The Bluebird Bakery: A Small Town Romance


 
 
 
 Praise for the novels of Lee Tobin McClain
 “[A] magnetic second-chance romance.... McClain pits her charming, authentic characters against the realistic problems of everyday life, making for a story that is deeply emotional but never soapy. The welcoming community and beautifully described scenery of Teaberry Island only enhance this cozy romance. Readers won’t want to put this down.”
 —Publishers Weekly starred review on The Forever Farmhouse
 “Lee Tobin McClain dazzles with unforgettable characters, fabulous small-town settings and a big dose of heart. Her complex and satisfying stories never disappoint.” 
 —Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author
 “Fans of Debbie Macomber will appreciate this start to a new series by McClain that blends sweet, small-town romance with such serious issues as domestic abuse.... Readers craving a feel-good romance with a bit of suspense will be satisfied.” 
 —Booklist on Low Country Hero
 “[An] enthralling tale of learning to trust.... This enjoyable contemporary romance will appeal to readers looking for twinges of suspense before happily ever after.” 
 —Publishers Weekly on Low Country Hero
 “Low Country Hero has everything I look for in a book— it’s emotional, tender, and an all-around wonderful story.”
 —RaeAnne Thayne, New York Times bestselling author
 
 
 Also by Lee Tobin McClain
 Hometown Brothers
 The Forever Farmhouse
 The Off Season
 Cottage at the BeachReunion at the ShoreChristmas on the CoastHome to the HarborFirst Kiss at ChristmasForever on the Bay
 Safe Haven
 Low Country HeroLow Country DreamsLow Country Christmas
 Look for Lee Tobin McClain’s next novel The Beach Reads Bookshop available soon from HQN.
 For additional books by Lee Tobin McClain, visit her website, www.leetobinmcclain.com.
 
 
 Lee Tobin McClain
 The Bluebird Bakery
 
 
 
 To Kathy Ayres, who’s helped meimprove countless stories including this one.
 
 
 Contents
 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
 EPILOGUE
 EXCERPT FROM THE BEACH READS BOOKSHOP BY LEE TOBIN McCLAIN 
 TAYLOR’S TEABERRY ISLAND SCONES
 
 
 PROLOGUE
 Fifteen years ago
 TAYLOR HARP WAS fifteen years old when she learned that, sometimes, it was better to be the smart one than the pretty one.
 “Let’s go, Savannah, you’re going to stay with me.” Mrs. Williams, Mom’s best friend, tugged Taylor’s sister toward her Lexus.
 Aunt Katy put an arm around Taylor. “Come on, honey. You’ll be living with me.”
 Taylor leaned in, welcoming the comfort of her beloved aunt. And then she processed what the two adults had said.
 Shock and pain tightened her chest as she looked at her younger sister, gorgeous even with the tears that had streaked mascara down her face. Taylor should have told Savannah not to wear mascara to their mother’s memorial service. She should have done a lot of things differently, she saw now, but it was too late.
 She stuffed down the pain and welcomed the anger that rose in its place. Mrs. Williams and Aunt Katy wanted to separate her and her sister? How could they even think that, today of all days? “We need to stay together,” she said, stepping forward to take her sister’s hand.
 Taylor was older by a year and wiser by a lifetime. She wasn’t always crazy about her sister, but it was her job to take care of Savannah. It had been that way for most of their lives.
 She wasn’t going to cry. She was mad, not sad. Except when she looked at her sister’s tear-streaked face.
 Today, when they’d just laid their mother, Birdy, to rest, was not the day to neglect her duty to her sister. “We’re staying together,” she repeated with more force in her voice.
 Savannah gripped Taylor’s hand so hard it hurt.
 “You can’t stay together,” Mrs. Williams said briskly. “Everything has changed, and we need to deal with it. Your aunt works too much to get Savannah to all her pageants.”
 Taylor opened her mouth to make the horrible suggestion that she would come and live with Mrs. Williams, too.
 Seeming to read her mind, the woman shook her head. “I can’t take both of you, so don’t even ask.”
 Aunt Katy looked like she was about to cry herself. “Savannah could stop competing—”
 “She needs to stay visible so she can get more modeling gigs.” Mrs. Williams’s voice was sharp. “Birdy left nothing. You know that.”
 Aunt Katy bit her lip and reached out to brush back Savannah’s blond curls. “You can visit. A lot.” Then she turned and patted Taylor’s shoulder. “And you’re so good at math, you can help me with my tax business.”
 Taylor tried to maintain her anger, but it was turning into a stone of despair, pressing down on her. If Aunt Katy was giving in to awful Mrs. Williams, that meant the adults had already discussed this. It meant this separation was inevitable. That was a new word she’d learned by eavesdropping on Mrs. Williams’s phone conversation. “It was inevitable she’d take her own life one day,” Mrs. Williams had said.
 Taylor swallowed hard and kept a grip on her sister’s hand. “If you ever feel like Mom felt, you come to me,” she whispered. She’d learned online that depression ran in families, and Mom had definitely been depressed. “Whatever it takes, you hear me? Come to me, or I’ll come get you, wherever you are. Do not do what she did.”
 Fresh tears rose to Savannah’s eyes and spilled over. “You, too,” she choked out. “If you ever feel like...” Her voice rose to a squeak on the last words.
 “We have a train to catch.” Mrs. Williams took a tissue and tried to wipe Savannah’s face, then gave up and grasped each girl’s wrist, yanking them apart like they were beads on a child’s plastic necklace. “You can call your sister tomorrow, after the pageant.”
 Aunt Katy pulled Taylor into a side hug,