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

by Leigh Duncan

  Two hours later, she marched into the lobby of the magazine’s headquarters wearing the only pair of designer heels she owned and a slim-fitting suit that usually bolstered her spirits. A task that became infinitely more difficult when silence fell over the bull pen the instant she stepped out of the elevator. Her knees went weak. The quiet created the distinct impression that she was running a gauntlet. Except, in this case, she was on the receiving end of furtive peeks and sidelong glances instead of sticks and stones.

  She squared her shoulders. Ahead, Regina’s office door yawned open. She pressed toward it. Passing her own cubicle, she caught Van’s thumbs-up sign. She managed a shaky smile in return.

  “Ms. Charm?” She stood in the hall.

  Not much had changed in the weeks since she’d last set foot in her boss’s office. If anything, the piles of paper on Regina’s desk were higher, the frown on the editor’s face more deeply etched. Her glasses, purple this time, twirled from the ends of her fingers.

  “Yes, Tara. I appreciate your coming in to the office today. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.”

  “None at all.” Getting fired, though, that was a huge pain.

  “Have a seat.”

  She slid onto the guest chair, her back stiff.

  “Let’s get right to it, shall we?” Laying her glasses aside, Regina flexed her fingers.

  Figuring it might be her last for a while, Tara sucked in a breath.

  “You did an excellent job with the Heart’s Landing proposal. Although, I must say, I was surprised by your continued support of the town, considering all you went through there.”

  Tara cocked her head. Say what?

  In answer, Regina made a dismissive gesture. “Please. I might be in management, but my investigative skills are still as sharp as ever. I know I’m not the only one who lost the love of her life in Heart’s Landing.”

  Tara fought an urge to scratch her head. She had fallen in love with Jason. Their relationship had shipwrecked. She was pretty sure she’d never get over losing him. But how had Regina found out about it? Did she have other spies working for her? Whether she did or not, there was no point in denying the truth. “I don’t know where you got your information, but you’re right. My love life aside, though, I still believe in the town and what it stands for.”

  Regina’s features, always so stiff and formal, softened. “You’re a better person than I am, Tara. When Robert called off our wedding, I let it color my opinion of Heart’s Landing. I’m glad you didn’t do the same thing.” She picked up the issue of Weddings Today that featured the Captain’s Cottage on the cover. “It is such a pretty little town. You were right to advocate for it.”

  Wow. The admission was so far out of Regina’s character, Tara didn’t know how to react. “How long does it take before your heart stops feeling like it’s being ripped to pieces every day?” she whispered.

  Regina’s dark eyes watered. “I’ll let you know when that happens.” Perching her glasses on her nose, she assumed her usual distant demeanor. “There was a reason I wanted to meet with you, and it wasn’t to reminisce.” She cleared her throat. “We—and by that I mean myself as well as the powers that be upstairs—were impressed by the work you did on the Heart’s Landing proposal. Your attention to detail, your ability to work independently, your creative flair are exactly the attributes we want in our staff at Weddings Today.”

  Tara slowly exhaled the breath she’d been holding. A tiny spark of hope lit in her chest. Regina made it sound like she wasn’t getting fired.

  “In addition, your article using a storm as a metaphor for true love was brilliant. Response has been extremely positive. We want to see more of that. That being said, we’d like to offer you the newly created position of Senior Columnist.”

  Tara’s breath stalled. This was more than she’d dared hope for. “What, exactly, would my responsibilities be?”

  “You’d write a monthly advice column for the magazine. The topic can be anything you like. Subject to my approval, of course.”

  Tara nodded. She could live with that. No editor in her right mind would give a brand-new columnist carte blanche.

  “A thousand words, max. You’d have your own byline. The offer comes with a commensurate salary bump. You’ll have your own office.” Regina slid a slip of paper across the desk.

