ENCORE PERFORMANCE (THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY) Read online

  What our readers are saying about Encore Performance: “ . . . Unless you have a heart of stone, Encore Performance will have you feeling all the emotional highs and lows of the characters brought to life by Bernadette Marie." ––Carolyn Martin Grant

  "When I started reading, I couldn't stop until the last page! Encore Performance draws you into the story and doesn't let you go—leaving you hungry for more! I can't wait for the last book of The Matchmaker Trilogy!" ––Lynae Johnson

  “ENCORE PERFORMANCE is a poignant, heartfelt story of the next generation of the Kendal family. Characters endure love, heartbreak, and discover the true meaning of forgiveness in this novel that will leave readers anxiously awaiting the final installment of this wonderful series.” ––June Rupple

  “Bernadette Marie has written a beautiful symphony, an artfully inspiring tale of love, forgiveness and redemption that will leave your eyes wet and your heart full as you eagerly await the final book of this amazing trilogy.” ––Victoria Maxwell

  Books by Bernadette Marie

  THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY

  Matchmakers

  Encore Performance

  Hope’s Discovery

  PORTER FAMILY SERIES

  Executive Decision

  Again

  Opposite Attraction

  Center Stage

  CHRISTMAS VALLEY SERIES

  Guardian Angel Don’t miss special offers on upcoming titles. Write to us at the following address for information on our newest releases.

  Snowy Creek Romance™ Reader Service P.O. Box 9177, Rochester, MN 55903 Phone: (507) 226-0164

  Email: [email protected]

  SNOWY CREEK ROMANCE™

  An Imprint of Loucks-Christenson Publishing

  This is a fictional work. The names, characters, incidents, places, and locations are solely the concepts and products of the author’s imagination or are used to create a fictitious story and should not be construed as real.

  SNOWY CREEK ROMANCE™

  An Imprint of Loucks-Christenson Publishing

  PO BOX 9177

  Rochester, MN 55903

  www.SnowyCreekRomance.com

  www.LoucksChristenson.com Copyright © 2010 Snowy Creek Romance™ Bernadette Marie Author photo: Copyright © 2009 Damon Kappell/Studio16 Book covers and book design: Copyright © 2010 Lisa Loucks Christenson

  ISBN-10: 1-59819-073-3 ISBN-13: 978-1-59819-073-1 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations, reviews, and articles. For any other permission please contact our media permissions department.

  First Edition/First Printing July 2010 Printed in the U.S.A

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  CAST OF CHARACTERS Carissa Kendal chose to be a caretaker and not to leave Kansas City for big venues and scenic places. But when her mother begins to play matchmaker, Carissa loses her heart just as the world opens up to her.

  Thomas Samuel convinced himself that because of his upbringing he wasn’t worthy of love. His biggest challenge will come when he moves back to the States to help Carissa start up her school of music and must either follow his heart or let her move on.

  Sophia Kendal learned matchmaking from the best, her grandmother. However, her first match might not have been a match made in heaven. She must learn that the art of matchmaking takes time and patience for those involved in the process of falling in love.

  Dear Snowy Creek Romance™ Reader, Here it is only July, and we’ve already set a new world record for the hottest month of June in history—worldwide. We’d like to believe our romances helped do our part in raising those temperatures!

  Nestled in the bluffs of Minnesota, we wrote, edited, and packaged the book you hold in your hands, or are reading on your screen. It was through relentless heat, sticky humidity, thunderstorms, and 40 tornadoes that we found the opportunity to bring you ENCORE PERFORMANCE, Book Two in THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY, a little earlier than planned!

  The secret's out: good reads come from hot June heat. I hope you enjoy this new title, which is already receiving great reviews. We're getting closer to the launch of a new romantic intrigue book series: Whitewater Falls, Minnesota, with Lisa Loucks Christenson's first in the series: TIMBER WOLVES FLOOD RESCUE, followed by her second book, TREMBLE CREEK TORNADO, and coming this winter, TURN-AGAIN CREEK BEAUTY PAGEANT.

