Tara (Beach Brides Book 2) Read online

  Tara caught her breath. “Very well.”

  His grin said that was the answer he’d hoped for.

  “Tara?”

  “Yes?” she asked, her heart pounding.

  “That other guy? The one who broke your heart?”

  A knife twisted in her gut, when she realized he was referring to her SOS.

  Heath squeezed her hand. “He was an idiot. I hope you believe that.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly. “Thank you for saying so.”

  Compassion lined his face, and another emotion, as well. Tara thought she recognized it as empathy. “I know what it feels like to be let down,” he said sincerely.

  “I’m sorry that you’ve been through it, too.”

  “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” He shot her a crooked smile and Tara’s pulse quickened. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Yes.”

  Their waiter appeared with two steaming cappuccinos and Heath released her hand, making space on the table between them. As soon as their server had gone, Heath lifted his coffee cup toward hers in a toasting motion. “Here’s to our Herculean health!”

  Tara chuckled merrily. “Yes,” she said, clinking his cup. “Here’s to us!”

  Chapter Ten

  The view from the hotel rooftop was every bit as amazing as Heath had hoped it would be. He and Tara sat on a cozy cushioned sofa by a flaming stone-crafted fire pit. Tall space heaters were positioned around the various seating groups for additional warmth, and other couples chatted happily over glasses of wine, some exchanging lighthearted stories with groups of friends. City lights sparkled against the backdrop of the inky sky, twinkling from skyscraper windows and the nearby Empire State Building, which towered just a few blocks away.

  “It’s really stunning,” Tara said, and Heath had to agree. “Have you stayed in this hotel before?”

  “Yes, but previously on business.” Heath took a studied sip of wine. “I like visiting this way much better.”

  Tara laughed, warmly snuggled in her button-up wool coat. It had a tweed pattern—brown interlaced with gold and green—that picked up the color of her eyes. They sparkled in the firelight, and Heath thought to himself that he’d never seen a more beautiful woman. And it wasn’t simply Tara’s looks; it had to do with the confident way she held herself and her slightly sassy demeanor. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a vacation once in a while,” she said.

  “When was your last one?”

  She looked pensive, but only for a moment. “Last summer, at Enchanted Island.”

  “And, before that?”

  This time, she took longer to answer. “Might have been… No, wait.” Her brow knitted. “I’m afraid you’ve got me on that,” she finally said, meeting his eyes. “The sad truth is I don’t take many vacations. How about you?”

  “I went to Mexico with…” he started before quickly stopping himself. Heath had no business bringing up Caroline. Truth was, he didn’t really want to think about her. Especially not when he was in the company of such a spectacular woman. “Doesn’t really matter who I was with.” Heath set down his wine. “Anyway, a lot of the details are fuzzy.”

  Tara eyed him astutely. “It was her, wasn’t it? The one who broke your heart?”

  “She was my girlfriend, yeah. But I wouldn’t give her that much credit.”

  “No?”

  “In many ways, Caroline did me a favor. Her misdeeds cemented my decision to contact you.”

  “I’m starting to like this Caroline.” She shot him a minxy smile and Heath’s heart stuttered.

  “Maybe we should drink to her?” he ventured, raising his glass.

  Tara clinked her wineglass to his. “Here’s to Caroline.”

  “Here’s to moving on,” he answered, taking a slug of his Chianti.

  “Well, I certainly won’t be toasting my ex,” she answered after a beat.

  “Your breakup was pretty awful, huh?” he asked sympathetically.

  “We were supposed to be married.” She viewed him sadly, and Heath could tell that the memories were hard on her, even now. “But, oh well…”

  “What happened? I mean, you don’t have to tell—”

  “He proposed, then voila! Rode off into the sunset.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Trust me on this, it was pretty hard for me to get, too.” Her shoulders sagged beneath the weight of the memory. “Ned proposed right after college graduation. We’d been going out at that point for more than two years. He said…” She appeared to gather her nerve, then she continued. “He said he wanted to buy me a ring, and do the whole thing right. He made a reservation at a top-notch New Orleans restaurant. I was to meet him there at eight o’clock. There were butterflies in my stomach and everything.” She sighed regretfully. “I guess I was young then, and naïve.”

