“Ooh, are we going to do some men bashing?” Lila asked.
“You betcha. Do you want to make the spa appointments and pick me up? I don’t have any transportation at the moment.”
“Of course, I’ll call right now,” Lila promised.
With a skip to her step, she ran off to Clay’s study, to make those phone calls before getting onto the bookwork.
First she called Savannah who excitedly agreed to join them then she called the spa and made the necessary appointments. Pleased with herself, she turned her attention to the work waiting for her.
A couple of hours later, she raised her head as a door slammed in the house. What was it with men and not being able to shut doors quietly?
“Baby girl?” Gavin called out.
Lila jumped up and ran out, nearly colliding with him in the hallway.
“Whoa,” he said with a laugh, grabbing her and lifting her up against his chest. She held on tight, pressing kisses all over his face. “If I’d known I would get that sort of greeting I’d be home for lunch every day.”
“I wouldn’t complain,” she told him with a laugh. She took his lips with a deep kiss, playing, teasing. His hand crept beneath her skirt, massaging her buttocks.
She moaned. Damn, she needed them soon.
“Hungry, baby girl?”
“Oh yes,” she purred. But not for food.
Gavin carried her towards the kitchen as she nibbled on his neck teasingly.
“Minx,” he said, slapping her butt before he set her on the kitchen bench. She sat, swinging her legs as she told him about Laken’s phone call and their plans for this weekend.
He handed her a sandwich and they moved over to the table to eat their lunch. Gavin touched her often, running his hand over her head and squeezing her thigh.
“Sounds like the three of you will be having fun,” he said.
She sighed. “It’s been so long since I saw Laken. She sounds kind of sad at the moment, like she needs cheering up.”
“I’m sure you can help her with that,” Gavin told her. Finishing his food, he stood and placed his plate in the dishwasher. Coming back he leaned down to kiss her lingeringly on the lips.
“Gavin, have you been getting any funny phone calls?”
He pulled back and frowned at her. “Funny how?”
“Well, I’ve had few phone calls when no one answers on the other end. I can hear them, but they don’t talk.”
“How many?” he asked sharply.
“Just a couple,” she replied. “At first I thought it was a wrong number or maybe a kid.”
“Could be,” he mused. “Has anything else been happening?”
“No, nothing other than that horrible woman that other day.”
“If it happens again, I want to know.”
She nodded.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he told her, kissing her softly. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
She finished up her work then did some tidying up before settling in to watch some television for a while. The slamming of a door woke her some time later as Trace strode into the house.
“Hey, Lila. Shit, I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” He sat on the coffee table opposite the sofa and pushed a curl off her face. “You okay?”
“Uhh, yep, huh, didn’t mean to fall asleep. Shoot, is that the time? I was going to start making dinner.”
Six p.m.? How long had she been asleep for?
“Don’t worry about that, shorty. I’ll get something started. You just lie quietly for a bit more. You must be a bit worn out.” He looked around. “Probably from all the housework you’ve been doing lately.”
“You guys are the ones who go to work each day,” she said, trying to sit up. He pushed her back down gently. “The least I can do is the housework and cooking.”
Trace chucked her under the chin. “You don’t need to wear yourself to the bone looking after this place. Sure, we appreciate it, don’t for one second think we don’t. But you are not our housekeeper, understand?”
“But I owe you so much and I contribute so little.” At least once the money came through from her inheritance she’d be able to help out with the bills. “Once my money comes through I will pay you all back.”
“Pay us back for what?” Trace asked in a low voice. That should have warned her she was skating on thin ice, but she wasn’t paying close enough attention.
“For all the food and bills and stuff,” she told him.
“Lila Stacia Richards you will not be giving us any of your money, do you understand me?” he asked in a hard voice. She jumped, not used to hearing that tone from Trace.
She sat up and this time he let her. “Oh yes, I will. I pay my own way.”
