Maybe not now, but if I filled up on all that sugar, I’d definitely pack on the pounds.”
“Even as Wonder Woman?” He tried not to laugh, but failed.
“Oh, you!” She smacked him playfully on the arm and moved on.
At the cash register, the clerk packed the groceries into the two cloth shopping bags, Sarah had brought. Wolf insisted she stay inside with the sacks at her feet while he hailed a cab. The wind had picked up and the chill subtracted at least ten degrees from the already cold air. Once nestled inside the taxi with their purchases against the far door, Sarah inched closer to Wolf, their shoulders touching. Heat from his body seeped through her jacket and flooded down to her fingers. Silently, she wished he would put his arm around her and declare she really belonged to him as she’d pretended in the market. He didn’t. Instead, he stared out the window at the passing pedestrians and myriad of buildings.
Heavy traffic marked the end of the workday, punishment for waiting so late to shop. The yellow automobile crept slowly down the avenue, while other vehicles wove in and out the stop-and-go mess. Silence lingered between them until she could stand it no longer.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
Wolf turned and smiled. “I was just thinking how much more I like living in the country. Guess I wasn’t cut out to be a city boy. Back home, I’d be watching the sun set over the far horizon, and inhaling fresh air instead of….”
“I thought you liked my perfume.” She feigned a pout.
He laughed. “Don’t be silly. I was imagining the smell of all that exhaust outside.”
She clicked a nail against her bottom teeth, trying to guide the conversation to anything to do with the dream. “I’ve never been out west, although I feel like I have. Does that make sense?”
“Perfect sense. Why do you suppose that is?”
“Well,” she paused and pondered what to say. “I wasn’t all that shocked at the costumes you and Molly wore to the party. In fact, you looked quite comfortable and homey in them…almost like you belonged in that era. I had the strangest notion I’d seen you dressed exactly like that.” She rolled her eyes. “Now I suppose you think totally I’ve lost my mind.”
“Not at all. In fact, Molly and I were talking about¬¬¬¬¬--”
“Here you are, folks. That’ll be six dollars and fifty cents.” The taxi driver turned, his arm draped over the seat. His greasy hair and unshaven face gave him the appearance of a homeless person. He couldn’t have picked a worse time to interrupt their conversation.
Wolf reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. He withdrew a ten dollar bill and handed it to the man. “Keep the change.”
Curiosity gnawed at Sarah, but Wolf opened the door, helped her out, then reached across and grabbed the grocery bags. He hurried her inside to the warmth of the lobby. “I hope this little jaunt doesn’t cause you to get sick all over again.”
“Honestly, I feel so much better. I think I’ll probably go to work tomorrow…while I still have a job.”
Are you sure?” Doubt creased his brow.
“Do you honestly think I’d give up being pampered if I didn’t feel perfectly fine?”
He grinned. “No, I reckon you wouldn’t.”
As they walked toward her apartment, she couldn’t resist pursuing their prior conversation. “Now, what were you saying about you and Molly?”
“Oh, hey guys.” Peg chose to step into the hallway as they passed her door. “No one’s called me about Saturday night. Are we still on?”
Sarah sensed her fever might have returned as anger surged heated blood through her veins. Peg might have directed her greeting to both of them, but she had yet to take her gaze off Wolf. If lust formed puddles, the leering woman would be ankle deep in one.
“No one mentioned anything about Saturday to me.” Sarah drew her opponent’s attention off her target.
“Oh…” Wolf slapped the side of his head. “I totally forget. Peg asked me earlier, and I told her I had to check with you and Molly. Sis said it’s fine with her since it’s our turn, so how about you, Sarah, are you up to it?”
She gulped back the words she wanted to spit out. Diphtheria wouldn’t keep her from guarding her man. No way was Peg getting a free pass to get her meat hooks into Wolf. She cocked her head and smiled. “Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Peg’s smile disappeared. “Are you sure you should be taxing yourself after being so ill?”
Sarah flashed back on the massacre…back to the time when she faced saving Molly and finding a way for them to get back to civilization from the middle of nowhere. With that struggle in mind, she locked her arm through Wolf’s and pulled him a tad closer to her, giving Peg a sly grin. “Oh, don’t you worry about me.
I’ve been through far, far worse than just a little dehydration.”
Chapter Nine
“Drat!” Sarah closed the door behind Wolf. She’d hoped to continue the conversation they began in the taxi, but Wolf promised they’d talk later, saying he felt guilty for leaving Molly alone for the past few days. He took their milk and bread then left, but told Sarah to call him if she needed anything at all.
God, if Wolf only knew he was what she needed, but she sure as heck couldn’t call and tell him that. Somehow she had to make him share the memories from her dream.
The past few days had been wonderful, and now she faced returning to work. As she put away her groceries, she imagined what the stack on her desk must look like. The last thing she felt like doing was editing other people’s romance stories. She’d much prefer creating a non-fictional love story of her own.
She closed the cupboard door and eyed the bottle of antibiotics. After gulping down the giant capsule with a drink of water, she gazed at the half-empty container. Only a few days left and she could go back to enjoying her orange juice without fear of acidity washing away the effects of the medicine. Who knew?
She turned on the TV and curled up on the sofa. Thoughts swam in her mind. What could she do to outshine Peg? But then, maybe she didn’t have to, if Wolf had told the truth when he declared her too pretentious for his taste. Besides, last time she schemed to make a grand entrance, she crumpled into a heap on the floor. A repeat performance wasn’t on her agenda.
* * *
Bundled against the frosty New York fall morning, Sarah stepped onto the usual bus she took to work, nodded to the familiar face behind the wheel and took a seat. The coldness of the leather radiated through her coat and thin skirt. Confined to the stale odors of co-mingled cologne and aftershave on the half-full vehicle, she wriggled her nose. The struggle to rise from bed with the idea of going to work had been tougher than she expected although she hadn’t been away for very long. She liked her job, just not the boss, and retirement loomed a zillion years away. The idea of repeating the same trip day-in -day-out suddenly lost its appeal. Hadn’t she ridden a bus for most of her life? First to school and now to work.
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