“HELLO.”
“Kurt, it’s me,” Rosemary said into the phone, trying to keep her voice down so Sarah and the inspector wouldn’t overhear. “Something else has happened.”
He cursed. “What?”
“Somebody called in a health department complaint about the bakery. It was anonymous, like the one about the building. The inspector is still here, checking everything.”
“Hellfire. Sarah didn’t want to call the police this morning, either. This can’t go on, I’ll have to call them myself.”
A frisson of warning went through Rosemary and she straightened. “I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. “Did Sarah say something to you?”
“No. What do you mean?”
“It’s only that she...never mind. I just got back from Stockton. I’ll come over and talk to her. Be there in a few minutes.”
Rosemary put the phone down, her nerves jumping. Her mother’s instincts had told her to let Kurt know about the problem; now she wondered if she should have. Sarah was a dear, but she was also a successful businesswoman and deserved respect.
A wave of the old helplessness swept through Rosemary and it scared her. She didn’t want to be that woman again, the one who’d let someone else decide everything...the one with so many regrets.
She pushed back from the desk and went into the main kitchen. Through the window in the rear door, she saw Sarah on the loading dock, talking to the health inspector. The two women were shaking hands as Kurt drove in.
Wondering if she might get fired for being an interfering busybody, Rosemary went outside, as well.
“Thanks, Tomoko,” Sarah was saying. “I’ll put the new certificate in front with the others.”
“Good. I’m sorry about the troubles you’re having.”
With a general smile that included Kurt and Rosemary, the inspector left.
“Sweetheart, what’s going on?” Kurt asked urgently.
“A health inspection.”
“You were certified last month.”
“And I just got certified again.”
Rosemary drew a shaky breath. She could tell Kurt was trying to protect her confidence, but she had to confess. “I’m sorry, Sarah, I called your father and told him about the health inspector. I realize now it was a mistake.”
Kurt gave her an incredulous look. “No, it wasn’t.”
“Yes, it was. We’re friends, but this is Sarah’s business, and I work for her. I won’t forget that again. I’m really, really sorry, Sarah.”
* * *
SARAH COULD SEE the trepidation in Rosemary’s eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. Glimmer Creek was a small town, and her dad would have heard about the inspection sooner rather than later. Yet Sarah understood how Rosemary felt—for the first time she was navigating life as an employee, and it couldn’t be easy. It was something most people learned much younger.
“Thank you, Rosemary. Would you take this into the office while I talk to Dad?”
“Of course.”
Rosemary took the certificate and hurried back through the door.
“Sarah, please call the police station and tell them what’s happening,” Kurt urged when they were alone. “I, er, thought about doing it myself, but Rosemary didn’t think I should.”
“She was right. I want time to evaluate before taking action.”
“How about talking to Zach unofficially?” Kurt suggested. “He won’t mind. We could go over to the police station together and have a private meeting.”
Sarah tried not to get annoyed, but her father obviously wasn’t paying attention. “I’m not talking to anyone until I’m good and ready.”
“But—”
“No buts. You need to trust me.”
Kurt’s eyes widened. “This has nothing to do with trust.”
Sarah wasn’t sure, though it could be miscommunication. Her father still had a strong urge to protect her, and she wanted to know she could handle the bumps without his support. It wasn’t a secret—she’d told him in a hundred ways—but she needed to make him understand.
“Dad, leave it to me,” she said finally.
His expression told her he wasn’t happy, but he finally nodded. “All right, sweetheart. I don’t like it, though.”
“I’m not enjoying this much, either. But I’m going to take care of it in my own way.”
* * *
BY MIDAFTERNOON ON TUESDAY, Tyler was ready to climb the walls. He’d hoped Nathan’s friendly behavior at the baked potato feed would mark a turning point, but he’d been rude and churlish ever since. He’d snapped at Tyler a dozen times, and worse, had snarled at their mother for simply offering to wash his clothes.
The physical therapist in Stockton hadn’t bothered with diplomacy at Nathan’s appointment that morning, telling him to get his ass together or have it handed to him. The rebuke had worked during the therapy session, but Nathan quickly reverted once they were back in Glimmer Creek.
“How about that girl you met on Sunday?” Tyler asked in desperation. “Did you get her number?”
Nathan glared. “Yeah, but she works in Davis during the week, and her classes will be starting in a few weeks.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t go out when she’s free.”