  Watch for more Snowy Creek Romance authors and their upcoming titles that will be arriving in your favorite bookstore just as the heat of the summer gives way to the cooler temperatures and colorful autumn leaves.

  Check out our website at www.snowycreekromance.com

  Dear Reader,

  Matchmaking is an art and a skill passed down from generation to generation. Welcome to ENCORE PERFORMANCE, where Sophia Kendal takes her turn at playing matchmaker for her daughter Carissa, and her dear friend Thomas Samuel. Follow their journey as they learn that you can create your own fates in life and love.

  My sincere thanks goes out to those who had the chance to read MATCHMAKERS, the first book in the

  MATCHMAKER TRILOGY before it was published. It was the desire of these women who wanted more matchmaking and Carissa’s story that prompted me to write two more books.

  I hope you enjoy Carissa and Thomas’s venture into a love neither of them thought they could have or deserve and will join us this winter for the final book in the trilogy, HOPE’S DISCOVERY. See how Matchmaking continues to be a family tradition.

  Please visit my website at www.bernadettemarie.com to read about upcoming releases, book signings, appearances, and contests.

  You can also drop me a line at [email protected]. I love to hear from my readers.

  Enjoy!

  Bernadette Marie For Stan – Who believes in every crazy thing I come up with. My Princess Warriors – Thank you for asking for Carissa’s story. Without you, this never would be a reality.

  My Fab5 and my family – Thanks!

  My publishing team – you’re the best!

  June, Lynae, Carolyn and Victoria––a super BIG thanks!

  CHAPTER ONE Her young student pulled the bow across the strings of the violin and the sound was pure evil. Carissa Kendal winced, then quickly smiled. She’d get it in time. Eventually, they all got it if they stuck around.

  The dropout rate of students was the one dark cloud over her next venture, the Kendal School of Music. It had been her dream to teach music in her own school and she was about to dive into it. She’d hoped her mother would have wanted to be by her side more, but Sophia still had Hope to raise. Carissa accepted that, but to have her mother call up an old friend to help her wasn’t settling.

  Did Sophia not think she’d look him up? That she wouldn’t find out who he was?

  At the moment, he was nobody. Every musical endeavor he’d pursued in the eight years since renowned tenor Pablo DiAngelo’s ensemble broke up had failed spectacularly. Why was Sophia soft on him? Her mother’s name carried far more influence than that of the failed pianist, and would have given Carissa’s music school all the prestige it needed.

  The student pulled another evil note and snapped Carissa from her thoughts.

  “I’m never going to get this,” the young girl complained with her nose wrinkled up.

  “You will. If you want to, you’ll get it.” She smiled encouragingly, remembering when she’d been that young girl. “You need
to remember to practice the material I give you.” Carissa raised her eyebrows with the subtle demand.

  “Okay. I promise I’ll be better next time.”

  “And if you practice, that will always be the case.”

  As her student gathered her instrument, Carissa marked off her lesson sheet and handed it to her.

  They left the study of the old boardinghouse, where Carissa lived with her grandmother, and stood by the door as her student’s mother walked toward them. Carissa gave the girl a squeeze on her shoulder.

  “She’s doing wonderfully. A little extra practice each day will help,” she said. “Don’t forget your peppermint on your way out the door.”

  The young girl fished in the bowl for the right piece of candy as Carissa opened the front door. The violinist’s mother handed Carissa a check for the lesson.

  “Thank you, Carissa. She enjoys her lessons very much.”

  “I’m pleased to hear that. We’ll see you both next week.”

  As the woman and her daughter descend the front steps, a man paid a cab on the street in front of the old house. He stood with his suitcase in his and looked her way.

  He was tall, too thin for her taste, but he looked almost regal in the way he carried himself. He removed his sunglasses and then stroked the wisps of dirty blonde hair from his eyes. She almost didn’t recognize the man from the pictures she’d seen on the Internet.

