Lila's Loves (Haven, Texas 1)

Sighing, she turned to look at Duncan Jones. The huge, darkly-tanned man had a slight scowl on his face. His black hair and dark eyes gave him an intense, serious look. And the fact that he was built like a tank had many people steering clear of him. Until they realized he was the Duncan Jones. Former pro-footballer and worth millions. Then they tended to swarm. She wondered if that was why he’d come back to Haven. Because here everyone treated him like they always had. As one of those Jones boys.

And there were quite a few of them.

“Well, hello to you, too, Duncan,” she said dryly.

He had the grace to blush slightly and give her a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Lila, you know I’m not one to mince my words. You couldn’t be in my household. Being the second oldest out of ten boys meant that if you had something to say you’d better be quick and you’d better be loud. I’m sorry about Clay,” he said sincerely. “I always had a lot of respect for him.”

She smiled. “He liked you too. He always said, “That Duncan Jones is going to make something of himself, despite his…” she trailed off and it was her turn to blush.

“Despite my dead-beat, alcoholic father,” Duncan finished with a raised brow.

“Ahh, I wouldn’t quite say that,” she said, heat filling her cheeks.

“It’s okay, it’s true,” he said with a wry smile.

“Laken wanted to be here,” she said, trying to change the subject back to something safer. “But she had other things going on.” Lila was concerned about her best friend. She’d met Laken Philips the first day she’d gone to school here in Haven. The other girl had pulled her hair and they’d become instant enemies.

That had lasted a week until Lila caught some older boys teasing Laken, and jumped in to defend her. They’d been best friends ever since. Laken had moved to New York to pursue a career in fashion. But lately she’d sounded tired and sad whenever Lila spoke to her.

Duncan frowned. “They’re working her too hard, taking advantage of her.”

Lila raised her brows but refrained from asking Duncan how Laken was any of his business. As far as she knew the two of them were like oil and water together.

“Hey, Duncan, you ready to go?” Joe, one of Duncan’s younger brothers, came up to them and after talking politely with Lila for a few minutes the two of them left.

“Lila, honey,” a deep voice called out to her. Lila looked up, having to smile as an extremely tall man with thick white hair walked towards her. His wife walked beside him, holding his hand. She was the complete opposite of her husband, being round and very short.

“Mr. and Mrs. Atchison, thank you for everything you’ve done today,” she said warmly. Arch Atchison was the undertaker; his wife, Mina, worked as his assistant. Being that there weren’t that many deaths in Haven, Arch also worked as the town’s postman and he did a comedy night once a month at the local bar, Dirty Delights. Amazing how funny an undertaker could be.

“You’re welcome dear,” Mina told her with a smile. She patted Lila’s hands as she held them tightly. “Anything we can do to help, just let me know.”

“I will, thank you.”

They left and she turned back to her dishes.

“Hard to get a moment alone, isn’t it?” A familiar deep voice said behind her before two hands landed on her shoulders.

“Jake,” she said, turning with a smile as she launched herself into the Sheriff’s arms. Although he was nearly ten years older than she was, Lila knew him well. He’d been Gavin’s best friend for years and she’d had a bit of a crush on him as a teenager.

“How you holding up, squirt?” he asked. “Want me to get rid of everyone for you?”

She pulled back, but he kept hold of her shoulders. “What are you going to do? Arrest them?”

“For you, baby, anything.”

She giggled.

“How about you take your hands off her,” Gavin interjected. Lila looked over, surprised to see him scowling at them. She wondered what his problem was as Jake laughed and took a step back, holding up his hands.

“Calm down, my friend. I was just leaving.”

“I’ll see you out,” Gavin told him with a snarl.

Lila watched them walk out, then shook her head and went back to her dishes. Men. They were a mystery to her.

An hour later everyone had finally gone. Feeling utterly drained, Lila looked around for something else to do, anything to keep her mind off the fact that Clay was gone. She couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stop or she feared she’d never start moving again.

Lila moved onto the porch and looked out over the land Clay had loved. Her heart broke that he’d never see it again, never ride it, never sit on his porch and drink a beer. Tears dripped down her cheeks and suddenly it was too much. She’d held it all inside for days and now it was erupting out of her.