Tenderly (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Pelican Bay) Read online

  Tenderly

  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. With sun, surf and sand at their doorstep, The Donahue’s embrace faith, family and happily-ever-afters.

  Micah Donahue is one of the eight Donahue siblings. He’s a male model who hasn’t been able to see his own self-worth in anything other than his good looks and charm. Being diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult has opened his eyes a bit to his life-long struggles. When he meets introverted teacher Faith O’Connell, Micah’s entire life turns upside down. For the first time in his life he can see his future in the eyes of another.

  Faith O’Connell is a caring young woman whose life has been marred by a tragic fire that forever changed her life. As a teacher, Faith is able to change the lives of children on a daily basis, yet she hides behind layers so no one can see her burns. Yearning for a bigger and better life, Faith sees her life changing when she meets Micah Donahue and his wonderful family.

  Can Micah’s love and devotion help Faith overcome her fears?

  Dedication:

  With much love to my daughters for constantly showing me what matters most.

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to Pelican Bay, Florida. Thanks for joining me on this romantic journey. I hope you enjoy Micah and Faith’s love story. Writing their story has been a lot of fun. In many ways, they are polar opposites since Micah is outgoing while Faith is a bit introverted. These characters are near and dear to my heart. I love writing the Donahue family and seeing where their lives take them. No matter how things might look on the outside, everyone is dealing with challenges. Micah and Faith are no different! Despite his good looks, Micah tends to doubt himself in many areas. All his life he’s fallen back on his physical appearance. As a member of the large Donahue clan, Micah can’t help but compare himself to his siblings. Faith represents the flip side of the coin. Faith tends to doubt her physical appeal due to her scars. Both must lean on their faith in order to grab ahold of their future.

  I truly hope you enjoy Tenderly and learning more about the Pelican Bay Donahue clan.

  Blessings,

  Belle

  Copyright 2018 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 art by Elizabeth Mackey

  http://www.elizabethmackeygraphics.com/

  Belle Calhoune Books:

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers Series (Pelican Bay):

  Book One: Breathless

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRSW288

  Book Two: Adored

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B073X3S8XF

  Book Three: All This Love

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B077YSVBFP

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers Series:

  Book One: The Way Home

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KTCBXSC

  Book Two: Still the One

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M0EUU22

  Book Three: Until You Loved Me

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N15TPFC

  Book Four: Love Me Tender

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OFAVB1I

  Book Five: If only in my dreams

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R6U2PZK

  Book Six: Baby It’s You

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VZ3FCB8

  Book Seven: When A Man Loves A Woman

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011J6ZTE0

  PREQUEL: WHEN YOU BELIEVE

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T52CK1G

  Secrets of Savannah Series:

  Book One: Till the End of Time

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017L5ZPCE

  Book Two: A Moment in the Moonlight

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AARG24A

  Book Three: The Last Kiss

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C1WIPAG

  Book Four: For Love Alone (Morgan and Luke)

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GEE5Q8G

  Book Five: Falling in Love (Charlotte and Marc)

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYTVT4N

  Book Six: Heart of Mine (Hope and Grayson)

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N017Z56

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Micah Donahue slipped quietly into the classroom without making a single sound. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was in the area. Once he was certain no one was around, he turned back in the direction of the object of his desire. His eyes focused on the glass candy jar like laser beams. His mouth began to water at the sight of the gumballs, sweet tarts, lollipops and the red licorice. Micah had never been able to resist the sight of candy, particularly when it was dangled under his nose by his teacher, Mrs. Craddock.

  Mrs. Craddock dangled the candy in front of their ten-year old eyes on a daily basis. If you did really well on math quizzes or tests you were allowed to come to her desk and pick three pieces of candy from the jar. Problem was, Micah wasn’t good at math. It was his least favorite class in school. So he’d never had the chance to pick a piece of candy from Mrs. Craddock’s candy jar. It was pure torture! Each and every time she announced the names of the kids who had earned candy from her jar, Micah felt as if someone was jabbing him in the side with a knife. It hurt! Sometimes it felt as if he was the only kid in the entire class who hadn’t been rewarded.

  A feeling of shame filled his insides. If only he was smart. Like his brother Daniel, who was crazy smart. He got straight A’s. Or his brother Jason. He knew everything. And his brother Parker, who was the oldest, set the bar high for all of his siblings. That’s what his dad always said. No one ever pointed out to him that he wasn’t as smart as his siblings, but Micah knew it right down to his core. The day they gave out brains, Micah must have been absent.

