“Oh, Brett! This is where you grew up?” Tara asked as he parked the pickup. He nodded then hurried around to open her door. “It’s beautiful.”
“We kind of like it,” he said, offering her a grin that brought out the hint of dimples in his cheeks.
He took Tara’s hand in his as he led her down the walk and up the steps of the front door. A quick glance at her revealed a flash of nervousness as she attempted to run a hand over her hair then down the front of her skirt. He’d been the one responsible for mussing her hair and wrinkling her skirt, but his mother wouldn’t care how Tara looked. She’d be too excited by the fact that Brett had finally brought a girl home with him to notice anything else.
His breath stirred the hair by her ear when he bent close to her. “We really don’t have to do this. There’s still time to escape if you’d rather eat dinner in town. Or I can take you back to…”
“No,” Tara said, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’d love to meet your parents and see the inside of this fabulous house.”
Brett placed his hand on the small of her back and nudged her forward when he opened the door. “They are most likely in the kitchen, so I’ll give you an abbreviated tour on our way there.”
Tara stepped into the entry and spun in a slow circle, taking in the light-drenched space. “Oh, it’s amazing, Brett.” Her fingers trailed across the end of the oak banister as they walked past it and headed down a long hall. He showed her the formal parlor, the library, a second parlor, the music room, the dining room, and his father’s office. By the time they reached the kitchen, his stomach growled at the smell of roasted meat and yeasty bread. “Dad put pork on to roast this morning. It should be just about ready,” he said, pushing open the door to the kitchen and stepping inside, pulling Tara along with him.
“Hello, baby!” Randa Cutler said, beaming at her only child as he walked into the kitchen with Tara. “Your timing is impeccable, as always. We’re just about ready to eat.”
“I’m glad we didn’t come any later, then,” Brett said, moving a step closer to Tara. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Tara Tarleton. She’s the pastry chef at Wade and Ashley’s place, at least for this month. You should taste her pecan pie. Grandma couldn’t have made it any better.”
Randa wiped her hands on a dishtowel then stepped around the counter, giving Tara a welcoming hug. The woman was petite, but shared the same blond hair and blue eyes as her son. “Welcome to Cutler Springs, darling. We’re so pleased to meet you. I’m Randa and this is my husband, Alex.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Tarleton,” Alex held out a hand in greeting.
Tara took it with a smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Cutler. Thank you for the invitation to join you for dinner.”
“Oh, please, call us Randa and Alex.” Randa looped her arm around Tara’s and guided her out the kitchen door to a screened porch that overlooked one of the horse pastures.
“It’s so lovely here,” Tara said, awed by the breathtaking views as well as Brett’s parents. She’d expected them to be stuffy and formal, looking down their noses at a girl like her, but they immediately made her feel right at home.
“Thank you. We rather enjoy it,” Alex said, carrying a bowl of salad to the table. Covered in vintage lace and set with antique china and silver, the table looked like it was set for a fancy tea rather than a simple meal.
“Mom always gets out the old stuff on Sunday,” Brett whispered, leaning close to Tara.
She smiled up at him and placed her hand over his where it rested possessively at her waist. “Is there something I can do to help?” she asked, glancing from Brett to his mother.
“No, darling, not at all. Just sit yourself down and we’ll be back in a jiffy.” Randa breezed back inside the house with Alex.
Brett pulled out a chair for Tara and kissed her cheek after she was seated. A faint rosy hue tinted her face as she glanced back toward the kitchen door, checking to see if his parents were watching. Assured they were busy with the meal, she relaxed.
Brett squeezed her shoulder and disappeared inside. He soon returned with his parents, carrying a platter in each hand.
After Alex asked a blessing on the meal, they dug into the food. Brett had anticipated his mother giving Tara a thorough interrogation of her background, career aspirations, and how many babies she planned to give a doting grandparent to cuddle.
However, his mother surprised him. She asked questions about Tara’s work, both at Magnolia Rose and in Portland. Randa got Tara talking about her family, and their love of all things Gone With the Wind.
