When You Believe (Seven Brides Seven Brothers) Read online

  “She had no clue until I arrived. That’s how it works out most times. We’re prohibited from revealing that type of sensitive information. I’m on leave and back in the good ole USA for a bit.” And he couldn’t be happier for a break from military life. It was a world he loved, but he missed his family, his hometown and his friends on a daily basis.

  Nate grinned at him. “Not that it’s not great to see you, Alec, but what are you doing here? I thought you Donahues went out to Nottingham Woods to find your trees.”

  “We usually do, but with Pop in and out of the hospital this past year, we figured we’d try to make it as low-key as possible.” He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be the same if he couldn’t join us, so I’m bringing the tree to him.”

  Nate met his gaze. Alec saw the compassion emanating from his eyes. “I’m praying for him, Alec. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have made it through high school. He’s a good man.”

  A feeling of pride burst inside him. As a history teacher and advisor at Breeze Point High School, Theodore Donahue had helped more kids stay in school than anyone had ever given him credit for. His father hadn’t done it for the kudos. Most of his encouragement had occurred behind the scenes. He’d wanted to make an impact in the lives of children and their educational path. And he had, until two bouts with cancer had forced him to retire much earlier than he’d planned. And now, after surgery to remove another cancerous tumor, he was resting comfortably at home. Which made it his job to hunt down the tree since their annual family tradition of heading to the Nottingham Woods to find a tree had been cancelled.

  “Thanks for the prayers,” Alec said, knowing that most of Breeze Point adored his father and were praying for his recovery. He truly believed that prayer could lift his father up and provide complete healing. He jerked his thumb in the direction of the trees. “I’m going to go take a look at the trees. I’m surprising my parents by bringing one by the house.”

  “Where are your brothers?”

  Alec rolled his eyes. “No idea. I don’t even want to imagine what they might be up to. The three of them are triple trouble.”

  Nate nodded his head in agreement, a smirk planted on his face. “Yeah, they do sort of have that reputation.” Nate chuckled. “They keep things interesting though.”

  “Sometimes we can do without that type of interesting,” Alec said with a shake of his head.

  Making his way outside the tent, Alec looked up at the big fat moon in the sky. There was something so magical about a full moon in a brilliant pewter sky. His mother always said, “Beautiful things can happen under a radiant moon.” Then she’d lovingly gaze over at his father. Most times he’d roll his eyes, but for reason this evening he knew her words were true. He felt it all the way down to his soul.

  He stopped in his tracks. The tree! It was directly in his line of sight. It was perfect in every way. Just the right height. Just the right fullness. Not too skinny. Not too fat. He squinted at it, imagining it sitting right in front of his parents’ bay window in the living room. Yep. This was it. He’d barely looked around and this winner had jumped out at him.

  “Hey, Nate. This is the one,” he called out.

  Nate walked over and nodded his head, looking over the tree from top to bottom. “It’s a beauty, that’s for sure.”

  “The folks will love it,” Alec said, knowing his parents would be thrilled at his surprise. Christmas with all the trimmings was a staple in the Donahue household. Dottie and Theodore Donahue had raised their four sons to love all aspects of the holiday season.

  Nate dug into his pocket and pulled out a tag with the word sold printed on it. Nate placed the tag on one of the branches as Alec pulled out his wallet and handed him a few crisp bills.

  “Let me go add this to the cash register, even though this is going towards formula, diapers and baby wipes,” Nate said with a shake of his head.

  As Nate walked away chuckling to himself, Alec took another glance at his incredible tree. He was feeling kind of proud of himself. He hadn’t always shown such great judgment in trees. But this one was an exception. A flash of red on the other side of the tree captured his attention. He peered around the tree, only to come face to face with a gorgeous, auburn-haired woman. He smiled at her, immediately wanting to know her name and who she was. She had her hand wrapped around the spine of the tree, a mutinous expression stamped on her face.

  Humph. Not too friendly was she! But she sure was beautiful with her peaches and cream complexion and wide, expressive eyes.

