Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) Read Online Free PDF Page B

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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