Adored (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Pelican Bay Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  About the author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  ADORED

  Belle Calhoune

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers (Pelican Bay)

  This series centers around seven brothers and one sister raised by Penelope and Jude Donahue in the idyllic Florida seaside town of Pelican Bay. A blended family of adopted and biological siblings, the Donahue clan always have each other’s backs as they face life’s challenges and search for love. A spin-off of the Cape Cod Donahue brothers, the Pelican Bay clan are their southern cousins.

  Caleb Donahue is a chef who has recently achieved his life’s dream of opening his own bistro, The Blue Bayou. Adopted by the Donahue family of Pelican Bay, Caleb’s past is a bit murky. He’s stuffed down the memories of his biological mother and the circumstances leading to his adoption by the Donahue family. Addie Fontaine steps in to his life when he least expects it. Daughter of a wealthy businessman, Sebastian Fontaine, Addie is attempting to prove herself to her father by making inroads in the business world. When her father gives her his partnership in the Blue Bayou, Addie ends up working side by side with Caleb. Addie is determined to step up and live her life out loud, while Caleb is determined to make his bistro a success. When love comes calling, will Addie and Caleb be able to reach out for the love of a lifetime?

  Dedicated to my brother, David. Missing you like crazy. And I always will.

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to Pelican Bay, Florida. Thanks for joining me on this romantic journey. Caleb and Addie are two of my favorite characters. They are both really good, solid people who have a yearning to love and be loved. The past serves as a huge obstacle for both Addie and Caleb. In order to forge a wonderful future, they need to deal with the grief and trauma that are holding them back. Grief is a very common state of being that affects all of us at some point during our lives. Having dealt with grief several times in my adult life, I know it can hit you out of the blue like a tsunami. You never know when it’s going to bring you to your knees.

  Courage! Both Addie and Caleb have a lot of courage to face the past in order to build their future. I firmly believe that with love, anything is possible.

  If you haven’t already, please check out my summer novella “Summer Serenade” which was featured in the Sweet Summer Nights Box Set (no longer available).

  Summer Serenade Novella

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/BO71KGLYFW

  Happy Reading!

  Blessings,

  Belle

  Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

  Table of Contents

  About the author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  About the author

  Belle Calhoune grew up in a small town in Massachusetts as one of five children. Growing up across the street from a public library was a huge influence on her life and fueled her love of romance novels. Belle is the author of seven Harlequin Love Inspired novels with three more to be published in the next year. She has Indie published the popular and best-selling inspirational romance series, Seven Brides, Seven Brothers. Her latest indie series, the Secrets of Savannah is a spin-off of her debut series. Belle loves writing romance and crafting happily-ever-afters. When she’s not wrangling her two high maintenance dogs or spending time with her husband and two daughters, Belle enjoys travel, classic films and exploring new places.

  Copyright 2017 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.

  Cover by Elizabeth Mackey

  http://www.elizabethmackeygraphics.com/

  A few of Belle’s books:

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers Series (Pelican Bay):

  Book One: Breathless

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers Series:

  Book One: The Way Home

  Book Two: Still the One

  Book Three: Until You Loved Me

  Book Four: Love Me Tender

  Book Five: If only in my dreams

  Book Six: Baby It’s You

  Book Seven: When A Man Loves A Woman

  PREQUEL: WHEN YOU BELIEVE

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T52CK1G

  Secrets of Savannah Series:

  Book One: Till the End of Time

  Book Two: A Moment in the Moonlight

  Book Three: The Last Kiss

  Book Four: For Love Alone (Morgan and Luke)

  Book Five: Falling in Love (Charlotte and Marc)

  Book Six: Heart of Mine (Hope and Grayson)

  PROLOGUE

  Caleb Johnson pulled out his Batman action figure and dug in his toy box for the Superman one. He couldn’t wait to get his Spiderman action figure. Mommy had promised to get it for him as soon as she got paid. His birthday was next week so it would be an early present. He would be eight-years-old.

  Caleb glanced down the hall. He could see Mama looking in her mirror. She was wearing her brown uniform and getting ready for work. Caleb could never tell her, but he hated when she went to work at night. It was the loneliest feeling in the world to be at home without Mama being there with him. She had just made him baked chicken fingers and fries—his favorite meal of all time. He loved sitting down at the kitchen table and eating with Mama. It would be a perfect night if she could just stay here and watch TV with him. Or play action figures with him. He would let her be whatever character she wanted, even Batman.

  He heard the jingling of her keys and the click of her heels as she walked toward him.

  “Honey, it’s time for me to go to work.”

  “Okay, Mama,” he said with a nod. She always told him he was a big boy. He couldn’t let her down. He didn’t want her to go to work. He hated being alone.