  Gingerly, Micah lifted the top off the candy jar, half expecting an alarm to start wailing. His heart was beating like a drum inside his chest. Was he having a heart attack? Or was it just guilt? He knew in his gut that this was stealing, but he was determined to get some candy. It was the forbidden fruit. Now he knew how Adam and Eve had felt in the garden of Eden. Sometimes it was hard to be good and follow the rules. Micah picked out a few pieces of candy, trying to make as little noise as possible. He folded a piece of licorice in half and immediately popped a piece in his mouth. He shut his eyes as the sweet taste hit his tongue. Licorice was his favorite candy. He loved it more than anything. Not all licorice though. Just the red type. The black licorice tasted like medicine.

  One by one he popped all of the candy in his mouth, savoring the different flavors. Suddenly, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. It sounded like heels due to the clickety clack noise. Then he heard the low murmur of voices. He froze. It sounded like Mrs. Craddock. Oh no! If he was caught in here standing near the candy jar he would be in so m
uch trouble. He might even get detention. Then he would get punished when he got home. Maybe his parents would ground him and he wouldn’t be able to see the new Logan Mars movie.

  His parents didn’t play around about misbehaving in school. He darted his eyes toward the closet where Mrs. Craddock kept all of the school supplies like chalk and erasers. As quietly as possible, he moved toward the closet and stepped inside, sitting down on the cool floor. There was just enough space for him, although it was a bit tight. He couldn’t make a single sound or he would be found out. Mrs. Craddock already didn’t like him, and if she caught him hiding in the closet he would see her mean side for sure.

  He cringed as he imagined her looking down at him from behind her thick glasses and saying, “Well, Mr. Donahue. What mischief have you gotten into now?”

  The sound of footsteps rang in his ears. Mrs. Craddock wasn’t alone. She was talking to someone else and complaining about the food being served in the cafeteria. He prayed she wouldn’t find him hiding.

  “Remind me never to forget my lunch again,” Mrs. Craddock said, her voice sounding annoyed. “That cafeteria food is nasty.”

  “It isn’t that bad, Felicity. I actually like their meatballs,” a woman responded. Micah knew the soft, lilting voice of Miss O’Reilly. She had come all the way to Pelican Bay from County Cork, Ireland. She was young and pretty with dark brown eyes and rounded cheeks that were always rosy. Every time Micah saw her he felt his heart beating a fast rhythm inside his chest. She was his crush. He thought she was the nicest teacher in the whole world. And someday if he could, Micah wanted to marry her. On the last day of school, he wanted to leave a big bouquet of flowers on her desk for her.

  Mrs. Craddock let out a snort. “Tasted like mush to me.” Micah heard a sound resembling a drawer being opened. He could hear the rustling of papers.

  “Here it is!” Mrs. Craddock said in a triumphant voice. “I’m so happy that I found it.”

  “That’s great news!” Miss O’Reilly said in a chirpy voice.

  “What a shame!” Mrs. Craddock said, making a tutting sound.

  “What’s wrong? What are you looking at?” he heard Miss O’Reilly ask.

  “Some tests I have to hand back to the students this afternoon. If Micah Donahue doesn’t get his grades up, I might recommend that he be kept back a year.”

  Oh no! Mrs. Craddock was talking about him. His face felt flushed and sweaty. She was talking about holding him back a year. His stomach began to painfully contract in protest.

  “Oh no!” Miss O’Reilly said. “Micah is such a sweetheart. And he seems so bright. Surely there’s another alternative.”

  “You’re wrong. From everything I’ve seen, he’s not very bright.”

  Micah froze as he heard the statement from the lips of Mrs.Craddock. His stomach clenched. Is that really what she thought of him? Didn’t she see anything smart about him?

  Mrs. Craddock continued to speak. “Thank goodness he’s handsome. Those looks of his are his strongest asset. All the girls in the class are competing with each other just to get a smile from him or a look in their direction.”

  “Felicity, he’s just a boy. It’s wrong to judge him,” Miss O’Reilly said in a scolding tone. “He has plenty of time to buckle down and pull up his grades. You can’t determine his future at this point. It’s just not fair.”

  Mrs. Craddock made a tutting sound. “I’m not trying to be unkind, Winnie. I’ll have to bring in his parents to discuss the situation with them. They’re lovely people. I admire them for adopting several of their children and having a blended family. And up to this point none of the Donahue children have had any academic issues. They’ve all been as smart as whips.”

  “Maybe he can get a tutor. If there’s a specific issue perhaps he can be tested for it.”

  Bless Miss O’Reilly’s heart. It was an expression Micah always heard his mother say. Miss O’Reilly really was as kind as she seemed to be. She wanted to help him. It seemed that she believed in him.

  “It’s such a shame. His brother Daniel is brilliant. And I remember Jason getting straight A’s.”

  “Felicity, it’s not right to compare him to his siblings. Every student is different.”