  “Well, hello there,” he said, a hint of amusement evident in his tone.

  “Hello,” she said, her expression somber. “Just to let you know, this is my tree.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Your tree?” He let out a cough. “Sorry, Miss, but this tree is mine.”

  The beauty’s green eyes widened. Her nicely shaped lips parted. “Oh no. This is my tree. I just walked away to tell the owner that I wanted to purchase it. He said he’ll be right over with a tag.”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, darlin’. This is my tree,” he said. “Nate probably didn’t know what tree you were referring to.”

  “No! And I’m not your darlin’,” the young woman said in a raised voice. “I just told you I’ve already claimed this tree. Back off!” She moved closer to the tree so that her chest was pressed against the pine needles. Her eyes flashed fire and a warning sign.

  Alec fought past the feeling of annoyance that threatened to change the tone of his voice. He couldn’t allow himself to lose his cool. It was the holidays, after all. A special time of the year where everyone should put their best foot forward. Christian charity and kindness. Isn’t that what his mother and father had taught him ever since he was a child?

  Don’t lose your temper. She’s trying to push your buttons. Possibly so she can have her way about the tree.

  He slowly counted to ten in his head, then continued.

  “Miss. See this tag here?” He pointed to the silver tag on the tree. “It means I bought this pretty baby. Bought and paid for. It’s going right home with me on the back of that truck.” He pointed a gloved finger in the direction of his red truck.

  “B-But…I was about to buy it,” she said in a forlorn voice that tugged at his heartstrings. Emerald colored eyes were awash with tears. She bowed her head. Auburn locks obscured her face.

  “Miss, please don’t cry,” he said in a gentle voice, immediately wanting to comfort her.

  “I’m not crying. Just a few snowflakes in my eyes.” Fiery green eyes flashed a hint of defiance. She began to blink furiously. He couldn’t help but sense that she was trying to appear tough despite her obvious emotion. Something shifted inside him. Immediately, he wanted to give it to her. Not just the tree but the sun, moon and the stars. She seemed so sad and desperate.

  No way, Donahue. Don’t do it! This tree is special. And who’s to say this wasn’t a big ole act to win his sympathy? Would someone cry over a tree? He looked around him. There were dozens of trees just like this one. Well, maybe not as perfect, but she would still end up with a quality tree. Was this just an example of a beautiful woman who was using waterworks and her good looks to get her way? She couldn’t be this broken up about a Christmas tree! Could she? How could he make it better without giving up the tree meant for his parents?

  “Hey, let me go talk to Nate. He can find you the best one in the lot. Okay?”

  She nodded her head. A smidgeon of guilt speared through him. If he hadn’t already paid for the tree he would have given it to her. She looked so incredibly down about the situation. He felt a lump of discomfort lodged in his chest. He wasn’t good at handling tears.

  If this tree didn’t mean so much—a gift for his parents—he would have told her to take it. He considered himself a good guy, despite the way she’d glared at him. It wasn’t his fault! He reminded himself. He’d found it first. There were plenty of other trees at the stand.

  “I’ll be right back,” he mumbled as he went in search of Nate. After a few minutes of looking for him, he spotted Nate on the other side of the tent attending to a customer. After Nate finished up, Alec explained the situation to him as they walked back toward his tree. Suddenly, Alec stopped in his tracks. He frowned as he looked around him. Where was his tree? Had he messed up somehow and headed back toward the wrong area?

  Nate caught up with him. “Where is she?” Alec looked around for a woman with a fire red cap perched on her head. Nothing! Nowhere!

  “I don’t know. She was just here. And the tree is gone,” he said, his mind whirling with the possibilities. The lovely stranger was gone. Disbelief flowed through him like a rushing river. Had she taken off with his tree?

  “What’s this?” Nate bent down and picked up a crumpled envelope from the ground. The word “Nate” was scribbled on the front. Nate frowned and flicked the envelope open with his finger. He pulled out three bills and held them up. “Looks like she bought your tree,” Nate said.

