by Dora Hiers
Remi shook her head, smiling as she stepped out of the way and allowed Jillian to take her place. “Carson?”
An arm wiggled through the small opening. Long, slender fingers stretched out, his palm facing up and open. “Pray with me, love?” His voice sounded so tentative, yet so strong.
“Ohhh.” Tears welled in her eyes. So much for not crying! She settled her hand in his while he uttered a short, heartfelt prayer.
“I love you, Jillian.” He squeezed her hand, his whisper drifting through the crack in the door, filling up the empty space where loneliness had resided in her heart for so long.
“I love you, too.” She sniffled.
“I can’t wait for you to become my wife. Every inch of your body will know how deep my love runs.” His voice sounded husky, deeper, almost a whisper. As if he was trying to keep his sister from hearing.
Heat raced up Jillian’s neck and warmed her cheeks as she glanced back into the room. Remi covered her mouth with a hand, not doing well to hide the smirk. When she glared at her friend, Remi just lifted her palms in the air.
“See you in a few minutes?” His voice came out close to the crack again.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be waiting for you.” He released her hand, and the shiny leather from his rented black shoes creaked as his footsteps took him back toward the sanctuary.
A few more minutes? Hadn’t they already waited a lifetime?
She’d already checked out the long white path leading to where the ceremony would take place. It seemed to stretch farther and longer than the country road leading into town. Hadn’t she waited long enough to marry the man who’d forever held her heart?
Jillian snatched the simple bundle of vivid fuchsia roses from the round table in the middle of the bridal room. She grabbed the bottom of her gown, clutching the silky material in her fingers as she spun around on her heels, and angled her head over a shoulder. “Let’s go, Remi!”
“What?” Startled, Remi scrambled for her sandals, sliding the first one on and then hopping on one foot while she slid the other over her bare foot. “Don’t you want to wait for the bridal march?” Her dark head bobbed as she scooped up the slimmed down version of the same roses, Remi’s a muted pink.
“Are you kidding? I’ve waited thirteen years for this music to start playing.” She jerked the door wide open, not caring that Carson might be standing on the other side.
He was right. Who made that stupid rule, anyway?
Thank You, God, for the peace You’ve granted Carson. Thank You for bringing him back home. To us. To me.
When Remi made it to the opening of the sanctuary, she gave a slight nod to the pastor. She took the first step in the march to the altar, her pace entirely too slow for Jillian’s liking.
Ryan held out his arm for Jillian with a smile. “Ready?”
“More than ready.”
Her new father-in-law chuckled. “No hesitation there. That’s a good sign.” He patted her arm. “God makes everything new, Jillian. He can restore even the deepest pain and create something wonderful.”
“Don’t I know it.” A fat tear threatened to roll down her cheek, but Ryan dabbed it with a tissue.
“Thanks.” She glanced back into the sanctuary. Remi had stopped next to the pastor, leaving Jillian a clear line to her beloved.
Carson had this wicked-cute expression on his face. Was he already thinking ahead to their wedding night?
Jillian dipped her head, her cheeks warming with that thought. She breathed in the sweet scent of the roses. When she dared to look up, awe glazed his face. As if he was amazed that she’d agreed to become his wife.
Instead of the tones to the bridal march, a different tune filled the intimate meeting place. Anticipation descended over the room as their family and friends stood to their feet and turned around, smiles plastered over their faces. Jillian’s lips curved in response to the familiar words of the song.
So that’s why he’d been grinning.
They finally made it to the front and Carson took her hand from Ryan, smiling first at his stepfather and then turning to gaze into her eyes. He grazed her cheek. His eyes told her everything her heart needed to hear, but he said the words anyway. “You are so beautiful to me. I love you.”
Then his lips did the talking.
Thank you for reading A Time to Build! I’m so honored that you chose to read one of my stories. If you enjoyed it—and I hope you did!—please consider sharing your thoughts on Amazon. Positive reviews, even just a couple of sentences, help other readers discover new-to-them authors. Happy reading!
How about a peek at A Time to Embrace, the last book in the Love’s Time series?
1
It was past time to make a move.
Camdon Lambright leaned back in the leather chair, rocking it slightly as he assessed the beautiful woman perched on the edge of the chair in front of him.
With her chin crooked in a palm, she toyed absently with the placard on his desk, her emerald orbs trained on him with a pleading expression. Dark hair fell in a sleek wave, draping the entire left side of her face, but there was no mistaking that look.
“Don’t bat those eyelashes at me.”
Sierra’s back stiffened. Her shoulders pressed back, and her chin jutted out. The Deputy City Manager placard clunked back down on his desk, the clanging echoing around his small office. She fumbled to right it.
He didn’t allow the smile to sneak onto his face. Not yet, anyway. But he would eventually. He always caved when she flashed those beautiful eyes at him.
“I am not batting my eyelashes at you, Camdon Lambright. What you see here is sheer desperation.” Her hand waved in a circle around her face then dropped back to his desk. She picked up a pencil and twirled it between her fingers. “Renee’s husband had emergency surgery, and since he’s still flat on his back in the hospital, of course she can’t go.”
