Love Me Tender (Seven Brides, Seven Brothers) Read online

  Love Me Tender

  Belle Calhoune

  Seven boys adopted from the foster care system by Alec and Maggie Donahue, a loving Irish couple living in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. Now grown men, the brothers are making their way in the world in their chosen professions, each hoping to find a love to last a lifetime. Faith. Family. Honor. And an abundance of love.

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers series

  The Dreamer

  Nick Donahue, the youngest of the Donahue brothers, has been feeling out of sorts due to three of his brothers having settled down with their lady loves. It plays on every insecurity he has about the ties that bind the Donahue family together. Nick has struggled his whole life to make it through school due to his dyslexia, but with hard work and determination, he graduated at the top of his class. At the age of twenty-seven he's already achieved his goal of opening a successful restaurant in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. When Nick comes face to face with his romantic past in the form of his first love, Layla Delgado, he begins to believe in his own happily ever after.

  Layla Delgado has come to Cape Cod after inheriting her Aunt Trudy's cottage in Breeze Point. One summer ten years ago, she had a summer romance with Nick Donahue and fell head over heels in love with the handsome dreamer. Now, desperate to escape a volatile ex-husband, Layla has reinvented herself in order to protect herself from his sick, twisted obsession. A former ballerina, Layla is now seeking a life of normalcy, with aspirations of opening up a small dance studio in town. But with her ex determined to find her, will Layla ever be free to claim a future with Nick?

  Copyright 2014 Belle Calhoune

  All Rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher and author, except where permitted by law.

  Look for me at www.bellecalhoune.com or on Twitter @BelleCalhoune. Join me on Facebook at Author Belle Calhoune. I love to hear from readers.

  Cover art by Niina Cord

  http://niinascoverdesign.weebly.com

  Dear Readers,

  Thanks for coming along on the Seven Brides, Seven Brothers journey. I love these Donahue men! And their ladies. Each one has their own goals and desires, as well as pasts defined by loss and hardship. I truly appreciate all the enthusiasm for the Donahue stories. With each book I try to add in real, compelling story lines that are a part of our everyday struggles as human beings. We all have challenges to confront, sometimes wrapped up in our pasts. All of us in our lifetime will deal with pain, loss, medical issues and hard times. No one is immune from that. Ultimately, we get through those moments by clinging to our family, our faith and our friends during these moments. This story deals with real, painful issues. Sometimes strong women make choices that we might question. It's not for us to judge someone's life unless we walk a mile in their shoes. All we can do is pray for wisdom and enlightenment. I hope you enjoy Nick and Layla's story.

  Blessings!

  Belle

  Table of 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

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Nicholas peered into the fridge, biting his lip as an almost empty jar of pickles stared back at him. He was down to pickles and a half loaf of stale bread. A spoiled onion stared back at him. He hated onions! There was a bad smell coming from inside the fridge, one that made him scrunch up his nose. His stomach was groaning with hunger. It was making noises now. Loud, rumbly noises. He was so hungry. Could a stomach explode from not eating? He wondered.

  And he didn't feel so good either. All the food Mama had left for him was gone. Maybe he could walk to the store on Smith Street and use the money he'd stashed away in his sock drawer to buy something to eat. Mama would beat him if she found out he left the house, but she'd lied to him, so what did he care anyway? She'd told him she was coming back in two days. As far as he could tell, those two days had turned into twelve days. Twelve whole days and nights all by himself. This was day thirteen. And he'd only cried a couple of times. When it was late at night and things got really dark outside and he heard strange noises from the alley he didn't feel so brave. It was so scary. He'd crawled into his bed and pulled the covers over his head. And he'd cried himself to sleep.

  He knew he should be a big boy like Mama said and not be scared, but he couldn't help it. The scratching of the tree limbs against his window when the sky looked like a black hole made his heart pound like crazy. He kept thinking someone was out there like in the scary movies. The bogeyman was real. He just knew it!

  Why was this happening to him? He'd tried so hard to be a good boy. But what had it gotten him? Nothing! With a ragged sigh he reached into the fridge and took out the jar of pickles. He unscrewed the jar and stuck his fingers inside, pulling out two before putting them down on a tin pie plate. He reached inside the bag of bread and pulled out two pieces. Using a knife he scraped off the moldy part. The knife slipped and nicked his finger, causing him to howl with pain. Blood pooled on his finger. He put the knife down and ran to the hall closet to look for the plastic box with the cross on it. Reaching up on his tip toes, he managed to grab hold of the box. When he pried the lid open with one hand, an empty box was staring back at him. No band aids. And no clean towels or napkins either. He reached down and grabbed a dirty towel from the floor. With a sigh, he looked out the window, through the blinds. He could go across the street and borrow band aids from Mr. Hutchinson. He was kind of nice. Whenever his ball went over to his yard, Hutch didn't mind if he went to the side yard to get it.

