When A Man Loves A Woman (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 7) Read online

  When A Man Loves A Woman

  by Belle Calhoune

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers series

  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.

  The Quiet One: The last single Donahue brother, Mac Donahue, is quiet and reserved. His brawny physique hides a kind heart and a wounded soul. Haunted by the tragic disappearance of his sister and scarred by childhood abuse, Mac has done his best to survive and thrive, in large part due to his adoptive family, the Donahues. A woodworker with a new business in Breeze Point called Woodworks, Mac is determined to move ahead with finding his sister, Callie, and discovering what happened to her all those years ago. Tired of being the object of matchmaking by his family members, Mac is stunned when he develops a bond with Delilah Dalton, the beautiful sister of his own sister-in- law, Sarah. When love blossoms between them, can they both put away the hurts of the past in order to forge a new future?

  Delilah Dalton is a social worker who finds fulfillment in her profession. Jaded by numerous romantic relationships that have crashed and burned, Delilah has steered clear of love. When she connects with Mac Donahue over his missing sister, she finds a warm, tender-hearted man who has every reason to be bitter yet exudes positivity. As the two begin a relationship and pursue leads to the whereabouts of Mac’s sister, they find a special kinship in each other. Can Delilah put away her doubts long enough to accept Mac’s open arms?

  Book One: The Way Home http://www.amazon.com/Home-Seven-Brides-Brothers-Book-ebook/dp/B00KTCBXSC/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426610534&sr=1-6&keywords=the+way+home

  Book Two: Still The One http://www.amazon.com/Still-Seven-Brides-Brothers-Book-ebook/dp/B00M0EUU22/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MWZ28MFM28FB4MNWTY9

  Book Three: Until You Loved Me http://www.amazon.com/Until-Loved-Seven-Brides-Brothers-book/dp/B00N15TPFC/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0T6VDS9STKWJHSQ9E0FK

  Book Four: Love Me Tender http://www.amazon.com/Love-Tender-Seven-Brides-Brothers-ebook/dp/B00OFAVB1I/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0G19K0SNMN0FP3TGZG1Y

  Book Five: If Only In My Dreams http://www.amazon.com/Only-Dreams-Seven-Brides-Brothers-ebook/dp/B00R6U2PZK/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0XQJASA3RXQMD3MAG14Z

  Prequel: When You Believe (Alec and Maggie’s story) http://www.amazon.com/When-Believe-Seven-Brides-Brothers-ebook/dp/B00T52CK1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1436548476&sr=1-1&keywords=Belle+Calhoune+When+You+Believe

  Book Six: Baby It’s You http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Seven-Brides-Brothers-Book-ebook/dp/B00VZ3FCB8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1436548421&sr=1-1&keywords=Baby+It%27s+You+Belle+Calhoune

  Dedication:

  This book is dedicated to all my Donahue fans. I’ve read every letter, every message, every tweet, every post. I love you all. Thank you for making my writing dreams come true. And to my girls—Amber and Sierra. For your patience and pride in having an author for a mother. I owe you a debt of gratitude.

  Acknowledgments:

  How can I possibly acknowledge all the people who have been part of this incredible journey? First and foremost, I have the best readers in the world. At times when the road seemed long and daunting, you guys cheered me on and made me believe in this dream more than ever. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so lucky to have writer friends who actually read my work and are my cheerleaders. In particular I want to thank my friend, Angel Moore, who has shown me unconditional support and friendship. A wise person once said, “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” Angel fits perfectly in that category. Thanks to all my friends who never let me forget the words.

  I also want to thank reader-extraordinaire, Jennifer McCann Schwickerath. She was the first reader who tweeted me about this series. She is a Donahue super-fan and always has been! And she never forgets to let me know it!

  Dear Reader:

  I’m letting out a huge sigh as I’m writing this. And to be honest, a few tears are falling. Writing this last book in the series was very difficult for me. I’m not good at goodbyes and I truly love each one of my Donahue characters with all my heart. Sometimes it seemed as if they were standing right in front of me…living, breathing and talking. Blue. Ryder. Remy. Nick. Brandon. Wyatt. And Mac. And the fabulous Maggie and Alec. And all the lovely women they found to share their journey with—Sarah, Tess, Gabrielle, Layla, Rose, Kaitlyn and Delilah. And AJ, Seth and Faith—the next generation of the Donahue clan. I bid you au revoir….but not goodbye. Never goodbye. Until we meet again.

  I am so grateful that my Donahue brothers were accepted with open arms and a vast amount of love and enthusiasm. Back in June 2014 when “The Way Home” debuted, I had no idea what to expect. I hoped to see it do well and that readers would love this diverse, fun and faithful family. I received so much more than I ever could have imagined. Letters. Emails. Messages on my author page. Tweets. What readers gave me was devotion. Devotion to the series. Devotion to the Donahue family. Devotion to me as an author. And truthfully, seeing this massive amount of support and interest has forever changed me as an author and as a human being.