“Have you taken her to the museums, honey?” Randa inquired, turning to Brett.
He wiped his mouth on a napkin and shook his head. “No, Mom. There’s hardly been time. This is only the second day Tara’s had off since she arrived.”
Randa frowned then turned back to Tara. “You really should visit them all, darling. The official Gone With the Wind Trail starts in Marietta and ends in Jonesboro. If you are a fan, you must go to at least one of the museums.”
“Oh, it sounds wonderful,” Tara said, smiling at Randa. “If I have the opportunity to go, I’ll be sure to do so. It’s just that Sundays are my only full day off and I plan to leave the day after the guests clear out. I have to get back to my life in Portland, no matter how much fun it would be to stay here.”
Randa gave her son a pointed look then changed the subject to the antics of the guests staying at Magnolia Rose.
Brett and Tara entertained the older couple with stories about the two teen boys who loved to play pranks, but had yet to be caught in the act, so they’d gone unpunished. Brett told his parents of Tara playing Scarlett and dressing up to rescue her from the group, although the debate of whether he was Ashley or Rhett remained a hot topic among the living history participants.
Randa smiled and patted her son’s cheek. “Well, of course you are Rhett, baby. With that killer smile and the way the girls all look at you in those ridin’ britches, you’d have to be the dashing Rhett Butler.” The woman winked at Tara. “I always did think Ashley was a bit of a milquetoast sort of fellow.”
Tara laughed and Alex took charge of the conversation. He answered her questions about Cutler Springs Farms and the horses. By the time the meal ended, Brett felt warmth radiating from his heart throughout his whole being. Although he hoped they would hit it off, it was nice to see his parents seemed quite taken with Tara. She appeared equally at ease with them.
While he helped his father with the dishes, his mother insisted on giving Tara a tour of the house. Nearly an hour passed before they returned to the family gathering room at the back of the house where the two men watched a detective show on the big screen television.
Brett and Alex both rose as the women walked into the room. “Mom must have given you the full nickel tour because the two-cent one only takes about fifteen minutes.”
Randa laughed and playfully thumped Brett on the arm. “We had a wonderful time, baby. Now, it’s getting late and this poor girl is probably exhausted. Take her home, but make sure you get in a good night kiss.”
“Mom,” Brett said in a warning tone that made his father roll his eyes while Randa winked at Tara.
“It was lovely to meet you, darling. Come anytime to visit. We’d love to have you.”
Tara gave the woman a hug then shook hands with Alex. “Thank you so much for your hospitality and making me feel so welcome in your home. I’m not sure if my schedule will cooperate, but if it does, I’d love to come again.”
Randa looped her arm with Tara’s as they moved toward the door. “Just tell Brett anytime you want to come with him. He can bring you. Or Alex and I could run over to pick you up. At any rate, don’t be a stranger.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Tara followed Brett outside and looked back once, waving at his parents as they stood in the doorway, watching them leave.
Brett let his thoughts wander as he drove Tara to Magnolia Rose and wa
lked her to the back porch steps.
“Thanks for spending the day with me,” he said, rubbing his thumbs across the palms of her hands, doing his best to ignore the sparks the simple touch ignited. “It was one of the best days I’ve had in a long, long time.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Tara said in a low voice that struck a resonant chord somewhere deep inside Brett. “You’ve been so kind to me, so good to me, and I thank you for it. It truly was a pleasure to meet your parents. They both are just awesome.”
Brett grinned. “I agree that they are awesome, but don’t tell Mom I said that. She’ll never give it a rest.”
Tara laughed and started up the steps, but Brett held onto her hand, prohibiting her escape. He hurried up the steps, until they both stood on the top one. Lights from the house illuminated the porch in a hazy, yellow light that, oddly enough, seemed like a soft, romantic glow.
Unable to stop himself, he wrapped both arms around Tara and kissed her full on the mouth. Although restrained, he allowed enough of his feelings for her to flow into the kiss that she took a staggering step back and sucked in a sharp breath when he finally raised his head.
