Haven Creek Read Online Free

voice mails indicated that whatever she wanted to discuss had to be important to her.
    He lost track of time reuniting with friends and classmates he hadn’t seen in years, most chiding him for becoming a recluse since his return. Even the excuse that he was busy helping his father at the shop sounded hollow to his own ears. Nate’s number one priority had been making certain his brother stayed out of jail. His second priority had been monitoring his father’s health.
    The elder Shaw’s hypertension had become a concern for his primary physician, and Dr. Asa Monroe had cautioned Lucas to drastically change his diet and shorten his work hours. When his father called to let Nate know that Bryce had been arrested and was facing jail time, he knew it was time to come back to Haven Creek. The decision to leave California had been an easy one. His marriage was over, leaving him the opportunity to return home and work the family business. Now that his father had cut back on his hours Nate found himself alone in the workshop several days a week, which he enjoyed. The hard work kept his mind off other things, such as his failed marriage.
    A smile spread across his features when he saw a woman he’d dated briefly in high school. Their relationship never progressed beyond the platonic stage because she was a minister’s daughter, and the last thing he’d wanted was to incur the wrath of her fire-and-brimstone-preaching father by sleeping with her. Extending his arms, Nate wasn’t disappointed when she came into his embrace. Lowering his head, he dropped a kiss on her sandy-brown twists, which were pulled into a ponytail.
    “Hey, beautiful,” he crooned.
    Chauncey Bramble angled her head up at him, smiling. “You always know what to say to make a woman feel good.”
    Taking her arm, Nate led her away from a group of older guests who were watching them like hawks. “Have I ever lied to you?”
    Chauncey was voted prettiest girl in their graduating class and had been homecoming queen. He’d read that Chauncey had married her college sweetheart a month after he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. He and Chauncey were similar in that they both had married high-profile celebrities whose professional and personal lives became salacious fodder for television shows, magazines, and supermarket tabloids.
    She stared over Nate’s shoulder. “No,” Chauncey said after a pregnant pause. Her eyes met his. “Where did I go wrong, Nate? I should’ve married you instead of Donnell.”
    What he wanted to tell the still-attractive woman with the sprinkling of freckles dotting her upturned nose and high cheekbones and the sparkling dark brown eyes set in a face the color of golden raisins was that she didn’t have to stay with a man who constantly cheated on her and was now forced to pay child support to three different women.
    “Even though we can’t change our pasts, we shouldn’t blame anyone but ourselves if we repeat past mistakes,” he said in a quiet tone.
    Chauncey affected a wry smile. “You’re so right. And I repeat the same mistake more times than I can count whenever I forgive Donnell for his infidelity. When I heard about the first baby it hurt me to my heart. I was shocked with the second one, but I still forgave him. Once he told me about the third I was so numb that I wasn’t able to react.” Her expression changed, her features seemingly crumbling before his eyes. “I wish I could be more like you.”
    Lines of confusion appeared between Nate’s eyes. “Be like me in what way?”
    “I wish I had the strength to leave my husband the way you did when you found out your wife was having an affair.”
    He gave her a comforting smile. “Things have a way of working out for the best.” Nate didn’t want to appear insensitive; however, he didn’t want to talk about his past. He spied the person he’d been looking for, giving him the out he needed. He kissed Chauncey again, this time on the cheek. “My father just