Deconstructing Lila (Entangled Select)

Home > Other > Deconstructing Lila (Entangled Select) > Page 23
Deconstructing Lila (Entangled Select) Page 23

by Shannon Leigh

I met Luke at the door, and without a word, he grabbed me and tossed me over a shoulder and swept me from the house.

  “Luke! What’s eating you! Put me down,” I shouted against his strong back.

  “Prudence,” he growled and patted my bottom with a firm palm. “Now is not the time to argue with me, woman. I mean to change this situation, and removing you from this place is the first step.”

  “You will do no such thing, Luke Pierce! This is my fight and I intend to win or die trying.” I knew I would never best Luke in a physical fight, but I put one up nonetheless. The dead last thing I wanted was Luke punished for my sins.

  “It’s set and done, Pru. You’re finished in the Acre and the sheriff has agreed to let all charges drop if you vacate. So that’s what we’re doin’, darlin’. Vacatin’ pronto.”

  “But my house!” The customers and the girls were long gone and the property was the sole possession remaining.

  Luke dropped me across the front of his saddle and climbed up behind me. “After we’re married, I’ll deed it back to you free and clear. You can do what you want with it then, on the condition you never live in the Acre or run a saloon down here again.”

  In that moment I questioned everything. What I was fighting for, who I was fighting against, and what the future held.

  And my dears, I had the final epiphany!

  Love had arrived on a stallion with double-barrel shotguns and I would be twelve kinds of fool to shoo it away. So I did what any Irishwoman with good sense would do.

  I kissed Luke on the mouth and smiled up into his warm whiskey-colored eyes.

  “Take me home, sir!”

  Epilogue

  The open house for Miss Pru’s doubled as a reaffirmation of the wedding vows Lila had taken with Jake ten years ago.

  At least that’s how she intended it, but some little old ladies had a different notion.

  “Good grief, Lila Jean. Stop fussing. We only invited a few extra people. No big deal. We got more food and there’s plenty to drink. Have a good time.”

  Granny patted her cheek and smiled, her blue eyes shining with happiness. Truthfully, Lila loved the attention. She’d been surprised when one of Granny’s Bombshells appeared in the doorway earlier announcing more chairs were needed, thirty more to be exact.

  But then the realization sank in. The people of Hannington liked her. They’d come to wish her well.

  Now it was Sarah’s turn. “You look beautiful. Let me see the whole picture.”

  Lila dropped her mother’s hand and twirled a slow circle to show off her knee-length cream-colored dress. The off-the-shoulder neckline with cap sleeves showcased Granny’s pearls, while the wide taffeta bow made her waist appear tiny.

  Lila loved it. And the fact Sarah had worn it when she married Michael made it all the more special.

  “Thanks for letting me wear your dress,” she told her mother.

  Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

  Sarah clutched a tissue in her hand, lifting it to her eyes. “Oh, you’re very welcome.” She turned and smiled at Barbara. “And thank you for saving it all these years so I could see my daughter married in it.”

  “Oh, goodness. Both of you stop crying. You’ll ruin my mascara.”

  Lila laughed and pulled the women into a hug. She closed her eyes, making a memory to carry with her all the days of her life.

  Lila opened her eyes to the sunshine streaming in the bay windows. She knew the room had once belonged to Prudence. She never found the proof, but she knew in her gut—her great-great-grandmother had once lived in that room.

  “Is Threasa here?” she asked Granny.

  “Yep. Front row. Next to that strong, silent hunk.”

  “The Armstrongs?”

  “Janie, but not Howard.”

  Lila sighed. She and Threasa had eventually confessed to Howard about the journal. He had promptly thrown them both out of his office. Threasa said it had more to do with Janie’s leaving him than the restoration of Miss Pru’s, but to try to make amends, Lila invited him to the open house.

  “You didn’t really expect him to show, did you?” Granny asked.

  “No, I guess not. Thought I’d give it a try, though.”

  Sarah captured her hand, folding it between both of hers. “This is your day. Focus on you and Jake, who, by the way, is waiting patiently downstairs for your arrival.”

  Lila followed Granny and Sarah out of the room and paused in the hall before shutting the door. She turned back to the sunlit space overlooking the town square and whispered, “Thank you. Your wisdom made all the difference. I’m home. Happy. And I’m never leaving again.”

  Acknowledgments

  A cosmic-sized thank-you is due to the endless, unwavering support of Candace Havens. Without her dedication, this book would not have been published. Ever. She is the truest, most wonderful friend a woman could ask for. I am blessed.

  About the Author

  Growing up in Hell’s Back Forty, Shannon Leigh developed a fierce loyalty to all things Texas and pledged to share the romance of small town dance halls and the flavor of brisket BBQ with readers. Currently, she lives in Fort Worth with an extensive cowboy boot collection, a red and white, ’67 Chevy pickup and a mission to find the best taco stands in the city. You can reach her at: [email protected]. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

  Did you love this Entangled Select novel? Check out more of our titles here!

  And for exclusive sneak peeks at our upcoming books, excerpts, contests, chats with our authors and editors, and more...