  “Doesn’t sound like you were being naïve to me,” Heath responded kindly. “Merely hopeful. And, from what you said, your boyfriend had given you every reason to hope.”

  “Yes, he had. Right down to asking for my ring size.”

  “He did that outright?” Heath asked, surprised.

  “A girlfriend and I went to a jewelers and they sized me. A perfect six.”

  “And?” Heath pressed, drawn into her heartbreaking story.

  Tara gazed at him sadly. “He never showed.”

  Heath couldn’t believe this. “Something must have happened?” he speculated. “A car accident? An illness?”

  Tara slowly shook her head. “He didn’t pick up his phone…wouldn’t answer his door. I worried about him for weeks. Then, eventually, one of our mutual friends told me what had happened. He’d gotten cold feet and moved back to Atlanta. He had a hometown girlfriend there from high school.”

  “Oh Tara, that’s awful.”

  “Not for them.” Moisture glistened in her eyes. “They’ve apparently got two kids now, and are very happy.”

  Heath laid his hand on Tara’s coat sleeve, unable to imagine what Tara must have gone through during all that time when Ned had gone incommunicado. “He was a coward, Tara. I hope you know that. And not anywhere near good enough for you.”

  A smile trembled across her lips. “You’re very sweet to say so.”

  “I’m not a sugary kind of guy,” he told her honestly. “I call things as they are. And, you are…” He gently tightened his grip on her arm. “Pretty special.”

  Tara lowered her voice and said coyly, “Yeah well, so are you.”

  “Can I refill your glass?” he asked, glancing at the near-empty bottle.

  “Just one more,” she agreed. Then she playfully rolled her eyes. “Seeing as how I’m not driving.”

  “I’m glad that neither of us is traveling tonight.” Heath topped off their drinks. “I’m fairly contented just sitting here with you.”

  “Yeah, me too.” She took in the gorgeous panorama of the twinkling night sky and the light-studded buildings around them. “This is a far cry from Beaumont, Maine. I’ll tell you that.”

  “What’s it like there?” he prodded.

  “I think you know.” She grinned playfully. “I’ve certainly filled you in enough on my daily activities.”

  “I’ll bet it’s beautiful,” he said. “I hear the tides are very dramatic.”

  “Oh yes! Incredible! And the seascapes are amazing, too.”

  “I’d like to see those someday,” Heath said, pondering the possibility. He searched her eyes, seeing if she’d take the bait.

  “That would be nice,” she finally answered, after a silence that had him holding his breath.

  “You could show me your bookshop. Take me around.”

  “Cook you some lobster.”

  “Now, that sounds tempting.” He grinned broadly and she grinned back.

  “Maybe sometime you can show me Savannah?”

  “There’s nothing I’d love more.”

  “Ever think of leaving?”

  “You mean, permanent
ly?” he asked, taken aback. “I don’t see how I could. My business is there.” After a quiet moment, he added, “So is my Granddad Lyle.”

  “You two must be close,” she said intuitively.

  “Yeah, very.”

  “Does he still live on his own?”

  Heath shook his head. “He’s in a retirement home, but it’s a really nice one. They’ve got a movie theater…a bar…”

  “A bar?” Tara interrupted with a musical laugh. “My, my. Sounds like quite a place!”

  “Sure is,” Heath said lightly. “They even offer travelers.”

  “Travelers?” Tara queried.

  “Drinks to-go,” he informed her. “It’s very southern, and very Savannah. I think you’d like the city,” he said, considering her. “You’d fit right in. You look just like a southern belle.”

  Tara raised an eyebrow. “With a good dose of Yankee attitude?”

  Heath belly-laughed at this. “You, Tara, are too much fun to be around.”

  “You’re not such bad company, either.”

  “Have you ever thought of leaving Maine?” he asked, mimicking her earlier query to him. “I mean, obviously, you went away to school in Louisiana.”