  In the process I found myself—as a writer, as a storyteller, as a creator. Sometimes writers walk in fear of the unknown. I now embrace it. Thanks to all of you! I now know I can dream big. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. That’s my motto.

  Although this is the last of the Seven Brides Seven Brothers books in this series, I have plans to keep them around for future books. I invite you to read my upcoming series: The Secrets of Savannah. Hint Hint. You never know who might show up. And I’m planning to write a series about The Donahue cousins—there’s a character in this book who is going to be heavily involved in that series. I’m guessing you’ll figure it out pretty easily. You always do!

  I’m sending you massive amounts of love. And gratitude. And shedding a few last tears. A wise person once said, “Don’t be sad because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” I’m smiling.

  Blessings,

  Belle

  Look for me at www.bellecalhoune.com or on Twitter @BelleCalhoune. Join me on Facebook at Author Belle Calhoune.

  Cover art by Niina Cord http://niinascoverdesign.weebly.com

  Copyright 2015 by 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.

  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

  Epilogue

  Prologue:

  He wasn’t quite sure if it was daytime or night. He had just woken up and his stomach was making rumbling noises. He was cold, freezing all the way down to his bare feet. The little blanket he’d found in the corner hadn’t done much to protect him from the hard, cold floor.

  His body ached and his teeth were chattering. Everything hurt. And it wasn’t over. Not by a long shot
. Frank was going to come back later on and hurt him all over again. He always did. And his mother did nothing to stop it. Sometimes she sat and watched and scolded him. All she cared about now was Frank.

  The sound of a door opening caused him to sit up straight. A feeling of fear sliced through him. His heart began to beat really fast.

  God, please don’t let him hurt me again. I promise to be a good person and eat all my vegetables, even broccoli. I want to be better in all ways so maybe they’ll like me. Maybe even love me someday. Or at least treat me good.

  “Mac. Are you okay?” The soft voice whispered his name.

  “Callie! Don’t come down. They’ll hear you.” He kept his voice as low as possible, knowing what would happen if Callie was caught down here. She would suffer the same punishment as he had. Maybe even worse. He saw the way Frank looked at her sometimes. It terrified him.

  “No, they won’t hear me,” Callie said. “They went out somewhere and took the car. I couldn’t find the key until just now. I looked and looked everywhere.”

  “Where was it?” he asked. His step-father and his mother had a million hiding places.

  “In the breadbox. I almost couldn’t believe that I found it,” she said. He could hear a hint of pride in her voice.

  “Smart,” he said. And Callie was as smart as a whip. She had learned how to tie her laces at four and had learned to read at three and a half.

  Callie’s little footsteps, as light as a feather, echoed in the quiet of the basement. She must be wearing her slippers because she was making a shushing sound.

  A beam of light lit up the darkness. All of a sudden she was standing in front of him, her beautiful red hair falling all around her shoulders. Her round face reminded him of a cherub. The little freckles crisscrossing her face always made him smile. Her green-hazel eyes were full of sorrow.

  She held a flashlight in her hand. In the other one she had a blanket, some socks and a sandwich in a plastic bag.

  “I brought you some things,” she said, offering him the items she’d brought down to the basement with her.

  “When did you get so brave?” Mac asked.

  She shrugged. “I learned it from you.”

  He dug in the plastic bag and took out the sandwich. The smell of peanut butter and jelly—his favorite—rose to his nostrils. He took a big bite and let out a groan of satisfaction. When had he last eaten? Yesterday morning? He’d eaten a blueberry Pop Tart and some milk for breakfast. Then, right before lunch he had gotten in trouble and Frank, his stepfather, had punished him.

  “I’m sorry, Mac.” Callie’s face crumpled.

  “For what?”

  Tears slid down her face. “I got you in trouble. It’s all my fault.”

  “No, you didn’t.” He shook his head.

  “I did too,” she said fiercely. “I broke the glass. It slipped through my fingers. I was trying to dry the dishes just like he told me to do.”

  “You’re only five, Callie. I used to drop things all the time when I was five.”

  “You took the blame. Like always.” She sniffled.

  “That’s what big brothers do.” He smiled at her, hoping he could get her to smile back.

  She began to blubber. “He beat you with the cord.”

  Mac winced at the memory. Last night his back had felt as if it was on fire. Right now it felt almost numb. He knew there were welts on it. He probably needed medicine. A cool cloth would sting like crazy, but at least it would make it feel better.

  “He didn’t break me. He never will,” Mac said defiantly.

  “But you’re hurt. I can see it on your face.” She looked around the darkened room. “And it’s dark down here. He blacked out the windows.” She pointed toward windows he couldn’t see. “So you can’t see outside and it’s cold. So cold Mac.”

  “Callie, you need to be brave. Braver than you’ve ever been.” He met his sister’s innocent gaze. “We need to leave here. We need to go.”

