Tara (Beach Brides Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Author Bio

  Excerpt

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Author Bio

  Excerpt

  Tara

  Beach Brides Series

  by

  Ginny Baird

  Tara

  Beach Brides Series

  by

  Ginny Baird

  Published by

  Winter Wedding Press

  Copyright © 2017

  Ginny Baird

  Digital Edition

  ISBN 978-1-942058-21-2

  All Rights Reserved

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient, unless this book is a participant in a qualified lending program. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to export portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].

  Characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  Edited by Sally Knapp

  Cover Design by Raine English

  Elusive Dreams Designs

  http://www.ElusiveDreamsDesigns.com

  Introduction

  Grab your beach hat and a towel and prepare for a brand new series brought to you by twelve New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors…

  Beach Brides! Fun in the summer sun!

  Twelve heartwarming, sweet novellas linked by a unifying theme.

  You’ll want to read each one!

  BEACH BRIDES SERIES (Tara)

  Twelve friends from the online group, Romantic Hearts Book Club, decide to finally meet in person during a destination Caribbean vacation to beautiful Enchanted Island. While of different ages and stages in life, these ladies have two things in common: 1) they are diehard romantics, and 2) they’ve been let down by love. As a wildly silly dare during her last night on the island, each heroine decides to stuff a note in a bottle addressed to her “dream hero” and cast it out to sea! Sending a message in a bottle can’t be any crazier than online or cell phone dating, or posting personal ads! And, who knows? One of these mysterious missives might actually lead to love…

  Join Meg, Tara, Nina, Clair, Jenny, Lisa, Hope, Kim, Rose, Lily, Faith, and Amy, as they embark on the challenge of a lifetime: risking their hearts to accomplish their dreams.

  This is Tara’s story….

  A Savannah billionaire finds a message in a bottle on the beach when he’s about to propose to his socialite girlfriend, and his whole life turns on a dime.

  Find all of the Beach Brides at Amazon!

  MEG (Julie Jarnagin)

  TARA (Ginny Baird)

  NINA (Stacey Joy Netzel)

  CLAIR (Grace Greene)

  JENNY (Melissa McClone)

  LISA (Denise Devine)

  HOPE (Aileen Fish)

  KIM (Magdalena Scott)

  ROSE (Shanna Hatfield)

  LILY (Ciara Knight)

  FAITH (Helen Scott Taylor)

  AMY (Raine English)

  Prologue

  Tara’s message in a bottle…

  SOS!

  Mend my broken heart.

  If you’re smart,

  If you’re sexy,

  If you dare…

  IrishLass@...

  Chapter One

  Heath Wellington patted the pocket of his tuxedo jacket, finding the ring box wedged securely in place. He’d decided to bite the bullet and ask Caroline Chesterfield to marry him. They walked along the deserted Georgia shore, admiring the distant horizon. The grenadine sun was emerging, seemingly rising out of rollicking waves on this balmy October morning. The Caribbean storm that had assaulted the area had nipped at the coastline farther south, but it had fortunately spared Savannah. The gentile southern town wasn’t always so lucky, particularly during hurricane season.

  Heath had his pants legs rolled up and Caroline clutched at the hemline of her long green sequined dress, lifting it above the surf. They’d both left their shoes back by the pier and now strode barefoot along the gritty sand, as minute pieces of broken shell prickled their toes and poked at their insteps. The water temperature was tepid, its lingering warmth caused by months of unbearable summer heat. Yet cool pockets swirled in eddies, brought in with the tide from the chillier depths of the encroaching sea. Cockle shells were scattered about, as were moon snails and the occasional hollowed whelk. Colorful olive shells with various spiraling patterns dotted the broad beach, glistening with specks of seawater that shone like morning dew.

  Caroline paused to rescue a sand dollar that had been trapped in a nest of seaweed. It was perfectly formed and elegant. Just like Caroline, in her stylish halter dress with her blond hair twisted tastefully in a loose chignon above her nape. Tendrils spilled forth and a section of her hair had become undone, in part thanks to the rippling breeze, but also as a testament to a night of vigorous dancing. Their couple friends Byron and Sara had tied the knot yesterday evening, with Sara’s well-heeled parents hosting a blowout reception afterwards. Both Heath and Caroline had been wedding attendants. She’d been a bridesmaid while Heath had served as Byron’s best man.

  “It’s beautiful!” Caroline picked up the sand dollar, handing it to him. Heath accepted it with an open palm, admitting to himself that Caroline was, too.