“You don’t get it. Vickie is an athlete,” Nathan growled. “Swimming, hiking, bicycling. For God’s sake, she was going on a twenty-mile bike ride after the baked potato feed. Like she’d have any real interest in me. I can barely drag myself around the pool or get to Kurt’s greenhouses.”
Tyler felt as if a light had suddenly come on; his brother had seen himself through the eyes of a beautiful woman and gotten angry and discouraged.
“I doubt you could have done that a month ago,” he retorted. “And Dr. Romano is going to start working with you tomorrow on a therapy for your nightmares.”
Nathan glowered. “It sounds like hocus-pocus. How can someone change a nightmare by ‘rehearsing’ a different ending to it when they’re awake?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Tyler insisted.
Nathan just hunched his shoulders and stared out the side window.
Tyler was out of ideas to lift his brother’s foul mood by the time their mother got home from work.
“Hello,” Rosemary called as she came in through the kitchen.
Yet she seemed subdued and he frowned. “What’s up?”
“Somebody is making trouble for Sarah again. They called the health department, and there was a surprise inspection this afternoon. We passed, of course, but someone also disconnected the electric catering vehicles last night. Sarah is trying to downplay everything, but I’m worried. Who could possibly have a grudge against her?”
“Has she called the police?”
“She wants to sleep on it. Kurt pushed, but that just made her more stubborn.”
“Even I know pushing Sarah is a bad idea,” Tyler said wryly. He checked his watch. “I’ve been planning to go over and do more evaluation on her building. Did she go home early?”
“She was still there when I left.”
Tyler headed over to the shop and sat at one of the café tables while he waited for Sarah. She came out shortly before closing time, looking pale.
“I understand you had a bad day,” he said.
“It could have gone better. Do you want to see the staircase now?”
“Unless you have something else to do.”
She shrugged. “There’s always something to do, but the swing shift can take over.”
Tyler followed her to the staircase. She was right—it was far too steep to meet code—but Tyler still wanted to see the second floor. He had an idea knocking around in his head and wouldn’t know if it would work unless he took a better look.
“Good lord,” he said after they’d gone up. “It must have been a nightmare getting furniture up those steps.”
“Luckily there’s a built-in sideboard and bookshelves. Other than that, I mostly used an air mattress and folding chairs when I lived up here.”
He looked around, assessing the space, including the flat expanse of roof over the front of the shop. Finally he turned to Sarah. “I’m starting to see options for the remodel, but they’ll be expensive. You said your family might help. It would be a big savings.”
“That’s right, they’re eager to rush in and rescue me, whether I need it or not,” she replied in a dry tone.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like having such a close family. It doesn’t sound like a bad thing.”
“I’m not complaining. I’ve always wanted to have the bakery here, but I’m still trying to find a balance with my relatives. Especially Dad. Didn’t you want to succeed on your own? To feel you’re responsible for your accomplishments?”
“Yes, though I didn’t have much choice,” Tyler admitted. “When my father learned I was studying engineering and architecture, he told me to switch to law or pay for the rest of my education on my own.”
“That was unfair,” Sarah said indignantly. “School is expensive, and I bet your dad’s income kept you from getting grants and scholarships.”
Tyler almost smiled. He was proud of having worked his way through school, but it was nice to hear Sarah’s indignation on his behalf. He was becoming accustomed to the way she voiced her frank opinions...and he rather enjoyed it, to his surprise.
“Are you always this passionate about the injustices of the world?” he asked curiously.
“Injustices matter. Big ones and little ones. I guess it’s because my dad was a soldier. My mother walked out when I was really young, so my grandparents raised me, but they made sure I knew he was out there to make the world safer.”
“You two seem close.”
“It took a while after he retired. I mean, he visited Glimmer Creek when he was on leave, and I would go see him, but it wasn’t enough to know each other that well. Then I went away to college, not that long after he retired from the army. But we got there.”
She fanned herself, and Tyler realized it was warm and stuffy in the small apartment.
Or it could be the effect Sarah was having on him.
There was no denying that was the real reason he kept coming around. His attraction to her was hard to resist, though he couldn’t imagine two people who were less suited to each other. It was more than them wanting different things out of life. Despite a bad marriage and being abandoned by her mother, Sarah was still fresh and open, while he was a man who rarely shared anything with anyone.
Not a good mix.
