Obsession Falls (The Haven Brothers, #1)

by Claire Kingsley

“Hi, Mom.” Her eyes flicked to Max and I didn’t miss the micro-expression of displeasure that crossed her features. “He’s leashed. I won’t let him jump up on you or anything.” Max’s tail beat against the marble floor as she approached. He dropped to his back and held his paws in the air, hoping for a coveted belly rub. “I see you still have the dog.” “He’s very friendly. He wants you to pet him.” She eyed him again. “Maybe later. How was the drive?”

Tilikum wasn’t Pinecrest, but it was close enough. This whole region, from Pinecrest to Tilikum to Echo Creek, all fell under the umbrella of “hometown” in my eyes. And not in a cute, nostalgic way that made moving back a warm and fuzzy experience. In an I-never-wanted-to-live-here-again way that made me feel like a big, fat failure.

“Max, get out of there.” “Oh no,” Mom said. “Duchess.” “That must be it. He saw your cat.” “Don’t you let him hurt my baby.” “He won’t hurt her. He wants to play.” Max barked again. “Audrey, he’ll eat her!” “He won’t eat her.” At least I hoped he wouldn’t. “That’s his play bark.” Mom clutched her hands against her chest. “Duchess, stay there. Don’t come out, babykins. Mommy will save you.”

“I’ll get him.” I got close enough to grab the leash but Max let out a loud yelp of pain. I grabbed the leash and led him away. “What happened? Did the kitty get you?” He had a small scratch on his nose, just enough to draw blood. “Oh, buddy, that must hurt.” “Duchess,” Mom cooed, approaching the couch slowly. “Come out, kitty-kitty.”

Crouching down, I checked Max’s nose. He wagged his tail and tried to lick my face. It wasn’t a bad scratch. It had probably surprised him more than anything. Now he didn’t seem to notice. Duchess finally came out from around the back side of the couch. She was a white Persian with a mass of long fur, especially around her scrunched-up face, and amber eyes that, as far as I was concerned, made her look evil. “There you go, sweet baby.” Mom scooped her up and cuddled her. “Don’t worry, the mean doggy won’t get you.” Max barked. Duchess hissed. “I don’t think Max is the mean one in this scenario, but okay.” Mom scowled at me. “My precious kitten isn’t mean. She was only protecting herself. And that dog is going to have to stay outside.”

“In the back.” “It’s not fenced.” “Can’t you tie him up?” “Mom!” “What? Is that wrong? I wouldn’t want to be cruel to him. I’m just trying to be practical.”

Not a fan of Mom

She also had like a million kids, so working from home suited her. Okay, she had four. But still.

Annika

I’d parked my truck on the street—a dark-gray Ford F-150 that I’d bought a few years ago. Apparently it was a Haven thing; two of my brothers had the same truck, just in different colors.

A squirrel ran across the road, making a guy in a red pickup truck slam on his brakes. The truck skidded to a halt, the front tire coming within inches of squishing the animal. It ran on, bushy tail bouncing along behind it, apparently oblivious to the fact that it was almost roadkill. The squirrels around here thought they owned the place.

Why is this important?

Aunt Louise had zero filter, but that wasn’t the problem. I actually liked the way she said whatever the hell she wanted. The problem was she presided over the Haven family as a self-appointed matchmaker. Her kids were all married, but if you were over the age of twenty-one, related to the Havens, and single, Louise was coming for you. She’d been trying to tie me down for years.

I was thirty-eight and too set in my ways. I couldn’t fathom sharing my space, my time, or my life with another person. I hated having to answer to someone else. Hell, I didn’t even want a dog.

This seems relevant lol

Dad had me, Luke, and Garrett with his first wife. Mom—she was the only mom any of us had ever known—had Reese, Theo, and Zachary. Dad had adopted them after they got married and no one questioned the fact that they were Havens. Then they’d had Annika together.