  He smiled back at her and her deep blue eyes sparkled. “Just like you.”

  He should do it. Just do it. This was the ideal opening, right here. Right now. Out on spectacular Tybee Island.

  Another couple approached, walking toward them. The man and woman were also in formal attire, but there was something different about them. They were laughing with each other, sharing some kind of private joke, as they happily ambled along hand in hand. Heath wasn’t sure why, but he and Caroline rarely held hands. Not that this form of PDA was really necessary. There were clearly other things that mattered more.

  Color warmed Caroline’s cheeks. “You’re such a talker,” she said, referring to his previous compliment. “Ultra smooth.” She retrieved the sand dollar from his hand and gently set it down in the sand, leaving it for a shell collector. While Caroline routinely spotted treasures on the beac
h, she rarely saved them.

  “Smoothness pays with what I do,” Heath commented, as they moved along.

  “Sure does.” She managed a saucy laugh. “Pays big-time, Billionaire Banker.”

  Heath inwardly bristled at the new nickname she’d bestowed on him. While, professionally, he was pleased with his latest merger, he didn’t spend inordinate amounts of time reflecting on how it impacted his personal bottom line. Heath was good at what he did, but his focus wasn’t purely monetary. It was on the viability of his bank, as that affected the livelihood of the people who worked there. His Granddad Lyle had begun the business years ago, and it had grown from a simple savings and loan to an important international institution, with affiliates overseas and corporate offices in major U.S. cities.

  “True,” he answered mildly. “But there is more to life than that.” Heath patted his jacket pocket again, gathering his nerve. He’d talked this through with Byron before the wedding, and understood that Byron was right. At thirty-six years old, Heath was unlikely to find the idealized version of a female he had in mind. Who could be more ideal than Caroline? She was smart, gorgeous, and independently wealthy, which meant she wasn’t after his money. A very important point to consider, according to Byron, who had a fortune of his own to protect.

  Heath stopped walking and raked a hand through his wavy dark hair. “Caroline,” he began, heaving a breath. His pulse raced and his palms felt clammy. But they’d been talking about this for months. Skirting around the edges. Hinting at the future. At least, she had been hinting. A lot.

  “Are you all right?” Caroline touched his sleeve. “You seem a little winded.”

  “Uh—yeah, fine.” Sweat beaded his hairline and dribbled down his neck beneath his starched collar. He loosened his bowtie a notch. “I was just thinking that maybe you and I—?” He tried. Heath really tried, but the words got clogged in his throat.

  She viewed him hopefully, her delicate brow crinkling. “Yes?”

  “We’ve been going out for a long time now.”

  Caroline nodded. “Nearly three years.”

  “And in all that time…we…” Heath swallowed hard. “We’ve been to a bunch of weddings.”

  Her lips twisted in consternation. “And?”

  “And… We’ve done other things, too! Tons of things together… We’ve come to know each other pretty well, wouldn’t you say? We’ve formed a special…allegiance.”

  Caroline folded her arms, and Heath had the sinking sensation this wasn’t going well. “An allegiance?”

  Heath knew what he was expected to say next: that he’d fallen desperately in love with her. Instead of that, he opted for something closer to the truth. “What I mean is, I’ve developed a particular…fondness for—”

  “A fondness? I see.” Her face clouded over. “Just what are you trying to tell me, Heath?”

  He dug into his coat pocket, figuring it was now or never. From the way things had been going, they could only get better. Perhaps a flawless one-and-a-half-carat diamond would help lighten Caroline’s mood?

  Everything that had occurred between them over these past three years had been guiding them in this direction, steering Heath and Caroline down this primrose garden path. It was time. Past time, more than likely… Caroline was nearly Heath’s age, and neither of them was getting any younger.

  “Caroline, will you—?” His fingers tightened around the ring box just as she glanced over his shoulder.

  “What’s that?” she asked, pointing past him.

  Heath pivoted toward the ocean’s panorama, his gaze landing on the object in Caroline’s sights. A lean vessel with darkly tinted glass and a frayed amber label bobbed up and down, darting in and out of the waves. “It looks like a bottle,” he said, dropping his hand to his side. He trudged through the shallows, saltwater lapping against his rolled-up pants legs and soaking them through to the knees.

  He reached for the item and scooped it off the undulating surface of the water. “It’s a Chianti!” he proclaimed, amazed.

  Caroline viewed him, perplexed. “Italian wine?”

