Taking a couple of breaths, Sara grabbed the hand that was still holding her chin and assured him, “It’s okay really. Instead of killing me though, why don’t I just promise to close my eyes. Wouldn’t that be much easier – nobody to dispose of, no mess?”
Trent was amazed at the woman sitting in his jeep. She was sick with God’s knows what bug, had just coughed until she had tears running down her cheeks from the pain, and yet was able to take his joke and turn it back upon him.
Lifting her out of the vehicle, he set her on her feet and solemnly informed her, “You may have a point. I’ll consider it, carefully. Does that mean you still want to call your sister later?”
Sara sobered and grabbed his arm, “I can’t tell you how much it would mean to be able to talk to her. I can’t imagine what’s she heard and she must be so worried about me.”
Trent opened the door to the house and ushered her inside. “Your Christmas wish is my command. Let me introduce you to Jane and then we’ll get you settled and you can nap for a while. You look like you could use one.”
Sara nodded at everything he suggested. She couldn’t believe how this day had changed her outlook for the future. And to top it all off, she was going to get to talk to her sister this evening. Things were definitely looking better.
Maybe Christmas this year could be salvaged after all.
Chapter 7
Jane had been introduced and then Trent had shown her to a bedroom, complete with a private bath. Jane had brought in several changes of clothes after seeing that she and Sara were of similar size.
Sara had looked longingly at the tub and Jane had suggested she take a nice long soak. Sara had been unable to resist and afterwards, she laid down on the bed and promptly fell asleep.
Trent checked in on his guest. He just couldn’t consider her a prisoner based upon what she had told him, and found her sleeping soundly each time. Standing beside her bed, he tried to figure out what it was about her that spoke to him on such a deep level. He had known her less than 24 hours, and yet felt like he had known her all his life. He had never gotten so close to a woman – ever.
Saying her name softly, he watched as she stretched and her eyes slowly blinked open. As she attempted to bring him into focus, he handed her the glasses he found sitting on the bedside table.
Smiling and wondering how she had gotten so lucky, Sara pushed herself up into a sitting position and took the offered glasses. Putting them in place, she gazed around her and smiled as her savior came into focus. She had thought him handsome before, but now that she could take her time to look more closely, she was awed by his looks. He was hot!
She took in his features again, and then let her gaze travel back to his eyes. There was heat there in his gaze and Sara knew that her gaze was probably sending the same signals back. Sara had never been as attracted to a man before. Sure, she had dated and at one time, had thought herself in love with David Patterson. David had never seemed that interested in the physical side of their relationship, instead, he had insisted that they had plenty of time to learn about each other and he didn’t want to rush her.
Thinking back on their dates, David had always been the perfect gentleman. He would walk her to the door to her apartment building, give her a hug and a brief kiss, and then watch as the night guard let her in. He would then give her a little wave of his fingers and shoo her towards the elevators. In the many weeks she had gone out with David, she had never felt this burning desire to have him kiss her – not like what she had weaving its way through her thoughts now. Her eyes were drawn back to his lips time and again.
Looking at Trent, the feelings she’d had before didn’t even register. If David had been a one on the Richter scale, Trent was an 11 – off the charts. As Trent sat down on the edge of the bed next to her hip, her stomach quivered at the contact and she clasped her fingers together so she wouldn’t grab his hair and run her fingers through it.
Trent watched the emotions flow over her face. She was an open book. At first, she had been happy to be able to see clearly, but then he had seen awareness and arousal spring to life in the depths of her eyes. He had seen the flush spread up her neck and into her cheeks and her pulse rate increase. It eased his conscience to find out that she felt the same attraction.
His body was primed and ready for action. He couldn’t resist pulling her chin towards him and kissing her lips. He started the kiss out soft and slow, but the flames of desire quickly turned it into something else. His tongue demanded entrance to her mouth and with a sigh, she complied and gave it back. For several minutes, they explored each other’s mouths while their hands molded and shaped each other’s bodies.
Breaking away from temptation, Trent pulled back and abruptly stood up from the bed. He had not intended for things to get so out of hand. Scrubbing a hand through his hair, he looked at her, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
Sara touched her lips with her hand as she stared at him. She tried to keep the hurt from her voice as she asked, “You’re sorry you kissed me?”
Shaking his head, Trent assured her, “Never. I’m only sorry that it got so out of control.”
Hearing his words, Sara relaxed and gave him a gentle smile, “Its okay. You don’t hear me complaining, do you?” Then a thought occurred to her that had her sobering immediately and looking very concerned, “I hope you don’t get sick. You should go brush your teeth or something, hurry.”
