When You Believe (Seven Brides Seven Brothers) Read online

  When You Believe

  by 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. The ties that bind them together. And an abundance of love.

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers series

  PREQUEL: How Maggie and Alec Donahue met and fell in love.

  Maggie Kilcannon is living with relatives in Breeze Point, Cape Cod after leaving her native land of Ireland. Having tragically lost her parents in a plane crash, Maggie is weary about loving anyone, lest she emerge broken-hearted once again. When she meets handsome Alec Donahue, a soldier on leave, she falls head over heels in love with him. But can she learn to live with the uncertainty of losing him in the line of duty?

  Alec Donahue has always wanted to proudly serve his country as a soldier for the United States of America. He’s kept his eyes on the prize until he meets the beautiful and spirited Maggie while on leave. Maggie doesn’t believe in loving someone who might leave her, even though Alec wants to offer her a lifetime as her soul mate. Can Alec make Maggie believe in happily ever after?

  Seven Brides, Seven Brothers Series

  Book One. The Way Home. http://www.amazon.com/Home-Seven-Brides-Brothers-Book-ebook/dp/B00KTCBXSC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418439885&sr=8-&keywords=Belle+Calhoune+The+Way+Home

  Book Two. Still the One. http://www.amazon.com/Still-Seven-Brides-Brothers-Book-ebook/dp/B00M0EUU22/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418439960&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Belle+Calhoune+Stil+the+One

  Book Three. Until You Loved Me. http://www.amazon.com/Until-Loved-Seven-Brides-Brothers-ebook/dp/B00N15TPFC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418440052&sr=1-1&keywords=until+you+loved+me

  Book Four. Love Me Tender. http://www.amazon.com/Love-Tender-Seven-Brides-Brothers-ebook/dp/B00OFAVB1I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418440130&sr=1-1&keywords=love+me+tender

  Book Five. If Only In My Dreams. http://www.amazon.com/Only-Dreams-Seven-Brides-Brothers-ebook/dp/B00R6U2PZK/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1419896019&sr=1-5&keywords=belle+calhoune+seven+brides+for+seven+brothers

  This book is dedicated to Donahue lovers everywhere. Your support means the world to me.

  A letter from Belle:

  Right in the middle of the Seven Bride, Seven Brothers series I realized that I needed to create Maggie and Alec’s love story. After all, that’s where it all started. Without these two loving individuals, the Donahue brood would never have come to be. And I shudder to think what might have happened to the boys. Perhaps they would have languished in foster care. Or been raised by another family. But they wouldn’t have been all together as one big, bustling family. They wouldn’t have been Donahue Strong. Maggie and Alec had a bumpy ride, which makes their happily ever after all the more wonderful. I greatly enjoyed writing a married couple which was a change of pace for me. I hope everyone enjoys their love story. I love to hear from readers at [email protected]

  If you enjoyed “When You Believe” please consider leaving a review of this book on Amazon.

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

  Copyright 2014 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 Niina Cord http://niinascoverdesign.weebly.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

  Maggie Donahue

  Chapter One

  Christmas Eve- Breeze Point, Cape Cod

  Nine stockings were hung by the chimney with care in the Donahue household. Mommy. Daddy. Blue. Ryder. Remy. Nick. Brandon. Wyatt. Mac. The Christmas tree sat proudly in the corner of the living room, festively decorated in keepsake ornaments, silvery tinsel and strings of cranberries and popcorn. Presents were gathered in abundance under the tree. Every few minutes one of the Donahue brood would get on their hands and knees to examine the gifts and to see whose name was on the gift tags on each present. Remy slithered like a snake on his belly under the tree, shaking boxes and making wild guesses about the contents of each package. An ornament clattered to the floor after Remy brushed against it.

  Maggie Donahue let out a gasp as she watched her favorite ornament hit the floor. Her sons all stared at her with stunned expressions, watching for her reaction. Involuntarily, she raised her hand to her throat.

  Oh, please Lord. No! All she could do was pray that it wasn’t smashed to smithereens. There was no way in creation she could ever replace this four leaf clover ornament. She let out a sigh of relief as Remy held it up, showing the family that the ornament was still intact. A cheer went up in the room. Sounds of clapping ensued. This particular ornament was more than a keepsake. It was a cherished memory of her two beloved parents, Celia and Henry Kilcannon of County Cork, Ireland.

  She’d lost them as a young girl back in Ireland, the place of her birth. Even after all these years it was hard to think of them without experiencing a groundswell of grief flowing over her. Losing both her parents was something she would never completely get over, but she’d learned to live a fulfilling life despite the tragic circumstances of her childhood.

  Alec and her seven boys were her family now, blessings from God. The happiness she experienced being at the center of all this love and affection was so immense she felt as if her heart might explode at any moment. God had placed these beautiful children in her orbit, and from the day she and Alec had adopted them, her soul had been filled to overflowing. They reached deep down to a place inside her that she hadn’t even known existed.