  Be sure to like us on Facebook

  Follow us on Twitter

  Also by Shannon Leigh

  Forbidden Kiss

  Rom Montgomery seeks the unobtainable: forgiveness. He wanders across continents and through time searching for salvation and the means to right an ancient wrong. To gain the respect and position she’s desired in the academic world, Jule Casale hopes to discover the unknown artist behind a masterpiece of Renaissance art. When Jule comes knocking on Rom’s door, it’s the closest he’s ever come to finally finding redemption. The closer he draws to correcting his past mistakes, the more his secrets threaten to destroy the woman who might hold the key to his future.

  Tycoon Reunion

  Sparks fly when a project brings a heartbreaker back to town and into the path of the woman he left behind. He’s determined to win her over in the boardroom … and the bedroom!

  Looking for more strong heroines and to-die-for heroes? Try these Entangled Select novels…

  Ready to Wed

  by Cindi Madsen

  Wedding planner Dakota Halifax loves to be in love. But when her fiancé jilts her, she can’t figure out how the heartbroken celebrate others’ true love. Until she reconnects with her childhood best friend, the surprisingly sexy and all-grown-up casino bouncer Brendan West. Maybe she can fall back in love with being in love. But then her ex reappears, begging for another chance, and suddenly Dakota questions if she’ll ever understand love. Can someone once-burned and twice-shy ever find her way down the aisle again?

  Winning Love

  by Abby Niles

  Cage fighting helps Mac “The Snake” Hannon manage his demons, but it doesn’t take away his pain. Gayle Andrews chases tornadoes, determined to save others from experiencing loss like she has. Her new neighbor, Mac, intrigues her, but his tragedy means he can’t deal with Gayle courting disaster at every turn. When a raging tornado puts Gayle’s life in danger, Mac’s head tells him to walk away, but his heart pulls him into the eye of the storm. But will it be too late for Gayle and Mac to have their happily ever after?

  A Duke’s Wicked Kiss

  by Kathleen Bittner Roth

  The Duke of Ravenswood, secret head of the British Foreign Service, has no time for relationships. Miss Suri Thurston knows the pain of abandonment. When Suri appears in Delhi, the Duke’s resolve is tested as he finds his heart forever bound to her by the one haunting kiss they shared once upon a
time. With Suri’s vengeful Indian family looking for her death, and insurgents intent on mutiny tearing their world apart, can their love rise above the scandal of the marriage they both desperately want?

  Dyed and Gone

  by Beth Yarnall

  When Dhane, a dynamic celebrity hairstylist, is found dead, Azalea March suspects foul play. Her friend Vivian confesses to the murder and is arrested, but Azalea knows there’s no way she could have done it. Vivian’s protecting someone. But who? Now Azalea and Alex, the sexy detective from her past, must comb through clues more twisted than a spiral perm. But the truth is stranger than anything found on the Las Vegas Strip, and proving Vivian’s innocence turns out to be more difficult than transforming a brunette into a blonde.

  A Shot of Red

  by Tracy March

  When biotech company heiress Mia Moncure learns her ex-boyfriend, the company’s PR Director, has died in a suspicious accident in Switzerland, Mia suspects murder. Determined to reveal a killer, she turns to sexy Gio Lorenzo, Communications Director for her mother, a high-ranking senator—and the recent one-night stand Mia has been desperate to escape. While negotiating their rocky relationship, they race to uncover a deadly scheme that could ruin her family’s reputation. But millions of people are being vaccinated, and there’s more than her family’s legacy at stake.

  Tangled Hearts

  by Heather McCollum

  Highland warrior Ewan Brody always wanted a sweet, uncomplicated woman by his side, but he can’t fight his attraction to the beautiful enchantress who’s stumbled into his life. He quickly learns, though, that Pandora Wyatt is not only a witch, but also a pirate and possibly a traitor’s daughter—and though she’s tricked him into playing her husband at King Henry’s court, he’s falling hard. As they discover dark secrets leading to the real traitor of the Tudor court, Ewan and Pandora must uncover the truth before they lose more than just their hearts.

  Honor Reclaimed

  by Tonya Burrows

  An interview with a runaway Afghani child bride leads photojournalist Phoebe Leighton to an arms deal involving a powerful bomb. Forming an unlikely alliance with a team of military and government delinquents called HORNET, she meets Seth, a former Marine sniper with PTSD, who ignites passions within her she thought long dead. Racing against the clock, Seth, Phoebe, and the rest of HORNET struggle to stop the bomb before it reaches its final destination: The United States.

  Malicious Mischief

  by Marianne Harden

  Career chameleon, Rylie Keyes, must keep her current job. If not, the tax assessor will evict her ailing grandfather and auction off their ancestral home. When a senior she shuttles for a Bellevue, Washington retirement home winds up dead in her minibus, her goal to keep her job hits a road bump. Forced to dust off the PI training, Rylie must align with a circus-bike-wheeling Samoan to solve the murder, while juggling the attentions of two very hot police officers.

 

 

 


‹ Prev