A Cottage Wedding

by Leigh Duncan

  With an impish grin, Jason’s cousin dashed out the door before Tara had a chance to point out that Evelyn’s laryngitis seemed to come and go at will. She laughed shortly at the realization that she’d been played. From the room next door came a soft creaking. Evelyn had taken her seat on the piano bench. Tara stiffened when the scrape of silverware against china stilled. Conversation and laughter died. The opening bars of the first number filtered through the Green Room.

  Her heart in her throat, Tara made her way to the spot where she was supposed to stand until Jason signaled her. She stared as he entered the ball room from the opposite side. The hours they’d spent practicing hadn’t prepared her for seeing him dressed as Captain Thaddeus. Her breath caught as her gaze rose from a pair of pointed shoes. She inched past the white breeches and stockings that outlined the muscles of his calves and long legs. Gold braid sparkled from a sharply cut jacket that made his shoulders look wide enough to carry the weight of the world. She knew the moment he’d spotted her by the appreciation that flared in his dark eyes. He tipped the feathered hat he wore at a jaunty angle. With a rakish grin, he launched into the first of a series of sea shanties.

  She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. And when he beckoned her forward, her doubts and her fears fell away. Her focus unwavering, she closed the distance between them, joining him in the second song just as they’d practiced. She’d expected stage fright to rear its ugly head. Instead, with her eyes trained on Jason, her confidence grew with every line until, midway through the next number, she risked a glance at their audience. Hearty smiles and clapping hands gave her just the boost she needed. She shot Jason a grin as they finished out the rousing set with a flourish.

  But the ballad, with its complicated runs and crooked beats came next. Like smoke from a smoldering fire, fear sifted through her chest. It filled the nooks and crannies. It fogged her brain. When Evelyn played through the opening bars of the song, Tara opened her mouth. She shut it immediately. She couldn’t remember the words. Her lower lip quivered. Certain everyone was staring at her and that she was poised on the brink of ruining the bride and groom’s special day, she turned toward Jason.

  And there he stood. Offering her his hand, letting her lean on him like he’d promised. Her feet ate up the distance between them. She reached for him. The touch of his fingers on hers steadied her. She barely had time to catch her breath when he launched into the ballad. As he sang, the room around her ceased to exist. The fear that had nearly paralyzed her simply vanished.

  She leaned into the song, matching him note for note, bar for bar. Halfway through the story of a love so strong it could withstand every challenge thrown in its path, her voice thickened. Her heart echoed the words. She stared into Jason’s eyes and knew for once and for all that she loved him. She had from the moment they’d met.

  As the song drew to its conclusion, Jason reached for her, and she stepped into his embrace. For a long moment, they clung together like two souls who’d been buffeted by the winds of chance and emerged on the other side of the storm, whole and in love. With his arm around her waist, he dipped her low, his hat shielding them from view. She knew he intended to kiss her. Without a doubt, she wanted him to. He leaned in, his lips nearly grazing hers.

  Applause thundered through the room. Jason rolled his eyes. “To be continued,” he murmured and pulled her upright.

  Flushed and happy, she remained at his side. Her hand in his, they took their bows until, at last, the clapping came to an end. This was it, the moment she’d been waiting for, the moment when they’d pick up that kissing business right where they’d left off.

  Jason lifted Tara’s hand in his as they bowed deeply to deafening applause. His heart swelled nearly to bursting with pride for the woman who stood beside him. He’d known she didn’t like large crowds. That was one reason he’d been so reluctant to ask her to join him on stage. When she’d frozen, his heart had very nearly stopped. But his faith in her had kept him from rushing to her rescue. He was glad now that he’d waited. She’d conquered her stage fright to finish the show. More than that, she’d overcome her fears and given the performance of a lifetime. He couldn’t be happier for her.