  Tara stared at the number, her eyes widening. The amount was more than she’d imagined in her wildest dreams. The raise meant she could afford to move to a more spacious apartment. With an elevator. Maybe even a view. But she wouldn’t kid herself. Writing a monthly column about some aspect of love was going to be difficult given the current shattered state of her own heart.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  Before Tara had a chance to answer, the intercom on Regina’s desk buzzed. “Ms. Charm. I’m sorry to interrupt, but there’s a Mr. Heart here to see Tara. He’s, um, quite insistent on speaking with her right away.”

  “Jason? What’s he doing here?” The questions flew from Tara’s mouth. Hope leaped to her throat. Her heart thudded.

  Regina’s glasses slid down her nose. She looked over the tops of the frames. “I take it he’s the one?” At Tara’s speechless nod, she asked, “Do you want to see him?”

  It took less than a split-second for her to decide. “Yes.”

  Regina pressed a button on the intercom. “Show him in.”

  Agreeing to see the man who’d ripped her heart to shreds was one thing; deciding how to greet him was something else again. Remaining seated felt too cold and impersonal. Standing might send the message that she was glad to see him. Which, after all the pain and heartache he’d put her through, shouldn’t be the case. She crossed and recrossed her legs. In quick succession, someone rapped on the door, which sprang open, and there he was, the man of her dreams. The man who’d been her everything…before he’d broken her heart.

  As if she realized Tara might need a moment to pull herself together, Regina sprang from her seat and came around the desk to greet him. “Mr. Heart. Welcome to Weddings Today. I’m Regina Charm, Executive Editor for the magazine.”

  Tara’s gaze had locked on Jason’s the moment he’d entered the room. When his attention shifted to the diminutive woman in his path, the loss felt like a body blow. From the mournful look she glimpsed in his eyes, he must have felt the same way. Nevertheless, he extended a hand in greeting.

  “Ms. Charm. It’s a pleasure. On behalf of all of Heart’s Landing, I’d like to thank you for the honor you bestowed on our town.”

  Tara watched the interplay, her mouth dry. It was a good thing Regina was handling this part of things. She didn’t think her lips could form a single word.

  “Our magazine was thrilled with this year’s selection. Of course, a lot of the credit goes to Tara here. Though Heart’s Landing is indeed the perfect location for a wedding, it was her presentation to our management team that sealed the deal.”

  Jason swung to face her. “You did that for us after...after everything?”

  Tara found her feet. “I wouldn’t let my personal feelings interfere with the job I was sent there to do.” Jason had broken her heart, but she wasn’t vindictive or petty. He needed to know she was tougher than that. “I fell in love with Heart’s Landing. I wanted the world to see it the same way I did.”

  Jason pressed one hand to his chest. “Thank you. The whole town thanks you.”

  “That’s one of the reasons we’ve just offered Tara a promotion. Senior Columnist,” Regina interrupted.

  Jason’s focus shifted to the editor. When he looked at Tara again, equal portions of happiness and regret swam in his eyes. “A promotion? That’s, uh, that’s great news. Congratulations.” He shuffled his feet.

  “Thanks.” Tara hid a smile. The man who never lost his cool was clearly ill at ease. She wondered why.

  Th
e imploring look Jason tossed in Regina’s direction all but demanded the editor leave her own office. But Regina wasn’t going anywhere. Her arms folded, she leaned against a nearby bookcase as if she didn’t have anywhere better to be. Jason shuffled sideways until his broad shoulders blocked as much of the editor’s view as possible. “There’s, uh, there’s something else I wanted to tell you. The last time we spoke, I said some things I shouldn’t have.” With another glance at Regina, he moved closer to Tara. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am.”

  Tara sliced a hand through the air. “Apology accepted. You weren’t the only one in the wrong. I should’ve been honest with you from the beginning.” If she had one misgiving—other than how things had turned out—it was that she hadn’t confided in him, trusted him, earlier. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. Not ever.

  Jason bowed his head. “In the future, I won’t be so quick to judge.”

  “See that you don’t...the next time you fall in love.” Whoever she was, Jason’s next girlfriend would reap the benefits of the mistakes they’d both made.

  Jason slowly shook his head. “I’m never going to fall in love again.”

