If Only In My Dreams (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 5) Read online

  As if she’d even go on a date with him! Sharing a kiss with him had sent her scrambling out of his office as if her hair was on fire. Maybe she didn’t find him attractive. It was a strange feeling to wonder if a woman found him appealing. More times than not women made it exceedingly clear to him that they found him easy on the eyes. Being named one of America’s most eligible bachelors by People magazine had brought more attention his way than he’d ever wanted or needed. But all the attention had never made him believe he was anything special. With Rose, he had no idea if she found him attractive, which was making him feel a little crazy.

  He wanted Rose to like him, not just as her boss, but as a man. He wanted her to know he wasn’t all about business and amassing a fortune. Suddenly, it was important to him that she trusted him. Not just with herself, but with her son as well. With that knowledge settled inside him he now had to face the fact that his feelings towards his secretary were anything but platonic.

  “The best thing about being part of a big family is that there’s always something going on. It’s never boring.” Blue Donahue

  Chapter Six

  “What are we doing today?” AJ rubbed his hands together. “I hope today is as awesome as yesterday.”

  “Pumpkin, I’m not sure anything other than Christmas morning or your birthday could be as wonderful as yesterday. That was a real treat, wasn’t it?” She had the feeling his head was still in the clouds after the sweet surprises the holiday party had brought him. He’d been so excited last night he’d had trouble settling down to sleep.

  AJ bobbed his head up and down vigorously. “It was a blast! Brandon gave me those baseball tickets and I actually got to meet Wyatt Donahue. Wait till I tell the kids at school.”

  “I’m happy you had such a good time. Go on and get dressed so we’re not late for church,” she said. “Then we’ll see where the day takes us.”

  As new parishioners at St. Mary’s Church, Rose was still trying to connect with the congregation and find a way to become more involved. She couldn’t say enough about Pastor Mike, who was such a kind soul and always going out of his way to make them feel welcome. He’d given her fliers about the children’s choir, pot luck Tuesdays at the church and a fellowship group. Attending service on a regular basis wasn’t just good for their souls, it provided them with an opportunity to be a part of the community. She felt like it was something she’d been seeking her whole life. Perhaps she would finally discover it here in Breeze Point.

  At the end of the service, Pastor Mike warmly greeted them and teased AJ about the lime green accents on his sneakers. AJ was clearly getting a kick out of the Pastor’s sense of humor. One of the things AJ liked about St. Mary’s Church was the fact that everyone was invited to “come as you are.” Although she wanted AJ to wear a nice pair of pants and a freshly pressed shirt to church, it was nice to know he could still wear his sneakers.

  “God wants us to gather together. I’m not convinced he’s interested in what shoes you’re wearing.” It was this statement from Pastor Mike that had endeared him to AJ. He’d been repeating the Pastor’s quote at home every chance he got.

  Once they stepped outside the church, a frigid blast of wind had her adjusting her wool hat to cover her ears. She sniffed the air and inhaled the fresh, clean Cape Cod air. She’d never have believed it before she moved to Breeze Point, but the air actually did smell different here. It was earthier, and one could smell the salt from the sea permeating in the air.

  “It smells like snow in the air,” she said, looking up at the cloud filled skies. She swung her gaze back toward her son, who was looking in a completion different direction.

  “Hey! There’s Brandon,” AJ cried out. Before she could do a thing to stop him, he took off at a fast clip in Brandon’s direction. If he’d been any other place than outside church, she knew his legs would have been flying. She was pleased that he understood church rules, even if he was speed walking to get to Brandon.

  Brandon stood out in the crowd due to his height and commanding presence. Even though he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a charcoal colored down jacket, he carried himself in the same confident manner as when he wore an expensive suit. AJ hadn’t really left her any choice other than to join him at Brandon’s side. Her stomach started doing flip flops low in her belly the closer she came to where they were standing. She had this sudden awareness of him that had everything to do with him being a very attractive man.