  “Oh, he’s different all right,” Mrs. Craddock muttered.

  He could hear the clicking of heels and their voices dying out. They must have left the classroom, Micah realized. He could no longer hear them talking. Micah sat in the closet until he felt certain they were gone. When he stepped out of the closet his legs felt unsteady and he knew it had nothing to do with crouching in the closet. Everything he’d overheard convinced him of his own unworthiness. He wasn’t smart. He was different from all of his siblings. He was dumb. Maybe his mother had dropped him on his head when he was a baby. Maybe something really was wrong with him. Sometimes when he looked at books things seemed all jumbled up.

  What would he do for a job when he was older? Dumb kids didn’t go to college and he really wanted to go to the University of Miami. It was about an hour away and a few times his family had driven to the campus to visit their cousin Gary. Micah had fallen in love with it. Now he felt heartbroken. He wasn’t smart enough to go to college. Shoot! He wasn’t smart enough to even finish fifth grade.

  Micah wiped away hot, salty tears as they streamed down his face. Why had he snuck in here to take Mrs. Craddock’s candy in the first place? He wished that he could go back in time and change his decision. He would have spared himself the embarrassment of having to hear the cold, hard facts about himself.

  He slowly walked down the corridor and slipped outside to enjoy the last few minutes of recess with his classmates. Micah let out a sigh. He knew if he lived to be one hundred years old he would never forget the words he had overheard from inside the closet. It all made sense now. His parents had always tried to make him feel smart, although he never really had. They had tested him for something to do with his attention span. But no one ever knew what was wrong with him. Maybe they would never know why he was so dumb. Shame threatened to swallow him up whole.

  Dumb. Not very bright. Stupid. Marbles for brains. It hurt so much. Although he wanted to give in to tears, Micah didn’t want his classmates to see him cry. Instead he would hold his head up high and pretend as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He was a Donahue. And he would put a brave face on as he headed outside to recess. After all, he might not be smart, but he still had his pride.

  “Our ability to be loved is only surpassed by our ability to love.” Alec Donahue

  Chapter One

  Micah Donahue wiped a few beads of sweat off his forehead. His nerves were all over the place. His best friend was getting married and he had offered to throw the happy couple an engagement party. Now that the event was here, Micah was wondering why he’d even made the grand gesture in the first place. He didn’t have to ponder the question for long. Rafferty Fitzgerald was the best friend a person could ever have. Bar none. Ever since they’d met as kids on the playground, Rafferty had shown Micah loyalty and the utmost friendship.

  The least he could do was host an engagement party for him. Micah wanted Rafferty to be happy. He deserved it almost more than anyone he’d ever known. Ever since they were kids, Rafferty had gotten the short end of the stick. His home had been full of dysfunction—alcohol abuse, parental arguments, not enough money coming in—which had led Rafferty to become an honorary member of the Donahue clan. The top bunk in Micah’s bunk bed had been Rafferty’s bed, to use whenever he needed. And he had needed to bunk there more times than not. As a result, Micah and Rafferty had bonded for life. They were blood brothers.

  Nothing would ever change that. At least he hoped not. Micah struggled against the niggling feeling rising up inside of him. The truth was he didn’t like Rafferty’s fiancée, Pamela Carson. On the surface Pamela seemed like a great catch. She was attractive. Pamela said all the right things. She represented herself as a Godly woman. She seemed devoted to his best friend, but on a few
occasions Micah had felt extremely uncomfortable in her presence.

  He hadn’t told a single soul, but Pamela had been flirty and suggestive with him several times. The first time Micah had convinced himself that it was all in his imagination, but by the second and third time he’d known something was very off with Pamela. He needed to confide in someone and get their opinion. One of his brothers perhaps? It was tough because Rafferty was the one he was used to confiding in and there was no way he could tell him about Pamela. He feared it might tear their friendship in two. Rafferty was so in love with his fiancée. And since Micah had always had the reputation of a player, he wasn’t sure his brothers wouldn’t give him a hard time about the situation. Although he could usually take a good ribbing, it would hurt if they thought he’d led Pamela on in any way. He would never do that in a million years to Rafferty.

  Perhaps tonight would be different. Maybe Pamela would finally show Micah how much she loved his best friend. Perhaps it was all in his head after all. Maybe he could finally put all of his doubts to rest. He wanted Rafferty to be happy and walk down the aisle toward his soul mate. For the life of him, he just didn’t think Pamela was the one. And because Rafferty had inherited a sizeable amount of money from his grandfather—one he’d never even known until he passed away—Micah was a bit skeptical regarding Pamela’s sudden desire to be in a committed relationship with Rafferty. Pamela was the type of woman who liked the finer things in life. There wasn’t a humble thing about her.