A Cottage Wedding (A Heart's Landing Novel from Hallmark Publishing)

by Leigh Duncan

  While the director issued the final call, Evelyn eyed the thin volume with outright skepticism. Long seconds passed before the redhead plucked the booklet from Tara’s outstretched palm. Without another word, she stashed the diary in a duffel bag and took her place on stage.

  Tara breathed in a thready breath. Captain Thaddeus had been a true hero. To help a fellow seaman, he’d given up his berth on the Mary Shelby, a move that had forced him to battle a hurricane in order to keep a promise to his wife. The passages she’d marked, along with the research she’d left in the library, would put an end—once and for all—to the whispers and doubts that had swirled around the century-old legend.

  Too bad she couldn’t sway Jason’s opinion as easily. No amount of research would ever change his mind about her. No matter how strongly she’d believed in their love or how much she’d sacrificed for it, she’d heard the death knell of their relationship in his bitter accusations. She’d seen it in his blank stare. She’d hoped to fix things between them, but it wasn’t possible. She saw that now.

  Breath-stealing pain sliced through her chest. She pressed a hand over her heart. She’d had a chance at love, and she’d lost it, along with everything else she valued. Her job, her career, any chance of success—she’d risked it all on love and failed.

  What little self-pride she had left helped her keep her tears at bay during the ride to the station. Once she boarded the train and found her seat, though, she couldn’t fight her tears any longer. Turning her back on the rest of the car, she pressed her forehead against the window and gave in to the heartbreak.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The first stars of the evening twinkled in the sky overhead. In the deepening twilight, birds flocked to their nests in the trees along Procession Avenue. Jason caught his reflection in the window of the first shop he strode past. He’d lost weight. His clothes hung from his frame with unfashionable bagginess. Dark circles had formed under his eyes. Hmph. And people said love was a good thing. They couldn’t prove it by him. His broken heart hadn’t healed nearly as quickly as he’d thought it would. Two months had passed since he’d learned the truth about Tara, and she was still his first thought when he woke in the mornings. He couldn’t walk into a single room in the Captain’s Cottage without picturing her smiling face or reliving a joke they’d shared. As for sleeping, forget about it. She haunted his dreams. No wonder Doc Adams had warned that he was on the verge of developing an ulcer.

  “I wish I’d skipped this and stayed home,” he muttered.

  “You can’t hole up in your office for the rest of your life. You’ve barely poked your head out ever since Tara left.” At his side, Evelyn hurried to match his sidewalk-eating pace. “It’ll be good for you to be with friends tonight.”

  “I guess. If nothing else, I’ll give them someone to blame if things turn out the way I expect.”

  “No one said anything to you about the results?”

  “No. Weddings Today has held their cards pretty close to the vest.” The whole town had been on edge, waiting for the big announcement. “Greg received the FedEx package this morning, but he didn’t want to open it until we could all be there. I heard Bar Harbor got theirs yesterday. They made it to fourth place.”

  “Ouch! They’ve always come in second, haven’t they?”

  “Yep.” Judging from the hatchet job he’d read on Tara’s computer, Heart’s Landing wouldn’t even make it into the top ten. The stomachache that had been a near-constant companion of late flared.

  “Don’t worry, Jason. Everything will be all right.” Evelyn’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “She said she gave us top marks. Maybe it’ll be enough. And remember, she did do right by Thaddeus.” The information Tara had left in the library, combined with the entries in Mary’s diary, had finally settled the questions surrounding the Captain’s legend.

  “One thing doesn’t have anything to do with the other. She lied before. We can’t trust her to keep her word. She could’ve changed her mind and sabotaged our entry after she left here.” He didn’t want to believe that Tara would stoop so low, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t let himself believe in her. If he did, he’d expose the frayed nerves of the heartache that had barely begun to heal. “I wish I knew what she put in her final report.”

  “You’re sure no one else even suspects she had a hidden agenda?”