“You will not,” he stated emphatically. “You try to give any of us money and your ass will be so red you won’t sit for a week!”
Her jaw dropped at that statement as she stared at him in shock. “That’s hardly fair,” she told him. “I wanted to do something nice and you threaten spank me!”
“Oh, it’s no threat. It’s a promise. Try to give us any money and your butt will be on fire.”
“No way,” she told him. Standing, she faced him, her hands on her hips. “I am not letting you get away with bullying me like that. You can only spank me if I risk myself or my safety, you don’t get to spank me for doing the right thing.”
He stood, scowling. “Are you trying to insult us by insinuating that we can’t take care of you?” he asked.
She gaped at him, her jaw dropping open. “Of course not, you idiot.”
“Good then that’s that. You will not be giving us any of your money and that’s final.”
Lila just shook her head in frustration as he walked off.
Men. And they said women were hard to understand?
Chapter Nine
“Got your phone, Lila?” Colin asked as he pulled up outside Dirty Delights, the name didn’t really match the rustic outside. But there was always a good band playing on a Saturday night and already it was pumping.
She’d spent the morning getting massaged, waxed and pampered at the spa with Savannah and Laken, who had hit it off straight away. It had put a dint in her credit card but it had all been worth it.
Colin had offered to pick them all up, but Max had already told Savannah he’d drop her in and he’d offered to pick up Laken as her parents place was on the way.
“Yep, and it’s fully charged, Dad,” she teased him.
“Cheeky brat. Okay, so call when you want to come home and then wait inside, I’ll come in and get you. Understand?”
This was only like the fourth time she’d heard this. And that was only on the ride in.
“You know, I can take care of myself, Colin. I lived in Phoenix all by myself. I’m a big girl.”
“But you’re our girl, now,” he told her, his gaze softening as he pushed a curl behind her ear. “And we enjoy taking care of you. We just want to make sure you’re safe.”
Her insides softened at his words.
“I know,” she replied. “And I’m so glad that you do. But I promise I will be careful. I have my phone, I have my purse, and I will call you when I want to leave. I will stay with Savannah and Laken. Scout’s honor. This is Haven, remember? It’s not like we can really get into any trouble.”
Colin chuckled. “I’m not so sure, you girls could find trouble anywhere I reckon, but come on, I’ll walk you in. Oh, by the way,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash, “this is from Gavin. Your money for all the work you’ve been doing.”
Lila shook her head. “No way, I’m not taking any money off you guys.”
Colin’s gaze narrowed. “You earned it. Either you take it or I’ll just go on in and tell Joe to add it on a tab for you and not let you pay for any drinks.”
She knew he would too. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she took the cash, tucking it carefully into her purse.
With a grin, she rolled her eyes
when he turned his back. He was just lucky he was so adorable.
*****
Lila threw her arms up, dancing with abandon, sandwiched between Laken and Savannah. Dirty Delights was packed tonight, a rodeo in the next town over had brought a number of visitors in. Unfortunately, some of their manners weren’t as good as the locals.
She gritted her teeth as she felt another pinch on her ass.
Patience. Patience.
She kept dancing, feeling a bit light-headed. She probably shouldn’t have had that fifth or was it sixth vodka orange?
A hand smacked her heavily on the ass. Oh no. That was just too much. Turning, she found a rather attractive cowboy smiling at her. With a grin of her own that would have had her men immediately backing off, she reached around and slapped him on the ass.
His smile immediately grew. Damn it. Dumb, drunken ass.
“Back off, idiot,” she told him, turning back to her friends. An arm crept around her waist, hauling her backward.
“Let me go!” she yelled, her voice barely making audible over the noise of the music. She kicked back, pulling at his arm. Laken leaped forward, shoving the guy back. He let go of her and Lila stepped forward, whirling around to confront him. But Laken was already there, right in his face.
“Get lost, jerk,” Laken growled.
The cowboy glared down at them, a sullen look on his face. Ah-oh, this could turn bad. Very bad.
