Wanted

by Karen Rose Smith

  “But children pick up a lot. She probably understood that you were worried all of the time.”

  “Yes, I was.”

  “But your husband kept the fire insurance on the house.”

  “He had to. It was required by the mortgage company. So the house was heavily insured and that’s why the insurance investigator is asking me tons of questions. It’s why he thinks I burned down my house to dig myself out of a hole.”

  When Sara looked up at Jase, he knew she wasn’t going to ask the question out loud, but he could hear it, anyway. Do you think I would do such a thing?

  His immediate reaction was, No, I don’t. Sara wasn’t that kind of woman. On the other hand, he’d been wrong about a woman before. Exactly how well did he know Sara? He’d invited her here on gut instinct, but now his gut instinct was also telling him to be cautious.

  All he said was, “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

  She looked disappointed, maybe even hurt, and he didn’t know what to do about that. But he wasn’t about to become recklessly involved with her. That would be tantamount to marching into war without knowing where the enemy hid...to photographing refugee children without realizing they could all be victims of an attack.

  No matter how much he wanted to put the past behind him, it constantly tapped him on the shoulder. Sara’s past would do the same. Her husband had lied to her and put their family in a situation no family should be in. She’d apparently loved him but she’d had to live with doubts while she tried to make her marriage work...while she’d tried to forgive what he’d done. Then he’d left her with a mess.

  “Did Kiplinger say what happens next?”

  “I wait.”

  “Don’t let your thoughts bury you,” Jase advised her. “This could turn out all right in the end. It just might take a while to get settled.”

  “If I’m here longer than a month, I’m going to pay you rent.”

  “Sara, that’s not necessary.”

  “Yes, it is. I don’t want your father to think I’m taking advantage of your hospitality.”

  “If you’re here a month, then we’ll talk about it.” Jase rose to his feet, wanting to take her into his arms, yet knowing that wasn’t the prudent thing to do. “Now, you’ve got to get some sleep for work tomorrow.”

  “You make this sound as if it’s not serious.”

  “I know it’s serious.”

  When he gazed into her eyes, he felt a startling sexual arousal that hadn’t plagued him for a very long time. But he willed it under control and he knew the best thing for both of them was for him to leave.

  After she rose and walked him to the door, again the same question was in her eyes. Do you believe I would do such a thing?

  But he couldn’t answer her now. He couldn’t let his guard down long enough to sort it all out. But he did run his thumb down her cheek, relishing the softness of it. He did say, “We’ll talk again. Soon.”

  Then he walked away.

  * * *

  The following evening, Amy held on to Sara’s hand tightly as her mother led her up the flagstone pathway to the vineyard’s office building. She still hadn’t met Raintree’s chief winemaker, Liam Corbett. His comings and goings were at different times than hers. She’d come over to the offices today to see Jase’s assistant. Marissa had watched over Amy on moving day. Since then they had chatted a few times. Sara felt comfortable with her and today she needed some advice from an insider at the vineyard. She could have left already, Sara knew, but her little boy, Jordan, was still at The Mommy Club day care when she’d picked up Amy. Sara was hoping she could catch her if she was working late.

  She stooped down to Amy. “This won’t take too long, and I’ll make your favorite supper when we get back—burgers and French fries. But you have to eat a little bit of broccoli, too.”

  “Dipped in cheese?”

  Sara smiled. “You’ve got it.”

  Amy’s Mary Janes tapped on the Mexican tile as they approached the first office in the long hallway. Located beside the winery, this was the hub of Raintree’s business activity. Windows allowed Sara to see Marissa inside the first office. She was waiting at the printer, collecting documents as they spewed out. She was a beautiful woman, a couple of years younger than Sara. Her hair was the deepest brown and curly. Her chocolate-brown eyes were as expressive as her wide mouth, and she didn’t hide what she was thinking. Right now, Sara needed her opinion.

  There was a walkway through Marissa’s office that led to a much bigger office beyond. Sara suspected that was where Jase usually sat, at the massive mahogany desk. There were double file cabinets behind it and beautiful paintings of Carmel and Big Sur. His chairs as well as his desk blotter were wine-colored leather. The wood paneling was as fine as the Oriental rug on the floor.

  The printer stopped spewing out paper and Sara knocked lightly. Marissa’s face broke into a wide smile. “Sara, it’s so good to see you. You, too, Amy. How do you like your new room?”

  Amy stayed close to Sara, then peeked out around her legs. “I like it.”

  Marissa laughed. “Well, good.” Her attention went back to Sara. “Are you feeling more at home here?”

  “I am, but that’s what I’d like to talk to you about. First, let me ask if I’m tying you up. I don’t want to keep you from picking up your son.”

  “I often work late, but now and then, Jase will give me a whole afternoon off. It evens out. He had new orders come in tonight that I had to organize and give to the account manager.”

  Sara took a few folded sheets of paper and crayons from her purse. “Do you mind if Amy sits on the floor to draw?”