Nevertheless, he was worried about her.
“Sarah, my mom told me what happened, about the catering vehicles and the second anonymous complaint.”
“It was a peachy day, all right.”
Tyler hesitated. Generally he didn’t get mixed up with a client’s life, but Sarah wasn’t just a client. “You know, it isn’t losing your independence to accept help if you’re being harassed. I told you about that student who was stalked when I was in graduate school. After a while, she was failing classes and could barely function because she was so stressed out and sleep-deprived. It kept getting worse until she got the police involved, and the guy was arrested.”
Oddly, the story seemed to make Sarah more uptight. Her cheeks went pale, and she crossed her arms over her stomach. “The police don’t always believe you. Sometimes they just say it’s your imagination. Especially when your husband tells them that you’re just menstrual or prone to seeing shadows.”
A cold anger went through Tyler. “That’s what happened to you,” he said flatly.
“I...yes. Turns out, the ‘stalker’ was my husband, trying to control me. Douglas wanted me to be afraid and isolated, to have no one but him. He even did his best to keep me away from my family or friends. There I was, in a city with millions of people, and I felt completely alone.”
Tyler’s outrage escalated, though he tried not to show it. “Could your ex be responsible for the trouble here in Glimmer Creek?”
She frowned. “I don’t think so. He’s remarried, and I haven’t heard from him since our last court date anyway. A couple of friends showed up and explained in graphic detail what they’d do if he ever bothered me again. Douglas was so scared, I’m pretty sure he wet himself.”
“Then he didn’t succeed in ending all your friendships.”
The color came back into Sarah’s face, and she smiled. “I managed to hang on to a few. Look, Tyler, one part of my brain says somebody is trying to make trouble for me. Another part thinks the idea is ridiculous. I don’t have any enemies or rivals that I know of. If anyone else wants to start a catering business, I’d be happy to let them have the contract with Poppy Gold. With Tessa’s approval, of course.”
“Isn’t the contract with Poppy Gold lucrative?”
“Yes, but without it I’d have more time to develop recipes and just bake. I also wouldn’t need to remodel the building and most of my employees could transfer to the new caterer.”
Tyler tried to clear his head.
They were discussing a hypothetical situation, which was ridiculous. For one, the breakfasts that Sarah provided to Poppy Gold were excellent, and it was unlikely her cousin would want to rock the boat. It was equally unlikely someone else was interested in going through the expense and hassle of setting up another restaurant and catering business in such a small town.
“I doubt this is connected to your contract with Poppy Gold,” he said quickly. “There doesn’t have to be a logical reason for someone harassing you.”
“Assuming it isn’t just a series of bizarre coincidences.”
“Do you honestly believe that?”
“No. I’ll probably call Zach tomorrow, unofficially, but can we not talk about it now?”
“Sure. How about a walk?” Tyler suggested, hoping to distract himself from the way Sarah was creeping around his senses. She didn’t wear makeup, not that she needed any. She was wrapped in a chef’s apron, and her gorgeous hair was in a snug French braid...yet he was acutely aware of her.
* * *
SARAH WAVERED, BUT only for a second.
“A walk sounds great.”
Downstairs she checked with Millie and was told nothing critical was going on, so she dropped her apron in the laundry bin.
In a curious way, Tyler was becoming a friend. But unlike her other friends and family, he didn’t seem to have an agenda, at least not since she’d made it clear she wouldn’t encourage Rosemary to take Nathan back to the East Coast.
Sarah’s feelings about Tyler were mixed. He remained hard to read, yet the tiny glimpses of emotion in his eyes and the way he was sticking around Glimmer Creek to help his brother were deeply appealing.
Bad idea, warned her instincts. She already knew she had a weakness for enigmatic men. Maybe because they were so different than the outgoing family she’d grown up with. But Tyler was a visitor to Glimmer Creek, forced into a short detour on his quest for professional greatness. He would quickly get back on track.
Still, going for a walk with Tyler wasn’t the same as jumping into bed with him or handing over her heart.
Outside, the late afternoon rays from the sun were less intense and bathed Glimmer Creek in golden light. They wandered into the residential area, debating their preferences on historical architecture.
“What kind of house have you designed for yourself?” she asked curiously.
“Me? I never thought about it.”
She blinked. She wasn’t an architect, but she’d know exactly what she’d want if she could build her own home.