  And she didn’t feel intimidated by Brandon anymore. Now that she’d seen a personal side of him she felt more connected to him. And it was that very connection that worried her.

  “Good Morning,” she said as she approached them, trying to keep her tone nice and light.

  “Morning,” Brandon answered with a nod of his head and a warm smile. “Great service, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, it was,” Rose answered. “Pastor Mike really knows how to engage people. And the music was beautiful.”

  “Mama is a great singer,” AJ boasted. He was looking up at Brandon with a glint of hero worship in his eyes. Rose sighed. She supposed it was normal for her six year old son to admire a man as wonderful as Brandon Donahue. Little boys needed male role models in their lives. She prayed her plan to give her son the holiday of his dreams wasn’t complicated by his growing attachment to Brandon. Suddenly, it felt as if she was seeing her boss through her son’s eyes. How in the world had she never noticed all his amazing qualities?

  Brandon looked at her, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Oh, she is, is she? We’ll just have to get a message to the choir director that his next big superstar is Rose Maddock.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. Superstar she wasn’t, nor would she ever be. But the idea of being a member of the choir was become more and more appealing to her.

  “Are you busy today, Brandon? We’re not doing anything,” AJ said.

  “AJ! Don’t be rude,” she scolded. Heat suffused her cheeks. She didn’t want Brandon to think she’d coached AJ to wheedle any sort of invitation from him. Feeling annoyed, she reminded herself to talk to her son about overstepping boundaries.

  “Sorry,” AJ said in a soft voice. He hung his head so his face wasn’t visible. Rose immediately felt a pang of guilt. She hadn’t meant to make him feel badly. As a six year old boy, his enthusiasm tended to get the best of him.

  “Matter of fact, AJ, I do have plans today,” Brandon answered.

  AJ’s head seemed to sink down even lower. Brandon reached out and tipped his chin up so his face was visible. “I actually was hoping you’d be free to hang out with me today. I left a message on your mother’s cell phone earlier.”

  “You did?” AJ asked, his brown eyes alive with excitement.

  “You did?” she asked, filled with surprise at Brandon’s comment. Had she missed his call? She hadn’t even heard her phone ring this morning.

  Brandon nodded. “My family has this tradition for getting our Christmas trees. Have you ever heard of the Nottingham Woods?”

  AJ nodded his head and whispered, “No, I haven’t. But it reminds me of a book Mommy reads to me at night sometimes. Robin Hood.”

  “Aah, that’s a great book. You’re in for a treat if you come with us today. Miles and miles of the best Christmas trees in New England. We get our pick of the finest trees in the state. Everyone has a different opinion on which tree is best, which makes it fun.” Brandon turned toward her. “Would you guys like to join us? You can’t even imagine how pristine and scenic this place is. And if you don’t have your tree up yet, it’s the best place to get one.”

  “Brandon, it sounds amazing, but we don’t want to intrude on your family—” Rose began, before Brandon cut her off.

  “Rose, it’s an invitation. If I didn’t want you there, I wouldn’t have invited you,” Brandon said in an overly patient voice. “I would have mentioned it earlier, but with everything going on in my family we hadn’t made any plans to go. My brother Mac threw the idea out there and we decid
ed to do it today since the weather is good. They’re predicting snow for later on this evening.”

  “Please, Mom,” AJ begged. He was crossing his hands in front of him, prayerfully. “I promise to eat all my vegetables, even the brussel sprouts.”

  “Okay,” she conceded, shaking her head at her son’s vow. She looked at Brandon and bobbed her head. “We’ll come. We’d love to come.”

  AJ pumped his fist in the air and shouted, “Yes!” He started jumping up and down.

  “Don’t think I’m forgetting about the brussel sprouts,” she said with a knowing look in her son’s direction.

  Brandon rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Okay. This’ll be great. We all need to switch up our clothes. This is a jeans and boots operation.”