Resisting the urge to take the pencil and hold her hand to still its fidgeting, he waited. Wouldn’t hurt to make her sweat. She had him wrapped around her pinky finger, and she knew it. Hadn’t he always been there for her?
“I need you.” She arched dark eyebrows and waited for a positive response from him.
His chest puffed up and his cheeks scrunched as he tried even harder to corral the smile that he knew had to be leaking around his eyes. She wouldn’t appreciate his amusement.
“Stop it! You know it pains me greatly to admit that.”
“You must be desperate,” he drawled.
Sierra never admitted to needing anyone. Especially not a man.
“Yeah. I can’t understand why nobody wants to spend a few days with these sweeties.” The playful look dissolved as she rubbed a hand across her face before propping an elbow back on the desk and planting her chin in her palm again.
Sighing, he massaged the back of his neck and stole a sideways glance at the calendar on his computer. Mentally, he rolled through the countless meetings scheduled and tasks that demanded his attention over the next few days.
Nothing that couldn’t be rescheduled or too time sensitive that he couldn’t complete when he got back. And, honestly, after his meeting yesterday with the City Manager and the shocker he’d zinged at Camdon, a little time away for introspection wouldn’t hurt.
All that aside, this would make the perfect opportunity to implement his plan.
For over a decade, he had never attempted to cross the “just friends” line. Not once.
But he wanted more. So much more. And he was hungry for it.
Especially after watching first his sister and then his twin brother enter marital bliss. Every time he saw Carson or Remi, they each had this silly grin stamped on their face. It was his turn. Right, God?
He was weary. Weary of coming home after a long day to an empty condo. Tired of eating take-out meals or frozen dinners by himself in the eat-in kitchen, sometimes with the television blaring the news just for background noise, but most times on his way out the
door to some meeting or other. Not that he minded the silence, but since his brother had moved out, he had come to realize that his condo—his life—was painfully quiet.
He yearned to ditch the city life and find a house in the country, closer to his brother and sister. A place that sprawled with land and a big enough yard for several kids to roam without worry that they’d dart into a busy road. A house with a wide front porch for sharing coffee on lazy Saturday mornings and a swing for cuddling in the evenings. A house where a family could grow and flourish.
Because when he allowed himself to think about it, really think about it, that’s what he really wanted.
A family of his own.
He longed to come home at the end of a workday to a family. To swap stories, to listen to dreams, to help reach them. And he craved a certain beautiful female to complete his life. Sierra.
He wasn’t getting any younger, and after over a decade of being the closest of friends, this need for a lifetime with her burned with a greater intensity with every day that passed.
But she didn’t seem to be any closer to relaxing her “no dating” policy, and he wasn’t sure she even detected his feelings. His plan might take a few months. He wanted to grow old together, not separately.
He picked up the mug of stale coffee and stared at the dregs floating around in the bottom. After taking the last bitter swig and setting the cup down on the desk with a clunk, he toyed with the pencil that Sierra had finally relinquished. “Sure. I’ll go.”
Escorting fifty seniors to a mountain resort for a few days couldn’t be that tough, could it?
“You will?” Sierra bolted from the armchair, surprise lighting her face.
He nodded, anticipation suddenly leaping to life in his gut. Four days in the mountains with Sierra? What a perfect opportunity she’d just dropped in his lap. This trip would be the first step in winning her heart. He couldn’t have picked a more romantic setting.
Well, minus the seniors. But, since they were both night owls and seniors were notorious for retiring early in the evenings, he would have tons of time alone with her. Right?
Four days away from his normal environment would also give him plenty of time to consider whether he wanted to apply for the City Manager’s job. The way he saw it, the whole situation was a win-win.
“You knew I would.” He purposely lowered his voice, trying to go for a sensual effect.
Apparently, it was lost on her. Her only response was to dip those dark eyebrows together, suspicion glittering from jade eyes.
His gaze dropped to the purplish rims lining her high cheekbones. She hadn’t slept well. Worried about finding a replacement for Renee? Or something else?
He longed to graze his knuckles across her cheeks to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. He tightened his grip on the pencil to keep from reaching out.
She tilted her head to the side, her hair bobbing against the autumn gold sweater, a dare curving her lips. “You know traveling with fifty seniors won’t be a piece of cake, right?”
He was responsible for close to four hundred employees on a daily basis, not to mention dealing with several thousand citizens. Did she have so little confidence in his managerial or communication skills? “What could possibly go wrong?”
“Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” A slow smile spread across her face. But this time the curve of her lips was more like a grimace.
If there was one thing their years of friendship had taught him about Sierra, it was that she covered up everything with a smile. Pain and loneliness included.
He flicked the pencil on the desk.
It was time she knew she wasn’t alone.
****
What was that all about?
Sierra Danby couldn’t fathom the look that just crossed Camdon’s face. She’d known him since…
Since his junior year of college. His kind ways and friendly smile had caught her eye when he’d interned with the city back then. But she hadn’t stopped in to introduce herself.
What was the point? Not while her belly was super extended with a child that nobody cared about besides her. Besides, back then, dating was the last thing on her mind. She had more important things to consider.