  “She doesn’t have to sit on the floor. Come here, pumpkin. Sit up here at my desk.” She took hold of a pump at the side of the chair and gave it a few squeezes. The chair rose a few inches, making it easier for Amy to draw. “Okay, there?”

  Amy nodded.

  Marissa motioned Sara toward the file cabinets. “What can I do for you?”

  “The cottage is wonderful,” Sara assured her quickly. “Jase has been welcoming. But I don’t want to take advantage of living here. The problem is, there could be a delay with the insurance money on the house.”

  “Red tape?”

  Marissa’s question was an honest one. She felt more like a friend than a stranger. Should she be honest with her?

  “You look troubled about something,” Marissa noticed.

  She was obviously perceptive, too. “I am. The insurance company is investigating the fire because I had a lot of debt.”

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “Mine was substantial, so substantial I believe they think I set the fire.”

  “Oh, no! You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. No one knows about this besides Jase, so I’d appreciate it if you could keep it a secret.”

  “Of course, I can. What do you need from me?”

  “I wondered if you know the best place to look for rental properties. I’d even consider a couple of rooms in someone’s house. I want to keep the cost as low as I can. My main problem is moving Amy again. She really is settling in and likes it here. What would you do if it were you and Jordan?”

  “If it were me and Jordan, I think I’d stay as long as I could. The vineyard is a beautiful place for Amy to play...a beautiful place to get your footing again. I’m sure Jase doesn’t mind your being here.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Marissa swept her hair back over her shoulder and studied Sara. “He seemed welcoming when you moved in. Besides, when a man and woman who have chemistry are in the same room, anyone can tell.”

  “Oh, no! There’s nothing going on between us. My mind was on Amy and—”

  “Tell me you didn’t see how fine Jase looked as he moved in that sofa. Tell
me you didn’t notice how gray his eyes are, how his hair falls over his brow, that there’s still that wanderlust element around him that makes a girl want to just run away with him.”

  “Are you thinking of running away with him?” Sara asked, partly as a defense, partly because she wanted to know.

  “No, he’s not my type. I’m attracted to the bad boys, the ones who love ’em and leave ’em.”

  Taking a stab in the dark, Sara guessed, “Jordan’s father was one of those?”

  After a brief hesitation, Marissa nodded. “He absolutely was, and it wasn’t like I didn’t know what I was getting into. I just wasn’t careful enough.”

  “I’m trying to be careful,” Sara assured her. “I have to, for Amy’s sake. Chemistry is fine, but when there’s no future beyond it—”

  “You don’t have to tell me about that. I know. You have to be Amy’s future, and I have to be Jordan’s. But there is another side to that. Sometimes we want to be independent women and accept no help from anyone else. That just makes our lives harder. The Mommy Club found me my position here with Jase. It was a gift from heaven because I could get insurance benefits from working here in order to pay my bills when Jordan was born. At first it seemed too good to be true. But Jase had looked at my high school transcript. He liked what he saw. My boss at the restaurant where I was waitressing gave me a good recommendation. He said I was a hard worker, so Jase decided to take a chance on me. It was a gift I accepted. You should consider the cottage a gift you should accept, too. You’ll know when the time’s right to leave.”

  “I owe The Mommy Club so much. Is there anything I can do now to start paying them back?”

  “Sure. You can help out at the food drive on Saturday.”

  She remembered the event Kaitlyn had told her about when she’d moved in. “Can I bring Amy?”

  “Sure. It’s at the day care center. A couple of volunteers will keep the kids occupied so we can work.”

  “What time?”

  “We’re starting early, around 8:00 a.m., but when you get there, you get there. I’m hoping we’ll have so many hands, it will all get organized quickly.”

  “You can count on me to be there.”

  The two women moved closer to the desk again and looked at the picture Amy had drawn. Right away they could see she’d drawn a tall male stick figure in blue jeans and a T-shirt. She’d drawn herself beside him in a pink shirt and shorts. She was lopsided but recognizable. Her stick fingers were on top of Jase’s. Beside them, she’d drawn a long green vine.

  “Jase took Amy for a walk while the investigator talked to me,” Sara explained. “I think she had a good time.”

  “Maybe you and Jase should go for a walk,” Marissa suggested with a sly look in her eye.

  “No, I’m not going to encourage...chemistry. My life is just too unsettled right now.”

  “Chemistry could be fun,” Marissa said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  But Sara knew chemistry could also blow up in her face.

  Chapter Four

  The rest of the week passed quickly as Sara helped her patients recover from injuries, build up strength after surgeries and resume function after a debilitating stroke. Her work kept her focused but every now and then she thought about what Marissa had said. Could others sense an attraction between her and Jase? Was he as attracted to her as she was to him?

  She was still asking herself that question among others—like, Did Jase believe she could have set the fire?—as she sorted through a box of donated groceries Saturday morning at the day care center. Carrying the box across the room to station three where the canned vegetables were being stored, she smiled at Kaitlyn who seemed to work tirelessly in her practice as well as help parents whenever she could. With her blond hair and green eyes, Kaitlyn should be on the cover of a magazine rather than trying to make kids laugh when she used her stethoscope.

