Page 1 of Rumors in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #3)

Prologue

Valentine’s Day, Bayberry, VT

A berry red dress and matching heels.

If that weren’t enough, there was a perky pink bouquet in her hands.

Sadie Plummer stood at the front of the Bayberry chapel. Although she wasn’t wild about the color, the flowy, A-line, full-length bridesmaid dress fit her well. It had spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline. The lightweight chiffon material swished over her legs when she moved.

She realized being a part of the wedding party was a case of something good coming of something bad. If her father hadn’t had health problems, she would still be on the other side of the globe, doing her investigative reporting.

The memory of receiving the desperate phone call from her mother was still vivid in her mind. Her mother had been falling apart and needed her. Sadie had dropped everything to fly home.

She never expected to stay for long. Yet, one day had turned into a week. A week had turned into a month, and she was still there.

Her time at the newspaper had been eye-opening.

She had been shocked by how old-school everything was at the Bayberry Gazette.

She’d set out to update everything, but it was so much more work than she’d anticipated.

Even so, she didn’t let that stop her. Her father needed all the help she could give him.

And now that he was feeling better, it was time for her to get back to her life. She had a flight the next day. Her plane tickets had already been confirmed. Her first stop was in Paris, France. She couldn’t wait.

As she stood at the front of the church, she realized this was as close to marriage as she would ever get. Just being in the front of the church with flowers in her hands made her palms damp. Then again, maybe it was the spotlight shining down on her.

Either way, she wasn’t getting married. She wanted to be able to spread her wings and fly whenever the mood struck her. Was that wrong of her? She didn’t think so. It would be wrong to promise herself to someone and then find out that she couldn’t be anchored in one spot for the rest of her life.

She watched as the bride walked down the aisle.

Carrie wore a beautiful white dress. But it was the love in the bride’s eyes as she looked at her groom that caught and held Sadie’s attention.

She had never looked at anyone like that.

She felt as though she’d missed something, but she refused to dwell on the thought.

Instead, she focused on her friends Carrie and Jackson as they tied the knot.

They looked so in love as they stared into each other’s eyes.

Sadie couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to love someone with such passion.

But in the next breath, she realized that love was binding.

It would be like being put in a birdcage with her wings clipped. That wasn’t for her. No way.

She was so happy for them, but as far as herself, she was quite content being single. As her gaze moved around the small church, her mother caught sight of her, smiled, and waved. Sadie smiled back but resisted the urge to wave. Her father didn’t wave. In fact, he didn’t so much as look up at her.

They’d had words earlier about her meddling with things at the newspaper. He didn’t think she should have changed anything, even if the old processes had been antiquated.

No matter how she tried to explain her rationale to him, he couldn’t or wouldn’t see things her way. Whatever. It was time to be on her way. She just couldn’t argue with him any longer. It was pointless to keep trying to drag her father into the current century.

She didn’t want to think about any of that now.

Her gaze continued to meander over the smartly dressed guests.

She didn’t think there was so much as one empty seat.

It wasn’t surprising, because Carrie had grown up in Bayberry and befriended just about everyone with her sweet personality and her luscious chocolates at her shop, Totally Chocolate.

Sadie wasn’t the only bridesmaid. There was also Abby Clark, who owned the Steaming Brew, and Kate Taylor, who helped run her family’s business, Bayberry Candles.

Sadie couldn’t help but notice the way the groom couldn’t stop smiling as he looked into his bride’s eyes. She had a good feeling about them. They suited each other, complementing each other’s strengths.

The crowded church was decorated with red roses and baby’s breath like the ones in the bride’s bouquet.

It was quite elegant. Sadie could imagine something like this for her wedding, not that she was planning on having one.

Still, there was something so special about a wedding, and if she dared admit it, it was the epitome of romance.

Although, in her case, those sorts of things were better left between the pages of a book.

Sadie couldn’t help but think of marriage as an anchor that held a person in place—even if their hopes and ambitions were elsewhere. She refused to turn out like her mother, who could have been a prima ballerina in New York City.

Sadie had spent her childhood, looking at the scrapbooks and photos of her mother chasing her dreams. And then she just gave it all up to marry her father, live in this small town, and raise their daughter.

Still, her mother seemed happy with her decision.

It just wasn’t a choice Sadie was planning to make.

Even if the stories she’d been covering lately had been taking a toll on her soul.