  He looked like a blond Jimmy Stewart, and her stomach did a little flip.

  “Hello,” he called as he neared the house. She smiled despite her misgivings. He even walked like Jimmy Stewart.

  Just like most of Pablo’s ensemble he’d always walked behind the man with the million-dollar smile, never next to or in front of, not like her mother who had been paraded on Pablo’s arm. It was no wonder she hadn’t recognized him.

  She extended her hand to him, and as his fingers enclosed hers she gulped in air. He was strikingly handsome. She hadn’t expected that.

  To have played for Pablo, as Sophia had, Thomas had to be tremendously talented. Yet would the curse that hung over his career affect her music school?

  “You must be Thomas Samuel. I’m Sophia’s daughter, Carissa Kendal. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  When Sophia Kendal had said her daughter would meet him at the boardinghouse in Kansas City, he hadn’t expected she’d look like the woman standing before him. The woman before him stood erect as a dancer. Her hair fell to the middle of her back like an ebony waterfall, and her dark eyes were soft. She wore a flowing orange blouse and a long skirt of the same orange, mixed with earthy browns, that swirled around her calves when she moved.

  She was mesmerizing.

  “Please come in.” She stepped back through the door. Heat rose on the back of his neck as he passed by her. “My mother says you’ll be staying with us until you get settled.”

  “Uh. Yes.” He felt like his tongue had swollen. “I’m sorry if I seem out of sorts. I knew Sophia for so long, to think of her as your mother, well, that’s a stretch for me.”

  Carissa smiled at him again. “I was seventeen before she adopted me, so I can understand. I’m sorry you couldn’t make it out for their wedding.”

  “Yes, so am I.” Had he made that wedding, he’d have made it his business to become more familiar with the dark beauty, who with the most subtle gesture of tucking her hair behind her ear, had his pulse climbing.

  Guilt halted his thoughts. He should have been at the wedding because he’d promised Sophia he would be. It was just another broken promise, and he feared he would let her down again. And given his past, he had no business fantasizing about Carissa—or any woman. It could end only in heartache. Or worse.

  “So you’re a teacher?”

  “Yes. That’s my dream, to bring music to the masses through their own fingers.”

  “You play the cello, right? Just like your mother?”

  “Yes. Even before I met her she was my inspiration.”

  “Why are you only giving lessons? Why aren’t you in the symphony?” From what he knew, Carissa’s talent was as superior as her mother’s was.

  “I’m a caregiver. My mother needed to look after my little sister, and I chose to take care of the women who took care of me growing up.” Her dark eyes clouded with sadness. “My aunt Millie had cancer, and we lost her about six years ago.”

  “I’m so sorry.” He fought the urge to reach out to her.

  “Thank you. But now I’m taking care of my grandmother, who will be ninety-two soon.”

  “She lives here? With you?”

  Carissa nodded. “Well, I live with her. But yes, and she’s still feisty as ever.”

  “I heard that,” an elderly woman called as she walked from the kitchen, slowly, balancing with a walker.

  “Katie,” Carissa said, “this is Mr. Samuel. The man mom sent over.”

  “Mr. Samuel, it’s nice to meet you.”

  He shook her hand with a gentle grasp. “Thank you. And please call me Thomas.”

  “All right, I will.” She turned to Carissa. “I’m going to go lie down. Get Thomas settled. I think your parents will be over soon for dinner. Wake me when they arrive.”

  Thomas’ belly clutched. Sophia and David were coming for dinner. Suddenly he felt dizzy. He hadn’t sat down to a meal with a family in a very long time. It shouldn’t bother him; this was Sophia, after all. He’d spent plenty of time with Sophia.

  What would she think of him now? Now that he was washed up, broke, and had failed at everything he’d always had hoped he’d accomplish.