  He hadn’t been able to believe his eyes the moment he’d seen Tara standing in the wings, waiting for her cue to step on stage. He’d always appreciated her poise and her beauty, but she’d never looked lovelier than she did tonight. More than mere physical attraction drew him to her, however. The trust he saw in her blue eyes stirred all his protective instincts. He longed to be her knight in shining armor, to slay her dragons—whatever and wherever they might be. The faith she had in him made him want to be a better man than he’d ever been before. When they’d sung that final ballad, he’d ached to make it real, to give her his heart, to declare his love for her, to shower her with kisses.

  He’d nearly accomplished that last bit before the crowd had oh-so-rudely interrupted. He chuckled. Much as he hated delaying that first kiss, he had to admit the timing wasn’t right. He’d gotten too far ahead of himself. There’d be plenty of time for kisses later, once he knew for sure that Tara loved him like he loved her.

  The time for heartfelt declarations wasn’t in the middle of the Smith reception, though. Not with everyone and their brother looking on. Sweeping his hat from his head, he bowed low to Tara. “M’lady,” he intoned. “Methinks the bride and groom would have a word with us.”

  “Aye, Captain.” Tara tossed out a saucy grin that made his pulse race.

  He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “We’ll just pay our respects and then we’ll slip away.” He nodded to a side door. His heart warmed another degree or two when her eyes sparkled in agreement.

  An hour later, he and Tara were still no closer to making their escape than they’d been at the close of their set. First, the bride and groom had insisted on posing for photographs with the Captain and his Lady. After that, practically every guest at the wedding expected their turn.

  “The downside to a job well done is that everyone wants to thank you for it,” he whispered to Tara while yet another guest snapped a few pictures.

  “It’s part of the job, isn’t it?” Shrugging, she hid a yawn behind one gloved hand. “I don’t mind. Really, I don’t.” She yawned again.

  Sympathy tugged deep in his chest. He’d say one thing for the woman he loved—when she put her mind to doing something, she stuck with it. But he’d bet a week’s salary that the after-effects of an adrenaline rush were hitting her hard right about now. “You know what?” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist. “It’s time we got you out of here.”

  Treating the rest of the guests to a broad smile, he gently but firmly guided her to the exit. There, he snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. He handed one to Tara. The other, he raised high above his head. “To Mr. And Mrs. Smith,” he said, letting his voice carry throughout the room. “Best wishes for a Heart’s Landing love for the ages!”

  While glasses clinked and voices raised in a hearty, “Hear, hear!” he whisked Tara through the door and down the hall. “Thanks for sticking in there as long as you did. You have to be worn out.”

  Tara’s skirts swished against the risers as they mounted the stairs to her room. “I’ll admit I’m beat. But I was glad to be a part of it. I’ll never forget how happy it made the bride and groom to have us there.”

  “It was perfect. You were perfect.” He could’ve said more. Could have pointed out that tonight she’d experienced first-hand what Heart’s Landing was all about. But he had other things—more important things—on his mind.

  At her door, he propped his arm on the jamb over her head. He wished the night could go on forever. He longed to tell Tara how much she meant to him. He needed to find out if she felt the same way toward him. If she did, they had a future to plan.

  But one look at Tara, and he knew any serious talk of love or hopes and expectations would
have to wait. Fatigue had tightened the faint lines at the corners of her eyes. The strain of smiling for hours on end had carved furrows around her mouth. He let his arm fall to his side. “It’s not every night you get to wow the crowd. You definitely did that tonight. Now, get a good night’s rest. You deserve it.”

  Confirming his decision, Tara stifled another yawn behind her gloved hand. “Sorry,” she whispered. Fatigue etched itself a little deeper into her features.

  “We’ll talk tomorrow.” A smile loaded with promise stole across his face. “What do you say to taking a walk together first thing in the morning?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll meet you downstairs around seven?”

  “I’ll bring coffee. We can follow the bike path along the cliffs behind the Cottage.” Wishing he could kiss her properly but all too aware that the time wasn’t right, he touched his lips to one finger and pressed it against the tip of her nose. “Good night,” he said and forced himself to walk away.