Convinced they’d be caught at any moment, he cupped her cheek and smirked. “Until next time, beautiful Tara. Good night.”
“Night, Brett.”
He jogged down the steps and over to his pickup, not looking back. If he did and saw her watching him, he wasn’t sure he could force himself to leave.
Chapter Seven
“Wait! What? He took you to meet his parents? Oh, my gosh, Tara! That is so huge. It’s… it’s…” Ellen struggled to find a fitting word.
“Colossal,” Tara supplied, plopping down on her bed with the phone held in her hand.
After Brett’s knee-quaking kiss on the back porch, and those he’d lavished upon her throughout the day, she felt the need to talk to someone. The first person who came to mind was her best friend. Although it was late in Atlanta, she realized it was still early in Portland and called Ellen.
Quickly relaying the details to her friend, Ellen had confirmed Tara’s thoughts on Brett taking her to meet his parents. When she’d first walked into the impressive house, she’d conjured up any number of images of Brett’s parents being uppity, looking down their nose at her. The opposite seemed to be true. Tara had hidden her surprise at finding Brett’s parents in the kitchen, cooking. She assumed with their wealth, an array of servants would have been at their disposal. Brett had mentioned that his mother liked to give the staff Sundays and Mondays off and enjoyed cooking, especially if they had company.
Randa and Alex Cutler were as much of a surprise as their son had been. Tara had no idea he was part of the family that owned the expansive horse farm down the road from Magnolia Rose. Mistakenly, she’d assumed he was just a cowboy, hired to work for Ashley and Wade for a month. Instead, he turned out to be the wealthy owner of the equines on top of being a hunky cowboy who was good with horses.
“This is all pretty incredible, Tara. I mean, here you thought the Bradley Cooper look-alike was just a cute guy who handled the horses. In one magical day, you discover he’s the charming son of a wealthy family who has their own plantation. I mean, how cool is that?” Ellen giggled. “And I love that his name is Brett. Brett Cutler. He just sounds like a hero from one of those romance novels I love to read.”
Tara couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, he does, but what should I do?”
“Do? About what?”
Exasperated, Tara sighed. “About Brett, you goose! I mean, two more weeks and I’ll be on a plane heading back to Portland. This month will be relegated to a wonderful, exciting memory. It seems wrong to waste his time when I’m not staying here.”
“I don’t think it’s a waste of time to date a perfectly wonderful guy. Come on, Tara. When was the last time you dated anyone you like as well as Brett?” Ellen asked, already knowing the answer.
“Never. I’ve never dated anyone like him.” Tara rolled over on her back and stared at the lacy canopy overhead. “He’s sweet and thoughtful, yet rugged and all man. And he has the most beautiful blue eyes, and his smile. Oh, my gracious! When he smiled today, I actually caught a glimpse of dimples.”
“No way,” Ellen practically squealed in the phone. “You’ve always been such a sucker for dimples.”
“True, but that still doesn’t answer my question. Ellen, I could really fall for this guy, but I can’t stay here. I don’t have a job and you’d be left without a roomie. There is a distinct probability my mother would go into an unstoppable fit of hysterics if I actually decided to live more than an hour out of her zip code.”
Ellen sighed. “Tara, this is a time in your life when you need to not worry about your dead-end job at the bakery or how your mother will cope if you move out of the state. As for me, maybe it’s time for the two of us to branch out. You know I love sharing an apartment with you, but I looked at the cutest little place near the office. It’s only about a ten minute walk to work, but that’s a conversation for another day.”
“No, let’s have that conversation today.” Tara took a quick breath and plunged ahead. “I’ve given it a lot of thought, El, and you need to move closer to work. It isn’t a good thing for you to make that commute every day, especially when things keep getting busier and busier for you. You are the best roommate anyone could ever have, but I’m kicking you out. Find a place closer to the office, my friend. Your life will be so much less complicated if you do.”
