Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) by Bonnie Blythe

which seemed like a lot to a working girl, but
would probably go pretty quick on a renovation. The phrase money pit came to
mind.
    Over the last few days, Sara had prayed
earnestly about this undertaking. If it wasn’t God’s will, she
wanted no part of it. But based on circumstances and a peace in her
heart, she now felt sure the Lord wanted her here in Buell Creek
and the farmhouse somehow fit into the plan. Brian remained the
only wild card. Why must he be part of the picture? Why would God
allow her to work on a project with someone from such an
embarrassing time in her past? It made no sense.
    Sara never called those other builders, nor
would she. Hattie was right. She was churlish to consider anyone
else. Brian would get the job, and they’d work on the same project
for weeks, maybe months.
    The thought filled her with
both anticipation and dread. Past experience proved she became
unpredictable and muddled when with him. What would her condition
be after so much time spent together? Certifiable .
    A knock on the back door intruded in on her
reverie. She went through the kitchen and let Brian in. He wore a
sage green polo style shirt and black slacks. Her pulse leapt
suddenly. Sara pasted a smile on her face. “Shall we get
started?”
     
    Brian walked with Sara through each room and
talked about ideas and estimates with half his brain. The other
half was intensely aware of the less cerebral side of Sara. She
wore blue jeans and flat leather boots again, but with a
ridiculously feminine blouse which had a loosely ruffled collar and
cuffs. Her dark hair was twisted up into some kind of knot and
loose tendrils framed her face. It was as if she felt torn between
two different centuries, and not precisely comfortable in either
one. How in the world would he work side by side with her and not
touch her? The thought proved almost more than he could bear.
    “Are you listening?”
    “What’s that?” Brian asked with a sheepish
grin.
    Sara looked at him sharply. “I wanted to
know what you thought about putting a bay window in here.”
    They stood in the dining room and she
motioned to the far wall. “It would open up a lovely view of the
Cascade Mountains in the distance.”
    Brian looked down at her. “Yes. A lovely
view.”
    “And I thought that since this would be a
hotel of sorts,” she went on, obviously unaware of his gaze, “that
the one upstairs bathroom could be turned into a master bath with a
Jaccuzi tub as a special feature.”
    Brian saw Sara beginning to have enthusiasm
for the renovation, and he determined to have the winning bid. He’d
make sure no other man would get to spend one-on-one time with her
except himself. As she looked up at him trustingly with her new
ideas, Brian suspected if he had to do the job for free, he
would.

Chapter Ten
     
     
    Sara spent the next few days dispersing the
furniture and converting Eli’s bedroom into her own space. She
found it difficult knowing how to arrange things when much of the
house would soon be under construction. Of the few things she kept,
one was his roll top desk, which remained in the bedroom.
    Sara wanted Eli’s bedroom to be like a
sanctuary amidst the coming renovation, but it soon became a
project in itself. She scrubbed the wood floors and threw out the
old rag rugs, planning to replace them with area rugs from her
apartment.
    The walls were off-white, but dingy in
color, and she spent a considerable amount of time prepping them
for a new paint job. After pulling all the nails and filling the
holes, Sara used tri-sodium phosphate, or TSP as Brian called it,
to wash the walls. From there, she laid floor tarps borrowed from
Brian, to protect the floor during the painting. Next, she masked
off the windows and woodwork.
    Sara grabbed a burger at the town’s only
drive-thru before making a trip to the hardware store to buy the
paint, rollers, and brushes. When she hauled her purchases into the
house an hour later, she stifled a yawn. A glance