Three Matchmakers And A Christmas Wedding (Hope Valley Book 2) Read online

  Three Matchmakers and a

  Christmas Wedding

  Belle Calhoune

  Dedication

  To all the matchmakers out there. This one is for you.

  Dear Reader:

  Thank you for joining me on this reunion romance set in Hope Valley. I love writing about characters who find their way back to each other after separation or a length of time that’s passed. Kit and Jayden London are on the brink of divorce when they are forced together due to the actions of a few matchmakers in their lives. I love the concept of friends and family helping to save a marriage. When we attend weddings we are bearing witness to the union, and we are participants in the love story. When things go wrong we all shake our heads and sigh, but how often do we intervene and try to help repair the marriage? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all became matchmakers and tried to save marriages rather than stand by idly and watch them crumble? Ultimately, it’s up to the couple to repair their marriage, but wouldn’t it be nice if we were all invested?

  I hope you enjoy Kit and Jayden’s love story. Marriage isn’t easy, but it’s worth fighting for.

  Blessings,

  Belle

  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 ten Harlequin Love Inspired novels. She has Indie published the popular and best-selling inspirational romance series, Seven Brides, Seven Brothers. Her indie series, the Secrets of Savannah and Seven Brides, Seven Brothers Pelican Bay are both spin-offs of her debut series. Belle loves writing romance and crafting happily-ever-afters. When she’s not wrangling her two high maintenance dogs (a toy poodle and a black Labrador Retriever) or spending time with her husband and two daughters, Belle enjoys travel, classic films and exploring new places.

  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/

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  About the author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Prologue

  The wedding march rang out in the playroom. An off-key voice began to sing loudly. “Here comes the bride, all dressed in white.” Tasha hummed the rest of the song as Kit, the lovely bride, walked down a makeshift aisle strewn with petals. Another little girl named Robin walked behind her, holding up her train. The maid of honor—all of seven years old—had her lip stuck out. She was muttering under her breath.

  “Tasha, you have to be the pastor,” Kit said in a loud whisper, pushing the veil away from her face.

  Tasha sighed from the seat of the piano. “Kit! Why do I always have to be the one to officiate? And you’re always the bride.”

  “Are you kidding me? I always have to be the groom,” a little boy named Jayden grumbled. He was standing by the altar decked out in a dark jacket that clearly belonged to an adult. He was swimming in it. In his hands he was clutching a wilted arrangement of flowers. “I don’t want to play the wedding game. It’s boring.”

  “Well, you’re the only boy here, Jayden, so it makes sense,” Kit snapped. “You should consider it a compliment to be my groom.”

  Jayden let out a snort and rolled his eyes. “That’s a laugh.”

  Suddenly, the maid of honor threw her bouquet down on the carpet. “I’m not doing this. It’s too unprofessional. Weddings are supposed to be perfect. This one is a mess.”

  “Robin! Pick up that bouquet. You’re ruining everything!” Kit screamed.

  Robin glared at her and stomped her foot. “When is it my turn to be the bride? I want to wear the white lace dress. I want to be the center of attention. I want to marry Jayden. It’s not fair!”

  “It is fair!” Kit hissed. “You’re lucky you’re the maid of honor. I really wanted it to be Georgia.”

  Robin looked at Kit with a wounded expression on her face. Her lips began to tremble and tears pooled in her eyes.

  “She’s right!” Tasha chimed in. “It’s not fair!”

  Two other girls seated in chairs nodded.

  “We need to take turns,” Mallory said in a soft voice. She nudged the girl next to her. “Right Georgia?”

  Georgia twirled her blonde hair around her finger. “Yes,” she said slowly, dragging the word out. “Although Kit does make a beautiful bride.”

  Tasha put her hands on her hips. “Georgia! Just because she’s your best friend doesn’t mean you always have to take her side!”

  Georgia sighed and stood up. “I don’t like all this arguing. I’m going home.”

  “That’s it! I’m not playing dress up any longer.” Jayden shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket. It landed on the floor in a heap. “Weddings are lame. I want to play video games.”

  Kit’s eyes grew wide. “Where are y’all going? I haven’t said my vows yet.”

  Jayden threw his hands in the air. “I’m out of here!” he said, sailing out the door of the playroom.

  “Jayden London! I’m going to tell your Mama,” Kit screamed, her cheeks flushing with the effort.

  Tasha, Robin and Mallory all followed behind Jayden, making a swift exit. Tears began to flow down Kit’s cheeks and her little shoulders began to shake.

  “Don’t cry, Kit,” Georgia said, walking over and patting her best friend on the back.

  “I thought you were going home,” she said, her lips quivering.

  “Duh. I’m not leaving you all by yourself.”

  Kit smiled at Georgia through her tears. “Thanks, Georgia. You really are my best friend in the whole wide world.”

  Georgia held out her hand and they locked pinkies. “And you’re mine. And someday, we’ll be in each other’s weddings. Once we find our other halves.”

