An Engagement for Two

by Marie Ferrarella

  Recipe for love:

  two reluctant souls and a dash of matchmaking!

  Dr. Mikki McKenna’s dedicated her entire life to her patients. But when it comes to herself? The devoted doctor’s vowed never to repeat her parents’ mistakes, and that means never falling in love. But restaurateur Jeff Sabatino can’t get his mother’s compassionate internist off his mind. He’d move mountains just for minutes with Mikki. Have the Matchmaking Mamas once again cooked up a romance?

  Praise for USA TODAY Bestselling Author Marie Ferrarella

  “Ferrarella delivers a fabulous couple. Wonderful storytelling expertly delivers both lighthearted and tragic story details.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Her Red-Carpet Romance

  “An easy-read modern romance with a creditable and self-possessed heroine to steal your heart.”

  —Fresh Fiction on Mendoza’s Secret Fortune

  “She has a genuine knack for keeping the reader interested and involved in the characters and their emotional feelings.”

  —Fresh Fiction on His Forever Valentine

  “Expert storytelling moves the book along at a steady pace. A solidly crafted plot makes it quite entertaining.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Cavanaugh Fortune

  “Master storyteller Ferrarella has a magical way of spinning feel-good romances that readers can lose themselves in, and her latest is no exception.”

  —RT Book Reviews on The Cowboy and the Lady

  Dear Reader,

  This Matchmaking Mamas story owes its origin to two things.

  First, in a general way, was my ongoing frustration that I couldn’t just pull strings behind the scenes in my kids’ lives and find the perfect match for each of them. Happily, my son stumbled across the perfect girl for him and they are now laying the groundwork for their own personal happily-ever-after. One down, one to go. I always try to look on the bright side.

  The second thing that inspired part of this story is the fact that during the course of my adult life, I have been in charge of taking care of the medical well-being of three out of four parents, so I can very much relate to the hero’s feelings in this—plus I love to cook during those rare occasions when I have an hour to spare. So, channeling my feelings, I put together a story about a superbusy restaurant owner who became the man of the house at the age of ten, and a commitmentphobic doctor who seeks to fill the void she feels by being there for as many patients as she can. One of those patients is the hero’s mother...and we go from there.

  Thank you for taking the time to read my latest effort to entertain you and, as always, from the bottom of my heart, I wish you someone to love who loves you back.

  All the best,

  Marie

  An Engagement for Two

  Marie Ferrarella

  USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Award–winning author Marie Ferrarella has written more than two hundred and seventy-five books for Harlequin, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website, marieferrarella.com.

  Books by Marie Ferrarella

  Harlequin Special Edition

  Matchmaking Mamas

  Christmastime Courtship

  A Second Chance for the Single Dad

  Meant to Be Mine

  Twice a Hero, Always Her Man

  Dr. Forget-Me-Not

  Coming Home for Christmas

  Her Red-Carpet Romance

  Diamond in the Ruff

  Dating for Two

  Wish Upon a Matchmaker

  Ten Years Later...

  A Perfectly Imperfect Match

  Once Upon a Matchmaker

  The Montana Mavericks: The Great Family Roundup

  The Maverick’s Return

  The Fortunes of Texas: The Secret Fortunes

  Fortune’s Second-Chance Cowboy

  Montana Mavericks: The Baby Bonanza

  A Maverick and a Half

  Montana Mavericks: What Happened at the Wedding?

  Do You Take This Maverick?

  The Fortunes of Texas: Cowboy Country

  Mendoza’s Secret Fortune

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  To

  Charlie.

  Bet You Never Thought

  When You Sauntered

  Into My Second Period

  English Class That

  First Day

  That Half a Century Later,

  We’d Still Be Together,

  Did You?

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from A Bride for Liam Brand by Joanna Sims

  Prologue

  “Hi, Mom.”

  Maizie Sommers stopped short as she entered the ground-floor office of the real estate business she had lovingly nurtured and guided into a thriving enterprise over the last decade and a half. She was just returning from helping a young couple find the home of their dreams, something that always gave her an immense amount of pleasure.

  The very last person she expected to see in her office, sitting in front of her desk, was her daughter, Nikki. Nikki, a pediatric physician and her only child, was responsible for Maizie initially dipping her toe into the—at that point—very unfamiliar waters of matchmaking.

  She and her lifelong best friends, Cecilia Parnell and Theresa Manetti, had done so well finding a match for Nikki that they were encouraged to continue in their endeavors and find perfect matches for Cilia’s daughter and Theresa’s children.

  When that worked out, they decided to continue matchmaking as an occasional hobby.

  The hobby caught fire, and while all three women went on to maintain the separate businesses they had built over the years, matchmaking became very near and dear to their hearts—as was their determination to remain quietly behind the scenes. They were in it for the satisfaction, not the recognition—and certainly not the money since there was never any charge.