  With blood still trickling from his finger, Nico shuffled to the front door in his footed pajamas. With trembling fingers he turned the knob on the front door and peeked his head out. No one was outside. He bent down and placed a rock in front of the door so he wouldn't get locked out. As fast as he could, he darted across the street, making sure to look both ways before he crossed. He walked straight up to the front steps and pressed the door bell. The ding dong sound of the bell made him giggle. Ouch. His finger still hurt and there was a big slit in it. Even with the towel pressing against it, his finger still ached. Suddenly, Hutch was standing at his door. With his big belly and white whiskers, he looked like Santa Klaus. Right now he looked confused, Nico thought.

  Hutch opened up his door. “Nico. What are you doing outside in your pj’s?” Hutch looked around as if he half expected his mother to be nearby.

  “Mom sent me over for a band aid. She's not feeling so good today, so she's lying down.” The lie rolled right off Nico's lips. He was used to telling lies. Most of 'em were because he'd been told to lie by his Mom, or his Dad if he was around. Lately, he hadn't been around hardly ever.

  He pushed the screen door open. “Come on in, son. Let me look at that hand.”

  Once he'd followed Hutch to his kitchen, his neighbor poured him a tall glass of milk and put out a plate of chocolate chip cookies. His stomach did flips at the sight of them. With his good hand, he reached for one and shoved it in his mouth. It tasted like Heaven.

  Hutch sucked in his breath when he unraveled the towel and saw the cut. “Son, didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with knives?”

  “I wasn't playing. I was—” He stopped himself
, not wanting Hutch to know he'd been fending for himself over at the house.

  Hutch made a tutting sound and began cleaning the cut. “This might sting,” he warned.

  Nico yelped with pain. He tried to pull away, but Hutch continued to clean his finger. Before he knew it, he was all bandaged up.

  “Thanks,” he said as he jumped down from the chair, grabbing a few more cookies for the road.

  “Hey, why aren't you in school?” Hutch called out as he followed him outside. As Nico tossed a look at him over his shoulder, Hutch's arms were folded across his chest. His eyes were small slits as he looked him up and down.

  “Parent-teacher conferences,” he mumbled through a mouthful of cookie.

  With Hutch's eyes boring a hole straight through his back, Nico raced across the street and darted inside the house, throwing the rock that had held the door open back in the grass in the process. Once he was safely inside he peeked out through the dusty blinds. Hutch was still standing in front of his stoop, arms folded across his chest. He was frowning.

  With a shrug, Nico settled back down in front of the television. It was time for his favorite show.

  In the middle of his cartoon, a heavy knocking sound startled him. He quickly turned the sound down with the remote. Who was out there? Maybe it was Hutch. There was no way he could answer the door. Mama said not to let anybody in. She said they'd take him away from her if they found out he was home alone. It was best to just ignore it.

  *

  He rubbed his eyes. The lids were getting heavy. He heard a crashing sound by the front door. Next thing he knew someone was shaking him awake. Had he fallen asleep on the couch watching TV? Was he dreaming?

  A policeman was standing in front of him, staring straight at him. He must have broken down the door to get in the house. Another policeman was coming down the staircase from upstairs. He walked over to them, his eyes on the other policeman.

  “Al, the upstairs is even worse than down here. It's like whoever lives here is hoarding stuff. It's filthy too. We need to call social services.”

  The policeman sitting next to him had an angry face. “Shh. Not in front of the kid. We need to get him out of here.”

  The policeman scooped him up in his arms and took him outside. There were people standing on the lawn and they were taking pictures of him. The flashing of the cameras hurt his eyes and he squinted against the glare. Why were they taking his picture? Was he famous? Nope he wasn't famous. He'd told his parents he wanted to be famous one day and Daddy had laughed at him. “You can't be famous if you're too stupid to know how to read.”

  He was stupid. They'd told him so over and over again until it was drilled into his head. Stupid kids couldn't read. They stumbled over the letters. They got their alphabet confused. They couldn't remember numbers either. It had been stupid of him to leave the house for a band aid. Hutch had called the police on him. And now he was being taken away to jail.

  He wanted his mother. Where was she? Why had she left him all alone for so long?

  “What's your name, son? I'm Officer Criso.” The policeman bent down and buckled him into his seat.

  “Nicolas,” he said in a soft voice. “I'm Nico.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Seven. I'll be eight in a few months.”

  “We're going to take a ride to the police station, Nico.” The policeman stared into his eyes. He'd always thought being in a police car would be cool, but it wasn't. It was scary.

  “I just want you to know,” Officer Criso continued. “You're not in trouble. From what I can see, you've been a really good boy.”

  A good boy? Mama wouldn't think so once she found out he'd left the house and gotten in trouble. She'd be good and mad. She'd told him not to open the door, not for anyone. And now there was a policeman taking him away. Or a cop as Mama called them. This one seemed nice, but he didn't want to get Mama riled up. He wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. Was a policeman a stranger?

  As the car pulled away from in front of his house, it felt like his life was slipping away like sand through his fingers. Please, come home, Mama. She'd left to go see Daddy in Lost Vegas. She was going to make him fall in love with her all over again. That's what she'd said before she left. She was going to Lost Vegas so they could all be a family again.