  “Why don’t we head back to the house and meet up with you in an hour or so?” Rose suggested. “If that works with your plans.”

  “Sounds good,” Brandon said, holding up his palm so AJ could give him a high five. AJ happily slapped Brandon’s hand. Brandon playfully winced and said, “Hey. What are you trying to do? Take me out?”

  “See ya later, alligator,” AJ said.

  “In a while, crocodile,” Brandon teased.

  As Rose walked with AJ to her car, she was filled with an unsettled feeling. As nice as it was to be included in the Donahue family’s’ holiday festivities, she couldn’t help but wonder what might happen when Christmas was over. As happy as AJ was at the moment, she didn’t want him to start to believe that Brandon and his family were permanent fixtures in his life. That type of thing could lead to a broken heart.

  **

  Brandon could feel an uncontrollable grin breaking out on his face. It was courtesy of the wooden sign welcoming them to Nottingham Woods. Being here reminded him so much of his childhood and growing up as a Donahue. He could almost smell the scent of the pine and spruce trees from inside the car. If he closed his eyes he would be transported back to a time when seven little boys all ran free and wild looking for the perfect Christmas tree to take home. He could see it all in his mind’s eyes. Praise the Lord for two patient, loving parents. He wasn’t exactly sure how they’d handled seven rowdy boys. They’d done it with grace, class and without even seeming to break a sweat.

  “Are we there yet?” AJ asked from the back seat. He was leaning forward so far that he was practically in the front seat with them.

  “Sit back and keep that seat belt on,” Rose said, her tone a step away from scolding. AJ immediately settled back down.

  It must be hard being the disciplinarian, Brandon realized. Kids needed to be reined in, especially little boys with their minds on overdrive. More than ever, he was realizing that Rose was an amazing woman. Devoted mother. Diligent executive secretary. A good person who put her son’s needs first.

  “Yep. We’re here, buddy. The parking is right down the road,” Brandon said, keeping his eyes peeled for the turn-off. Once he spotted the parking sign he turned in, just in time to see a bunch of Donahues leaving their cars. He beeped the horn to signal their arrival. Blue was holding Sarah’s hand while Remy was throwing a snowball in Nick’s direction. It landed smack on the back of his head. Gabrielle, Layla and Tess were standing in a huddle talking amongst themselves. Mac was just getting out of his truck, with Wyatt and Ryder two steps behind him. His parents were sitting this one out. The rugged terrain of the woods would be too challenging for his father, who still had physical limitations due to the stroke.

  “There sure are a lot of you,” Rose said in an awestruck voice as her gaze focused on his family. “I’m not sure I can remember everyone’s name from the other day.”

  “They don’t bite,” he teased. “I promise. And no worries about names. My brothers will answer to anything. I’ll be eternally grateful if you call them Neanderthals.” The sound of Rose’s laughter made him feel good. He’d managed to lighten her nervousness, which made him happy.

  He knew the Donahue clan could be slightly intimidating when they were all present in full force. They were like a small army, he thought as he let out a low chuckle that caused Rose to glance over at him. The Donahue brigade.

  After he parked the car they piled out, with AJ leading the way towards his family members.

  “It’s a pity he’s so shy,” Rose quipped with a shake of her head.

  “He really needs to come out of his shell,” Brandon teased, watching as AJ ran towards Wyatt and stuck his hand out like a little gentleman.

  When Brandon and Rose reached their sides, everyone exchanged warm greetings. Nick came up and slapped him on the back by way of greeting. He watched as Rose fell right in with the ladies, picking up where they’d left off yesterday.

  As they headed out into the woods, Brandon assigned himself the task of making sure AJ didn’t wander off from the group. He knew Nottingham Woods like the back of his hand, but for a little guy like AJ it might appear more straightforward than it was in actuality. There were many confusing paths that led one deep into the woods. Once upon a time Remy and Nick had been lost for hours in these woods, leaving the entire family frantic to find them. There was no way Brandon wanted to relive those harrowing moments and put AJ or Rose through that type of trauma.