  Maizie and her friends were quite proud of the fact that the couples they had brought together over the years never knew they were being skillfully guided to come together.

  But that certainly wasn’t the first thought that entered Maizie’s mind when she saw her daughter sitting there.

  “Is something wrong with Lucas or one of the children?” Maizie asked, giving her daughter a quick kiss hello.

  Concerned, she dropped into the chair behind her desk, scrutinizing her daughter’s face and looking for some sort of indication as to what had brought Nikki here in the middle of the day.

  “What makes you think there’s something wrong with one of them?” Nikki asked.

  “Well, let me see. You’re a highly regarded pediatrician whose hours are only slightly shorter than God’s. You’re a wife and the mother of
three very energetic young children. That alone uses up every moment of your day and night, and I haven’t seen you since Ellie and Addie’s party,” Maizie reminded her, mentioning the twins’ fourth birthday last month. “My guess is that only an emergency of some sort would bring you here to see me in the middle of the day.”

  Nikki sat up a little straighter in the chair, although she was unconsciously knotting her fingers together. “Well, you’re wrong.”

  Maizie continued to watch her daughter’s hands. “Good.”

  “It’s not an emergency,” Nikki emphasized.

  “Happy to hear that.” Although, Maizie thought, something was definitely wrong. Those were not the hands of a carefree, untroubled person.

  “Not exactly,” Nikki amended.

  “Ah.” Now they were getting to it, Maizie thought. “And what is it, exactly?” she asked her daughter.

  Just then her phone rang.

  Nikki looked at the landline on her mother’s desk. “You want to get that?” she asked.

  “No,” Maizie answered. She didn’t want her daughter using the call as an excuse to suddenly change her mind and leave. “That’s why God created answering machines.”

  Nikki appeared guilty. “I feel bad, taking up your time like this.” She looked at the phone. The call had obviously gone to voice mail. “You worked really hard to get here.”

  “One delayed call isn’t going to torpedo my business, Nikki. Besides, Susanna, my assistant, is due back from lunch soon. She can call whoever it is back. You are, and always have been, my first priority,” Maizie insisted. “I’ve expanded that to include Lucas and the children, but you are still in first place. Now, what’s this all about? And why are you about to twist off your fingers?” She nodded at her daughter’s hands.

  Stilling her hands, Nikki sighed. “I don’t quite know how to say this, Mom.”

  “One word at a time is usually the way to do it,” Maizie encouraged. “At this point in my life I’ve heard just about everything,” she added, “so just spit it out, my love.”

  “I know—” Nikki began and then she paused, at a loss how to continue.

  “You know what, dear?” Maizie asked, waiting.

  Nikki took a breath, then blurted it out. “That you arranged to bring Lucas and me together.”

  Maizie smiled. She was surprised that it had taken Nikki so long to come to this conclusion. “I see. Well, those were just the circumstances that arranged themselves, dear.”

  “That you took advantage of,” Nikki said, knowing the way her mother operated.

  Maizie tried to understand what her daughter was getting at. “You’re not telling me that, after all these years of marital bliss, you’re going to get upset with me for meddling in your life, are you?”

  Untangling her fingers, Nikki gripped the chair’s armrests to keep her hands apart. “No, I’m not.”

  “Well, I’m glad we cleared that up.” Maizie smiled at her. “Anything else?”

  Nikki still hadn’t gotten to the reason she was here. “Yes, um...”

  “Go ahead, dear,” Maizie urged patiently.

  “I need you to meddle again, Mom.”

  “You’re looking for another husband?” Maizie asked wryly.

  Nikki’s eyes widened. For a moment, she didn’t realize that her mother was kidding. “No!”

  “Good, because I really do like Lucas.” Still smiling, Maizie became serious. “Talk to me, Nikki,” she encouraged. “It never used to be this hard for us to talk. What’s on your mind?”

  Nikki decided to choose a roundabout approach instead of being direct. “Do you remember my friend Michelle McKenna?”

  “Mikki? Of course I remember her. Lovely girl. Not the best parents,” Maizie recalled, “but a lovely girl. She was over at the house a lot when you were younger and you two went to medical school together,” she said to prove that she really did remember the girl. “What about her?”

  “I want you to do for her what you did for me,” Nikki said.

  Ah, now it was all beginning to make sense, Maizie thought. “Does she know you’re asking me to...matchmake?” Maizie asked tactfully.

  “Oh, no, no, and I don’t want her to know,” Nikki said with feeling. “She’d never agree to it.”

  Maizie was well acquainted with that sort of reaction. “Why would you want me to do it, then?”

  “Because she’s a wonderful person, Mom,” Nikki cried. “And she deserves to be happy. But I’m worried she’s going to wind up alone. She’s so afraid of making her mother’s mistakes, she won’t even think about going out with anyone.”

