Page 38 of Save the Dance

He pointed to a dark bank of clouds that had moved closer. “It’s probably time to go in.” He turned toward the door. Tiles that had been bone dry only moments before now bore a wet sheen. “Careful,” he warned, just as Tara skidded on a damp spot.

One second she was standing upright. The next, her foot went out from under her. Without giving it a second’s thought, he reached for her. Once he had her, though, he couldn’t let go. His arms pulled her close to his chest as if they had a will of their own. Tara’s breath hitched so hard and so fast, he felt it. His own heart responded with a pounding beat.

As gently as if she were a skittish colt, he held her at arm’s length. His gaze rose from her lips to search her eyes for permission to do the one thing he’d sworn he wouldn’t do—kiss her. Soft and pliant in his grasp, Tara stared up at him while her breath came in quick gasps. When her eyes filled with the same yearning he felt, he bent low, intending only to place a single chaste kiss on her lips. If that led to more, well …

“Hey! Everything okay up there?”

He froze at the sound of a familiar voice.

As if someone had doused her with a bucket of cold water, Tara flinched.

“We shouldn’t. We can’t,” she whispered.

Not sure what he’d been thinking but certain he’d been on the verge of making a huge mistake, he let his hands fall. Like two people who’d wandered too close to a hot oven, he and Tara took a few hasty steps away from one another.

He gazed over the railing at the path below. An audible groan worked its way up from his chest when he spotted his cousin, one hand cupped over her eyes, staring up at them. He should have expected nothing less. Evelyn had always had impeccable timing. No matter what he was up to, whenever he stood on the cusp of making an important decision, she put in an appearance.

“We’re fine,” he called down. As fine as two people who’d almost made a huge mistake could be.

“The rain’s due to start any minute.” Evelyn’s warning floated on the fitful wind. “Things might get rough.”

He lifted a hand. He’d gotten the message, loud and clear, and it had nothing to do with the weather. He turned, hoping Tara would understand, but only air filled the space where she’d been standing seconds earlier. A flash of color at the door told him she’d headed inside without him. Three long strides took him to the opening. He ducked into the attic.

He spied her across the room near the bookcase. Even in the dim light, he could see the tension that radiated in the set of her shoulders, her carriage. Knowing he owed her another apology, he closed the space between them. “About what just happened—” he began, determined to dive right in.

“Nothing happened.” Tara spun to face him. “I slipped. You caught me. The story ends right there.”

“But …” He longed to tell her that it was more than that, or it could have been.

“Nothing happened,” she repeated, her voice firm and uncompromising. “I admit I’m attracted to you. I have been from the first moment I saw you. I think you feel the same.” At his nod, she continued. “But neither of us can afford to let our feelings get in the way of the jobs we have to do. There’s too much at stake. My career is on the line.”

“Heart’s Landing’s reputation hangs in the balance,” he said dutifully.

She sighed and gazed over his shoulder as if looking into the distant future. “My job hinges on this assignment. I can’t risk it all on what might just be a passing temptation. Nothing is going to happen between us now.”

He swallowed. Tara had just said all the things he’d been saying to himself ever since she’d arrived in Heart’s Landing. He should be relieved, but when he checked his gut, he couldn’t ignore the frisson of happiness that had passed through him when she’d admitted she was drawn to him as much as he was to her.

“You’re right,” he agreed, surprised when he sounded far calmer than his racing pulse made him feel. “We’ll put this, whatever it is, on the shelf for now. To be examined later, if we want.” But make no mistake, when later came, he’d be the first to unwrap that box.

Tara turned toward the bookcase. Running her fingers over the spines, she browsed through a stack of books. “What are these?” she asked, unearthing a couple from the bottom of the pile. Dust filled the air when she blew softly on the cover. “These are Mary’s diaries, aren’t they?”

He squinted at the unfamiliar script and the initials embossed in the leather cover before he nodded.

“Would it be all right if I took these to my room to read?”

He should refuse her request. He should at least read through them first. As much as he loved history, he’d never done more than page through the first few entries in his great-great-great-grandmother’s journals. Plus, he’d made it a policy that the books and journals had to remain in the attic or in the library. But Tara was special. Though she’d come to Heart’s Landing to evaluate the town, he’d seen the way she reacted to every business they’d visited. He’d heard her quiet murmurs of approval when she’d tasted one of Nick’s cakes at the bakery. Her eyes had practically glowed when she’d smelled the flowers in Forget Me Knot. He could trust her to have Heart’s Landing’s best interests at heart. Not that he had anything to worry about. From the little he’d seen, Mary’s diaries were nothing more than daily reports on her children with a few recipes tucked in for good measure.

“Why not?” He shrugged and offered to carry the books downstairs for her.

Outside, water dripped steadily from the eaves. Rain pelted the library’s thick glass windows. In the distance, branches of the weeping willows bent and swayed in time with gusts of wind. Opposite Tara, Jason leaned on the table, using his arms as props for his wide shoulders. The ship’s logs stood in neat stacks between them.

“Okay, what’s the goal here?” he asked, pen at the ready.

She pulled her lower lip inward, then let it slide slowly between her front teeth. Jason’s presence in the library had its pluses and minuses. He probably knew more about Captain Thaddeus than anyone and, with his dark hair, rugged physique, and piercing gaze, she couldn’t think of anyone’s company she’d rather share on a rainy afternoon. On the other hand, there was the little matter of lying to the man she thought she might be falling in love with.

Well, not exactly lying. But she’d definitely kept the true purpose for her presence in Heart’s Landing a secret. With her job—her entire career—on the line, she didn’t have much choice, did she? She could carry out her assignment for Weddings Today, destroy Captain Thaddeus’s reputation, and earn the promotion she’d worked so hard to get. Or she could fail to find the proof she needed, get herself fired, and have to crawl back home to Savannah. At the thought of admitting that her parents had been right to question her career choice, she cringed. She’d be lucky if they gave her a job busing tables in the family restaurant.

Either choice spelled disaster. Choosing Door Number One meant destroying any faith Jason might have in her and what little hope they had of ever having a future together. But Door Number Two wasn’t much better. If she opted for that one, she’d end up in Savannah, which might as well be on the opposite side of the country for a man who didn’t believe in long-distance relationships. So no. She couldn’t miss out on her one big opportunity at Weddings Today. Not for a love as impossible as hers and Jason’s.

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