  “You and I are the only people who know why Regina really sent Tara here. I haven’t told a soul.” He’d planned to. But, as it turned out, the mayor’s cold had developed into full-fledged pneumonia that had landed him in the hospital for ten days. It went against Jason’s moral code to hit a good man while he was down, so he’d held off on sharing his news until Greg had fully recovered. By then, too much time had passed. Whatever Tara had decided to do, she’d already done it.

  Reaching I Do Cakes, Jason pulled open the door and held it while Evelyn entered. Unlike the excited chatter that had greeted him on the eve of the Weddings Today’s review, tonight a subdued hush lay over the bakery. Here and there, muted conversations barely rose to a whisper. Not exactly eager to talk with anyone, he exchanged a quiet word with Mildred Morey and nodded to other friends he hadn’t seen much of recently. His social obligations out of the way, he headed to the chairs Evelyn found for them in the back of the room. They took their seats just as the clock struck seven.

  Greg approached the hostess stand that had been pressed into service as a podium. A hollow sound echoed through the room when he rapped on it.

  “Well, this is it, folks,” he began, holding the much-ballyhooed envelope aloft. “The results are in, and tonight we’ll learn if all our hard work over the last year has paid off. We’ll get to that in just a minute. Before we do, I want to give a quick thanks to everyone who helped us get ready for the competition. Heart’s Landing wouldn’t have a chance of retaining its number-one rating if it weren’t for the dedication you’ve all shown our town.”

  Polite applause rippled through the room when Greg stopped to sip from his water glass.

  “Special thanks to our renewal committee,” he continued, naming three of the four members one by one. Each stood to a round of applause.

  “Last, but certainly not least, the whole town owes a huge debt of gratitude to Jason Heart. When I fell sick on the very day the rep from Weddings Today arrived, Jason stepped up to the plate. No one could’ve done a better job. Jason, stand and take a bow.”

  In his chair, Jason tried not to squirm. Praise was the last thing he deserved. If the town lost its leadership position in the competitive wedding destination arena, the fault was his alone.

  Evelyn’s elbow delivered a sharp jab to his side. “Up.”

  He gave in, standing to heartfelt applause. Unable to accept praise when, in all likelihood, his failed relationship with Tara had only made things worse for the town he loved, he sank onto the chair like he had lead weights tied to his ankles.

  If anyone other than Evelyn noticed his discomfort, Greg didn’t give them a chance to comment on it. At the podium, the mayor raised the envelope. “Here it is, folks, the moment we’ve been waiting for. Just remember, no matter where we land on the scale, I’m proud of each and every one of you for making Heart’s Landing the perfect place to get married. Let me hear it now.”

  Someone up front shouted, “The best is yet to be!”

  Disappointment wreathed Greg’s face. “Okay, folks. You can do better than that.”

  “The best is yet to be!”

  While the cheer echoed off the walls, Greg ripped the padded envelope open. Shielding the magazine from prying eyes, he stared down at the cover. “Well, would you look at that.”

  “What is it, Greg?” Mildred called from her aisle seat.

  “Did we win?” Tom Denton leaned forward.

  A wide grin broke across Greg’s face. He held up the magazine for all to see. Pandemonium erupted as t
he business owners got their first glimpse of the glossy cover featuring the Captain’s Cottage. Beneath the masthead for Weddings Today, bold print named Heart’s Landing as America’s Top Wedding Destination.

  “I knew we could count on her,” Evelyn whispered at his side.

  “How is that even possible?” Jason shook his head.

  The mood in the room shifted from quiet desperation to controlled bedlam, taking on the air of a victory party on election night. Shop owners hugged one another. Tears of joy streamed down Mildred’s face. Meanwhile, Jason was treated to so many enthusiastic pats on the back he was pretty sure his shoulders would be black and blue by morning. While Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” poured through overhead speakers, Ashley and Alexis popped bottles of champagne they’d secretly had delivered from Favors Galore. Nick ducked into the bakery’s massive kitchen and reappeared moments later, carrying trays of cupcakes adorned with #1 flags.