  “Whoa! Look at that one!” AJ shouted as they came upon a copse of pine trees, each one more magnificent than the next.

  “I call dibs on that one!” Nick said, pointing to a medium sized, fluffy tree.

  “Dibs?” Mac barked. “Are you still calling dibs like when you were eight?”

  All the brothers, except Nick, roared with laughter.

  “Don’t pick on my husband, Mac,” Layla warned, her hands placed on her hips.

  Mac rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Layla. He can take it. Donahue strong!”

  “Donahue strong!” the brothers called out in unison. Nick gathered Layla to his side and pressed a tender kiss across her forehead.

  “Do you see anything you like?” Rose asked AJ. “We need a big, fat one to fill up the living room.”

  “What do you think Brandon?” AJ was gazing up at him in adoration.

  Brandon put his shoulder around AJ. “I think you should choose, buddy. You’ve got a good eye. Trust your gut.”

  AJ pointed toward a tree. His head was cocked to the side as he studied it. “That one right there is nice, but it’s too wide,” AJ said.

  “And that one right there is too skinny,” he pronounced as he critiqued another tree.

  AJ was a quick study, Brandon realized. He was getting a kick out of how precise he was being in picking out the Christmas tree that would be gracing his home.

  Rose looked around her. “Wow. This really is the place to get a tree. They’re gorgeous.”

  Brandon leaned in toward Rose. “Just to let you know, we believe in being responsible about cutting down these trees. Forest preservation is really important to us, which is why we donate to the Forestry service and support endeavors that support forest growth. We never want to see these woods decimated.”

  “That’s wonderful. It would be a shame if all this beauty was compromised,” she said.

  “We’d never let that happen. Far too many Donahue memories were made in these woods,” Brandon said.

  “Oooh. Look at that one!” AJ shouted, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. He was pointing at a huge tree set off to the side by itself.

  Rose put her finger on her chin and eyed the tree, looking it up and down several times. “Hmm. Do you think it will fit in our living room? It looks kind of tall.”

  “We can always trim a little off the top. It really is a great tree,” Brandon said.

  “It’s the one, Mom.” Judging by the expression on AJ’s face, he was sold.

  Remy walked up and thumped AJ on the back. “Looks like you found your tree,” he said, nodding his head in approval.

  “Okay, boys. We got a winner over here. Let’s cut her down,” Brandon shouted out. Within seconds, the brothers had all mobilized by the tree and began the p
rocess of cutting it down. Rose moved AJ to a safe distance where they could still watch their Christmas tree being cut down.

  By the time they’d picked out a tree for each of their homes, then cut it down, it was time to head back to the lot. Each Donahue brother was lugging a tree, with AJ helping his mother, Layla, Tess and Gabrielle drag two more. Although Sarah offered her assistance, everyone shot her down.

  They walked back to the cars where Tess and Ryder dug out thermoses of hot chocolate and cider cinnamon donuts. They passed around mugs and began pouring hot chocolate into everyone’s mugs and passing out the donuts. AJ was sitting next to Mac, who was explaining what it meant to be a woodworker. He overheard Mac invite AJ to come down to the shop one afternoon to work on a project.

  Brandon moved over to where Rose was sitting. He’d been wondering for the last few hours if she thought today’s holiday festivities were worthwhile. He didn’t have to ask her son that question. His joy was etched on his adorable little face. She’d seemed to be having a good time judging by her upbeat mood, but he wanted to hear it from her lips.

  “So, what do you think? Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked.

  Rose clutched her mug of hot chocolate between mittened hands. “I loved it. It’s such a great family tradition. You and your brothers have so much fun together. Makes me wish I had some siblings.”

  “Speaking of which, I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” Brandon hedged. “I don’t want to seem nosy though.” Not many people didn’t have any family. He had a sneaking suspicion about Rose and he wanted to see if he was correct.