“Think about it now,” she challenged. “Start with where you’d put it. Don’t be realistic, just pick a spot where you think it would be great to live.”
* * *
TYLER WAS FLUMMOXED. Sarah asked the darnedest questions. “The city.”
“You have to be more specific,” she urged. “Which city?”
“Er, Paris. My French is better than my Italian.”
“Okay. If you could have any location in Paris, what kind of house would you build? I’m not talking about practicality, what does the kid inside of you want?”
He gave her a dampening look. “I’m not a kid any longer.”
“According to your mother, you never were.” Sarah’s cheeks promptly turned pink, and she scrunched her nose. “Sorry, Rosemary wasn’t criticizing—she just mentioned you were a serious child. Didn’t you ever have a silly, fun side?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Yet Tyler wasn’t being entirely honest. He hadn’t thought about it in years, but now he remembered drawing castles as a boy, fantastical, labyrinthine castles populated with dragons and trolls and princesses in danger. He’d been a knight, but instead of slaying the dragon, they’d formed an alliance and worked together to save the princess.
He had a sneaking suspicion that if Sarah had been the princess, she would have knocked the troll over the head and rescued herself.
“Okay, forget being silly,” Sarah said, looking disappointed. “Tell me about your perfect place in Paris.”
“A loft,” Tyler replied, saying the first thing that came into his head. “On the top floor of a tall building. The outside walls should be all windows. Not too large, open concept, with a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vista of the city. I’d want spectacular views, especially at night with the lights. That way I could clear my mind and simply work.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “Then you’d live there alone.”
“You know how I feel about marriage.”
“Yeah. When you think about having this ideal Paris loft, does it feel like home?”
Tyler understood what she meant. Warmth. Welcome. Belonging. A sort of mystical place where you were loved and felt safe.
“What’s home to you?” he countered, knowing “home” had to be a much more important concept to Sarah than to him.
“A big, comfortable place with fireplaces and cozy corners to read, with happy, active children and an easygoing guy who loves me,” she said promptly. “It needs tons of outdoor space for the kids to romp and have picnics and explore with their cousins and friends. I also want a spot in the garden where water trickles over rocks and around ferns into a pool...a place where the wood faeries can come and wash their hair when everyone has gone to bed.”
It seemed typical that Sarah knew exactly what she wanted without having to stop and think. And she hadn’t needed to say her ideal house was located in Glimmer Creek. That part was obvious.
As for the wood faeries?
She’d probably said that to get a rise out of him. Or maybe not. Sarah could pass for a wood faerie herself in the right clothes, and he didn’t question she had a playful side. Stress might even be bringing it out more prominently.
“You didn’t mention a great kitchen,” Tyler said.
“Okay, add a great kitchen,” she agreed. “By the way, a few blocks over we have a house that Julia Morgan designed. It’s unusual to see her work outside of the Bay Area, and it’s the closest thing I’ve seen to my dream house.”
“I’d love to take a look,” he said. “I’ve always admired Morgan’s work. She was a gifted architect. Lead the way.”
Tyler was grateful for the change of subject. He’d almost expected Sarah to ask how he planned to design something great and memorable if he didn’t have more imagination. Maybe he should have told her that he wanted to live in a crystal bird’s nest over a cloud city.
They walked down several streets lined with large houses, predominantly built in the Craftsman style.
“Here it is,” she announced.
Tyler gazed at the structure. It sat on a huge lot and took advantage of the rolling terrain. The other houses on the street were nice, but this one had a radical distinctiveness. More than anything, it looked natural, as if it had grown up out of the land.
“Nice,” he said, impressed.
“It belongs to my uncle Daniel and his wife—you met Uncle Daniel at the baked potato feed. Anyway, they bought the property when Aunt Emma was doing her medical residency with Dr. Romano. That’s when everybody knew they’d stay in Glimmer Creek, instead of going somewhere else.”
“She would have made more money in a city.”
Sarah gave him a stern look. “Money isn’t everything.”
Tyler felt as if the Ghost of Christmas Past was tapping his shoulder. Money isn’t everything, he’d told his father when they’d argued about law school. Richard had agreed, claiming that influence and power were equally important, neither of which his son was likely to earn in architecture. He’d never changed his mind, despite Tyler’s success.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked. “You seem tense all of a sudden.”
