Page 43 of Save the Dance

Flushed and happy, she remained at his side. Her hand in his, they took their bows until, at last, the clapping came to an end. This was it, the moment she’d been waiting for, the moment when they’d pick up that kissing business right where they’d left off.

Jason lifted Tara’s hand in his as they bowed deeply to deafening applause. His heart swelled nearly to bursting with pride for the woman who stood beside him. He’d known she didn’t like large crowds. That was one reason he’d been so reluctant to ask her to join him on stage. When she’d frozen, his heart had very nearly stopped. But his faith in her had kept him from rushing to her rescue. He was glad now that he’d waited. She’d conquered her stage fright to finish the show. More than that, she’d overcome her fears and given the performance of a lifetime. He couldn’t be happier for her.

He hadn’t been able to believe his eyes the moment he’d seen Tara standing in the wings, waiting for her cue to step on stage. He’d always appreciated her poise and her beauty, but she’d never looked lovelier than she did tonight. More than mere physical attraction drew him to her, however. The trust he saw in her blue eyes stirred all his protective instincts. He longed to be her knight in shining armor, to slay her dragons—whatever and wherever they might be. The faith she had in him made him want to be a better man than he’d ever been before. When they’d sung that final ballad, he’d ached to make it real, to give her his heart, to declare his love for her, to shower her with kisses.

He’d nearly accomplished that last bit before the crowd had oh-so-rudely interrupted. He chuckled. Much as he hated delaying that first kiss, he had to admit the timing wasn’t right. He’d gotten too far ahead of himself. There’d be plenty of time for kisses later, once he knew for sure that Tara loved him like he loved her.

The time for heartfelt declarations wasn’t in the middle of the Smith reception, though. Not with everyone and their brother looking on. Sweeping his hat from his head, he bowed low to Tara. “M’lady,” he intoned. “Methinks the bride and groom would have a word with us.”

“Aye, Captain.” Tara tossed out a saucy grin that made his pulse race.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “We’ll just pay our respects and then we’ll slip away.” He nodded to a side door. His heart warmed another degree or two when her eyes sparkled in agreement.

An hour later, he and Tara were still no closer to making their escape than they’d been at the close of their set. First, the bride and groom had insisted on posing for photographs with the Captain and his Lady. After that, practically every guest at the wedding expected their turn.

“The downside to a job well done is that everyone wants to thank you for it,” he said to Tara while yet another guest snapped a few pictures.

“It’s part of the job, isn’t it?” Shrugging, she hid a yawn behind one gloved hand. “I don’t mind. Really, I don’t.” She yawned again.

Sympathy tugged deep in his chest. He’d say one thing for the woman he loved—when she put her mind to doing something, she stuck with it. But he’d bet a week’s salary that the after-effects of an adrenaline rush were hitting her hard right about now. “You know what?” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist. “It’s time we got you out of here.”

Treating the rest of the guests to a broad smile, he gently but firmly guided her to the exit. There, he snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. He handed one to Tara. The other, he raised high above his head. “To Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” he said, letting his voice carry throughout the room. “Best wishes for a Heart’s Landing love for the ages!”

While glasses clinked and voices raised in a hearty, “Hear, hear!” he whisked Tara through the door and down the hall. “Thanks for sticking in there as long as you did. You have to be worn out.”

Tara’s skirts swished against the risers as they mounted the stairs to her room. “I’ll admit I’m beat. But I was glad to be a part of it. I’ll never forget how happy it made the bride and groom to have us there.”

“It was perfect. You were perfect.” He could’ve said more. Could have pointed out that tonight she’d experienced firsthand what Heart’s Landing was all about. But he had other things—more important things—on his mind.

At her door, he propped his arm on the jamb over her head. He wished the night could go on forever. He longed to tell Tara how much she meant to him. He needed to find out if she felt the same way toward him. If she did, they had a future to plan.

But one look at Tara, and he knew any serious talk of love or hopes and expectations would have to wait. Fatigue had tightened the faint lines at the corners of her eyes. The strain of smiling for hours on end had carved furrows around her mouth. He let his arm fall to his side. “It’s not every night you get to wow the crowd. You definitely did that tonight. Now, get a good night’s rest. You deserve it.”

Confirming his decision, Tara stifled another yawn behind her gloved hand. “Sorry,” she said softly. Fatigue etched itself a little deeper into her features.

“We’ll talk tomorrow.” A smile loaded with promise stole across his face. “What do you say to taking a walk together first thing in the morning?”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you downstairs around seven?”

“I’ll bring coffee. We can follow the bike path along the cliffs behind the Cottage.” Wishing he could kiss her properly but all too aware that the time wasn’t right, he touched his lips to one finger and pressed it against the tip of her nose. “Good night,” he said and forced himself to walk away.

Seconds later, he bounded up the stairs to the third floor where, no matter how exhausted he felt, he was sure he faced a sleepless night.

Chapter Fifteen

“Evelyn and I talked earlier. Or I did, anyway. She still can’t do anything more than whisper.” Jason’s shirttail flapped in the breeze that blew off the ocean. Below them, the outgoing tide lapped at the sandy beach. At the point where the blue water met the pink-tinged sky, a ship steamed along the horizon. “She wanted me to tell you she was sorry for roping you into playing Mary last night. She hopes you aren’t too mad with her about it.”

“I’m not.” Although she didn’t think for a second that his cousin had laryngitis. Not that it mattered. Considering the way things had worked out with Jason, she owed Evelyn a debt of gratitude. Tara sipped piping-hot coffee from the travel mug Jason had handed her in the foyer. He’d doctored it just the way she liked it.

“I knew you didn’t like crowds. I never dreamed you’d have stage fright.” Sympathy laced Jason’s voice like the cream in her cup. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” At his doubtful look, she added, “Honest. It was good for me to step out of my comfort zone. Yeah, I froze for a second there, but thanks to you, I got past it. I’m going to push myself to do more of that.” The next time the church choir director asked her to sing a solo part, she wouldn’t be so quick to turn him down.

“For purely personal reasons, I’m glad to hear it. I was hoping you’d fill in for Evelyn in the pageant tomorrow night.”

She nearly stumbled over a pebble on the cement walkway. Catching herself, she gazed up at Jason. “You want me to play Mary’s part?”

Okay, that wasn’t what she’d had in mind at all. Singing was one thing, but acting on stage? When she thought about it, though, she supposed that was what happened when you vowed to press your limits. The next thing you knew, someone came along and asked you to do exactly that. “Who’s playing Thaddeus?”

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