A Merry Mitchell Affair
MITCHELL-HEALY Book 3.5
The characters in this novella are part of the
Mitchell –Healy Series, a spinoff of the Mitchell Family.
All original titles are available for purchase.
Written By: Jennifer Foor
Edited By: Pamela Snyder
My Fabulous Beta Readers:
Catherine Roberts, Emma Clifton, Kayla Kennedy,
Kristy Davidson, Julie Barley,
Special thanks to: Danielle Sanchez & all of my Foor Players
Chapter 1
Shalan
I didn’t mean to feel depressed, especially since I had so much to look forward to. There were certainly other things more important than a big wedding. Surely it was redundant to consider that everything would work out before the end of the year. We’d reached late November, and as the leaves on the trees turned autumn colors, I knew my hopes of becoming Mrs. Noah Mitchell before New Year’s was proving to be impossible.
I ran my hands over the chiffon fabric. At first I wasn't sure if white was the right shade for me. It was the most popular of choices. I'd read somewhere that the color only became favored after a queen wanted to incorporate lace with her own wedding gown. How it stuck was beyond me. It was the least flattering color on a woman, yet practically everyone chose it.
At least I was lucky enough to be blessed with a high metabolism and a cute figure, so I’ve been told. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat. I prefer chips over vegetables and chocolate over pasta.
Reason number forty why I shouldn’t wear white, I was a sloppy eater. If I put something in my mouth, half would end up on or between my boobs. It never failed, and I constantly had to pack double the clothes because of it. Noah always teased me that he was going to bring out a bib for me to wear at every meal.
I didn’t know why I was so worried about the color white anyway. My wedding had been postponed three times already, and once the holidays were over I'd leave the country to go back out on tour to promote my new album. By the time I got to wear this dress it would be out of style.
As much as I'd cried over it, I knew there was nothing I could do. My fiancé Noah's family kept having one catastrophe after another. First his cousin Bella got pregnant, and didn’t want me to have to change the style of her dress. Besides, with that pregnancy came a whole bunch of unforeseen drama. It took the whole nine months for her to get things figured out.
Since she’d become my closest friend, and obvious matron of honor, it was important that she was healthy, and less stressed to assist me in everything I needed help with.
It was my first wedding, and I wanted it all to be perfect. What bride doesn’t? With the family I was marrying into, there was no telling what kind of prank that one of the cousins were going to pull. In order for me to keep as calm as possible I needed all of my details to be in check, so that if I needed to kick some ass, I’d be capable of doing it well.
All jokes aside, I loved this beautiful family I was about to be a big part of. They’d showed me joy, brought me back to the lord, and given me back what I’d lost so long ago. I felt like I belonged, and my future mother-in-law treated me like I was her own daughter. I was in awe over them.
After Noah’s cousin had her baby, Sarah, we’d rearranged all of the details and sent out the revised invites for our big day. Everything was in order; the venue, the caterers, the entertainment, and the guest list. Then Noah’s youngest sister Addy had to go into rehab for a drug addiction. She’d been in trouble since the first time I met her, but I couldn’t imagine it had gotten so out of control. I don’t think anyone could. She came from a big loving family, and had no reason to take the path that she did. Anyway, once she was feeling more herself, I’d promised her that we’d wait until she was all better, so she could still participate as a bridesmaid.
The second set of wedding postponement notices went out in the mail. It was terribly embarrassing for Noah and I, especially since everything we did ended up in a tabloid. Paparazzi speculated that we were on the outs, that I’d had a miscarriage, and that we’d both been unfaithful. If they could print a story, they’d use whatever would sell magazines, and unfortunately my life was open to speculation.
When things started to quiet down from that catastrophe, another reason to halt the ceremony came into play.
Noah’s other sister Christian was sexually assaulted, and there was no way that any of us could even mention a wedding, or being happy while she was in such bad shape.
After that it was like an omen. We knew we couldn’t celebrate being in love when such tragedy was surrounding us, even if we ran off and did it in Vegas. I couldn’t look at that poor girl that I’d come to love so much and see the terror in her eyes as she pretended to be happy for us. She needed to heal, and we were all going to be there to help her, no matter what we had to do. So even though it was what we both wanted, Noah and I promised everyone that we’d hold off.
They say all things come in threes, but after everything, it was hard for me to be able to even talk about a wedding in front of them. Settled with the idea that we’d just wait another six months, I focused on finally being able to take it easy at home, and maybe write another number one single for my new album.
When I heard someone climbing the hardwood stairs, I zipped up the dress bag and closed the closet door. I didn’t need any more bad luck when it came to getting hitched. At this rate we’d be old and gray before we made it down the aisle.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist, and my mood immediately lifted. I could smell the musky scent of his deodorant that still lingered after working outdoors since before the sun came up. His scruffy facial hair tickled my neck as he brought his lips up to my ear. “Good mornin’, darlin’.”
I turned around, lifting my arms over his head to rest on his shoulders. My lips craved a kiss, and Noah made sure I got one. The hint of coffee was still on his tongue, and since I didn’t see a pot brewed downstairs I knew he’d probably stopped by his parents.