  “Stole it is more like it,” Alec snapped.

  “Since she paid cold, hard cash for it, she didn’t really steal it,” Nate corrected, a sheepish expression etched on his face.

  Alec glared at his friend. Was he defending Little Miss Grabby Hands? “It was mine. She knew I’d already purchased it. In my eyes, that’s theft.” Anger pulsed in his voice. He hated this feeling rising up within him. It wasn’t who he was or who he wanted to be. Hadn’t life as a soldier taught him that there were things way more important than this? Like the Bible told him, he wanted to be “quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.”

  Nate held up his hands. “I’m not about to argue with a soldier who’s bigger and stronger than me.”

  The wounded expression on Nate’s face caused a feeling of remorse to bubble up inside him. None of this was his fault.

  “Sorry, Nate. I didn’t mean to be sharp with you. If the tree hadn’t been meant for my folks I could probably laugh the whole thing off. After everything Pops and Mom have been through, I wanted to give them something to bring a little of the holiday spirit into their hearts. Something to remind them of family traditions.”

  Because Dad might be sick again, and if he is, everything might change. And it scared him more than being in the line of duty on the other side of the world. That was his truth.

  “No offense taken. Go take a look around. You’ll find something just as good,” Nate said in an upbeat tone. Alec knew Nate was probably right. There were other trees to choose from, but it bothered him that someone had bamboozled him when he’d been trying to do something nice. He’d been walking the Christian walk as his mother liked to say. And she’d taken advantage of that generosity of spirit.

  “Who is she? Did you get a look at her? Do you know her name?” he growled.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen her around town from time to time. She’s fairly new to Breeze Point though. I’m pretty sure she came here from overseas to live with her uncle.”

  “Who’s her uncle?”

  “Gene Kilcannon. And her name is Maggie, I think. Maggie Kilcannon,” Nate explained.

  Alec knew Gene fairly well. He was a local fisherman who’d migrated to Cape Cod from Ireland a few years earlier. In short time he’d become a much-loved figure in the community of Breeze Point. Alec had never heard anything about him having a beautiful niece. It made sense since he’d detected a slight accent earlier. She was Irish.

  Maggie Kilcannon. Somehow or other he was going to come face to face again with the feisty Christmas tree thief. And he would let her know in no uncertain terms that she’d done something underhanded. With a grunt of annoyance he walked over to the selection of available trees. He was going to have to find another gem of a tree to bring home to his parents. He scratched his head. How had Maggie managed to carry the tree from the lot? For the first time he noticed a trail leading from the area where the tree had been all the way to the sidewalk. Humph! Not only was she a crafty young woman, but she had a little muscle on her. Why in the world hadn’t she just picked out another tree?

  He didn’t know what irritated him more. Her taking off with his Christmas tree or the fact that he found her beauty unforgettable.

  **

  Maggie Kilcannon’s stomach was in knots. Had she really just absconded with someone’s Christmas tree? With shaking hands she pulled her uncle’s truck over to the side of the road and pressed her forehead against the steering wheel. What had she done? Yes, she’d left money for the tree when the man had walked away to get help, but it had still been wrong. Lord, forgive me. She’d done a rotten thing, but she’d been desperate. The kids at the hospital were counting on her to bring the tree to the annual holiday party at Breeze Point Medical. And having a limited amount of money in her pocket meant her choices were limited.

  That’s no excuse, Mags. The lilting voice of her mother buzzed in her ear. Her parents had taught her better than this, God rest their souls. And she’d let them down. Each and every day she knew they were sitting in Heaven looking down at her, making sure she was living her life the way they’d always imagined. A strong feeling of loss swept through her. Still, after all this time it hit her every now and again like a strong gust of wind knocking her over. She missed them each and every day. And some days, like today, she missed them more than ever.