Ellen remained silent for longer than Tara would have liked before she finally spoke. “Wow, Tara. I’m just… surprised. I know we promised to stick together until one of us married Mr. Right, but practicality is about to come into play. Thank you for being so understanding and bossy.”
“That’s what I’m here for, my friend.” Tara smiled. “Just promise you’ll seriously look for a place close to work.”
“I promise,” Ellen said in a solemn tone then broke into giggles. “Now, let’s work on getting you what you want. If you want that hunky southern hottie, then don’t let anything stand in your way. Can’t you channel a little Scarlett and go after what you want?”
Tara laughed and released some of her anxiety. “Maybe I will. First, though, I need to figure out what I want. Right now, that’s a good night’s rest. I have a big day tomorrow.”
“I thought every day was a big day down there,” Ellen said good-naturedly.
“It is. This job has been such an incredible learning experience and has helped me stretch beyond my comfort zone. And Stuart has been amazing to work with.”
“He’s the fancy pants chef in charge of everything. Is that right?” Ellen asked.
Tara sat up, trying to subdue her broad grin. “Stuart is a highly respected chef with his own restaurant and cookbooks and…”
“Cooking show, I get it.”
“Stuart really is great. He’s very humble and just a nice guy. His assistant chef, however, is the one that fits the fancy pants title. Jonas Slattery is full of bluster and bluff, but not much else. When Stuart isn’t in the kitchen, he struts around like an obnoxious little rooster, fluffing his feathers and pecking at everyone.” Tara swallowed down a giggle. “Yesterday, he was being quite nasty to two of the line cooks, barking at them about a mistake he himself had made. He was so busy trying to sound important that he failed to notice Stuart standing right behind him. Oh, you should have seen his face, El, when he turned around and ran nose-first right into Stuart’s chef’s coat.”
“How tall is this guy?” Ellen asked.
“I think you’ve got an inch or two on him,” Tara said, picturing her five-foot, four-inch friend standing above the cocky little chef. “Not only is he short, he’s already balding, and has a bit of a pot belly from all the supposed quality control he does on the various dishes that come out of the kitchen. On top of that, he’s also got all the charm and pizzazz of a bucket of fertilizer.”
Ellen’s gleeful giggles made Tara sm
ile. “Why does Stuart keep him on?”
“Jonas puts on his best game face when Stuart is around. I think Stuart was hoping to train him to take over on events like this. It would be a certifiable disaster if he did.”
“It certainly sounds like it.” Ellen’s voice sounded muffled as she spoke to someone then came back on the line. “I’m sorry, Tara, but I’m still at work and I need to finish this up before I leave tonight. Call me later this week and let me know how things are going. I’ll want an update on the awful assistant chef as well as a glowing report on your gorgeous Georgia cowboy.”
“He’s not my cowboy, even if he is gorgeous.” Tara glanced at the clock. “I miss you, El. Take care and don’t work too late. Talk to you later.”
“You can count on it.”
Chapter Eight
Tara would be in town for two more days and Brett was at his wit’s end to come up with a solid idea to keep her from leaving.
Since the day she met his parents, he’d made it a point to whisk her away from Magnolia Rose in the evenings and on her days off. They’d visited every tourist attraction in town, including spending a few hours one evening staring up at Stone Mountain. He’d driven around, showing her the Living Walls Atlanta project, which brought art and education into communities through public art. They’d toured the Fox Theatre, visited every museum even remotely tied to Gone With the Wind, and even paid a respectful visit to the old Oakland Cemetery.
Desperate to spend more time with the girl who had captured his heart, Brett branched out and showed Tara places he liked, restaurants he enjoyed. They’d eaten a late dinner two nights ago at Stuart’s restaurant. The chef happened to see them and came out of the kitchen, joining them at their table long enough to convey how grateful he was to have Tara at Magnolia Rose.
Brett had taken Tara to the Jackson Street Bridge at dusk and snapped a photo of them together with the skyline in the distance.
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