  Watching the joy pulsing inside their home on Christmas Eve was as close to heaven as life took her. There was such a look of innocence on their little faces, as well as a radiance that came with their youth. Oh how she loved these moments, even if every day the boys were getting older and time seemed to be slipping through her fingers. These boys hadn’t been born of her body, but they were seared to her soul. She’d walk through fire to get to them. So would Alec. There was no greater love.

  She felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she watched them. The Donahue boys had set out a plate for Santa Claus. Blue had made sure old St. Nick’s sweet tooth would be satisfied with a plate full of sugar cookies and whoopie pies. Ryder took care of the milk. He’d filled the cup halfway with eggnog to give Santa a bit of a treat. Nick, wanting to make sure the reindeer were taken care of, placed carrots and celery in the front yard. Mac had whittled a beautiful figurine of an owl and placed it in a little box with Santa’s name on it. When he thought no one was looking, Wyatt broke off a corner of the sugar cookie and popped it into his mouth.

  Alec glanced over at the grandfather clock in the corner of the living room. “Boys, it’s time to hit the hay. You don’t want Santa to pass by the house if he thinks you’re awake.”

  “No!” The Donahue boys uttered a collective groan. Cries rang out. “Not yet! Please!” “Just a little bit
longer.”

  “We’re not sleepy,” Nick protested, even as his eyelids began to droop.

  “We promise to go to bed soon,” Ryder said in a pleading voice.

  “I’ll just toss and turn in bed,” Remy added.

  “A few more minutes,” Alec said with a wink in Maggie’s direction.

  The seven boys screamed with approval and began jumping up and down.

  “I have to say I’m not sure I like all the commercialism surrounding Christmas,” Brandon said as he regarded all the presents sitting under the tree.

  Alec chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with presents, as long as we all remember what we’re really celebrating. The birth of Christ.”

  All the boys nodded their heads solemnly.

  “Tomorrow is Jesus’ birthday,” Ryder said with a huge grin.

  “Stop being a downer,” Wyatt hissed at Brandon. “Some of us like the commercial…the whatever you said.”

  “I can’t help it if I’m fiscally responsible,” Brandon said. “I budgeted my gifts. I don’t see the sense in breaking the bank.”

  “Why that’s wonderful, Brandon,” Maggie praised. “At this rate you’re going to take the business world by storm.” The smile on Brandon’s face stretched from ear to ear.

  “Or become the world’s biggest cheapskate,” Wyatt cracked, earning himself a round of laughter from his brothers.

  “Hey now, that’s not nice talk for Christmas Eve,” Alec warned. Maggie could see his lips twitching with merriment, even though he was doing his best to appear stern.

  He was the softie, Maggie mused. She was always the stricter, more rigid parent while Alec was the one who tended to cave in. They played their roles well, she realized. Their parenting styles balanced each other out so that their children received a healthy dose of both discipline and love. They were raising them to be loving boys who were grounded in their faith and their family values. And it was their goal to preserve each of the boy’s personalities, quirks and unique talents. Not one of them would be a cookie cutter of their sibling.

  The children pulled out a board game, and for the next twenty minutes they played in teams of two with Mac being the judge. Hoots and hollers arose when Blue and Mac won the game. This time when Alec and Maggie suggested that it was time for bed, not a soul protested. They were all tired and full of anticipation for what Christmas morning might bring them. Off they went in their holiday pajamas to their bedrooms. Nick trailed behind his older brothers, casting a sleepy gaze at the Christmas tree as he headed upstairs.

  “Don’t forget to brush your teeth and wash those handsome faces,” Maggie cried out. She heard a few grumbles and groans in response to her request. It was par for the course as a mother of seven boys. She’d be shocked if the time came when they didn’t protest just a little bit.

  Once they were alone and the house was quiet, Maggie leaned in toward Alec, nestling against the crook of his arm. She looked up at him, marveling at how handsome he was, even more so than when they’d met all those years ago. “Do you remember our first Christmas together?”

  He smiled down at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Do I remember?” he asked as he reached out and trailed his finger along the side of her face. “Of course I do, my love. I remember everything. Every minute. Every second. Each and every moment that led you straight into my arms.”

  “Oh Alec,” she said with a sigh. “Sometimes I wish we could go back in time and relive those moments over and over again.”

  Alec let out an easy chuckle. “They weren’t all joyful moments, my love. There were a few times I wasn’t sure we would end up together.”

  She reached over and playfully swatted her husband. “Alec Donahue! We were always going to end up together.”

  Alec placed a kiss on her temple and wrapped his arms around his wife. “Of course we were, my sweet Maggie. But you have to admit, we did have a bumpy ride.”

  “The course of true love never did run smooth,” Maggie said in a teasing voice.

  “Especially with a gorgeous, Christmas tree stealing woman.” His chest rumbled behind her with laughter.