  “I think we have enough canned vegetables for an army,” Sara told her now.

  “I’m hoping some of the growers will donate fresh produce, too. The kids will go for carrots and celery sticks. Amy looks as if she’s having fun.”

  Glancing over to the corner of the room where the four-, five- and six-year-olds were playing games with Marissa and other volunteers, Sara had to agree. “Candyland is one of her favorite games.”

  “I wonder if I could come up with a board game with vegetables on it,” Kaitlyn joked.

  Sara was about to reply when a newcomer entered the center. Her heart began pounding faster as Jase carried a large carton of canned goods toward them.

  “I didn’t expect him to be here,” Sara murmured, feeling suddenly off balance.

  After a quick glance at her, Kaitlyn explained, “Jase offered to pick up food for us at other drop-off points.”

  When Jase’s gaze met Sara’s, he stopped for a moment. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next...if he was just going to drop the box on the table and walk away, or if he was actually going to talk to her. Why did she suddenly feel like a teenager in high school?

  Except a teenager in high school wouldn’t have to worry about an insurance investigation or a marriage that had turned out so much differently than Sara had wanted...or expected.

  Kaitlyn’s smile was wide as she greeted Jase and then asked, “So how did we do?”

  “My truck is full. Do you want it all on this table?”

  “Are you going to stick around after you bring it in?”

  “I can. What do you need?”

  After Kaitlyn scanned the room to check on the progress of her volunteers, she said, “I have a list of the families who will be accepting donations. You and Sara could start boxing, if that’s okay with the two of you.”

  What could Sara say? “That’s fine.”

  Kaitlyn pointed to a stack of coupons on the table. “Don’t forget to include one of those for each family. The coupon will enable them to take home a free turkey or ham.”

  “Got it,” Jase said. “I’ll empty the truck and we’ll get started.”

  Once Kaitlyn gave Sara the list, Sara began the packaging process. After lining up twenty cartons on the floor, she added an assortment of fruits and vegetables and packaged goods to each box, checking expiration dates. Though she was aware of Jase coming and going, she kept her mind on what she was doing until...

  He stood beside her and asked, “How can I help?”

  He could help by having a real conversation with her, by assuring her he would never believe she’d set fire to her own house!

  Instead she pointed to the carton she was attempting to fill. “Just grab some of each food group—vegetables, fruits, proteins—and put three or four in each box. It’s not a lot, but it will help. When I think about how The Mommy Club stocked my refrigerator after I moved in—” She stopped as her throat tightened and her eyes grew misty.

  Jase studied her as if he was trying to figure something out. His scrutiny was unsettling and she tried to turn away, but he wouldn’t let her. His large hand capped her shoulder and nudged her toward him again. “We have to talk, Sara, but this isn’t the place.”

  She wondered what he wanted to talk about. Maybe his father wanted to evict her from the cottage. Maybe Jase did. But she wouldn’t let him see her worry. She wouldn’t let him see that his opinion mattered...because it shouldn’t.

  “You know where I’m staying,” she said lightly, and tried to smile. She thought he was going to say more, maybe give her a hint as to what he was thinking.

  However, a couple came in and the man called to Jase. “How did you get roped into this? Connie convinced me she needed my man power.” The man and woman were both carrying grocery bags full of food. They set them on the table, then approached Jase and Sara.

  “It’s a good cause,” Jase said. He quickly made introduction
s. “Tony and Connie Russo, this is Sara Stevens. She’s staying in our cottage. Sara, Tony is our wine-tasting host and Liam’s right-hand man. Connie teaches kids how to ride on their ranch.” He turned back to the couple. “I didn’t know you were involved with The Mommy Club.”

  “I learned about it from one of the parents,” Connie explained. “We usually help with the food drives.”

  “Teaching kids horseback riding must be such fun,” Sara commented. “I’d love to watch sometime. When I treat children, I often wish I had something other than the regular exercises, games and swimming to offer to them. Riding could teach them balance and self-confidence.”

  At Connie’s raised brows, Jase explained, “Sara’s a physical therapist.”

  “Who says social media’s the only place to link up anymore?” Connie joked.

  They all laughed, and Sara began to feel more comfortable with the couple.

  “I brought the crew cab today,” Tony said. “We could deliver some of these on the way home.”

  “Where are the kids?” Jase asked.

  “They’re with my sister,” Connie explained.

  “How old are your kids?” Sara asked.

  “Rena is nine and Marie is eleven.”

  “You’re into dangerous tween territory,” Sara warned.

  “Don’t I know it! Tony is the one who’s having a little trouble with that.”

  Her husband held up his hand in a stop sign. “Oh, no. We’re not having that discussion in mixed company. If you want to speak to Sara about bras and ‘the talk,’ I’m going to head over to Kaitlyn and find out if she wants me to load up these filled cartons.”