“I was just thinking about my father,” Tyler explained, surprised that she’d detected anything. “To be honest, I simply didn’t know him very well. I can’t remember a single time we ever just sat and talked.”
Sarah’s gaze was sympathetic, and Tyler wished he’d kept his mouth shut.
“It must hurt, knowing you can’t ever get to know him now.”
Tyler sucked in a harsh breath.
She was too perceptive.
He didn’t regret the way he’d worked for his education; it had taught him the value of earning his own way. Yet it hurt to think about his father. Richard Prentiss’s death meant that nothing could ever be resolved with him.
“We probably couldn’t have fixed our relationship, no matter how much time we had,” Tyler admitted. “We were too much alike.”
Sarah had an unfathomable look on her face. “You called yourself an ice man. Is that how you saw him?”
“In a way. I never understood what drove Dad, or what he cared about beyond his career. Maybe my mom did, but I didn’t.”
“You’re also letting him influence whether you want children,” she said. “A few days ago, you mentioned being too much like him to be a good father.”
Tyler prayed for patience. “The reason I don’t want children is because I’m uncomfortable around them and they feel the same way about me. I also travel too much to make a family happy and like my life too much to change it. Of course, since marriage is out, having children is unlikely. Unless I get careless, that is, and I’m never careless.”
If anything, Sarah’s eyes became even more mysterious. “I’m sure you aren’t.”
“That said, I’m aware my father was a lousy parental role model,” Tyler added firmly. “I’d probably make all of his mistakes and more of my own.”
He frowned, deciding Sarah was dangerous to his peace of mind—somehow she’d gotten him to say things he’d never said to anyone. He didn’t want to become a touchy-feely guy with his emotions on his sleeve. It would make him vulnerable, and there were too many risks in that. Sarah didn’t seem to understand the risks, though she’d obviously been hurt in the past, including a hideous marriage and being abandoned by her own mother.
Tyler looked at Sarah, suddenly curious. “How do you feel about your mom leaving like she did?”
Her green eyes darkened. “I think she must have been a really unhappy person. I heard Dad and my grandparents talking about her when I was a kid. After the divorce my father saw my mom in a bar when he was on a layover in Hawaii, and he said she seemed so alone and pathetic that he stopped hating her. I was shocked. Dad was a knight in shining armor, saving the world. How could he hate someone? It took time to understand how much she’d hurt him. Now I mostly feel sorry for her.”
Tyler focused on the Julia Morgan house again, not knowing what to say. It was a common problem when he was around Sarah. “She hurt you, too.”
“I suppose, but I had a great childhood, surrounded by people who love me. Occasionally I’d spot an unknown woman who seemed to be watching, and I’d wish it was my mom, checking to see how I was doing. Mostly I wish Dad had found someone else to make him happy.”
Sarah sounded more forgiving than Tyler would have felt. Whether or not she remembered the trauma of her mother leaving, something like that would have affected most people. Instead she’d chosen to see it in a different way. The urge to put an arm around her crept over him and he stuck his hands in his pockets. He was just a hard-nosed architect, and it was becoming clearer by the day that he shouldn’t have anything to do with someone as sweet and joyous as Sarah Fullerton.
He was still mulling it over when a woman walked down the driveway, calling, “Sarah, what are you doing, just standing out here on the sidewalk instead of coming in?”
“Hey, Aunt Emma. This is Tyler Prentiss. His mom works at the bakery. He’s an architect, so I wanted him to see your house.”
“Welcome, Tyler.” Emma Fullerton smiled cordially. “Come in and explore.”
They went through a side door and into the kitchen where he saw Sarah’s uncle stirring a pot on the stove.
“What a treat, kiddo. I’m lucky to see you once a week, much less three times,” Daniel Fullerton told his niece. “Hi, Tyler, nice to see you again. I hope you’ll both have dinner with us. I’m making my deluxe spaghetti.”
Before Sarah could say anything, Tyler shook his head. “That’s nice of you, sir, but I have a commitment.”
He spotted the faintest roll of Sarah’s eyes. She was so outgoing and friendly herself, she probably couldn’t imagine what it was like to be in his shoes. Social occasions with large numbers of people were challenging enough, but he rarely made a good impression in more personal settings.
“I don’t remember if told you that Tyler is an architect, Uncle Daniel,” Sarah interjected. “He’s offered to consult on possible renovations to my kitchens. He also admires Julia Morgan’s work, which is why I brought him over here.”