  “Go where?” Her voice sounded confused.

  “Away from here. While they’re gone.”

  She shook her head. “No, Mac. We’ll get in trouble. They’ll find us.”

  Even though he tried to hold them back, tears squirted from his eyes. They rolled down his face and he felt the hot sting against his cheeks. He didn’t bother to swipe them away. “If we don’t, I don’t think I’m going to live. He’s going to kill me for sure. I can feel it.”

  His words hung in the air for a few moments like a dark cloud. He could see Callie biting her lip.

  Callie held out her small hand and grabbed his. He got up to a standing position. Pain nearly doubled him over.

  “I believe you, Mac. We need to get help.” Callie’s soft, sweet voice washed over him like the feel of warm rain falling down from the sky in summer.

  Even though his back felt like someone was stabbing him, he managed to stand up straight. Putting one foot slowly in front of the other, he followed Callie back up the stairs.

  When they reached the upstairs landing Mac was blinded by the light. He slammed his eyes closed. After twenty-four hours in darkness the light felt like a punishment.

  The feel of Callie’s warm little hand grasping his own made him feel calm.

  “I’m bringing you to a chair.” She tugged gently and led him down the hall.

  “Thanks Callie. I just need a few minutes to adjust to the light.”

  “Sit down Mac. I’m calling for help.” She helped him sit down in a hard-backed chair.

  “No! We can’t call them. They’ll put us in foster homes.” He didn’t care about leaving this sad excuse for a home, but he couldn’t stand the thought of being separated from Callie. She was the one constant in his life. The thing that kept him sane in a world of crazy. His best friend.

  “If we pack up some things we can run away where they’ll never find us.”

  “Mac. I’m only five. And you’re just nine. We’re just kids. It would never work.”

  Callie was way wiser than he was. There had always been something about her that radiated wisdom. She was right. There was no way in the world they would be able to make it on their own with no food, no money or no roof over their heads.

  Mac leaned forward in the chair as a stabbing pain wracked his right side.

  Callie let out a shocked gasp.

  “What? What is it?” he asked, afraid that his mother and Frank had returned.

  “The back of your shirt has blood on it. From your back sores.”

  He slowly opened his eyes as the sound of her muffled cries reached his ears. She had the house phone up to her ear and she was crying.

  “Hello. My name is Callie Monahan. I live at 99 Sycamore Street. And my brother is hurt really really bad.”

  He bowed his head as he listened to Callie. It was too late to turn back now. They needed someone to throw them a lifeline. Time had run out. There were only so many prayers he could say. And he was all out of bravery.

  “Okay.” She looked at Mac. “They said to stay on the line. They’re sending someone to help us.”

  Help. He hoped help meant that they would find a good home for them. Together. Away from all the bad stuff. A place where he could lay his head at night on his pillow and know that he wouldn’t be woken up in the middle of the night for beatings or to be placed in the basement. A place where someone other than Callie might love him or tell him that he was a good person. A home where he could sit down at the table and eat a real dinner with family. A safe place where he could rest easy instead of always being afraid.

  “What if we can’t stay together?” Callie cried. “What if girls and boys aren’t put together?”

  “That won’t happen,” Mac insisted. “Who would separate a sister and a brother?”

  More tears gathered in Callie’s eyes. Her lips trembled. “Mac, I’m scared.”

  She placed the phone down on the table and ran toward him. She pressed her face against his chest and held on to his arm. The smell of Calli
e’s lavender shampoo was one of the last things he remembered before the doorbell rang.

  He grabbed Callie’s hand and together they walked toward the door. Right before he opened the front door he turned toward his sister, taking a moment to memorize her features. Just as he saw the policeman’s face he had the sinking feeling that nothing in his or Callie’s life would ever be the same again.

  Six months later

  The click of heels drew Mac’s attention to the woman who had just walked through the door. She was older, with gray hair and glasses. She was dressed all in brown.

  The shoes that had made all the noise were beige. A kind smile lit up her face. He didn’t feel like smiling back. She wasn’t fooling him one bit. Everyone pretended to be nice at first, then they hit you over the head with their meanness. He’d seen it time after time.

  “Hello, Mac. My name is Mrs. Worther. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “I know what you’re going to say,” he jeered.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Oh really. Would you like to share it with me?”

  “You’re going to tell me that I’m going to a new foster family. And how lucky I am that there are people out there who want to give me another chance.” He stuck his lip out. “Right?”

  “Not exactly, but close,” she said in an amused voice. “Is that such a bad thing?”

  “All I want is to be with my sister! Doesn’t that count for anything?” he asked in a raised voice.

  Mrs. Worther frowned. “I didn’t see anything about a sister in your records.”

  Mac let out a groan and pounded the desk with his fist. “Everyone keeps saying that, as if she wasn’t real. She was as real as we are. And I want to be with her. She’s my family.”