“There a problem here?” a new voice asked.
Lila looked up to see Duncan Jones staring down at them, his face calm even though his eyes were intent and focused on Laken.
Laken and Duncan stared at one another with enough heat to set the room aflame.
“Hey, I got no problem, buddy. Just looking for a dance,” the cowboy said quickly.
Well, he can’t have been too drunk, because he still had some sense. Of course, Duncan was pretty intimidating. He was built, really built with muscles that didn’t quit.
“Good,” Duncan said, having no problem making himself heard over the music. “I suggest you go look elsewhere and this time, keep your hands to yourself.”
The cowboy scurried off.
“Thanks, Duncan,” Lila said with a smile.
Duncan smiled gently down at her. “No problem, Lila.”
“Don’t thank him,” Laken said hotly. “We were doing just fine without him.”
Lila looked over at Laken in surprise. Laken could be fiery and tough, but she wasn’t rude. Duncan raised a brow, a quelling look in his eyes. Lila’s butt clenched. She knew that look. If it had been one of her men giving her that look then her butt would be in a world of trouble.
“That so, Laken?” Duncan drawled, crossing his arms over his wide chest. “And what if that cowboy’s buddies had decided to join him, were you going to take care of them too? All five foot two of you?”
Laken straightened her shoulders. “Actually, I’m five foot three and we would have been fine. We can take care of ourselves. No one asked for your help, so why don’t you run on back to wherever you crawled out of.”
“Laken!” Lila scolded as Savannah watched on, her eyes wide.
“Too far, little girl, too far.” Duncan took a step forward and Laken blanched but stood her ground.
Lila quickly stepped between them. “Duncan, can I buy you a drink to say thanks?” she asked loudly.
Duncan’s dark gaze shifted to her and softened. “No thanks, squirt. Is Gavin here tonight? I haven’t seen him.”
“No, we’re on a girls night,” she said. “You know what, I kind of feel like sitting down for a while. Good to see you again, Duncan, and thanks.”
Grabbing hold of Laken and Savannah, she dragged them behind her, actually managing to find a free table. She moved the glasses and bottles to one side before sitting with a sigh.
“Damn that man. He’s such a fucking asshole,” Laken said as she sat down.
“Duncan? What do you have against him?” Lila asked. “He’s always been really nice to me and he’s a good friend of Gavin’s.”
“He’s a jerk,” Laken said emphatically. “A bossy, know-it-all, Neanderthal jerk.”
Savannah and Lila looked at each other.
“I don’t know him well,” Savannah said. “But he once stopped to help me when I got a flat tire. I was in the middle of changing it when he pulled up, changed it for me then took my flat one into the garage in town. Of course, he also scolded me the whole time for not calling Logan and Max. They were on round-up and busy. But not too busy for Logan to meet me at home and, well…” she shifted uncomfortably on the chair.
Lila smiled sympathetically while Laken glared. “See, he’s a tattletale as well as a bossy jerk. How dare he tell on you to Logan and scold you. Who does he think he is?”
Savannah shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve lived in the city where no one really gave a hoot if I was safe or not. I used to walk around the streets late at night, drive too fast, and forget to lock my door. It’s quite nice living here, in a place where the men take care of women, look out for them—”
“Treat them like children, tell them what to do, spank them,” Laken finished.
Lila sighed, really worried about her friend. She seemed so bitter.
Reaching over, Lila grabbed her hand, shocked to see tears well in her friend’s eyes. “Oh, baby, what happened? This isn’t you? Why have you come home? Why are you so angry?”
“Because everything is ruined,” Laken spat out. “My career, my relationship. I was doing so well, I had a great job, friends, and the perfect boyfriend.”
“Ricky?” Lila asked. She’d never met him, but Laken had spoken about him like he was marvelous.
“He was gorgeous and so sweet and he didn’t try to tell me what to do, he let me have my space. We’d just met up at parties or for dinner but we both led our own lives. You know? No pressure.”