  “Don’t be so sure.” It was bound to happen. For him, at least. As for her, there’d never be anyone else like him.

  “Because I never fell out of love…with you.”

  Tara’s heart skipped a beat before stalling out completely. The air in her lungs escaped in a long hiss that ended with, “Me, neither.”

  The tiny lines around Jason’s mouth and eyes smoothed. His feet lost their nervous shuffle. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in two months.” A wistful smile slanted across his face. “That’s saying something.”

  When she stopped to think about everything else that had transpired, it was actually saying quite a lot.

  His mouth opened and closed, leaving whatever else he’d planned to say unfinished. Her eyes watered. He didn’t have to speak. She understood. Relationships were tough enough when the two who loved each other lived within hailing distance. With more than two hundred miles separating them, theirs would be a constant struggle.

  Jason’s expression firmed. “If you think there’s even a chance for us, I’ll move to New York. There’s an opening at the Beacon Theater. I’ve already applied for the position.”

  “Wait. No.” That wasn’t what she’d had in mind. She couldn’t let him move away from Heart’s Landing. Not for her. “What about the Captain’s Cottage?”

  “Evelyn has agreed to take over. She’s not thrilled with the idea, but once she gets her feet wet, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  But there was something he didn’t know.

  “Jason.” Stepping forward, she placed her hand on his broad chest. Through the rough weave of his shirt, she felt his heart beat. “My promotion—I’ll be a columnist. I can do that job from anywhere.” She glanced at Regina for confirmation. “Isn’t that right?”

  Lingering by the door, Regina swiped a finger under her eyes. “I don’t see why not. You’d need to come into the office once or twice a month, but everything else can be handled by phone or email.”

  Longing to put the confusion she saw there to rest, she stared into Jason’s eyes. “I was actually planning to make my home in Heart’s Landing.”

  “Really?” Jason stilled. “You’re moving…there?”

  She shrugged, the worries of the past few months slipping from her shoulders. “My bags are already packed. I was going to load the truck tonight, hit the road first thing in the morning.”

  “That puts a different spin on things. I hadn’t considered…”

  When he wavered, her entire body went cold. She’d seen the possibility of a second chance in his presence here. But maybe she’d gotten it all wrong. Maybe that wasn’t what he wanted at all. She drew in a calming breath. “Jason. It’s okay. If we’re not on the same page, I don’t have to move to Heart’s Landing. I can stay, find another apartment in New York. The city’s not such a bad place.”

  She’d never feel at home here, though. Not like she did in Heart’s Landing. A part of her would always belong to the small, seaside town where brides went to get married.

  “I’m not saying that. In fact…” Jason shoved one hand in his pocket.

  Before Tara could draw a breath or form a cogent thought, he sank to one knee. “I love you more than I ever thought possible. I will regret to my dying day the words I said to you in anger, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you, Tara Stewart, will do me the honor of becoming my wife and accept this ring as a token of my love.”

  The world came to a full stop. Her heart stammered. She thought she’d lost him. She thought she’d lost everything. Instead, she’d gained her heart’s desire.

  “Yes!” The word whispered across her lips. When her thoughts caught up, she knew she’d said the right thing. Her heart belonged to Jason. It always would.

  Her fingers steady with the firm belief that she’d made the right choice, the only choice, she watched as Jason slipped a circle of emerald and diamonds on her finger. She sucked in a gasp. She’d have worn the ring even if it were as ugly as the Dobson pendant, but it was truly a work of art.

  “My great-great-great-grandfather gave this to his bride. It’s been worn by Heart women for generations. If you want something more modern…”

  “Never. It’s a treasure. I’m honored to wear it.” She pressed Mary Heart’s ring to her lips.

  She tilted her face to his. Eyes the color of unbreakable steel, as deep as the ocean’s depths, as impervious as slate, stared back at her in a steady gaze that told her Jason’s love would never falter. That it was, indeed, a love for the ages.