  Biting her lip, she wondered if she should turn around and head back to the village green. No, she couldn’t do that. It would be too humiliating. She prayed Nate hadn’t seen her. What would Uncle Gene say if he found out she’d done something so sneaky? Maggie let out a ragged breath. For so long now she’d been on the right track. She’d even been going to church on a regular basis. She was starting to talk to God again. Little by little she was finding her way back to her faith.

  It had been hard to forgive God for the death of her parents. It had been almost impossible to wrap her head around the fact that her life had been spared while theirs had not been. What part of God’s plan included her being an orphan?

  As if on auto pilot, she drove the truck to Uncle Gene’s house and parked in the pebbled, circular driveway. She smiled at the modest-sized, white colonial house decked out in festive holiday lights, a huge wreath on the front door and twinkling stars lighting up all the windows in the house.

  This was home, she thought. After years of running away from the pain of losing her parents, she’d finally accepted Uncle Gene’s invitation to move to Cape Cod to make a start. It had been a painful decision to leave Ireland. It was the last link to her parents. The place where they’d all lived together as a tight knit family. The place where she’d lost them and buried them and grieved them.

  But it was time she got herself together. At twenty four years old, Maggie knew she needed to settle down, to plant roots, to fall in love for the first time, to plan her future. Being here in Breeze Point for the last year was a step in the right direction. It was a step towards home, hearth and a family of her own. For so long she’d been slamming doors on anything that might involve getting her heart bruised again. The man from the tree stand’s handsome face flashed before her eyes. He’d rubbed her the wrong way despite his classically handsome face. Those piercing blue eyes. The rugged features. His thick head of brown hair. A disarming smile. And the little cleft in his chin that was all kinds of adorable. It had been his air of cockiness that had pushed her over the edge. He seemed like the type who’d always gotten his way simply by flashing a killer smile. Too handsome for his own good.

  “Stop thinking about him, Maggie,” she grumbled as she let herself into the house.

  “Stop thinking about who?” a deep voice boomed, causing her to take a step backward in surprise.

  She pressed her hand against her throat. “Uncle Gene! You nearly scared the life out of me,” she said, breathing heavily now.

  Her uncle was standing at the base of the staircase with a broom in his hands, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “It’s not as if I jumped out at you, lass,” he said, flashing a grin at her that reminded her of her own dear father. She’d long ago come to the realization that the loss of her parents would always be with her, like a permanent tattoo etched on her heart. Reminders were everywhere.

  Oh, but it’s the price of loving, Maggie, my love. Her father’s voice reached out to her, enveloping her like a warm, fuzzy sweater. Today must be a day for reflection, she realized, since both her parents had spoken to her. She was at the point now where she welcomed their voices buzzing in her ear. It served as proof that they’d never truly left her.

  Uncle Gene wagged his eyebrows in her direction. “So who’s the lucky guy?”

  “There is no lucky guy,” she protested.

  “That’s not what it sounded like,” he teased. “Someone has gotten under your skin.”

  “That’s what happens when you eavesdrop on people,” Maggie said in a light voice. “You misinterpret things.”

  “Keep your little secret, Mags. I’ll find out soon enough. I hope you bring your young man round the house so we can look him over.” Uncle Gene’s round cheeks were practically bursting under the weight of his wide grin.

  “Stop teasing the girl.” Aunt Tamela’s voice rang out in the hallway. “She’s allowed to keep a few things to herself. She’s not a child anymore.”

  Uncle Gene advanced towards his wife and gathered her up in an embrace. Aunt Tamela was as petite and blonde as her uncle was dark haired and broad. He placed a kiss on the bridge of her nose. “I was just having a little fun with her. Maggie can take a little teasing. She’s tough as nails.”

  Tough as nails. That’s how everyone in County Cork and her extended family viewed her. She was a survivor. She’d lived through a horrific tragedy without breaking into little pieces. On the inside she felt way more fragile and delicate than she’d ever admit. Sometimes she just wanted someone to take her in their arms and protect her from the scary things that life threw at a person. For so long she’d been pretending that she was invincible. Just once she wanted to fall apart at the seams. And have someone there with strong arms to catch her.