Like hanging on to her job while she spent half the mornings in the bathroom puking her guts out. Like finding a decent place to sleep at night. Telling herself that if she could just make it through one more day, things would get better.
Nothing had changed.
Violet had been a toddler when Sierra first officially met Camdon, and Violet just turned thirteen. Sheesh!
By now, she should be able to interpret most of his expressions, but this? There was a fierceness shimmering from his eyes that she couldn’t quite decipher. Almost as if he could devour her for lunch. He’d never looked at her like that before.
Strange.
She gave her head a little rattle, shaking off that random thought. Probably just work stuff. A few days in the mountains would give the poor guy a much needed break from the constant demands of the job and dealing with the stressful people that came with it.
“I ain’t paying this bill. I wanna see the City Manager.” The screech came from the reception area, fading only slightly as it traveled to Camdon’s office, strategically located at the end of the hallway.
Sierra rolled her eyes. She’d recognize that voice anywhere. Martha, a seventy-five-year old senior who would be going on the trip with them.
Hmmm…maybe Camdon wouldn’t escape all the stress of the job. Or the people.
But she loved Martha just the same. The old spitfire was so much fun to be around. When she wasn’t complaining.
Like an animal suddenly freed from captivity, Camdon lunged from the leather seat, spiking the pencil onto the desktop. He circled the desk, his long legs humming with unleashed energy. Propping a hip against the desk, he folded his arms across his chest, grinning as if he guarded a closely kept secret. What was up with him today?
Her eyebrows pinched together as she studied him. Her gaze slid to the wide shoulders that she’d cried on many times, rock solid and comforting.
That was Camdon. Dependable. Sweet. Comfortable. A friend that was always around, one who would drop everything if she needed him. Which she never did. At least, not that she’d admit to him.
Because life had taught her not to depend on any man. Or woman.
Wilma was the exception. But, Sierra’s grandma would be the first person to scold her for even allowing that.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yes. Why?” He straightened and cupped her elbow, a sign that he needed to get back to work. Two thin creases appeared between his dark eyebrows.
“Because you’re acting awful strange.” She allowed him to guide her to the door, but she halted just inside, nudging a shoulder against the frame and crossing her arms.
“The City Manager’s not here right now. That means Miss Martha will be barging in here any second, and I have a ton of work to wrap up if I plan to go with you and your friends next week.” The dimple flashing from his cheek was a clear sign that he really didn’t mind Miss Martha’s interruption. But his choice of words didn’t give her much confidence that he’d actually make the trip a priority.
“Plan?” She couldn’t help the squeak in her voice. She had to know if he was truly on board. The rowdy bunch of seniors required a few extra bodies besides hers.
“Don’t worry, Sierra. I’ll be there. Like always, right?” His softly spoken words, no…maybe it was the way his irises darkened as his knuckles skimmed the sleeve of her cotton shirt, reached deep into the dark and lonely places in her heart.
“Yeah.” She croaked this time, staring at the long, slender fingers wrapped around her bicep. It was true. Whenever she’d asked, he’d always delivered. She’d give that to him.
But what were his fingers doing wrapped around her arm? And why was her pulse hammering out an uneven rhythm? She couldn’t catch her breath. She tried to brea
the in precious air and, when she couldn’t, forced her gaze up. But that was even more disturbing because he was wearing that look again.
She blinked. When her lashes lifted, he appeared to be back to his normal self.
Had she just imagined that whole bizarre feeling? She’d not slept well after Renee’s call. Maybe she was just overly tired. She’d logged in a lot of hours this week, both in planning for the trip at home and actually working at the Rec Center.
“Hey. It’s Friday. Do you have plans tonight?” His fingers finally disengaged from her arm.
Funny. Now she could breathe again.
She shrugged. “I don’t plan on working, if that’s what you’re asking. Just hanging out with Violet and Wilma.”
“Want to go out to dinner at Germain’s? You and Violet?”
Germain’s? After that whacked out reaction to his friendly touch? Probably not a good idea. Especially not Germain’s. That place was entirely too quiet for a thirteen-year-old chatterbox. And way too romantic for her, what with all those quaint little dining nooks, the only lighting coming from a dim glow of the rustic lantern on each table. And the soft music was just the right speed to make a girl want to cling to some powerful shoulders, to nestle her cheek against a broad chest. To be enveloped in the alluring blend of mint and basil, woods and…man.
Sierra swung her startled gaze to Camdon’s chest. The crisp cotton shirt he wore stretched snug against taut muscles. She took in a sharp breath, but all she took in was Camdon. All those things and more.
No way.
Why was she doing this to herself?
She gave her head a little shake to clear the fog that had descended over her brain. “Nah. Thanks for the invite, but I think I’ll just stay in tonight.” Where it was safe.
His chest heaved, and he blew out a long breath. He rubbed the back of his neck, fatigue etching around his eyes.
Now she’d done it. Made him feel bad after he’d just agreed to spend four days helping her out with her senior trip. The poor guy was probably thinking about the empty condo he’d be going home to and only wanted company.
She owed him big time. Plus she had a lively daughter and an outspoken granny. There was no reason she couldn’t share the bounty.