  “Don’t stay up too late, Caleb. It’s a school night. There’s macaroni in the fridge if you get hungry and milk for your cereal. There are some cookies in the cabinet. Don’t have more than two. I know you have that sweet tooth.” His mother teasingly shook her finger at him. “I’ll be back after work.”

  “Will you be here before I leave for school?” he asked, his stomach bubbling with nerves.

  “I think so.” She ran her hand over his hair. “I’m going to try my best.”

  “I like it when Mrs. Robbins stays here with me.”

  His mother winced. “Caleb, I’m sorry. I’m a little short this week, so I can’t afford for her to stay with you tonight. I’m sorry, sweetie. But I’m getting more hours so I’ll be able to pay for her next week. Okay?”

 
“Okay,” he said with a nod. It wasn’t really all right with him, but he didn’t want to hurt Mama’s feelings. She was so sweet and he knew things were hard. They had been for a long time. After daddy died things had changed. Mama went out to work at night and she didn’t come home until the wee hours of the morning. She also worked when he was at school during the day.

  Sometimes Caleb wished he had a brother or sister. That way he wouldn’t be alone whenever Mama went out at night. He didn’t mind it so much when Mrs. Robbins stayed with him. He didn’t feel scared when he heard noises from outside if she was there with him. Caleb hated feeling frightened. He liked to think he was a big boy but being alone scared him.

  When his mother reached the front door she turned around and looked at him. She raced back to his side and gave him a tight hug and a kiss. “I love you, my sweet boy.”

  “I love you too, Mama.”

  This time when she reached the door there was no turning back, although he silently said a prayer she wouldn’t leave. The door opened and shut with a clicking sound. He heard her locking the door from the outside. He was alone. And his heart ached with sadness.

  **

  Caleb woke up to the smell of smoke and ash. A crackling sound was coming from outside his door. Caleb could smell the scent of something burning. Smoke was trickling under the door. He knew you weren’t supposed to touch the doorknob if there was fire outside the door. It would burn his hand. He’d seen it on a TV show once.

  Sirens blared from outside his window. He walked over and peeked outside. Fire trucks were outside. He could see ladders and people jumping out of windows. He was frightened. Mama had told him never to open the windows when he was home alone. He was scared.

  “I’m only seven-years-old,” he whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”

  More and more smoke was pouring in. Caleb got up and placed a pillow against it but it wasn’t working. The smoke was still coming and he couldn’t breathe. He started to cough uncontrollably. Maybe he should just hide under his bed where it was cool and dark.

  The last thought he had before he lost consciousness was to wonder where his Mama was and whether he would ever see her beautiful face again.

  **

  “Poor thing. His mother left him in that apartment while she was out partying.” The older woman with the walnut-colored skin shook her head.

  “Such a shame. He’s lucky to be alive.” This time a woman with puffy yellow hair had spoken. She had a mean expression stamped on her face. He didn’t like her.

  “I heard she was a prostitute,” another woman with salt and pepper hair said in a raised voice. “Terrible.”

  Caleb didn’t know what the word meant, but he knew it was a bad thing. And there was no way it could have anything to do with his mother. She was an angel. He didn’t like hearing them talk about Mama.

  One of the ladies made a tutting sound. “And she left her son to die in that place.”

  “They should have put her underneath the jail.”

  “You know he has burns on twenty percent of his body.”

  Caleb heard all of the loud whispers and talk about him. The women didn’t seem to care that he could hear every word they were saying.

  Mama! Where was she? Why hadn’t she come to find him? He remembered being in the apartment and then a fire had broken out. And he’d been in a hospital bed ever since.

  He heard the heavy click of footsteps, followed by a deep female voice. “How many times have I told you to keep your petty gossip to yourselves? If I hear another word out of any of you, you’ll be getting pink slips.”

  Things were so quiet now. None of the ladies made a peep.

  He kept his head down. The sound of footsteps grew louder. Dark brown shoes stopped in front of him. He swung his gaze up. The woman standing in front of him had jet black hair. She wore it in a tight bun. Her skin was the color of one of his favorite crayons. Fawn.

  She sat down beside him on the bench.

  “Hey, Caleb. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Molly.”

  He nervously twiddled his fingers. “Hi. When can I see my mother?”

  “You can’t see her, Caleb.” Her voice had softened. “I’m so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but your mother voluntarily relinquished custody of you, which means you’re not going to see her. You’re not going back home. What happened with the fire was terrible. You could have been killed.”

  “But I wasn’t killed.”

  He didn’t care about the burns. At first it had felt like his body was on fire, but now he was getting better. All he wanted was Mama.

