Deconstructing Lila (Entangled Select) (22 page)
Read Deconstructing Lila (Entangled Select) Online
Authors: Shannon Leigh
Tags: #preservationist, #cowboy, #reunited lovers, #small town, #romance, #architect, #Contemporary Romance, #Texas
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
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.
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…
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?
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.