  “When I get married, it’s going to be forever,” Kit said, folding her arms across her chest.

  “I’m going to marry a very important man and he’s going to meet me at the altar with the biggest smile on his face you’ve ever seen. He’s going to know that we’re meant to be. And we’re going to live in a house made of gold and sparkles. And we’re going to have unicorns in our backyard.”

  Georgia looked at Kit and smirked. “Unicorns? Kit. You crack me up.”

  “Why? It’s very possible. You have to believe in things, Kit. Like rainbows and love and unicorns. And happily ever afters.”

  Kit smiled as she imagined her future unfolding like the pages of the romance novels her mother read to her faithfully. Someday, she imagined, she would have a real wedding and a husband who she would cherish for all the days of her life.

  Chapter One

  Kit London watched outside her window as graceful snowflakes floated past the panes of glass. She sucked in a deep, steadying breath. Although this was supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, it was shaping up to be fairly miserable. Signing divorce papers at Christmas served as a big kick in the gut. The hurt and disappointment over her marriage coming to an end was only intensifying. She felt sick to her stomach. There was an ache inside her that wouldn’t go away.

  Till death d
o us part. Kit ran her fingers over the wedding album and let out a ragged sigh as the pictures of her wedding day came into sharp focus. Her favorite picture had always been of the moment they had sealed their marriage with a romantic kiss at the altar. Now she could barely stand to gaze upon the image. A tugging sensation pulled at her heart strings. Never in a million years had she imagined that her marriage would be over after four short years.

  In sickness and in health. Kit had gotten choked up reciting those particular words as she’d exchanged vows with her husband, Jayden. Her father had just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and she’d watched her parents accept the news with grace and love and vows to stick it out together, come what may. God had been right by their side as they had promised to love each other for a lifetime.

  For richer or poorer. Jayden had signed a multi-million-dollar contract with the Colorado Cougars and received several impressive endorsement deals. They were wealthy now, miles and miles away from the way they had grown up in Hope Valley. Neither one had come from a rich family like the Somers. They had both hailed from humble beginnings. Sometimes she almost wished they were poor. Things had been a lot easier with little or no money.

  For better or worse. She let out a brittle laugh. They had surely seen better days. They had been head-over-heels in love and optimistic about their future together. And now they were firmly entrenched in the worst of times. But they had mutually decided to stop trying to save their marriage. They had filled out the paperwork for a legal separation. And now they were barreling toward a divorce.

  Until death do us part. Tears rolled down Kit’s face and she didn’t even bother to wipe them away. Once upon a time she had dreamed of forever with Jayden. They had been so in love. And they had wanted kids together. A family. Month after month Kit had cried when the pregnancy test results came in. Negative.

  When it became clear that their journey to parenthood wouldn’t be an easy one, they had both vowed to do whatever was possible in order to make it happen. Treatment after treatment had failed, leaving their marriage weighted down under the strain of it all. They had finally experienced the joy of discovering they were having a baby, only to be devastated when Kit lost the baby. She shuddered as the devastating memories consumed her. Kit had tried not to dwell on the baby they had lost, but bit by bit it had contributed to the demise of their marriage.

  She had to deal with reality head-on. Her marriage to Jayden was over. They were done. Everything had fallen apart at lightning speed. And she still didn’t know how things had imploded so quickly. Where had the love gone?

  How had they fallen out of love with one another? Why hadn’t they fought for their marriage? For a future together? She felt like a fraud. They had exchanged their vows at Hope Valley Church in front of hundreds of friends and family and Jayden’s teammates. Kit felt as if she was reneging on a promise she’d made to God. She felt so deeply ashamed.

  The doorbell pealed insistently, dragging Kit out of her thoughts about her failed marriage. She stood up from her cozy, oatmeal-colored couch and made her way past the fully-decorated Christmas tree and toward the front door. When she pulled it open, her cousin Tasha was standing there.

  “What’s with the crazy message you sent me?” Tasha strode into Kit’s house and, once she was inside, turned back toward Kit with her hand on her hip.

  “It wasn’t exactly crazy,” Kit said, shaking her head at her cousin. “I was very direct and to the point.”

  “So you’re seriously bailing out on Christmas?” Tasha asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.

  Kit walked back toward her spacious living room and settled back down on her couch. Her cousin walked behind her and sat down on a love seat.

  “I wouldn’t use that word.” Kit wrinkled her nose. “It sounds so negative.”

  “Kit. Please don’t go to the cabin for Christmas. Christmas won’t be the same without you.”

  Kit hated disappointing her family members, but she needed to get away from it all. She had been given divorce papers to sign and it was heartbreaking to have to deal with it over the holidays. All she wanted to do was bury her head in the sand. If she couldn’t do that she would head out of Dodge for the holidays. The thought of facing people in the midst of such a personal crisis was daunting. She needed to lick her wounds in solitude.