  During a rare moment when he wasn’t being pummeled by well-meaning friends, Jason nudged the baker. “What would you have done if we hadn’t landed in first place?”

  Nick grinned. “I guess everyone at the soup kitchen would get a double-portion tomorrow. Jimmy already dropped off our usual delivery.”

  “You were a whole lot more confident than I was,” Jason admitted. He shrugged a non-committal answer to Nick’s questioning gaze before searching out the mayor to offer his congratulations and get a closer look at the magazine. By the time he reached Greg, though, the special edition was making its way around the room.

  It took an hour or more for the party to wind down. Another half hour passed before Jason finally got his hands on the copy of Weddings Today. He stared at the cover, still unable to wrap his mind around the idea that, despite all that had happened between them, Tara had written a favorable report on Heart’s Landing. Or that she’d convinced her bosses to once again hand their town the title. Hoping to learn her reasoning, he flipped through the four-page spread, but the article focused solely on what made Heart’s Landing so special.

  The magazine was a dead end. He wasn’t going to find the answers to his questions there. He’d nearly closed it when a photo on the next page caught his attention. He stared at himself dressed as Captain Thaddeus. A quick read of the column above it told him the piece marked a decided departure from the puff and fluff people were used to seeing in Weddings Today. Couched as marriage advice, the author had used a hurricane as a metaphor for the troubles couples truly in love might have to overcome.

  He stilled, knowing in an instant that Tara had written the article. He read the column through again, this time absorbing every word. When he finished, dampness clouded his vision. Tara had loved him. The accusations he’d flung at her had ruined things between them; the bitter words he’d said to her had pushed her away, but she’d loved him enough to share their story with the world. When he finally wrenched his focus off the page, Evelyn stood beside him.

  “Wow,” she said reading over his shoulder. “She must have really loved you.”

  “Not as much as I loved her,” Jason murmured. “And still do. I’ve been such a fool.” He stared at the picture, resigned to spending the rest of his life with a gaping hole in his heart.

  Evelyn’s eyes searched his face. “You’re going to leave things like this? That’s nuts. You know that, don’t you. You have to talk to her.”

  Could he?

  Like Captain Thaddeus and Mary, he and Tara were made for each other. If he had the chance to make things right between them, he had to try. He whipped out his phone. Her number was seared into his memory. He punched it while he strode out the door. In seconds, he was listening to a recorded message.

  “You’ve reached Tara. If you’re calling about the apartment, you’re too late. It’s already rented. Otherwise, leave a message at the beep.”

  Jason lowered the phone. Was he too late as well? He dug in his pocket for the business card he’d tucked into his wallet. Somewhere in Manhattan, a phone rang…and rang…and rang. He groaned, certain he’d missed his chance. He was just about to give up when an unfamiliar voice came on the line.

  “Tara Stewart’s desk. This is Van. May I help you?”

  Vanessa Robinson. Tara’s office mate. He straightened. “This is Jason Heart. I’m trying to reach Tara.”

  “You’re the guy who broke her heart.”

  The ice in Van’s voice knocked him back a step. Jason swallowed. If the situation called for it, he’d grovel. “I know I don’t deserve it, but I need to talk to her. At the very least, I owe her a huge apology. More than that, I—” On the verge of confessing how badly he’d messed things up with Tara, he stopped. He’d shout his love for her to the world if it would bring her back to him, but he thought—maybe—she should be the first to hear him say it.

  Silence stretched until he thought Van had hung up on him. At last, she sighed. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but…”

  But what? Had she moved on? To Savannah? To someone else? He winced. There’d never be anyone else for him but Tara.

  Van’s breath whispered through the receiver. “She has a meeting with Regina Charm tomorrow at ten. If you want to catch her, that’s your best chance.”

  “Thank you. From the depths of my heart.” Jason’s voice wavered.

  “Don’t make me regret this,” came a warning he didn’t need.