  “Yes, but now my life is there. In Beaumont. Plus, my dad’s there, too. I’m all he’s got. It would be hard to leave him.”

  “No brothers or sisters?”

  Tara shook her head. “You mentioned you have a brother?”

  “A younger one, yeah. Johnny works in financial consulting with my dad.”

  “And your mom?”

  “She’s an interior decorator.”

  “That sounds exciting.”

  “It is, for her. She loves it, and has become quite successful.”

  “That’s great.” Tara smiled brightly. “She sounds amazing.”

  “And, your mother? You didn’t mention—?”

  Tara’s face fell and Heath instantly regretted asking the question. “She left years ago. So long ago I barely remember her, to tell you the truth.”

  Heath’s heart ached for her. While his folks weren’t perfect, they’d always stood together and had been a boon to his small family. They and his brother had consistently been there for Heath, and the support was mutual.

  That’s what family was. At least, how he interpreted it. His relationship with his Granddad Lyle was an added bonus, and he felt so glad to have him. Lyle thought the world of Heath, as well. That was one reason he’d asked him to take over his banking business. “I’m sorry to hear that, Tara. That sounds rough. For you and your dad, too.”

  “She ran away with a potter, I hear,” Tara said disbelievingly. “Creative type. My dad is just the opposite. Terribly staid.” She lowered her voice into a baritone when she said this and Heath couldn’t help but smile.

  “An old stick-in-the-mud?”

  “In a way.” She tilted her head to the side, and dark hair spilled over her shoulder. “He’s in banking.”

  Heath bit back a laugh as wine zinged up his nose. “Really?” he asked, dabbing his mouth with a napkin.

  “He doesn’t run one like you,” Tara offered quickly. “He’s a teller at a local branch.”

  “Which bank?” Heath inquired politely.

  “North Shore Central.”

  That did sound rather familiar, though it clearly wasn’t one of the larger names.

  “Have you heard of it?”

  “Think so.” Something tugged at the back of Heath’s mind. He couldn’t shake the sensation that he had, only he couldn’t place where. “Is he happy there?”

  “Oh, yes. He’s spent his whole career at North Shore Central,” Tara answered brightly. “He’s told me many times he’d never work anywhere else.”

  ****

  An hour later, Heath walked Tara to her hotel room door. Oriental carpets lined the halls and long mirrors in ornate gold frames hung above Queen Anne style tables holding arrangements of fresh flowers. Tara felt almost like Dorothy, who’d arrived in the magical Land of Oz. Beaumont, Maine couldn’t have felt farther away now than Kansas must have seemed to that little girl with pigtails and a dog named Toto.

  While this realm wasn’t filled with a wizard and witches, Tara nonetheless felt like she’d been transported to a magical place. She’d never had a man make her feel so special, and she’d clearly never experienced an elaborate first date like this.

  Heath drew near and she caught a whiff of his spicy cologne. “Thanks for going out with me, and coming to New York.” He cupped a hand to her cheek and her skin warmed beneath his touch. “I know it was a distance to travel…” His voice grew husky. “An imposition.”

  Tara moistened her impossibly parched lips, imagining the feel of his mouth on hers. “It was no trouble at all.”

  His dark brown gaze washed over her. “Will you see me again?”

  “How about tomorrow for breakfast?”

  He traced her lips with his thumb. “I meant, after that?”

  Tara’s heart raced as she imagined what that might entail. Her traveling to Savannah? Him coming to Maine? She couldn’t fathom denying Heath anything, much less another date. “I’d like that,” she said, smiling up at him.

  She was hungry for him to kiss her, aching to feel his mouth on hers. “The dinner was wonderful. So was the show. Thank you.”

  He gave her a sexy grin and stepped closer. “Thank you for a wonderful day.” The hand on her cheek slipped into her hair and his breath warmed her lips. “I can’t recall a better one.”

  Her heart pounded and her face burned hot. “Me, either.”

