Page 1 of Say Yes

CHAPTER 1

IT WAS THE LOUD, SHRILL scream of rage that drew Gavin Blake’s attention, along with the frantic shrieks that followed. Gavin stared down the middle of the narrow street, blinking hard to make certain he wasn’t hallucinating. But no. There was his usually calm, very friendly neighbor Sara Simmons, her dark curly hair bouncing out behind her as she ran hell-bent after Karen, his used-to-be girlfriend. He hadn’t seen Karen in months, not since their breakup, and the sight of her now wasn’t what fascinated him. No, it was gentle, sweet, passive Sara—who at the moment held a rake which she wielded with all the force and efficiency of a massive war club. And each time she swung it, punctuating her efforts with low, threatening growls, Karen wailed in fear.

A disbelieving smile twitched on his mouth as he heard Sara issue a rather lurid, improbable threat. So far as Gavin could tell, Sara hadn’t even touched Karen yet, but it was a close thing. Karen’s shirt was open, but her efforts were all centered on escaping the woman bent on retribution, not on covering her half-naked chest. As they neared the entrance to the garage where Gavin stood, he tried to get himself out of the way. But Karen made eye contact, and evidently, even though they were no longer involved, she decided he might be her savior.

Hah! Sara behaved very much like a woman scorned—or a woman who had caught her fiancé intimately involved with another woman. And knowing Karen as he did, that assumption wasn’t unrealistic. He’d learned some time ago that Karen would never be a faithful, devoted, loving partner. Which was why he’d ended the relationship and sent her on her way months ago.

But as the two women ran straight for him and he saw the fury—and the hurt—in Sara’s eyes, Gavin knew for a certainty Karen had been up to her old tricks. He decided to stay out of the matter and let Sara do her worst, knowing she wouldn’t actually hurt Karen. But the women had other ideas.

They tried to use him as a maypole.

He dropped the file he’d been holding and saw the approved plans for another subdivision scatter across the garage floor. He struggled to maintain his balance with Karen trying to shield herself behind him and Sara trying to go straight through him. He bent to retrieve a floor plan being mangled under furious feminine feet and was promptly shoved away and onto his backside. Having just come from the office, he was unfortunately wearing dress pants. He started to grumble, but then Karen made a dive for the house, and Sara followed, climbing right over the top of him.

There was another loud screech, and Gavin couldn’t help but grin. He’d known since first meeting Sara that she was a passionate little thing, filled with energy and an abundance of emotion. But this was the first time he’d seen that emotion really set free. The jerk she’d planned to marry would never have made her happy. Gavin supposed, in a way, he owed Karen his thanks for showing Sara just how big a jerk Ted really was.

Then he heard the sound of breaking glass and decided he’d have to intervene after all. Knowing Sara, and he’d come to know her very well since she’d moved into one of the houses he built, she’d hate her loss of control once she calmed down.

He wondered briefly if she’d allow him to console her.

Coming up behind Sara, he was just in time to duck the rake as she took another swipe at the cowered, screeching Karen. Gavin snatched it out of her hands, and when she rounded on him, he pulled her close in a careful bear hug. “Just calm down, honey.”

He tried to keep the satisfaction and good humor out of his tone. Little by little, the enormity of the situation was sinking in, and he was starting to feel damn good. He’d now see the end of Sara’s fiancé—and without a guilty conscience. He’d held back, keeping his personal interest to himself, unwilling to involve himself in a set relationship, even though he knew the relationship was doomed. Sara was much too good for Ted, she just hadn’t seemed to realize it.

But with these new crimes against him, Sara would surely send Ted packing. Finally they would both be free of ties, and he’d be able to pursue her the way he wanted to.

Sara growled, and he had to admit, the menacing sound was very effective. “Let me go, Gavin.”

No way. She felt damn good in his arms, too good. He looked down at her rigid expression, her bright eyes, and had to fight to keep from kissing her. This was the first time he’d ever been able to actually hold her, and he liked it—a lot. She growled again and he saw that slightly crooked front tooth, the one that always taunted him, made him want to touch it with his tongue. He tightened his hold just a bit more, relishing the feel of her small body tucked up against his, and breathed in her gentle fragrance. Sara always smelled of sunshine and softness and woman. He lowered his mouth to her ear.

“I think you’ve made your point, honey. Karen understands the error of her ways.”

She struggled in his arms. “You don’t know what they…They were in my house, in my bed!”

He did know. The house meant everything to Sara, but very little to Ted. In fact, Sara had bought the place herself, no small feat for a woman alone with a moderate income. And not a day went by that she didn’t tell him what a wonderful job he’d done building that house. She made him feel as if he’d given her the moon.

“It won’t happen again, Sara. I promise.”

He had a hell of a time controlling his elation. And when Sara peeked up at him with energy and emotion blazing in her blue eyes, he couldn’t help himself. He smiled.

Very slowly she looked around. A lamp lay broken on the floor and Gavin saw her wince. When her gaze landed on the shattered picture, she closed her eyes as if in pain. Color flooded her smooth cheeks.

Behind him, he heard the sounds of Karen slinking away. No doubt she planned to make a strategic retreat. Gavin ignored her. In the three months she’d been gone, he hadn’t missed her once. “Sara? Are you okay now?”

“Let—me—go.”

Cautiously, making certain she wouldn’t bolt after Karen again, Gavin lowered his arms. She stood there, her eyes still closed, her cheeks pulsing with heat. She said in a strangled whisper, “I’m sorry.”

Gavin touched her cheek, swamped with tenderness and a real healthy dose of desire. “Hey, don’t worry about it. After a boring day in the office, I needed a little excitement.”

She drew in a long, slow breath, then opened her eyes, but didn’t look at him. Instead she surveyed the damage. “I didn’t mean to break anything.”

“Karen would probably disagree.”

Her gaze shot to his face and her hands curled into fists. “I don’t want her anywhere near me ever again.”

She was such a ferocious, impassioned little thing when duly provoked. “Don’t worry. I think Karen has learned her lesson. Besides, I wasn’t the one who invited her here.”

She scowled. “No. Ted apparently did.”

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