  Heath held up the bottle, examining it in the spreading sunlight. “No, the wine’s all gone.” He squinted at its contents and tilted the bottle sideways: a small scroll of paper knocked against the glass. “There’s something else in here.”

  He carried it back to her and she gently took the bottle, spinning it slowly around in her hands. “Do you think it’s a note?”

  “Yeah. Weird.” But in a cool kind of way, there was no denying that.

  “Who would do that?” Caroline asked. “Send a message in a bottle? Must be some kind of joke.”

  “Or, an experiment, maybe?”

  “It certainly can’t be for real,” Caroline decided. She bent down to wedge the bottle into the sand then dismissively wiped off her hands, dusting her palms together. “Now,” she said, setting her hands on her hips. When she dropped the hem of her dress, it danced and billowed in the waves. “Wasn’t there something you were about to tell—or ask—me?” Her lips tipped up in a grin and Heath’s heart caught in his throat.

  Incredibly, the episode with the bottle seemed to have turned Caroline’s spirits around. Where before she’d appeared perturbed with him, at present she seemed resigned. Resigned and maybe even a tiny bit giddy, speculating about what might happen next. “Come on, Heath!” she challenged with a chuckle. “What were you going to say?” Her voice held an anticipatory edge, like she could already guess. And, she was guessing with uncanny accuracy.

  The only trouble was…Heath was starting to wonder if he’d changed his mind. Marriage was an awfully big step; it wasn’t something one rushed into, or undertook casually. Perhaps Heath needed more time to think on it—and feel ready? Wasn’t that only fair—to Caroline, and to himself?

  It occurred to Heath that a bad marriage would be worse than no marriage at all. He could wake up one morning with Caroline beside him, yet find himself utterly alone. Trapped with the wrong person for eternity. Marooned in unholy matrimony… His gaze roved over the bottle, stuck in the sand beside Caroline’s feet, and something inside him hitched. His heart jolted, and then it slammed harder, thundering fiercely again and again.

  Heath felt like a man on the brink who’d just been pulled back from a ledge. What had he been thinking? He couldn’t marry Caroline! Maybe he wasn’t destined to marry anyone—ever. Because, if Heath knew anything clearly, it was that fondness wasn’t enough. He wrenched the bottle out of the sand, securing it in his grasp. Then he headed for the pier with long, brisk strides. Caroline scurried after him, kicking up sand and spray as she went.

  “Wait! Where are you going?”

  “I’m sorry, Caroline. I think we’ve made a mistake.”

  “We?” The hurt in her voice rose above the wind.

  Heath turned toward her and his shoulders sagged. “Me, it was me. My fault, and I’m sorry.”

  She stared at him, befuddled and dismayed. “Was it something I did?”

  “No, you’ve been wonderful,” he said hoarsely.

  “Just not wonderful enough, huh?” A tear glistened in her eye and Heath felt like the earth’s most colossal heel.

  “Let me drive you home.”

  “Then what?”

  Heath glanced at the bottle in his hand, having absolutely no idea. He only knew he needed space. And time to sort things out. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”

  Her chin trembled. “You might not, but I do.” Caroline stormed heatedly toward his car, grabbing her shoes along the way. Then she got in and slammed shut the door.

  Heath nabbed his shoes from beside the pier and climbed into the driver’s seat beside her. For a long while they both stared silently at the ocean. The tension was so thick between them they could hear gulls calling from several miles away. He didn’t know whether her next barb was said just to wound him, or whether it was spoken in truth. “There’s already somebody else, anyway.”

  Chapter Two

&n
bsp; Heath sat at his kitchen table staring at the two items in front of him: a mysterious Chianti bottle and an open ring box. He supposed he could try returning the ring at the jewelers, or possibly selling it online. At least he hadn’t sullied his Grandma Juliette’s engagement ring by sacrificing it as a potential offering. Her piece of jewelry involved a smaller diamond, but the ornate antique setting was gorgeous. Plus, it had been crafted in love. Heath’s Granddad Lyle had engraved the ring with the poignant message: Together forever through time.

  Their union had been a blessed one, marked by obvious mutual affection until the end. When Lyle lost his beloved Juliette twelve years ago, Lyle gave her engagement ring to his eldest grandson, Heath. Honored, yet unsure of what to do with it, then twenty-four-year-old Heath had tucked the treasure away in his bank lockbox. Heath had imagined vaguely that someday he might have a son of his own who could use it. For a fleeting instant, he’d even imagined he would employ the ring himself. Assuming he found the right woman: the sort of bride that Juliette had been for Lyle.