  She shot him a glare. “For the hundredth time, I did not steal that Christmas tree. I paid for it, fair and square.”

  “That’s your story and you’re sticking to it,” he said, throwing his head back in merriment.

  “Shhh. You’ll wake the children,” Maggie said with a low chuckle. “And we’ve still got a few presents to wrap.”

  “Oh, you were a handful,” Alec said. “Matter of fact, you still are, darlin’.”

  “If I hadn’t been, maybe we might never have met. Oh, sweetheart. I’m so blessed to have this life with you and our boys.”

  “Right back ‘atcha.” He shuddered. “If we hadn’t met up at that Christmas tree stand at the same time, I wonder where we would have ended up.” He raised an eyebrow. “Or with whom?”

  “Breeze Point is a small town. We would have been thrown in each other’s paths at some point or another,” Maggie said. She chewed on her lip, knowing that it wasn’t necessarily true. Alec had been on leave from the Army, so the time for them to cross paths had been limited. She hated to even imagine what might have been if they hadn’t both been searching for the perfect Christmas tree at the exact same moment.

  Serendipity. The word popped into her brain. It had been her mother’s favorite word, one she’d often used when something fortuitous had occurred. Just the word itself made goose bumps pop up on her arms. It reminded her of hearth and home, corned beef and cabbage and hugs that seemed to go on forever. Her parents were indelibly imprinted on her heart.

  “As you like to say, it was meant to be.” Alec’s words trickled through her. He was right. Their love was meant to be, forged through faith, hope, fidelity, truth and enduring love.

  “Let’s hold off on the presents. I want to take a trip down memory lane.” Maggie jumped up from the sofa and headed towards the bookshelf where she’d placed all their photo albums. After a few moments of riffling through the stacks, she let out a cry and held a dark blue album up in the air. “Voila! I found it.”

  She sat back down next to Alec and cuddled against him. Alec reached across and opened the album to the first page. With a feather light touch, he ran his finger along the first photo, letting out a sigh as he did so. Slowly, reverently, they began to turn the pages as the precious moments from their past flashed before their eyes.

  “You never know when your life is going to change in a heartbeat. Always keep your eyes open for something wonderful.”

  Dottie Donahue

  Chapter Two

  In the beginning

  Alec Donahue inhaled deeply as he walked down Main Street in his hometown of Breeze Point, Cape Cod. Familiar landmarks jumped out at him. Town hall. Breeze Point’s only movie theater. The local hardware store. All of it was as familiar to him as his right hand, even though he’d been away from home for more than a year. Being on leave from the Army was a beautiful thing indeed. It allowed him to come back home to Breeze Point and celebrate the holidays with his boisterous, loving family. From the moment he’d stepped off the plane and stood on Cape Cod land, he’d been filled with a sense of rightness. No other place on Earth made him feel such a deep sense of belonging. Generations of Donahues had planted roots in Cape Cod. He was really no different than his ancestors.

  He shook his head and chuckled at the memory of his mother’s tears when he’d shown up unexpectedly at the house. Dottie Donahue had been a sobbing, screaming, glorious mess. And it had warmed his heart like nothing else ever could. She’d hugged him so tightly he’d felt out of breath. His mother was one of a kind. Sure there were times when she was way too outspoken or embarrassing, but he wouldn’t trade her for anything in this world.

  Dottie Donahue loved her husband and her brood with a ferocity that knew no limits. Alec laughed to himself as he thought about his eclectic, loving family. They were far from perfect, but he loved the
m one and all.

  He made his way across the village green, pausing to admire the gazebo lit up with white lights. The ground was covered in a fresh dusting of fluffy snow. Sparkly, festive lights hung between a few trees. A big sign advertising “Nate’s Christmas Tree Stand” stood in front of a small tent. Surrounding the tent were dozens of Christmas trees of all shapes and sizes. Alec poked his head inside the tent, instantly spotting the tall red-head he’d known his entire life.

  “Hey, Nate,” he called out. “Thought I might find you in here.”

  Nate whirled around. He had a stack of bills in his hand. His eyes widened in surprise. “Alec. You caught me counting my profits. The new baby is eating us out of house and home.” The look on Nate’s face could only be described as ecstatic. Alec knew it had everything to do with his wife Becky and the new addition. He was happy for them. They’d all gone through school together, with Nate and Becky being a couple since middle school.

  A feeling of envy made its way through him. What he wouldn’t give to fall in love, settle down and start a family. Those things were years down the road due to the solemn vow he’d made to focus on his commitment to the military rather than love and romance. It was the right decision, he realized. He’d always wanted to serve his country and to fight to protect the freedoms America enjoyed. Even though he yearned sometimes for a love of his own, someone who knew him inside and out. Someone who would love him for a lifetime.

  Nate reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good to see you back in town. I had no clue you’d be home on leave. Dottie never said a word and I just ran into her the other day at the wharf.”