  “I won’t,” he swore and ended the call.

  Minutes later, he pulled Evelyn aside. “I’m going to try and get her back. I need your help. Can you call the train station? Get Georgia to book me on the 10:15 to New York. If I leave now, I’ll just have enough time to swing by the Cottage and grab a bag.” He had to retrieve the ring that had been handed down from one generation of Hearts to the next. Nestled in a velvet-lined box, it sat in a safe in his room. If Tara forgave him, if she’d have him, he’d never let her go again.

  “What are you waiting for?” Evelyn had already pulled out her cell phone. “Go. Go.” She waved her fingers in the air.

  Tara glanced at the wall calendar that hung beside the sink in her tiny apartment. The ominous red circle around today’s date hadn’t disappeared since the last time she’d looked at it. She sighed. All good things came to an end, and her time was up at Weddings Today. She stretched the tape over the cardboard, ripped it from the dispenser, and dusted her hands. That was it. The last of them. She surveyed the meager pile of boxes in the one-room apartment. To save moving costs, she’d sold or given away most of her furniture. Later this morning, after the fateful meeting with Regina, she’d begin the arduous task of loading what she could into the small truck she’d rented. By this time tomorrow, she’d be on to the next chapter of her life.

  Where that chapter would unfold, she had no idea. The thought of returning to Savannah, of moving back into her old bedroom, working in her parents’ restaurant, and giving up on her dreams made her stomach hurt. But she couldn’t afford to stay in New York, not even in a tiny, fifth-floor walk-up.

  Lately, she’d been thinking about Heart’s Landing. A lot. She’d fallen in love with the town, with the people there, with the dedication they poured into providing the perfect wedding for every bride. She wanted to be a part of that somehow. To contribute to making other brides’ dreams come true, even if her own had shattered.

  She wiped tears from her eyes. There wasn’t a whole lot left in her savings account, but it, along with her severance pay, should be enough to see her through a couple of months until she got on her feet again. She supposed she could go freelance—write articles touting the area and submit them on spec to various newspapers and magazines. Eventually, that might lead to a permanent job with the Heart’s Landing Gazette.

  But could she live in the same town as the man she’d loved, would always love? One day in the not-so-distant future, Jason was bound to start dating again. Her heart clenched. He might have already. Could she han
dle meeting him on the street, greeting him with the casualness of an old friend, making the next Ms. Potentially Right feel welcome? She’d have to if she followed her heart, and right now, it was leading her to Heart’s Landing.

  She sighed. It was time to go into the office and face the music. The last two months had been quite the roller coaster ride at work. She’d been certain she was about to get fired when Regina had called her into her office the day she’d returned from Heart’s Landing. But no. Though her boss had clearly been unhappy with the decision, the senior editor had explained that upper management had chosen Heart’s Landing as one of the top ten finalists in this year’s competition. It had fallen to Tara to polish her presentation for the final round, a task she’d worked on day and night for four solid weeks. Which hadn’t been easy, considering that every picture, every line of text, reminded her of Jason and the love she’d had and lost. In the end, it had been worth it. She hadn’t been able to contain herself when word had come down that Heart’s Landing had retained its number one ranking as America’s Top Wedding Destination.

  Her first impulse had been to call Jason and deliver the good news personally. She’d stopped herself. Wiping her eyes, she’d let her coworkers think she was crying tears of joy as she stepped away from the phone and accepted their good wishes.

  Regina, though, hadn’t been among the many people who’d stopped by her cubicle to offer their congratulations. The night before, she’d flown to London for a preview of Sophie Olson’s spring line. From England, the senior editor had gone to Paris, where she’d consulted with that country’s top designers in bridal wear. After a lengthy stay in Milan, she’d polished off her month-long sojourn by attending the royal wedding of the prince of Belgium at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. The editor was due back in the office today, and Tara harbored no doubts about the topic of their ten o’clock meeting. She checked her phone. She’d have to hustle if she was going to make it across town on time.