Daniel nodded. “Wasn’t she incredible? What an extraordinary talent.”
Emma laughed at her husband’s enthusiasm. “What’s this about renovations, Sarah?”
“The county is considering new building codes. If they’re implemented, I’ll need to remodel again.”
“Let us know what we can do to help.”
Her husband nodded. “Whatever is needed, we’ll be there.”
* * *
SARAH GAVE HER aunt and uncle a strained smile. “I know. I told Tessa about it, and she said not to bother, just to use the kitchens at Poppy Gold. But I’d hate to divide my attention between two or three locations.”
Aunt Emma nodded. “It’s a tough choice. Do whatever you think is best.”
“We can make something happen,” Uncle Daniel declared. “I’ll—”
“Why don’t you finish dinner?” Aunt Emma interrupted, giving him a stern look. “This is something Sarah has to decide.”
Sarah hugged her. “Thanks,” she whispered. Aunt Emma understood how the Fullertons could overwhelm someone with help and advice. Emma often likened her husband’s family to a well-intentioned tsunami.
“Sarah, why don’t you show Tyler around?” Aunt Emma suggested.
“Great idea.”
Sarah practically dragged Tyler out of the kitchen.
“I didn’t see a historical marker outside,” he commented after they’d explored the ground floor and were climbing the central staircase. “This is the kind of place that belongs on the historic register.”
Sarah’s stomach tightened with the unintentional reminder that someone had nominated her shop for the register. She’d truly thought it was a joke at the time, but now everything had a sinister undertone.
She drew a calming breath. “Uncle Daniel and Aunt Emma plan to nominate the house when they get a chance. They even have the original blueprints in a safe deposit box so they can prove it’s a Julia Morgan design. Do you want to see the reproductions?”
Tyler nodded, and she took him into Uncle Daniel’s home office, gesturing to the walls where framed copies of the blueprints were hung. He eagerly went to look at them.
Sarah crossed her arms over her stomach and made a face at his back. There was no doubt that Tyler was getting to her more than she wanted him to. Half the things he said were opposite to her views. Even his perfect place to live sounded cold and remote...living alone in a glass loft, watching the city lights?
If she lived in Paris, she’d want to explore every side street and sample the bakeries and shops. The museums and galleries would be second homes, and she’d go to outdoor markets like the Marché Bastille and make friends with the merchants and customers alike. But Tyler hadn’t mentioned any of that.
You asked, Sarah’s conscience reminded her. A question he’d obviously never considered. It wasn’t fair to pass judgment on his answer.
“As an architect, I’m sure those blueprints speak more to you than the rest of the family,” she said in an effort to regain Tyler’s attention.
He didn’t answer, and she wondered what he’d do if she tried to invite a kiss...would he even notice?
“Julia Morgan was remarkable,” he said finally. “I studied her work in college. Her use of native materials, especially redwood, was wonderful.”
Jealousy tugged at Sarah. He was standing there, lost in admiration of a woman who, though amazing and talented, had been gone for sixty years. It was stupid. Tyler wasn’t interested in her, yet she still had a wicked impulse to brush against him or do something else to get his attention.
If nothing else, she needed to remember they were in her aunt and uncle’s house.
Sarah moved closer to the framed blueprint Tyler was examining with so much fascination. It was just a bunch of lines and writing to her.
“I’m sure Uncle Daniel would let you look at the originals sometime,” she suggested.
Tyler dropped his hand from where he’d been tracing a section of the blueprint. “Thanks, but I wouldn’t want to take a chance of damaging them. They may be fragile after so many years. It’s enough being able to see copies.”
Wow.
Scans of century-old blueprints had put that look of wonder on his face. Their gazes locked, and deep in his dark eyes Sarah saw a flicker of heat. She was on the verge of forgetting herself when she heard a downstairs door open and close and footsteps come running up the staircase.
Sarah jerked backward. “Um, you told Uncle Daniel you had a commitment this evening. I wouldn’t want to keep you.”
“Right, we should go. Mom and Nathan are expecting me for dinner,” Tyler muttered.
His eyes still held a hint of warmth, and longing went through Sarah. But it wasn’t just sexual. A part of her wanted to pull him into a world of love and laughter and simple pleasures.
Bad idea, she warned. Tyler didn’t want his life to change. He’d told her so himself.