A Taste of Chocolate Read Free Page A

length. Freya had convinced him he couldn’t hold every female accountable for one woman’s lies.
    “Her heart is true, Declan. I wouldn’t send her to you otherwise. She’ll be in the food court. Look for a redhead wearing a white blouse.”
    He beat a fist against his heart twice, willing it to start beating again. Nearly a year had passed since he’d spoken with Freya. By then he’d suffered through two years of getting over Courtney’s betrayal. He’d left the military to help raise the child she claimed was his. Two months after Cole’s birth, he’d needed surgery to repair his tiny, deformed heart. When Declan tried to donate blood for his son’s surgery, he’d found out his blood wasn’t compatible. Courtney finally admitted the baby wasn’t his. Then she’d taunted his gullibility with her brassy laughter and snide remarks.
    The child he’d loved died during surgery, mere days after the death of his marriage. He’d mourned the loss of his son, biological or not, for months, unable to forget the feel of him in his arms or the way he wrapped his little fist around his large finger, squeezing more love from his heart than Declan had ever thought possible. He missed the way his son watched him with those blue eyes of his as he drank from his bottle and the way he’d gift him with a milky smile and a coo when the bottle was nearly drained.
    Cole, small and frail though he was, taught him how to love unconditionally. He longed for more children. More than that, though, he needed someone special to love. Someone who would love him in return. His need for love and a family grew, with an edge so keen it sometimes slashed at his soul. Yet his efforts at dating proved fruitless. Where was this special woman who would be true to him? Did such a woman exist?
    Nathan, a happily married friend, spoke highly of Freya’s matchmaking services. Matt, his brother, also went to her to find his beloved. After much soul searching, Declan sought her out, too.
    Frankly, after another long year of loneliness, he’d given up hope. Now…now, he had Hope. “Okay, Freya. I’ll be at the mall in two hours.”
    “And Declan?”
    “Yes?”
    “Wear a blue shirt to bring out the blue in your eyes.” The matchmaker ended the call.
    Two hours. Good, he’d have time for a shower. “Matt, can you close the shop for me? I have some place I have to be.”
    “No problem. We don’t get that many customers on Saturday afternoons.”
    “Thanks, man. Going to meet a special lady.”
    “Freya set you up?”
    He nodded before snatching the dog-eared phonebook from a shelf and thumbing through the yellow pages.
    Nearly two hours later, Declan walked into the mall and strode with confidence toward the food court. Now that his nerves had settled, determination had shouldered its way into his soul. If Freya approved of Hope, he would too. Using a matchmaker involved a strong degree of trust—and a thorough background check. Even though Matt and Nathan swore by her, he’d used his government and family contacts to check her out. Although a few things didn’t add up, like her sudden moves from one state or country to the next, proof existed of her talent in bringing lost souls together. He stopped at the edge of the tables in the food court, his eyes in constant movement, seeking. There she was. Air whooshed from his lungs. By herself at a table, her red head bowed as if she were praying or too scared to look for him the way he sought her.
    Since she hadn’t spotted him yet, he had a minute to take her in. Short spiky hair, slender arms decorated with a dozen or so bangle bracelets, and a lush figure. A slow smile spread when he noticed her one foot bouncing, no doubt from nerves. A movement he found charming for some inane reason. How should he approach her? How could he make this meeting memorable? One they could tell their children and grandchildren about, over and over. Traditions and family tales were important. And if their