Noah’s family ranch was so large that there were many homes built on the property. His Gram had the largest home that everyone called the main house. It was a huge white mansion located near the entrance. His parents had a tremendous log cabin built in the woods, down a long dirt lane. Before Noah had built our house, we’d lived in a double wide that was also on the property. We used golf carts and farm vehicles to get around, and had plenty of room for when their extended family would come to visit.
Since I’d lost my mom to cancer when I was a young girl, and grew up with an alcoholic father, I never knew what it was like to be overwhelmed by kin. Noah’s family hadn’t just welcomed me into their lives; they’d showed me more love than I’d had in all of my adult life. I didn’t know how I’d gotten so lucky, but I was sure to thank God every single night before I closed my eyes.
“How’s your mom?” I asked.
“She’s good. She’s got both of my sisters at home. I imagine she’ll be preoccupied for the next couple of weeks.”
“I bet she’s thrilled.”
Noah backed away and started undressing. It was probably inappropriate, but I sat down on the mattress and watched the show. He saw me licking my lips, craving the idea of joining him in a hot shower. “Mom said my aunts and uncles will be here tomorrow. I need to make sure Gram doesn’t need anything at the main house. Bells said that she and Rusty won’t be here until tonight. They don’t want to leave until the baby goes to sleep, that way they don’t have to keep stoppin’.”
His cousin’s little girl was the cutest child. She was always happy, and I couldn’t get enough of her. Noah seem
ed to get nervous when they were around. He said it gave me baby fever, and that having one right now wasn’t feasible with my career taking off.
I wasn’t in a hurry to have a child, but hoped to someday fill our home with the pitter patter of little Noah Mitchells.
“Are we still going to put the Christmas tree up before they get here?” I’d bought all new decorations, and couldn’t wait to see them out.
Noah sighed, standing there completely naked. He ran his hand through his thick dark hair. “I reckon I can add it to the list.”
“It’s not like you have to do it yourself. I’d like to help. It’s our first Christmas in the house. I’m just excited.”
He stepped forward and kissed my forehead. “We’ll get it done tonight. Why don’t you make us somethin’ easy for supper, I’ll run out and take care of some stuff at Gram’s house. When I get back I’ll do whatever your pretty little ass desires.”
I slapped him lightly on his backside. “Don’t tease me, Mr. Mitchell. My desires could take a while to fulfill.”
“Oh, don’t you worry darlin’. I plan on takin’ my time when it comes to those desires.”
I watched him saunter into the bathroom, while I took a second look at his perfect physique. If I hadn’t just gotten out of the shower myself I would have joined him, which in turn would have kept him from his afternoon duties, and then me from my Christmas decorating.
For others, decorating for the holidays was something they’d always done. Unfortunately, after my mother got sick, we never even celebrated. Even after I’d gone to live with my uncle, I never had that excitement that children are supposed to have. I supposed most of the reason was that my only wish would have been to bring my mother back. When I lost her I thought I lost everything.
Noah hadn’t just saved that lost girl, he’d made my dreams come true, even if it was by accident. Our chance meeting had taken us to New York, and that’s where I met my agents. The rest was history.
Broken Love Darlin’ was a song I wrote about being without Noah. It climbed the charts, eventually going to number one. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned it happening to me with my first single, but it did.
You can imagine how both excitement and sudden financial freedom allowed me to decorate my first home with lavish detail. I didn’t just love being there, and feeling at home, I appreciated every single item that it held inside.
For the past year all of my dreams had come true, and I couldn’t have asked for a better man and family to spend the rest of my life with. This was going to be my best Christmas, since we’d opted to have the whole Mitchell-Healy clan to celebrate at our new home. As much as I’d wished that I would already have the Mitchell name, I knew I had too much good to stay depressed about the wedding. It would happen someday; I’d be Noah’s wife, and then life would be perfect.
Chapter 2
Noah
We’d put our wedding on hold for so many reasons, but finally it seemed like it was going to happen. Even though a big event wasn’t important to me, I knew how much it meant to Shalan. Between her schedule, and the drama that always seems to transpire within my family, I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to be the right time.
Shalan, a famous country singer, and my beautiful fiancé’ had been touring on and off for the past year. I’d hired several employees to take on my workload at the family ranch so that I was able to travel with her to some destinations. Many times I wished we could tie the knot without having to make a colossal deal over it. I wanted her to be my wife, and it didn’t matter how it happened.
We’d been living together for quite some time, and I’d even built a house for us to raise a family in. For someone that always said I’d never get tied down, my opinions on that matter had changed drastically. I was ready to have my woman at home, where we could fill our house with the sounds of little feet running around.
I think sometimes my cousin Isabella’s new baby brought that out in me. Each time I held that little girl in my arms I felt a yearning to have my own child to gawk at.
Ever since I’d met Shalan I’d become the man that my parents were proud of. I knew that giving them a grandchild would make them overjoyed, but we wanted to do it right. That required my woman to carry my last name first. If it were up to me we’d drive over to the little court house and make it happen. God knows I hated her going out on the road with all those single men pawing over her.