  “I need to get away, Tasha. I’m sorry if that seems as if I’m disappointing everyone, but I’m doing the best I can to wade through this mess and make it out in one piece. I have to be selfish at the moment. Otherwise I’ll shatter into a million little pieces.”

  Kit put her head in her hands and began to cry. She had been strong for so long. Through infertility treatments. Through marital arguments. Through stress and strain. Through dealing with her husband’s status as a superstar NFL player. It had all been too much to deal with. And now she felt broken.

  “Oh, Kit. I’m so sorry,” Tasha cooed as she placed her arm around her shoulder. “I know you’re hurting. I’m sorry if I sounded harsh.”

  Kit allowed herself to sob against her cousin’s shoulder. If you couldn’t fall apart in front of family members, who could you fall apart in front of? Kit asked herself.

  “I thought we were going to be together for the rest of our lives,” Kit wailed. “I have no idea how things fell apart so quickly. And now I’m preparing to sign divorce papers. So forgive me for stepping away from life for a bit, but I’m bringing the divorce papers to the cabin so I can move forward with serenity and peace and clarity of mind.”

  “Oh, Kit. I’m so sorry,” Tasha said. “If there was any way I could make things better for you, I’d go to the ends of the earth to do it.”

  Kit poured her heart out to her cousin, not caring how she sounded or what she looked like. Her heart was breaking. For the first time in her life she didn’t care about the holiday season or decorating a Christmas tree or spreading cheer in Hope Valley.

  She was getting divorced from the love of her life. This year Christmas would be skipped over on her calendar. She would bury her head in the snow and pretend that it was any other day. There would be no rejoicing. No jubilation. She wouldn’t eat turkey or stuffing or apple pie with vanilla ice cream. There wouldn’t be anyone to kiss under the mistletoe. There wouldn’t be any stockings hanging from her fireplace. And she surely wouldn’t be tracking Santa Claus on her Santa tracker on Christmas Eve. She just wanted to get through this holiday in one solid piece.

  Bah Humbug! Kit London would be signing divorce papers and officially severing ties with the love of her life. And it was more painful than she’d ever imagined.

  **

  Tasha walked out of Kit’s house and dug her cell phone out of her purse. She punched in a number and held the phone up to her ear. Relief coursed through her as she heard the familiar sound of her cousin’s voice. “Hey, Robin. It’s Tasha. We need to get together with Georgia and talk about Kit and Jayden. Things have gotten out of control. Kit is planning to head to the cabin for Christmas. She’s signing divorce papers. We have to take action. Asap.” Tasha nodded as she listened to Robin. “Yes. Operation Matchmaker is in full effect. We have to take drastic measures to help save their marriage. And we don’t have a moment to spare.”

  **

  Jayden London navigated his sleek, dark Jaguar into the driveway of his parents’ house. He parked the car and sat for a few moments in the driver’s seat, his heart feeling as heavy as an anchor. It was supposed to be the happiest time of the year, filled with fellowship, faith, family and friends. Happiness went hand in hand with Christmas. It had always been an automatic feeling for him. Joy. Light and Love. That feeling of holiday cheer that seeped into your bones like osmosis.

  This year was a struggle. He wasn’t feeling any of those things. He felt like a big huge failure. It wasn’t often that Jayden used the F word. FAILURE. He was an athlete after all. A top notch professional football player who had fought past adversity to establish himself as a premiere member of the Colorado C
ougars Football franchise. The NFL. The big time. The dream he’d held in his heart ever since he was a little boy growing up in Hope Valley. His family had never had much to speak of in terms of material things, yet they’d always had an abundance of love. Once he’d made it to the NFL, Jayden had been thrilled to shower his family with a plethora of luxuries. He’d purchased this very house for his parents—a two story white Colonial with a host of amenities. There were no guarantees in life. Jayden had seen it on the field when the best athletes suffered random, career-ending injuries. Even though he knew there was no point in wallowing in his feelings, he was having a hard time accepting that his marriage was over.

  There’s really no point in dragging this out, is there? Pain sliced through him as Kit’s words washed over him. His pride had prevented him from begging her to give their marriage another chance. He had lashed out at her instead, telling her in every way possible how deeply he regretted ever marrying her in the first place. He had reminded her that they’d been impetuous and foolish. Jayden cringed at the memory. His response had wounded Kit and served as the final death knell in their marriage. There wasn’t any coming back from it. He had jumped off the cliff and landed with a belly flop.

  Why hadn’t he apologized? Why had he pushed things to the breaking point?

  Jayden stepped out of his vehicle and walked toward the front door. His folks had decorated their house with an abundance of holiday cheer. A gaily decorated wreath hung on the front door. A small tree sat on the front lawn. Once it got dark the tree would be lit up with shimmering white lights. Since his separation from Kit, his parents had invited him to stay with them at their house. They had been fairly forceful with him, insisting that he shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. He had accepted their offer, knowing it would be better to be surrounded by family in the midst of his personal crisis.