Daddy's Little Girl (A Homespun Romance) Read Free Page B

Claire have messed up so badly?
    It wasn't any use worrying about that now.  She had to reach some sort of a decision soon.  The facts were simple.  Sara needed a job and a place to stay.  Jason Graham needed a wife. 
    The ramifications bothered her.  Marriage wasn't a state one entered into lightly.  Despite being plain and unattractive, she wasn't willing to give up on her dreams. 
    Agreeing to Jason Graham's ridiculous proposition would mean giving up her new independence.  She didn't want permanent ties to anyone right now, even if Jason Graham did think of those ties as business ones. 
    By threatening to complain about Claire, Jason Graham had proved he was just like her uncle.  He didn't understand honest mistakes.  He was only aware of his own needs.  All man.  All self-involved.
    The next instant honesty demanded she amend that conclusion.  The tender way he'd looked at his daughter popped into Sara's mind.  She couldn't fault his motivation.  He loved his child and he wanted to keep her.  He was simply doing what he thought would ensure that result.   A parent had those inalienable rights. 
    She reached for the second envelope that had been in her mailbox, Claire's voice ringing in her ears. 
    You've got to stop thinking about others and start learning to put yourself first, before its too late. 
    That was Sara's first challenge.

CHAPTER TWO
     
    Jason Graham had enclosed letters of reference from a bank president, a minister, two lawyers, and a woman who had worked for him for eight years.  The words `good character', `absolute integrity' and `a man of principles', were repeated over and over again.  The woman, Rowena Harris, had added that Jason Graham was a wonderful employer and father.  Since his wife's death, he'd often worked through the night to make time for his daughter.
    Sara walked over to the kitchen window.  The mountains in the background, their peaks reflecting the glow of the setting sun, offered no solutions.  Smart people create their own opportunities, the calendar on the kitchen wall said.  Sara looked at it, and her eyes narrowed.  Maybe there was something she could do with this situation. 
    She had to think of Jason Graham's offer as a door to the freedom she wanted.  Helping him win the lawsuit shouldn't take more than six months max.  The amount he'd mentioned he was willing to pay, was very generous.  Quick calculations in her head told her she'd have more than enough money to pay a year's rent on an apartment by then. 
    But marriage...Sara's heart still refused to agree to a marriage that was a business arrangement.  That was one dream she wasn't willing to give up on.  Dare she voice the only alternative she could come up with to Jason Graham?  She could try.  Resolution shot up her spine and flooded her brain, clearing fear away.  Helping Jason Graham keep his daughter was one thing.  Allowing him to bully her into marriage was another. 
    Sara was plain, not stupid.  Living with Uncle Samuel had taught her men took what they wanted, riding roughshod over feelings in the process.  There were too many bitter examples around for her to ever forget that:  Claire's bitter divorce, the sadness that had always clouded her mother's eyes.  If her father had been as great as her mother said he was, why hadn't he waited to make love with her till after they were married?
    She'd also learned that there was only one person who could stand up for Sara Adams.  It was a job she had to do herself. 
    Sara stopped pacing and reached for the phone.  She had to get this over with before her courage deserted her.
    "I'll take the job, if you'll consider my proposal," she said, as soon as Jason Graham answered the telephone.
    "What proposal is that?" 
    Sara didn't let the crispness in Jason Graham's voice deter her.
    "I'll travel with you as your fiancé, not your wife." 
    "How will that help me in court?" 
    "An engagement can be just as effective as a