  Molly looked as if she might cry. “Caleb, you were in the hospital for weeks due to the burns you suffered. You’re lucky they weren’t worse.”

  “I want to see her. When will I see her?” He raised his voice, filled with frustration and sorrow. Why had Molly said Mama gave him up? She would never do that. She loved him.

  “Caleb, you need to listen to me. I promise you, I’m trying to help. But I can’t change the facts. Your mother signed papers. You are not going to be living with her anymore. That’s why you didn’t see her when you were in the hospital.”

  But he had seen her! She’d come in and sat by his bedside when he was half asleep. He knew he hadn’t been dreaming.

  Caleb let out a wail. The only thing that had kept him holding on ever since the night of the fire was the thought of seeing Mama again. But it wasn’t going to happen. And it was breaking his heart.

  He felt Molly’s arms embracing him. At first he resisted, but then he leaned into her. It had been so long since anyone had hugged him like this.

  “What’s going to happen to me? Where will I go?” Caleb asked. He was scared. His whole body was shaking.

  “You’re going to a wonderful family. And they live in a beautiful place right here in Florida. Pelican Bay. It’s about three hours from here.” Molly was smiling. “I know you’re sad. I know this is hard. But trust me, you are going to some of the nicest folks I’ve ever met. And you’ll be surrounded by kids.” She chuckled. “They have quite a few. They’ll be your family.”

  Family. Mama was the only family he’d ever known. He loved her more than he could ever tell Molly. His heart hurt from missing her. He didn’t know what to think. Or how to act. He wanted to bury himself in a deep hole and never come out. It hurt even to breathe. Why didn’t Mama want him anymore? What had he done to make her not love him? If he knew, maybe he could change it. Maybe she didn’t love him anymore because of his burn scars. Or maybe she thought he’d been the one to start the fire. It made him want to cry.

  Stay strong, little man. His mother’s voice buzzed in his ears. Pray. Believe. God is with you. Always.

  Caleb had prayed. He would continue to believe. And he would trust Molly. He would go to Pelican Bay and live with this family. God would be with him, even if his mother could not be.

  “When your best laid plans go astray, it’s time to dig down deep and get creative.”

  Jude Donahue

  Chapter One

  Caleb Donahue couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d felt so alone. Growing up in a big, bustling family in Pelican Bay had afforded him the luxury of never being forced to endure that particular feeling. He wasn’t being honest with himself. If he shut his eyes tightly and forced himself to go back in time, Caleb could remember an overwhelming sense of loss and loneliness. He hated going back to that dark place—it had been such an awful time of fear and dread. Dredging up those memories made him feel hopeless and sad. Caleb avoided thoughts of the past at all costs. What good did it do to stir up such horrific memories?

  Ever since he’d been adopted by his forever family, loneliness hadn’t affected him. Until now. And it was messing with him big-time. It took him back to the time before—the darkness of his young life. The things he’d spent most of the past two decades trying to forget. The memories weren’t always clear, but he remembered enough to make himself sick every time they c
ropped up.

  Focus, Caleb. He urged himself. Don’t get caught up in the storms of the past.

  His entire professional world was going up in flames. And he was sick about it. He’d worked so hard to get his bistro up and running. It was popular and had received great reviews. He’d actually made a profit last year. Just last month there had been a write up about it in the Pelican Bay Gazette. He had finally found his footing. And then the bottom had fallen out of his world. In one fell swoop the rug had been pulled out from under him.

  Now he was faced with uncertainty. His bistro was not entirely his own anymore. And it felt like a massive failure to have lost such control over his business.

  Sebastien Fontaine had called in his loan, and since Caleb couldn’t repay the entire amount of money he owed the wealthy businessman, he now had a partner in the Blue Bayou. The beauty of opening his own business had been the autonomy to make his own decisions and chart a course for himself. He liked being the captain of his own ship. That was now a thing of the past!

  He’d been foolish. Caleb had been so desperate to get the doors of the Blue Bayou open he hadn’t considered what might happen if he couldn’t repay Fontaine’s loan. Now he was knee deep in a sticky situation. What if Fontaine wanted to go in a completely different direction with the bistro? Would he have any recourse against a man of such vast wealth and connections?

  The sound of the front door opening diverted his attention away from his melancholy thoughts. He felt as if his head might explode.

  “Excuse me. We’re not open yet,” he called out. “Not for another half hour.” He’d forgotten to lock the front door. His brain was mush.

  A shuffling sound forced him to swing his gaze up.

  A woman dressed in a long peasant skirt and an over-sized blouse came walking slowly toward him. She was carrying a gigantic bag and held a folder in her hand. Her skin was the color of burnished bronze.