  Heath’s lips brushed over hers and her breath shuddered. “I’ll call you when I get back to Savannah.” The words were like a song to her heart as his mouth moved in. His kiss was sweet and strong, the pressure of his lips gently increasing until Tara found herself whimpering up against him. He slid his arms around her and held her close. “That’s a promise,” he said between satiny soft kisses, and Tara moaned in reply.

  He kissed her more deeply then and Tara found herself being swept away. “Do you always keep your promises?” she asked, her breath ragged.

  Heath pulled back and viewed her warmly. “Yes.” The certainty with which he said it made Tara’s heart dance. Her attraction to Heath wasn’t one-sided. He was clearly also very interested in her, and just as eager as she was for this relationship to continue. Perhaps Tara was setting herself up for heartache with a long-distance affair, but it was hard to fight the force of her heart when it battled with her head. Despite Tara’s business savvy, when it came to her personal life, her emotions generally ruled.

  “This could get complicated,” she managed.

  “I don’t mind complicated.” Heath shot her a tilted smile and her pulse quickened again. “Not when the complications are worth it.”

  Then he kissed her one last time and took her breath away.

  Chapter Eleven

  The following Saturday, Tara found herself walking hand in hand with Heath through Forsyth Park beneath the broad promenade of live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and toward the north end’s gurgling fountain. Lovers dotted park benches, nestled close together in the early morning chill, as Tara and Heath clutched their carryout cups of coffee. It was a gorgeous morning with sunlight streaming through the trees and gulls from the nearby ocean soaring through the clear blue sky. Heath had promised to take Tara out to Tybee Beach this afternoon and she was looking forward to the adventure.

  Heath had met her plane at the airport, insisting on picking her up. Since she’d flown in from Boston after working a partial day at the bookshop, Tara hadn’t arrived until after dinnertime. There’d still been enough of the night left for Heath to show her a bit of local color though. He’d taken her to a jazz club she found reminiscent of the ones she’d known in New Orleans. They’d ordered food there to go with their drinks, as she’d only had a snack on the plane and Heath hadn’t eaten much of anything beforehand either.

  After a fun evening out,
she’d stayed in one of the nicely decorated guestrooms in Heath’s impeccably restored turn-of-the-last-century town house. Its window overlooked a bricked-in backyard with a high ivy-covered wall and a large patio area, partially shaded by a formidable magnolia tree. Gardens were planted around the perimeter, housing gardenias, rhododendron, and camellias, interspersed with creeping ferns and pretty purple periwinkle ground cover. All were starting to fade from the recent frosts, but had apparently enjoyed a long autumn season.

  Tara was grateful Heath had thought to provide her with separate accommodations, as well as pleased by his gentlemanly restraint. He clearly wasn’t interested in rushing her, and Tara was happy to take things as they were moving along: at a leisurely pace, just as gentle and forgiving as the soft Savannah breeze. Although, when he’d kissed her goodnight with that commanding skill of his, she’d nearly caved and invited Heath into her bedroom with her.

  “So,” he asked, swinging their interlocked hands together. “What do you think of our fair city so far?”

  “It’s beautiful,” she told him. “And very gentile. Lots of old-world charm here.”

  “Remind you of New Orleans?”

  “In some ways. It’s smaller, of course. But there’s a similar European quality to this town, like there is there.”

  “I’ll bet that was a fun place to go to college.”

  “Yeah, I enjoyed it.”

  “Have you ever returned?”

  A torrent of hurt surged through her, and Tara beat the painful memories back. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

  Heath’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Tara. I’m such a clod. I wasn’t thinking. About your—”

  “It’s okay,” she assured him. And, oddly, it was. Somehow, when Tara was with Heath, her relationship with Ned seemed like ancient history. Perhaps, because it was. “That was such a long time ago! Nearly ten years.”

  “Wow. That is a long time.” He frowned pensively. “It hasn’t even been ten weeks since my breakup with Caroline, but somehow that seems like eons ago.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with going back out to the beach?” He’d shared with her about his aborted attempt to propose, and the moment he’d found her bottle.