  Maizie looked at her daughter thoughtfully. She was well aware of the other young woman’s situation. Mikki’s parents had fought constantly and then went through a vicious divorce when she was a preteen. Her mother went on to marry—and divorce—three more times. She had no idea how many times Mikki’s father had gone that route. The man had dropped out of sight, from what she gathered.

  What she did know was that all this had taken a heavy toll on the young woman. She’d had Mikki stay over for sleepovers as often as she could to spare her daughter’s friend from witnessing the acrimony manifested by her parents.

  “Will you do it, Mom? Will you work your magic for Mikki?” Nikki asked her.

  Maizie was more than happy to help. “Yes, of course I will. On one condition, though,” she added, eyeing her daughter.

  “What?” Nikki asked.

  “You tell me how you found out that I had a hand in bringing you and Lucas together.”

  Nikki laughed, relieved. “You mean other than the fact that I’m brilliant, like my mother?”

  Maizie smiled. “Yes, other than that.”

  “Jewel figured it out and told me,” Nikki answered. Jewel was Cilia’s daughter and she, like Theresa’s two offspring, was Nikki’s friend.

  “I see.” She nodded, accepting the explanation at face value. “All right then, I’m going to need some current information about Mikki—it’s been a while since I’ve seen her,” Maizie told her daughter. And then she smiled. “Don’t worry, this’ll be painless, and Mikki will never know that you came to me—unless you want her to know,” she qualified.

  “Heaven forbid,” Nikki cried. Then, in a more subdued voice, she asked, “Will you let me know who you pick out?”

  Maizie smiled mysteriously. She knew it would be for the best if her daughter remained in the dark until the proper meeting was arranged and pulled off.

  “Oh, darling, a magician never reveals her secrets,” Maizie told her daughter with a wink.

  Chapter One

  “There’s someone to see you, Mrs. Manetti.”

  Melinda Jacobsen’s announcement as she peered into Theresa’s back office was accompanied by a giggle best suited to the teenager she’d been eight years ago when she had first come to work for Theresa’s catering company in an apprentice capacity.

  Theresa jotted down a last-minute thought about a menu she was creating in her notebook and then looked up.

  “Bring her in, Melinda,” Theresa told the young woman whom she’d eventually placed in charge of baked goods.

  Hearing Melinda giggle again, Theresa wondered what had come over her. Melinda was usually very levelheaded.

  “It’s a he.” This time the giggle came before the words, further arousing Theresa’s curiosity.

  In less than ten seconds, her curiosity was laid to rest. Jeff Sabatino stepped around Melinda and entered the small, crowded office where she took her calls and created the menus that made her catering business such a prosperous success.

  As if reading her mind, the young woman reluctantly left the room before Theresa could ask her to leave.

  The tall, broad-shouldered man with thick, slightly unruly dark hair smiled at his former boss. “Hello, Mrs. Manetti. I hope yo
u don’t mind my stopping by without calling first.”

  Jeff had gotten his start with Theresa’s catering business before branching out and opening his own restaurant a handful of years ago. Theresa had been one of his first customers and was proud of his success. She had always thought of him as a protégé.

  “Of course I don’t mind. And Jeff, you own your own restaurant, and I saw that you’ve been getting some really stunning reviews lately. I think you can call me Theresa now,” she told him warmly. Theresa gestured toward the two chairs that were facing her desk, the ones where clients usually sat when they came to engage her services. “Please, sit.”

  “That’s all right,” Jeff told her. “I’m not staying long.”

  “Looking to buy me out?” Theresa asked with a trace of amusement. She knew that wasn’t the case, but Jeff appeared way too serious for this to be strictly a social call. “Or are you here because you need help—because your restaurant is doing so well, you find that you just can’t keep up with the demand?”

  “Neither,” Jeff answered, “although I’ll never forget the debt I owe you. I would have been nothing more than a short-order cook if it hadn’t been for what you taught me.”

  Theresa thought back to when he’d first walked into her establishment, a very handsome, very nervous young man with a great deal of promise. The memory warmed her heart and made her smile.

  “Ah, but you had the potential to do so much more than that, and you wanted to learn. Desire is something I can’t teach, Jeff. Everything else, I can.” She assessed him more closely as she stood. She saw worry in his light green eyes. “This isn’t a social call, is it, Jeff?”

  “Not exactly,” Jeff confessed.

  Theresa made her way behind him to the door of her office and closed it. She had a feeling her former protégé would prefer privacy.

  Turning around to face him, she said, “I’m listening.”

  Now that he was here, Jeff wasn’t sure how to start. He wasn’t in the habit of asking for favors, especially not from the woman he credited with giving him not only his start, but also the push to open his own restaurant—not to mention that she had also lent him the money to get started.