  Seconds later, he bounded up the stairs to the third floor where, no matter how exhausted he felt, he was sure he faced a sleepless night.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Evelyn and I talked earlier. Or I did, anyway. She still can’t do anything more than whisper.” Jason’s shirt tail flapped in the breeze that blew off the ocean. Below them, the outgoing tide lapped at the sandy beach. At the point where the blue water met the pink-tinged sky, a ship steamed along the horizon. “She wanted me to tell you she was sorry for roping you into playing Mary last night. She hopes you aren’t too mad with her about it.”

  “I’m not.” Although she didn’t think for a second that his cousin had laryngitis. Not that it mattered. Considering the way things had worked out with Jason, she owed Evelyn a debt of gratitude. Tara sipped piping-hot coffee from the travel mug Jason had handed her in the foyer. He’d doctored it just the way she liked it.

  “I knew you didn’t like crowds. I never dreamed you’d have stage fright.” Sympathy laced Jason’s voice like the cream in her cup. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” At his doubtful look, she added, “Honest. It was good for me to step out of my comfort zone. Yeah, I froze for a second there, but thanks to you, I got past it. I’m going to push myself to do more of that.” The next time the church choir director asked her to sing a solo part, she wouldn’t be so quick to turn him down.

  “For purely personal reasons, I’m glad to hear it. I was hoping you’d fill in for Evelyn in the pageant tomorrow night.”

  She nearly stumbled over a pebble on the cement walkway. Catching herself, she gazed up at Jason. “You want me to play Mary’s part?”

  Okay, that wasn’t what she’d had in mind at all. Singing was one thing, but acting on stage? When she thought about it, though, she supposed that was what happened when you vowed to press your limits. The next thing you knew, someone came along and asked you to do exactly that. “Who’s playing Thaddeus?”

  “I am. I have to warn you, though. The play ends with a kiss.”

  At Jason’s shy grin, her heart skipped a beat. This was one opportunity she couldn’t pass up. “I’ll need the script so I can learn my lines.”

  “I’ll have a copy delivered to your room,” Jason promised. “It’s not complicated. Rehearsals are tomorrow afternoon at two in the Blue Room.”

  She chewed softly on her bottom lip. The pageant was the last big event on her schedule before she returned to New York. And then what? She hadn’t told Jason that she’d developed feelings for him, but what was the point if all too soon she’d be forced to move a thousand miles away? So far, she hadn’t found a single entry in Mary’s diaries that would save her job.

  “Is something bothering you?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “You have your hand pressed to your throat. You do that whenever you’re worried or upset.” Jason drank from his coffee cup.

  Deliberately she lowered her fingers. “You know me so well.”

  She stopped by a rocky outcropping. Above them, sea birds wheeled and turned, riding the thermals that rose off the cliffs. Her gaze fell to a lone figure on the beach below. Swinging a metal detector in slow arcs, he worked the water’s edge. He stopped every now and again to dig up a scoop of sand and let the grains sift through his fingers into the gentle waves. She sighed. The secrets she’d kept from Jason weighed heavily on her. She needed to get some of them off her chest. She owed him that much.

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m in trouble at work. My editor hasn’t exactly been pleased with how I’ve handled this assignment.” She paused to fortify herself with coffee. “I wasn’t supposed to fall for my host and tour guide.” Her fingers crossed, she let that last part hang between them.

  Jason was beside her in an instant. A questioning glint filled his eyes. “Handsome, dark-haired fellow? Runs the most popular wedding venue on the East Coast? Poor man. I’ve heard he’s head over heels for a journalist from New York.”

