Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) Read Free Page A

she found him asleep. Heart pounding hard, she
leaned over his form to make sure he was breathing. Then she went
into the tiny bathroom and located a bottle of Tylenol in the
medicine cabinet. Shaking out a few pills into her hand and filling
a glass with water, she went back to the side of his bed.
    She looked down at him and tried to sort out
her thoughts. Her angst drained away at the sight of his vulnerable
state. With a trembling hand, she brushed back his sweat-soaked
hair, noting the dark flush on his cheeks. His skin burned against
her fingers.
    A suffocating feeling of
discontent washed over her. The last two years seemed to melt away
and all the old attraction mixed with anguish came rushing
back. Oh, Brian, what are you doing
here?
    Chastising herself for such thoughts, she
briskly shook his shoulder until his eyes cracked open. “Sit up,
Brian. You need to take some medicine and drink some water.”
    Miraculously, he obeyed, easing onto one
elbow to take the glass of water. After swallowing the pills, he
lay heavily back against the pillows. Sara flinched when a spasm of
coughing gripped him. She reached out and awkwardly patted him on
the back.
    Without warning, Brian grabbed her wrist in
a hot grip. “Are you here to bathe the fevered brow, Sara?”
    She froze, surprised at his strength. The
moment he relaxed his fingers, she snatched her hand away. Rubbing
her wrist, she decided to wait until he was better before letting
loose with her memorized lecture. Until then, she’d show him
unmerited mercy.
    Keeping her gaze lowered, Sara tried to
think of what to do next. His words gave her an idea. She went back
into the bathroom and found clean washcloths. After soaking one in
cool water and wringing it out, she sat down by his side and
attempted to lay it on his forehead. The washcloth slipped from her
nerveless fingers and landed in his face. Mumbling a mortified
apology, she plucked it off and carefully placed it on his
forehead.
    Her face flaming when she caught him looking
at her. His eyes glittered feverishly in the low light of the room,
but he appeared to be otherwise cognizant.
    “What are you doing here?” she blurted.
    Brian watched her with an unblinking stare.
“I live here.”
    “You’re being deliberately obtuse.”
    “I’m sick, remember?” He yawned. “But now my
worries are over.”
    Sara narrowed her eyes. “What does that
mean?”
    “I prayed for help and now you’re here.”
    A stinging remark rose to her lips. She
stifled it despite the fact that Brian and prayer did not belong in
the same sentence. “Well, since I’m here, I’ll do what I can to
help you recover.”
    Brian smiled drowsily. “So you do still care
for me.”
    Ouch . Sara decided the jabbing pain in her chest must be due to a
touch of indigestion. She firmed her lips. “Actually, the sooner
you improve, the sooner you move out.”
    Another spasm of coughing took hold of him,
but she ignored his pitiful appeal.
    He heaved a great sigh and closed his eyes.
Sara watched him warily, sure any moment he’d open his eyes and
make a teasing comment. But he remained still, apparently back to
sleep from exhaustion.
    When sure he rested
peacefully, Sara stood up and paced around the room. Now that the
shock had worn off, she questioned how she'd landed in this mess.
She wrapped her arms around her waist, wondering what could possibly be taking Hattie
so long. Sara jumped at the sound of a creak before realizing it
came from the wood floor she walked on. She cast her gaze toward
the bed. Even in repose, Brian’s personality seemed to reach out to
her, seeking a weakness to exploit.
    Or was it just her
imagination? He was only a man after all, and right now, weak as a
kitten. What could Brian Farris do to her? Nothing , she determined grimly. Nothing at all .
    A few minutes later, her aunt arrived and
emptied a sack of canned soups, frozen juice, and other
over-the-counter medicinal items onto the kitchen table. “I