Haven Creek Read Online Free Page B

that was so insidious in small towns, but this was one time he welcomed it. There was something about Morgan that more than piqued his curiosity. Although he wasn’t that much older than she was, he’d always thought of her as a little girl. She was a freshman in high school when he’d been a senior.
    “Isn’t she dating Jeff’s cousin?”
    Lucas grunted again. “If she is, then that’s news to me. I’d heard David was devastated when that girl he’d been seeing for a while left him high and dry just when he was about to ask her to marry him.”
    “You win some and you lose some,” Nate said cynically.
    “What about you, Nate?”
    “What about me, Dad?” He knew his father hated when he answered his question with another question.
    “Have you thought about getting married again?”
    An uncomfortable silence ensued. “No.”
    “You’re only thirty-seven, and much too young to spend the rest of your life alone. Don’t you want a family?”
    “I have a family: you, Bryce, Sharon, and the kids.”
    “Aren’t you lonely?”
    Nate gave his father a direct stare. “Just because I’m alone doesn’t mean that I’m lonely.”
    “That’s horseshit and you know it.”
    If Nate was shocked at his father’s comeback he refused to show it. One thing he didn’t want to do was argue with him—and especially not with an audience present. In the past they’d had their dustups, but always behind closed doors. There had been a time when Nate believed the Shaws put the “dys” in dysfunction, but after leaving the Creek he’d discovered his family wasn’t that unique when it came to problems and secrets better left unspoken.
    “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said softly.
    “Avoiding the issue isn’t going to solve anything.”
    A frown settled into Nate’s features. “Come on, Dad. Not today. I came here to celebrate Jeff’s wedding and have a little fun.”
    “Speaking of fun, what you should do is hook up with Morgan. Not only is she pretty but she’s real smart. I admire her because she could’ve graduated college and moved away like so many of our younger folks. But she stayed, put down roots, and opened her own design firm.”
    Nate chuckled softly. “Since when did you start matchmaking?”
    Lucas managed to look embarrassed. “I’m not really matchmaking, son. It’s just that if you do decide to start going out again you won’t have to look very far for a good woman.”
    “Thanks, Dad. I’ll be certain to keep that in mind.” What his father didn’t realize was that he wasn’t interested in hooking up with any woman—at least not on a permanent basis, because when it came to relationships he was batting zero. “Can we table this discussion for another time?”
    Lucas ran a hand over his face. “Okay. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
    Nate laughed. “Dad, I have plans tomorrow.”
    “We’re not going to see you for Sunday dinner?”
    “No. I’m going to use the rest of the weekend to finish roofing the barn.”
    Lucas frowned. “That can wait, Nate.”
    “They’re predicting rain next week, and you know I can’t work outdoors in the rain. I promise I’ll come over next Sunday.”
    With the shop closed for the holiday weekend, he would have another two days not to get into it with his dad about his current marital status. Nate knew his father wanted him to get involved with a woman, but that decision would have to be his own. He’d spent half his life making his own decisions. Whether he succeeded or failed, only he had to live with the outcome.
    “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked Lucas.
    “I can’t have what I’d like to drink,” the older man mumbled angrily.
    Attractive lines fanned out around Nate’s eyes when he smiled. He knew his father liked to occasionally take a shot of bourbon after dinner followed by a cigar, but had given up both because his doctor had cautioned him about the health risks. He rested a hand on Lucas’s shoulder.