Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) by Bonnie Blythe Read Free Book Online Page B

filled with snippets
of poetry, with most of the lines crossed out and rewritten.
Perusing the first few pages made her smile and she set it to the
side to take home later. A few minutes later, she found another
journal. This proved to be more of a diary and Sara wondered
whether or not she should read it. Curiosity won out and she set it
atop the book of poems.
    Noticing her box becoming full, she got up
to get another empty one. A spasm of pain pierced the back of her
head and left her breathless. She sank down onto the side of the
bed and closed her eyes.
     
    Brian tapped at the back door but received
no response. He knew Sara must be somewhere in the house because he
saw the Ford in the driveway. This was the fourth day they’d
inhabited the same property, and he couldn’t stand the thought of
not seeing her for another minute. Over the last few days, he'd
given her space. Now he needed to at least say hello.
    He finally turned the knob and went in.
Lights shone everywhere and the dining room was filled with boxes.
Amazed at the progress she'd made in such a short amount of time,
Brian noticed every surface appeared ruthlessly scrubbed clean. It
seemed like a different house inside.
    “Sara?”
    Only the ticking of the old stove clock
sounded in his ears. Brian walked through the main rooms, but she
was nowhere in sight. Next, he checked Eli’s bedroom. There, he
found her sitting on the side of the bed, clutching her head in her
hands.
    A spasm of alarm hit him in the solar
plexus. He kneeled down next to her and put his hand lightly on her
shoulder. “Are you okay?”
    Sara looked up at him with a flushed face
and glittering eyes. “You!” she grated. “You made me sick!”
    It took him a moment to realize what she
meant. Suddenly, Brian sensed the heat under his hand. She had a
fever! He felt his face grow hot, knowing an apology wouldn’t
suffice. He put an arm around her shoulders and led her from the
room, glad her weakness prevented her from protesting the
contact.
    “I’m taking you home, and I don’t want any
argument, understand?”
    Sara nodded, and then appeared to regret the
movement, her hand pressing against her forehead. As he guided her
outside and into his truck, she began to shiver. In the cab, she
leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. Brian
drove slowly to avoid turning too sharply. He darted concerned
glances at her during the drive, noticing the ghostly white pallor
beneath the feverish flush mantling her cheeks.
    Once he arrived at Hattie’s place, he helped
Sara out of the truck and into the house, ignoring Hattie’s squawk
of surprise as they went through the living room. The older woman
followed, demanding explanations while motioning him into Sara’s
bedroom.
    “I’m guessing she has the flu,” he said.
    “I’ll be right back with something to help.”
She turned and rushed from the room.
    Sara groaned when he eased her down onto the
bed. She pulled a pillow over her face and said something, her
words muffled by the pillow.
    Brian tugged on her arm. “What did you
say?”
    Sara yanked the pillow away and glared at
him. “I said I’ll get you for this!”
    He grinned. “Now, now, you shouldn’t become
agitated. You need lots of rest and must drink lots of fluids.”
    Hattie returned with some medicine and
proceeded to fuss about her niece. Brian stepped out of the
way.
    “Is there anything I can get you?” he asked
them both.
    “I have everything I need here,” Hattie
said.
    “Sara?”
    She coughed before answering. “There are two
books on Eli’s desk. If you could...” Her sentence fizzled in
another weak volley of coughs.
    “Say no more.” Brian scooted out of the room
before she blamed him for anything else.
    He drove back to the farmhouse and found the
books she wanted, along with her purse. After locking up the house,
he stopped by a florist’s shop before returning to Hattie’s. Brian
found Sara’s aunt in the garden, and she told