Shalan wasn’t just a looker. Her long black hair and bright cobalt eyes made her quite desirable. Add those features to her being half-dressed dancing around on the stage, while magic came out of her mouth, and you have the means for a bunch of trouble. My mind was never at peace when we were apart, which made me unable to keep up with my work the way I knew how. I was aware that a ring didn’t keep someone from straying, but at least it gave me more piece of mind, plus since she’d become so popular our wedding would be made public, and all the haters could keep on hating. She’d be mine in every way, forever and always.
I’d visited my parents earlier in the morning to discuss what else needed to be done before the ranch was full of visiting family members. Since it was getting cold out we needed to check on the pipes at the double wide trailers to make sure they hadn’t frozen. We’d turned the heat up, and my mom put fresh linens on all the beds. With both of my sisters being home, they were able to help our mom with the task of cleaning. As the family continued to grow, all of the extra room on the ranch was getting used.
Little did they know that not only were they signing on for Thanksgiving in Kentucky, but we were also hosting Christmas, and I was planning the biggest surprise that this family had ever seen.
It was going to take a lot of sneaking around, and some time away from my beautiful woman, but worth it so I could give her the best wedding she could ever want.
For the time being only my dad knew about my idea. While the ranch helpers worked on the day to day chores, my dad I were revamping the barn that he and mother married in over twenty years ago. The building wasn’t in bad shape, so there was little to do structural. Shalan wanted a lavish affair, and I was prepared to make it happen. Not only were we working on the barn, which we planned to turn into a entertainment building after the wedding, but I'd designed a real sleigh that would bring her to the surprise. It was large enough for two people, and my plan was to somehow get her to take a horse drawn carriage ride through the ranch. I wasn’t going to tell her that the family would all be waiting for us to exchange vows.
My choice to keep it a secret had been difficult. As much as I knew she wanted to plan every single detail of our big day, I wanted to do this for her. My family had plenty of money. I could come up with something extravagant for her gift, but knew she'd treasure our wedding for the rest of our lives. There was a ton to do before Christmas Eve.
With much anticipation for what was to come, I stepped out of the shower feeling like a determined man. That was until I heard my favorite cousin's famous squealing. After pulling on a pair of jeans I found my way downstairs, locating the source of the mayhem. My blonde haired, green-eyed cousin turned around and wrapped her arms around me. It had been a while since we'd seen each other, which was unfortunate. Life gets in the way sometimes, and with all the traveling I'd been doing it had taken a toll on them coming for visits. "Look at you," I said as I pulled her in for a hug. "You've finally done somethin' with that hair." Bells, who was really named Isabella, gave me a hard slap across my bare chest, while I turned to laugh with her husband Rusty. She'd never gone a day without dolling herself up until she became a mother. It wasn't that she'd let herself go, but more like she didn't have the extra time to dote around. "If I wasn’t so tired from driving all this way I'd give you a good kick."
"You weren't supposed to arrive until later." Shalan said as she came over to stand next to me with my niece in her arms as I buttoned up my shirt I’d just thrown on.
I couldn’t help but to snatch her up and shower her with
little kisses. Suddenly my voice changed from a deep man to a young boy whose testicles had not yet descended. “How’s my favorite little girl? Are you a cute baby, Sarah? Yes you are.”
The three adults in the room stood there giving me strange grimaces as I ogled over the small child.
“Looks like Noah’s finally found someone to play with,” my cousin joked.
“My mom is goin’ to eat this one little up. Come on, let’s go over and say hello. Shalan, you comin’ with us?” I gave her a once over, noticing that she was dressed in cleaning clothes. She tightened her lips and smiled.
“No. You go ahead. I’m going to keep on working. Make sure you’re back to help me in a little while. I’m scared to get up in the higher windows to add the candles.”
I leaned over and kissed her lightly. “Don’t you worry a pretty little hair on your head. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Shalan was already decorating when we walked out, and even though I hadn’t admitted it, I liked that she was putting so much heart into our home. It made it warm and cozy.
Chapter 3
Shalan
While the large family packed onto the ranch like sardines, I was left to think about the family that I left behind. My dad was a drunk, we haven't spoken in years. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t think about him, his health, and what he’d been up to. I often wondered if he thought about me, or maybe had seen my success in the newspapers or on television. I wondered if he ever regretted not being a better parent to me, especially after the death of my mother.
When she lost her battle to cancer my whole world pretty much ended. My father turned his love for her to a bottle of booze. I was forced to fend for myself and not just money, but food and a place to rest my head. He’d gotten drunk and assumed I was my mother one night. After that I knew I had to get out of there. That was when I gave up on him.
Then there was my brother. We'd never been close. He probably didn't even care if I was dead, but it was surprising that he hadn't come looking for a handout when I became successful. The rest of my family consisted of my uncle and his wife. He'd been kind enough to take me in when I moved away from home, and had given me a job, but his wife hated me so much it was impossible for me to be happy there. Noah took me away from all of them and I’d forever be grateful. He showed me what a real family was like, and no matter what happened they'd always stick by your side.
Merry Mitchell (Mitchell/Healy Family #3.5) Page 1