Some of the stories were just so sad and some were depressing because society was unwilling or unable to change. Either way the misery continued.

The words of the minister announcing Carrie and Jackson as husband and wife drew Sadie from her thoughts. She smiled and joined in the clapping. Even though marriage wasn’t for her, she knew she was in the minority. And that was fine with her.

The groom swept the bride into his arms. And when they kissed, it was like it was in slow motion. It was like a scene from one of those black and white movies that her mother enjoyed on Sunday afternoons.

A little bit of jealousy churned within Sadie. And then Jackson dipped Carrie back and kissed her again. Okay, so, it might have been the most romantic wedding she’d ever attended. There were whistles and applause. She truly hoped they would always be this happy.

She was escorted down the aisle by one of Jackson’s friends.

He was tall and lanky. He seemed like a nice guy, but for the life of her, she couldn’t recall his name.

So, there were lots of smiles and nodding as he attempted to make small talk on their walk to Wrights’ Eatery, where the reception was being held.

The bride had chosen a mixture of wedding and valentine decorations. Crystal vases with red roses were placed on each of the tables. They were accompanied by flameless candles.

And when Sadie craned her neck upward, she saw red and white streamers crisscrossing the ceiling. The night before, she’d stood on a ladder and helped put those up. She was relieved that none of them had fallen. It hadn’t been easy to get them up there.

Sadie hadn’t been so sure about the decorations, but now that she saw the finished product, she had to admit the restaurant looked really nice. She hoped it was everything the bride had dreamed of.

Just then she spotted the happy couple. They were kissing…

again. They certainly had it bad for each other.

Sadie had never felt that for a guy. Sure, she’d dated, but it never led to anything serious.

Of course, that was probably because she never stayed in one place long enough for things to get serious.

Over the years, she’d visited more than two dozen countries.

She’d always been the first in line to cover a story in some far-flung country.

Sadie made her way over to the refreshment table. She grabbed one of the glasses of punch. Her throat was parched.

“It went well, didn’t it?” Abby sauntered up to her in a matching pink dress and a smile on her face. “They are so happy. I think it’s infectious.”

Sadie glanced over at the happy couple as they greeted their guests. She nodded. “If I had to name the perfect couple, it would be them.”

They chatted for a little bit before Abby was called away to show her parents to their table.

Sadie turned around and resumed getting herself a cup of coffee from the large silver coffee urn.

Her body craved the caffeine after she’d gotten only a few hours of sleep.

A yawn escaped her lips. It had been a very late night with the bride.

Not because Carrie had second thoughts about marrying Jackson.

No. It was a case of her wanting to go over every single detail to make sure nothing had been overlooked.

Carrie wanted this day to be perfect. And her wish had come true.

Sadie took a big swallow of coffee. She couldn’t run out of energy. This coming evening would be another late one as she packed to catch her flight in the morning.

She turned around to see the bride and groom speaking with her parents.

Her father’s gaze met hers. He looked to be in a perfectly miserable mood.

Was he going to let the whole world know he wasn’t happy about Sadie telling him that the newspaper was out of date and out of touch?

Probably not. He might have to admit that she was right about some of it.

She sighed. Whatever. It isn’t my problem.

Her father maintained that the old way was the best way. She disagreed. So, their relationship was rocky at the moment. She was certain once her father was back behind his desk, he would be more like himself. And she would be off on her next assignment. Life would regain its normal order.

Sadie turned to join Abby and Kate. She’d just reached them when she heard a dish crash to the floor followed by a thud, as though something big had also fallen. The sound echoed through the room.

She stopped in her tracks and turned. It took a moment for her to locate the source of the noise. When she focused, she saw it was her father on the ground. In that moment, her body froze. Her mind had trouble absorbing the scene. He wasn’t moving.

Is he… Is he… She couldn’t finish the thought.

An uneasy silence fell over the room.

“Call nine-one-one!” The voice startled her from her temporary shock.

“Dad!” Sadie ran across the room.

Sadie wanted to go to his side, but there was no room, as someone was already checking for a pulse and someone else was checking his breathing. The next thing she knew, they were starting CPR.

No. No. This can’t be happening. He’s supposed to be better.

A cry at her side had her looking over at her mother. She was white as a ghost. Sadie wrapped an arm over her mother’s shoulders and pulled her close. She wanted to tell her mother that everything would be all right, but she couldn’t do it. She had no idea if anything would be right after this.