Enjoy reading --Heart Of Stone-Complete-Page 14 - Page 5

On Sunday morning, Sara awakened earlier than usual. Since Asher hadn't given her any indication when he might call or come, she didn't take the chance of being caught unaware. She was dressed complete with makeup when went downstairs to make coffee and get the Sunday newspaper the paperboy had delivered to their doorstep.

Before she drank her second cup of coffee, she was on pins and needles waiting for the phone to ring or the sound of a car driving up the lane. All the while the knowledge that Asher would be leaving at noon and she didn't have any idea when he would come back kept preying on her mind. A noise in the living room sent her rushing out of the kitchen, certain she had missed hearing Asher's car. But it was bleary-eyed Perry who had caused the sound.

"Brrr, it's cold in here! Why haven't you started the fire?" he grumbled, and shivered in his corduroy robe. His hair was mussed from the night's sleep and a pair of old sleepers covered his large feet as he moved tiredly towards the Count Rumford fireplace. "You're up and dressed very early this morning. How come?" he waved aside the question, kneeling to set dried logs on the grate. "I remember, you told me at supper that Asher is supposed to come over this morning."

"Yes, he is." While her brother got the fire going, Sara walked to the front window to look out. "You were late coming home last night."

"I know. I hope you have coffee made," he sighed. "Is the Sunday paper here yet?" The fire was crackling merrily in the fireplace, already chasing out the chill in the room.

""Yes, to both. I'll bring them to you, " she said and went back to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee for her brother and bring him newspaper.

When she returned, he was stretched out in his favorite armchair eyes closed. She set his coffee on the lamp stand beide him and dropped the paper on his lap. Perry stirred, slowly opening one eye and yawning.

"Why didn't you sleep longer?" Sara chided. "There was no reason for you to get up so early." Sundays were his days off, except in the winter, but he usually stopped by the inn in the afternoon.

"I'm really bushed." He admitted, "But ,I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."

While he sipped the steaming hot coffee, Sara wandered to the hooked rug covering the wide floorboard in front of the fireplace. The living room was large and open, with exposed beams and hand- planed wainscoting. The sliding glass doors were decorated with October frost, partially concealing the hills rising behind the house.

"I always think I'm doing well until I come away from a meeting with Asher." Which was when where Perry had been night before until well after midnight." Now , I feel drained and empty. He's like a sponge, absorbing everything I know out of my brain and asking endless questions." He sighed.

"About what?" Sara turned up to study her brother, wondering if Asher had asked about her.

Perry started to answer, and then interrupted her look. "No, he didn't ask about you. Obviously you told him that I gave up graduate school in law when dad had his accident."

"A lot of nonsense about night school and summer courses." His mouth tightened grimly. "Which would take me forever, plus there is the problem of commuting back and forth and keeping the inn operating the way it should. No, it just isn't possible."

"we talked about everything from difficulty of getting and keeping good help to renovating the whole place and turning it into the most famous ski lodge on the continent." Her brother pause, appearing to consider something. "You know, Sara, most of the time I feel like I'm pretty experienced guy, but last night, in his suite, he was getting calls from half of the world. My whole world is centered around that inn, yet I doubt very seriously if the inn earns enough money to pay his travel expenses for a year. The place could burn down and he'd never miss it."

"Why are you thinking like that?" It didn't sound like her brother: his attitude was defeated and inferior.

"I don't know. "She shrugged and sighed. "Maybe I'm jealous. Hell, I know, I'm." he laughed shortly. "There I'm sitting in his suite last night, trying desperately to concentrate on the discussion and this girl of his keeps waltzing in and out of the bedroom." Perry stopped at the sight of the ashen color that spread over Sara's face. "I'm sorry, Sara, don't be a fool."

"Please, don't say anything," she protested softly. "There isn't anything you can say that I haven't told myself already," she turned, needing a few minutes by herself. "Excuse me. I'm going to get some coffee."

When she returned to the living room, Perry was reading the newspaper and the conversation was not resumed. Sara sat on the sofa to drink her coffee. The minute it was gone she was up, walking to the window to look at the empty scene. Back and forth she went"too nervous to stay seated, while the grandfather ticked away the minutes.

"A watched pot never boils," Perry remarked on her tenth trip to the window.

"I know it." She walked to the fire place to add another log to the waning fire.

"It's getting late," he observed. "I would better get dressed for church. Are you coming?"

Rising, she glanced towards the window. "I-------"then Sara saw the blue Mercedes coming up the drive. "He's here!"

She dashed to the door and was outside by the time Asher stepped from the car. Her smile froze into place when she spied Helen sitting in the passenger seat. Her gaze swung in hurt confusion back to Asher as he approached, his features firmly drawn.

"I've to leave. With luck, I'll make it to New York in time to catch the afternoon flight to Geneva. "He said.

Sara couldn't speak, her throat was dry. She could only stare at him with her rounded blue eyes. The frosty chill of the October morning wasn't nearly as cold as she felt. He was leaving, and they wouldn't even have the morning together.

"I came to say goodbye." Asher continued."I should have called, but----"His Jaw hardened. "I told you this could happen. Damnit, I warned you!" He grabbed her by the shoulders as if to shake her.

The physical pain was almost welcome. In the next second, he was yanking her into his arms and then pushed her away and had already turned to walk to the car before he muttered a rather final sounding, "Goodbye, Sara."

But she could not get that one word out -not even his name. The car had been started and was turning around. Still Sara hadn't moved from where he'd left her at the door.

There was no last glance from Asher---no wave, nothing. Tears misted her eyes, blinding her vision. She didn't see the exact moment when his car disappeared from view down the long lane.

Entering the house, she was aware of Perry's blurred outline near the stairwell. "He had to leave---for Geneva." Her voice was choked and very small. Her brother looked at her for a long minute, but didn't say anything as he turned to climb the stairs. Sara walked blindly into the kitchen where she cried slow, silent tears.

The NORTH winds came to strip the leaves from the trees, exposing the dark skeletons of the trunks and leaving poles of brown leaves to carpet the ground. The first snow flurry of the season came last weekend in October. November arrived.

Sara had written Asher two letters, short ones with news of the inn and the area, minus any personal messages. The only address she had was the one the monthly reports were sent to. She couldn't be sure if they would reach him. Last week, she had sent merely a postcard.

There hadn't been a single reply of any kind, and she was gradually becoming convinced he had forgotten her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had been on the brink of discovering something wonderful, only to lose it.

The ring of her office extension drew a sigh. Unclipping an earring, she answered the phone. "Miss Hall speaking. May I help you?"

"How are you?" A familiar male voice inquired.

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