Trent started laughing. He couldn’t help it. “Sara, it’s okay. Settle down. I’m healthy as a horse and I’ll take some extra Vitamin C if I start to feel like I’m catching your cold. Now, how did you sleep and do you feel any better?”
Sara took a experimental breath and then exhaled in relief. “I actually feel a lot better. It doesn’t hurt near as bad when I breathe in and I don’t feel like I’m running a fever anymore.”
“That’s good. Jane has dinner almost ready. I thought I would give you a chance to freshen up before you join us. Just come down the hallway and turn right at the end.” Brushing her cheek with his hand once more, he turned on his heel and left the room.
Sara sat on the bed for several minutes trying to process all that had transpired that day. What was it about Trent that made it seem like she had known him for years? She’d just met him. Sara had dated guys for months before kissing them, and she had never kissed them the way she just kissed Trent. The same could be said for the personal information she had shared with him. He knew more about her than friends who had known her since before college.
Sara had never believed in the notion of love at first sight. And while she wasn’t ready to call what she was feeling for Trent - love, it was definitely more involved than anything she believed she felt for David.
She thought back to several months ago when she had stayed up late and watched one of the sappy Lifetime movies. They had been celebrating Christmas in July and running, sappy, romantic Christmas movies the entire week. As she watched the movie, she had felt a yearning desire to have her own family to care about and share Christmas with. Was that why she had been so easily duped by David? Had she tricked herself into thinking she was in love with him in an effort to make her dreams of a family this Christmas come true?
Shaking her head, she decided it really didn’t matter. What was done was done and she had done everything she could to correct the biggest mistake of her 27 year old life. With Trent’s help, David Patterson would soon be a distant memory.
****
“Dinner was delicious, Jane.”
Jane beamed at the praise coming from the young lady seated across from her at the table. Jane had watched with avid interest as Trent and his guest interacted during dinner. They couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. Trent had a look in his eyes when he gazed at Sara that Jane had never seen before. He was smitten with her. There was no other explanation.
And Sara, she gazed in adoration at Trent and blushed as he teased her throughout dinner. Things were about to get v
ery interesting. Jane mentally rubbed her hands together and vowed to assist the Christmas spirit in seeing these two brought together.
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better after your nap.” Jane smiled at Sara across the table and was rewarded with one in return.
Jane got up to start removing the dishes and Sara moved to help her. The phone rang and Trent went to answer it. During the time Trent was on the phone, Jane and Sara managed to clear the dishes away and load the dishwasher. Jane then put water on for tea and invited Sara to sit with her at the bar in the kitchen.
“So, Trent tells me you have a sister living in San Diego?”
Sara nodded, “My younger sister. She lives there with her young daughter. She moved there after I graduated from college and fell in love with a soldier. Unfortunately, his unit was attacked during his first tour in Iraq and he didn’t make it. She found out she was pregnant with my niece two weeks after the funeral.”
Jane was instantly transported back to the funeral of her own husband. She still flinched every time she thought about the rifle guard salute and the sound of the guns firing. “I’m so sorry for her loss. I’ve been there, and it takes a while to get over losing someone like that.”
Sara nodded. “I tried to get her to move back to San Francisco after the funeral, but she had just started working at a local performing arts center. I remember her telling me that if she gave that up as well, she would have nothing left. In a weird way, I understood what she meant and helped her find off-base housing and stayed with her for six weeks after Daniella was born.”
“Jane smiled and asked, “Is Daniella your niece?”
Sara smiled as she thought of her niece and nodded. “Yes, she was born on December 23rd four years ago. My sister says she’s the best Christmas present she’s ever gotten.”
“That is so sweet.” Jane smiled and tried not to be jealous of a woman she had never even met. She had always dreamed of having a family, one or two kids running around making her life hectic, and maybe a dog who loved to run along the beach and chase the waves. Realizing that she had just slipped into her own fantasyland, she gave herself a mental shake and returned to the present.
Jane smiled, “I’ve always wanted to live on the beach. What branch did your brother-in-law serve in?”
“He’s was in the Navy, a member of a Seal Team – sorry, but I can’t remember which one.”
Jane patted her hand, “That’s okay. My husband was a Marine.”
Sara placed her hand atop Jane’s and said, “Trent told me about your husband. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Jane nodded, “That seems like a lifetime ago. It’s been nearly 15 years now. Wow, I feel really old,” she chuckled.
Sara shook her head, “You’re not old. You don’t look at day over 35.”
Jane smiled, “I’ll actually be 37 on December 29th. I’m almost 10 years older than you.”
“That’s not old in today’s world. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.” Sara was quiet for a moment and then asked, “If you want to live by the ocean, why are you living in Montana? Trust me when I tell you that they don’t have mountains and snow in southern California ... just sunny days and beaches full of sand.”