Lila thought that sounded like they were friends with benefits rather than in a relationship.
“What happened?” she asked.
Laken glanced up, misery in her eyes. “He cheated on me. I found him with my assistant. Even worse than that, he got me fired. His father owned the company and he and my assistant claimed that I had been bullying her. I got fired.”
“Oh God, honey, I’m so sorry.” Lila drew her close, hugging her tightly.
“I feel so stupid. I had to come home to my parents because I have no savings, I couldn’t afford my rent. I couldn’t even afford food. I’m broke, homeless and jobless. I had to borrow money to come here tonight. Could things get any worse?” she wailed.
Lila and Savannah cuddled in close to her. A waitress dressed in a tight top Lila had ever seen came over with an empty tray to clear their table. Her hair was a dark brown and pulled back into a ponytail that hung down her back.
She didn’t say a word, just started picking up the glasses and bottles.
“Thanks,” Lila said with a smile as the woman picked up a half-empty bottle of beer. The waitress turned, a look of venom on her face.
“No worries,” she snarled then tipped the bottle straight onto Lila’s lap.
“Aww,” Lila cried out, quickly standing and shaking out her dress.
“Hey, what are you doing, bitch?” Laken yelled, standing and leaning over the table as though she were going to push the waitress away. Savannah reached into her purse and pulled out some tissues, dabbing at the wet stain ineffectively.
“Laken, it’s okay, just some beer,” Lila tried to soothe her friend who she knew was more than capable of starting a bar brawl. It had happened before.
“Yeah, ahh, sorry, it was an accident,” the waitress said, not looking one bit apologetic as she scampered away.
“Accident my ass,” Laken said, taking a step as though to follow. Lila reached out and grabbed her arm. “Laken, don’t worry. It doesn’t matter. I do think I’m done for the night, though,” she said, looking down at herself. “I’ll just go tidy up in the bathroom and call Colin. He said he�
�d take us all home.”
Savannah nodded. “I’m getting tired. I’m more than ready to go home.”
Laken agreed somewhat reluctantly.
“Wait here, guys,” Lila said. “I’ll be back soon.”
She moved through the crowd to the bathroom as fast as she could. A woman left as Lila entered. Turning the tap in the sink on, she tried to wash off the worst of the beer. Sighing, she looked in the mirror, tidying herself up. The door to the bathroom opened. She glanced sideways as an older woman entered and stood beside her, staring at her.
“You’re Lila West,” the woman stated.
Lila stilled. She hadn’t heard that name in a long time. Slowly, she turned to look at the woman. She was only an inch or two taller than Lila herself. Dark hair lay lankly down her back. Her face was lined; her eyes were tired and dull, as though she’d lived a hard life.
“Actually, I’m Lila Richards,” she said.
The other woman just stared at her, a decidedly calculated look in her eyes. Lila’s stomach dropped. The woman coughed, a hacking, harsh sound that made Lila wince. “Took his name did you?”
“Who are you?” Lila demanded.
“Why darling, don’t you recognize me? I’m so crushed.”
Lila’s blood ran cold as she stared at the other woman. There was something about her. Those eyes… But that was impossible, wasn’t it?
“I’m your mother,” the woman replied. “I can’t believe you’ve forgotten your own mother.”
Lila stopped breathing, just stared at the other woman in disbelief. Surely not. What would bring her mother here? She lived in Chicago. What the hell would she be doing in Haven, Texas?
“You must be mistaken.”
The other woman smiled. It wasn’t a friendly look. “Oh, I assure you, I’m not mistaken. My name is Abigail West and I am your mother. I gave birth to you, took care of you for the first seven years of your life until Clay Richards took you away from me.”
Dear Lord, was it actually true? Lila had figured on never seeing this woman again. What was she doing here?
“He didn’t take me, you gave me to him,” Lila said through numb lips. She had to get out of here, get away from this woman.
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