  Regaining his feet, Jason drew her into his arms. Tenderly, almost reverently, he cupped her chin in his hands. Her breath steadied as Jason leaned toward her. He shifted closer, drawing out the moment with gentle strokes of his fingers against her throat until she couldn’t stand it. She ached to feel his lips against hers. Rising on tiptoe, she met him as, at last, he dipped down until their lips touched. A soft moan rose in her throat and she knew, once and for all, she’d found her home. He was what she’d been searching for her entire life. He was where she wanted to be more than anywhere else.

  All too soon, they pulled apart at Regina’s not-so-gentle throat clearing. “I think that’s my cue,” murmured the misty-eyed editor. An instant later, she slipped out the door. It closed firmly behind her retreating figure.

  “I thought she’d never leave,” Jason whispered.

  Tara leaned against him. Eager to start her new life in Heart’s Landing with the man she loved, she lifted her lips for another of Jason’s amazing kisses. In an instant, she pictured the future they’d have in one another’s arms, the years they’d spend at each other’s sides. She and Jason would grow old together. One day, they’d have matching rockers on the veranda of the Captain’s Cottage, where they’d sit side-by-side and regale their sons and daughters—the next generation of Hearts—with stories of Thaddeus and Mary and their very own Heart’s Landing love for the ages.

  “Let’s go home,” she whispered.

  Epilogue

  “A little higher. Higher. You almost have it,” Alicia Thorne directed from beyond the first row of chairs in the side yard of the Captain’s Cottage.

  “Now, don’t you boys crush my flowers.” Mildred Morrey fretted beside her.

  “Not a chance.” Ryan Court’s head swung toward the helper he’d conscripted minutes earlier. “Jason, you good on your end?”

  Jason tightened his grip on the rope they’d used in assembling the backdrop. Purple hyacinths swayed as the final piece of the wooden frame slid into place over his head. “Got it,” he said through gritted teeth.

  As if there were a chance in the world that he’d let go and have the whole thing come crashing down. Not after all the hard wor
k Ryan had poured into building the bower. Not after Mildred carefully covered every inch with ribbons and bows before tucking flowers into niches. Not with half of Heart’s Landing slated to arrive at the Captain’s Cottage in a matter of hours. Certainly not with Tara’s happiness at stake.

  His heart hammered. In just a little while, in front of family and friends, he and Tara would say their vows and begin their new lives as husband and wife. He could hardly wait. He’d thanked God every day in the weeks that had passed since he’d sworn to love and cherish her for the rest of his life. Beginning today, he’d prove to her that he was a man of his word.

  “Jason! Are you daydreaming again?” Hammering a nail into place with one blow, Ryan shook his head. “Serves me right for asking the groom to lend a hand.”

  Startled, Jason gave his friend his best aw-shucks smile and tightened his hold on the rope. Lately, he hadn’t been able to think about anything but Tara. “Falling in love should come with a warning label like some medicines. ‘Don’t operate heavy machinery. Stay away from sharp objects.’”

  “Oh, man. You’ve got it bad.” Ryan said, but a smile accompanied his grumbles. He sank a few more nails. “Okay. You can let go now. Stand over there with Mildred and Alicia, and tell me how it looks.”

  Jason didn’t need a second invitation. While Ryan tucked his hammer into his tool belt, he trotted down the stairs and took his place between the florist and the event planner. On the side porch, tall pots of purple hyacinths stood against a backdrop of gauzy white curtains. More flowers dripped from the archway that he and Tara would pass under when they mounted the steps to join the minister on the veranda.

  “I think you nailed it—pun intended,” Jason declared. The day they’d held the taste testing at I Do Cakes, Tara had been crushed when he’d pointed out the problems with using her favorite flowers in a wedding at this particular location. For today, though, he’d wanted, more than anything, to fulfill her every wish, even if it meant taking gardening shears to the rose bushes. With a lot of help from friends like Ryan, Alicia and Mildred, that hadn’t been necessary. Now, with the trellises tucked behind sheer drapes and folding chairs arrayed in rows on the lawn, the stage was set for the wedding of Tara’s dreams. He took a deep breath. “What do you think, ladies?”