Jane was thoughtful as she looked at Sara, “I guess it was easier to stay here. After my husband was killed, Trent’s parents offered me a place to live and treated me like part of the family. When they decided to travel, they tried to convince me to go with them, but I didn’t want to travel around the world feeling like a third wheel.”
Sara just nodded and let her continue. “I often dream of moving away from the mountains and starting again, but I don’t have any friends outside of Castle Peaks and I’m not the best social butterfly. I wouldn’t want to move to a strange place and still feel like a stranger living there six months later.”
Sara could understand that train of thought. “What about just visiting some places for say, a week at a time? You could play tourist. I hear it’s much easier to get to know people if you have the mindset of a tourist.”
Jane smiled at her and decided Trent needed to keep Sara around. She was not only good for Trent, she made Jane smile and feel more alive than she had felt in a long time. “You know, for a young’un, you actually make a lot of sense. Maybe I’ll treat myself to a vacation for my birthday. I could leave right after Christmas and go someplace sunny and warm – a place with an ocean and no snow.” Jane rubbed her hands together as plans began to take form in her mind. “You know, I think I’ll do it.”
Chapter 8
“Do what?” Trent asked as he came back into the kitchen.
Jane looked at Trent and gave him a big grin. “I’m going on a vacation for my birthday this year.”
Trent raised his eyebrows at this information. Since coming to live in Castle Peaks, Jane had never left the town by herself. Giving her a smile of encouragement, he asked, “You are? Where are you going and why do I get the feeling that I’m not invited?”
Jane faltered for a moment in her happiness, why couldn’t Trent join her? And his new little friend as well. “I didn’t say you couldn’t join me, in fact, I think you should plan on it.” Jane didn’t want to seem ungrateful for everything Trent and his family had done for her in the past, but whether he wanted to go with her or not, she needed to start living her life again.
“Okay, where exactly are we going?” Trent secretly gave Jane a thumb’s up for taking the initiative and deciding to move forward with her life.
“I don’t know yet. Someplace warm with lots of sunshine, beaches, surfers, and no snow. Absolutely no snow!” Jane hated the tremendous amounts of snow that fell each winter.
“Based upon the amount of snow that’s coming down right now, I would be fully on board with someplace warm. If it keeps coming down like this, we’ll have at least a foot by morning.”
“A foot of snow?” asked Sara with excitement in her voice. She had never spent much time outside of California, and had been thrilled to see the snow on the mountains as she drove north. Bending over and using her hand to measure approximately 12 inches off the floor, she looked back up at Trent and Jane with a question evident on her face.
Seeing her confusion and lack of belief, Jane smiled and nodded her head when Trent reached over and raised her hand several more inches off the floor. “12 inches, if not more. We normally get several feet of snow between Thanksgiving and Christmas around here. Trust me when I say, by New Year’s, we’ll all be tired of shoveling the stuff and ready for spring.” Trent grinned as he watched his words register. She had probably never seen snow before she started this journey. She was in for the shock of her life come morning.
Sara shook her head as she looked back and forth between Trent and Jane. Several feet of snow? Where would they put it? Could one even shovel that much snow? She was definitely not in sunny California anymore.
Sobering, Trent asked her to come in to the living room with him for a few minutes so he could update her on his recent conversation with his friends from the FBI. Somehow, he needed to find out how much more information she had and tell her what he had found out, all without scaring the daylights out of her. He was not looking forward to this conversation.
Entering the living room, Sara stopped and took in the natural stone fireplace which dominated the far corner. There was a wooden mantel, decorated with pine boughs, candles, and figurines of Santa Claus. Standing majestically alongside was the most beautiful Christmas tree Sara had ever seen. She absolutely loved Christmas, and decorating the tree was one of her favorite activities. Most years she couldn’t even wait until after Thanksgiving, but rather started putting up her tree and other decorations around mid November. Her sister had given her a hard time when they still lived together, but had also been more than willing to join in and get started on celebrating the season.
The tree had been decorated with ornaments which appeared to have all been handmade. Pinecones had been turned into whim
sical creatures, while glass balls glittered in the twinkling lights of the tree. A beautiful plaid tree skirt completed the look.
Sensing Trent right behind her, she stepped into the room and was assailed by the smell of cinnamon and pine. Breathing cautiously, she closed her eyes for a moment and just enjoyed before heading toward the couches arranged in front of the massive fireplace.
After making sure she was seated comfortably, Trent took the chair opposite hers and sat on the edge of it, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. He wasn’t quite sure how to deliver his news, and finally decided just to say it straight out and then deal with any aftermath there might be.
“So that was your friend from the FBI on the phone, just now?” Sara asked.
Sara in Montana - A Christmas Wish Page 5