  But now everything might be ruined because he'd been a bad boy.

  The nice policeman brought him a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake and he let him sit at his desk. When it got dark outside they moved him to a small room with a couch and some toys. They told him someone was coming to take him to a safe place for boys and girls. All he wanted to do was go home. And find Mama.

  When the door opened an older lady walked into the room. She came over to the table where he was playing Legos.

  “Nicolas?” she asked in a kind voice.

  “My name is Nico,” he said.

  She stuck her hand out. “Hello. I'm Mrs. Worther.”

  He wanted to laugh at her name. It was a silly name and it sounded like a name for a witch. Only Mrs. Worther looked nice. She had a sweet smile on her face. Her voice was soft and gentle. He liked it. But he still didn't want to meet her, didn't want to go anywhere with her. If he left, how would his mother ever find him?

  He reached out and shook her hand even though he didn't really want to.

  She bent down and looked him straight in the eyes. “I know this all must be terribly confusing for you. To be taken away from your home and everything you know is scary, isn't it?” Nicolas nodded his head, feeling a burst of happiness that she'd managed to put into words how he was feeling at the moment. No one else seemed to care.

  “Did you find my Mom yet?” Maybe that was why this lady was here visiting him. To tell him that Mama was on her way to pick him up and take him home.

  Mrs. Worther nodded her head. “No, we haven't yet located her. But...in the meantime I've found a family for you to live with in Cape Cod. I think you'll be very happy there, Nico.”

  He still felt scared. Even though Mrs. Worther was here and she was promising to find him a family. But he already had one, didn't he? You didn't just give up on the people you loved. But what if they'd given up on you first? He choked back the sobs. From here on in, he was going to a big boy. And big boys didn't cry.

  “Chin up. Even when things seem like they're falling apart, hold your head up.”

  Alec Donahue

  Chapter One

  Nick Donahue glanced around his parents' backyard. A brightly colored sign and festive balloons blared out the good news. Engaged! His parents, Maggie and Alec Donahue, were hosting an impromptu gathering to celebrate his brother Remy's engagement to his new fiancee, Gabrielle Turner. All of his six brothers were in attendance, along with his sister-in-law, Sarah Dalton Donahue, his brother Ryder's fiancee, Tess Dailey, and the newly engaged Gabrielle. None of them had even known before they'd shown up that Remy had popped the question.

  “We're so happy for the two of you.” His mother grinned from ear to ear, her round cheeks flushed with pleasure as she saluted the happy couple. Her joy was effusive. Nick's heart ached a little at the brave face she was putting on. A week ago she'd received unimaginable medical news. She had been diagnosed with vascular dementia, a neurological condition characterized by memory loss and confusion. There was a distinct possibility in a few years she'd be hit with Alzheimer’s, a more severe form of dementia.

  At the moment there was nothing they could do but hope and pray and support her during this difficult time. Donahue strong! The feelings this medical crisis stirred up within him were overwhelming. Fear threatened to strangle him. The thought of losing her, bit by bit, memory by memory, was inconceivable. She was the glue that held the Donahue clan together. A mother's love was as wide as the ocean and as endless as time. What would they do without that overwhelming love?

  “Congrats,” Nick said as he reached out and hugged Remy, then leaned across and pressed a kiss on Gabrielle's cheek. Even though h
e was fighting against a feeling of sadness that things were changing in his family at a rapid pace, he intended to keep a stiff upper lip. He planned to stuff these feelings down into a deep, dark hole so he wouldn't upset anyone. Remy deserved every bit of his happiness.

  “We didn't want any fuss made,” Remy said, his expression muted. “Especially with everything going on in the family.”

  Gabrielle looped her arm around Remy's waist and snuggled into him. “Maggie made it clear she didn't want her medical diagnosis to get in the way of our happiness.” She let out a sigh. “I want to be like her when I grow up.”

  “From where I'm standing you've already achieved that status,” Nick said, shooting Gabrielle a smile. Remy had told him all about Gabrielle's past as a Hurricane Katrina survivor and how she'd lost several family members in the storm. He admired the courage she'd exhibited in moving past the trauma. He knew a little something about the subject himself. Some trauma stayed with you for a lifetime.

  Gabrielle reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thanks, Nick. That's sweet of you to say.”

  Remy shot him a look of gratitude, then sent his fiancee a look filled with so much love it made Nick feel a little squeamish. Being happy for his brothers was one thing, but having a front row seat to their endless displays of love and devotion made him uncomfortable. And he didn't want to analyze why it made him feel this way. Those layers were too deep. He already felt like a bad person for not being as enthusiastic as he could be about Remy's engagement.

  By ten o'clock the gathering was winding down. With hugs and kisses, Nick said his goodnights to everyone, knowing he had to get up early to open up his restaurant for the lunch crowd. He was blessed to own one of the most popular restaurants in the area. Although it had been a struggle to make his dream come true, The Cove was now a well-regarded, local hotspot in Breeze Point. Long ago he'd vowed to never take his success for granted. He'd worked hard to get to this place. He intended to work even harder to stay on top.