Free Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) by Bonnie Blythe

make sure you were safe.”
    Collapsing onto the couch next to him, all
the fight drained out of her. “I suppose you want to be here for
the next night as well.”
    “I would prefer to. But if you really don’t
want me to, I won’t.”
    Sara jumped up and took several steps away
from him. She rubbed her arms and wondered if she could survive
having Brian fill every moment of her life. The harder she tried to
distance herself, the closer he got. She glanced at the clock on
the wall and turned to him.
    “It’s just after five now. I think you
should go back to your own room.”
    Brian stood and shrugged into his jacket. He
smiled in that heart-stopping way of his before reaching for the
door. “Go back to bed and get some sleep.”
    When she closed the door and locked it
behind him, she released a shaky breath. Sara lugged her body into
her room and crawled into bed, asleep as soon as her head hit the
pillow.
     
    ***
     
    Morning came too quickly, and Sara barely
managed to clamber into her clothing before Brian knocked on the
door. He brought with him a tray of fresh gooey cinnamon rolls,
saying Mrs. Hogarth had recommended a bakery nearby.
    While she tried to eat one without smearing
herself with icing, she remembered how she used to make them for
him, knowing they were one of his favorite foods. Sara gave Brian a
sharp look. He licked icing from his fingers and seemed oblivious
to her questioning stare. Was he trying to dredge up feelings of
nostalgia? But why bother?
    Later that morning, Sara went alone to the
library where she had worked, to pack up her desk and say her
goodbyes. Brian wanted to accompany her but she remained
adamant—she'd do it alone. The last thing she needed was to have
him in tow and endure the speculative looks of her co-workers.
    When Sara entered the library and went to
her desk, she expected to feel some sadness at the thought of
leaving. However by the time she walked out with her box, she felt
a lightening of spirit. She didn’t have much in the way of
possessions to bring home, but a few of the employees gave her
farewell cards and small gifts. Sadly, as kind as her co-workers
were, she never became overly close with any of them.
    Sara had a few friends at
church she would call and say goodbye to as well. She’d miss them,
but it didn’t cause her any grief to part with them. The more she
thought about it, the more she fretted about her lack of close
ties. Am I really such a cold fish? Maybe
that Italian guy on the plane was right. I'm an ice
queen.
    Growing up in an assortment of towns made it
difficult to maintain friendships. Maybe that was the reason she
kept to herself so much. Developing close bonds meant pain when
having to make the inevitable farewells.
    Sara arrived in the parking lot just as
Brian pulled up to the curb, right on time from his trip to the
market for packing boxes. They made the drive back to her apartment
in silence, Brian seeming to understand her need for privacy.
    They spent the remainder of the morning
packing, stopping occasionally when some people from church stopped
by to wish her well. Sara introduced Brian, but downplayed the
nature of their relationship, hoping no one thought she was leaving
because of him. If Brian thought anything about it, he didn’t let
on, but continued to move furniture and stack heavy boxes with his
usual good nature. When they broke for lunch, they ate deli
sandwiches. No troubling double meaning there.
    In the afternoon, Sara
worked on packing up her bedroom. She filled a suitcase with things
she needed easy access to, putting all the rest in boxes. Cleaning
out a desk drawer, she found a packet of letters deep in the back.
Sara brought them out into the light. Her heart lurched in her
chest. She recognized them as love letters and notes from Brian she
could’ve sworn she got rid of a long time ago. Brian, out making
arrangements to hire a moving trailer, didn’t witness her
discovery. Thank the Lord for