  Tara’s breath caught. “Really?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, really.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “I know this happened fast, but when you know, well, you know. I love you.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that. I love you, too.” She stepped into Jason’s embrace. Resting her head on his chest’s broad plane, she sighed. In the movies, this was the part where the hero plied his beloved with kisses. But this was real life, not some made-up fantasy. Before she and Jason could pledge their hearts and lives to each other, they had some things to figure out. “So what does that mean for us? Where do we go from here?”

  “This is all new to me. I have to admit, I don’t have all the answers. At the moment, I’m still trying to figure out how we got lucky enough to find each other.”

  “It is a lot to take in, isn’t it?” She tipped her head to get a better look at his face. “I keep pinching myself to make sure this isn’t a dream.”

  He snuggled her closer. “If it is, we’re having the same one.” His fingers traced lazy circles on her shoulder. “I hope it never ends.”

  Which, when she stopped to think about it, was at least a big part of their problem. His life, his future, lay in Heart’s Landing. But by this time next week, she’d be in New York. There was no telling where she’d end up after that. She couldn’t let their feelings for one another grow without telling him the rest, starting with the real reason she was in Heart’s Landing. That wasn’t something she could do when he held her like he never wanted to let her go. Already regretting the loss of his warmth around her, she untangled herself from his hold.

  “There’s a couple of other things you should know. I told you this assignment was my last chance to make a name for myself at Weddings Today?” Her voice rose, questioning.

  “Your review of Heart’s Landing for America’s Top Wedding Destination.” Tension tightened the lines around Jason’s mouth. “That’s what you’ve been working on so hard ever since you arrived. I hope you aren’t going to say we’ve failed to live up to your expectations.”

  “You surpassed all of them, and more,” she assured him, glad she could ease at least that one doubt. “I firmly believe Heart’s Landing is the ideal place to get married.” From the lowliest sales clerk to the owner of the Captain’s Cottage, everyone took their mission of providing the perfect wedding for each bride and groom very seriously. The town offered such a wide variety of venues—from rustic barns to grand ballrooms—that even the pickiest bride could hold her wedding in her ideal setting. Not only that, but the stores in town provided a wealth of choices sure to satisfy a wide range of couples. Those who’d chosen to elope on the spur of the moment were just as pleased here as discriminating brides who demanded perfection in every detail.

  “Well, that’s a relief.” As quickly as they’d appeared, the lines around Jason’s mouth softened. “We work hard to make sure everything goes smoothly fo
r all our brides and grooms.”

  “I know. I’ve given the town top marks. If the choice was entirely mine, Heart’s Landing would definitely retain its ranking. But my editor expects something more than the usual fluff piece.”

  “You said as much, didn’t you?” Jason’s brows knitted. “I thought that’s why you’ve spent so much time digging into Captain Thaddeus’s past. You wanted to tell the history of Heart’s Landing from his perspective.”

  “That’s part of it.” She took a breath. Keeping secrets from Jason was killing her. She wanted to tell him everything. How she’d been pressured to undermine the town’s chances in the contest. How Regina blamed the people here for ruining her wedding. But what was the point in admitting that she’d been less than honest with Jason if she didn’t have a future with him? Before she could tell him the whole story, she had to find that out. “The thing is, despite all my digging, I haven’t found a hook to hang the story on. My editor’s getting antsy. She’s given me the rest of my time in Heart’s Landing to come up with something. If I can’t, I probably won’t have a job at Weddings Today to go back to.”

  Jason stilled. “And that’s always been your dream.”

  She nodded, miserable. “Ever since I bought my first copy with money I’d saved bussing tables at the restaurant.” She sought his eyes, pleading with him to understand. “It’s not just my job or my career that’s at stake. If Weddings Today lets me go, I won’t be able to stay in New York. I’ll probably have to go back to Savannah and work in my parents’ restaurant.”

  There. She’d said it. It had been bad enough that she lived and worked in the city. Now, she’d told the man who’d made it perfectly clear he wasn’t interested in a long-distance relationship that there was a very good possibility she’d be moving a thousand miles away.