  Carissa kissed her grandmother on the cheek. Thomas watched the exchange. He’d known them both but moments, yet he knew what they meant to each other. He was envious.

  “Thank you again, Mrs. Burkhalter, for letting me stay here with you.”

  “You can stay as long as you call me Katie.” She gave him a stern nod.

  “Yes, ma’am, Katie.”

  Katie made her way down the hall to a bedroom, and shut the door behind her.

  “Wow.” He shook his head. “I feel like I’ve just met a legend. For years I heard about Sophia’s grandmother. I feel like I’ve known her forever.”

  “Next to my mother she’s one of the most amazing women to me.” Carissa’s eyes followed the path her grandmother had walked, her devotion to the older woman glistening in her expression. “Why don’t I show you to your room and you can get some rest before dinner.” She turned back to him, catching his stare. “I’m sure it was a long flight from Rome.”

  “Yes it was.” Too long. Every minute of the flight he’d fought with himself over whether it’d been right to accept Sophia’s job offer. He followed Carissa up the stairs.

  The room was as large as his apartment in Rome, yet more homey. It had a brass bed that looked as old as the house. Two chairs sat on either side of the window with a marble-topped table between them. A door stood ajar, revealing an adjoining bathroom, so he wouldn’t need to share facilities with others in the house.

  The room felt masculine and that pleased him. He’d been worried about staying in the house of an old woman, with doilies under everything and untouchable collectables, and had almost called a hotel and made reservations. He was glad he hadn’t.

  “This room was my father’s while we lived here. I think you should find it suiting.” Carissa pushed back the sheers, and the afternoon light filled the room.

  “I think this will be wonderful.”

  “Good.” She pushed open the bathroom door. “Your bathroom is through here. It adjoins to the other room, but no one uses that room anymore.”

  “Anymore?”

  She let out a laugh that was as mesmerizing as her looks. “That was my room, on the other side. When I moved back in to take care of my grandmother and aunt, I took my mother’s old room. It was her room growing up. It’s really big and has its own bathroom.” The smile that danced on her face was childlike. “So if you need anything, I’m just down the hall.” />
  Her innocent offer punched him in the gut. He only nodded as he watched her leave. He already knew he’d be in need of her. And because he couldn’t allow himself to have her, his nights here would be miserable.

  He forced himself to focus on Sophia’s school. An entire school dedicated to bringing music to children. Too many school districts had ripped it out of schools because of funding. The idea was stellar! Her request for his help in putting it together had sent his dragging self-esteem through the roof. It hadn’t taken but a week to pack his few belongings and board the one-way flight to America to start a new chapter in his life right there in Kansas City, Missouri.

  He had learned so much from Sophia when he’d started playing with Pablo. To work with her on something as great as a school made his heart pound.

  There was a snag, of course. Carissa Kendal would assuredly be one of the teachers.

  He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed away the thought. He wasn’t looking for a woman. He wasn’t looking for the complications of a relationship. He didn’t come from the kind of family that embraced love and commitment. That, he knew, had to run deep enough to run through one’s blood. Thomas Samuel was an amazing musician and composer—but lover, husband, or father material? He’d never know. He’d never bring a woman into his circle and hurt her like that. Because that’s what he’d do. He’d hurt her, just as his father had hurt the ones he was supposed to love.

  He blew out a breath. They had a lot in common, the members of Pablo’s ensemble. Pablo had run from whom he was. Sophia had run from what she thought. Thomas had run from what he might become.

  He’d run for a long time. He’d left the States when he was only seventeen and started touring with Pablo almost immediately. He’d been Pablo’s prodigy. Far away from his family, if you could call it that.

  His family didn’t live too far from where he stood questioning his very being. Fear fluttered in his heart. Occasionally he let himself dream of being part of a family again, but he knew it could never come true.

  As it was, he was going to wash up, go downstairs, and dine with Sophia’s family. A family he already knew a great deal about. But the nerves wouldn’t subside. They were a family and he was an outsider, just as he’d always been.