I’d opted for what I hoped was classic—white blouse with a charcoal-gray skirt and black pumps. It made me feel a little bit like Lois Lane, which seemed appropriate, given my new job. Now if only I could find my own Clark Kent. He didn’t even have to be Superman. Just a nice guy with a good job who liked dogs and would fall head over heels in love with me. Was that too much to ask?

I skidded to a halt as two squirrels ran across the sidewalk in front of me. It looked like one was carrying a set of keys.

Are these squirrels important??

Apparently the Tilikum squirrels came by their reputation for thievery honestly.

“Hi.” She stood. “You must be Audrey. I’m Sandra O’Neal.” “Yes, hi.” I walked in with my hand outstretched. “Audrey Young.”

“Nice to meet you. Lou’s in his office.” She gestured to one of the desks. “Ledger, the useless intern, sits there. He’s not here yet, obviously.” “I’m sorry, did you say useless intern?” “Don’t worry, I call him that to his face.” She pointed to the empty desk. “You can have that one. Unless you like Ledger’s better. We could move his stuff. He probably wouldn’t even notice.” “Oh no, this is fine.” “Great.” Her smile faded as she turned her attention to Lou’s office and raised her voice. “Lou! The new girl’s here.”

The door opened and I glanced over my shoulder. It wasn’t my dad, but I nodded at the guy who walked in. No one batted an eyelash at his entrance, but not that long ago, he wouldn’t have set foot in here. Asher Bailey was a big guy who had a look of danger about him. And rightly so. He was a jiu jitsu coach who’d done time in prison for killing the guy who tried to assault his then-fiancée, Grace. I’d never understood how they could have put him away for that. Any man would have done what he did. But that had been a long time ago, when his family and mine had still been feuding. Although the shots we took at each other had mostly been pranks, I’d been obligated by long-standing tradition to hate Asher Bailey and his brothers. Six years ago, that had all changed, and somehow, Asher and I had become friends. Although it wasn’t all that weird. My sister, Annika, had crossed feud lines to marry a Bailey. But that was another story.

Luke leaned a little closer and lowered his voice. “You know, there’s a table full of hot girls over there.” “So?” “I’m pretty sure the blond one in pink has been eyeing you since we got here.” “Not interested.” “Seriously?” Luke looked at Asher as if he’d have an answer, but he just shrugged. “Is there something wrong with you? Everything works, right?” I glared at him. “Do you want me to take you down in front of all those girls?” Luke grinned. “Not particularly. Look, man, I’m just trying to help. You want to be sad and alone, that’s fine. I’m going to have a little fun with some out-of-towners.”

“I’m not sad and alone,” I muttered. “What was that?” Asher asked. “Nothing. My brothers are annoying.” “Yeah, so are mine, but what are you gonna do.”

Lol

While we talked, the question of whether I’d locked the back door of the remodel kept bugging me, like an itch I couldn’t reach. It was probably fine, but we’d had trouble with squatters in one of our properties not long ago and I had no desire to go through that again.

I headed over to the house and parked next to the dumpster. I remembered locking the front door when I left, and sure enough, it was secure. Inside was quiet, everything the way I’d left it. A dirty mess. I walked to the back of the house and checked the back door. Locked. That was good but I was glad I’d taken the time to check anyway. Tilikum had always been pretty safe, but you never knew.

I went back out the front and locked up behind me. Movement in the corner of my vision caught my eye. Probably just a squirrel—they were everywhere in this town—but why was there a car in the driveway of the two-bedroom next door?

The car in the driveway was a basic sedan. It needed a wash but that wasn’t what tugged at my gut instinct. The back seat was jam-packed full of stuff. I walked closer to peer inside. The passenger seat was clear, but the rest of the car was stuffed. It looked like someone—or a couple of someones—living out of their car. Oh hell no. This was exactly what had happened with those squatters a couple of years ago. A random couple with a drug problem who’d been living out of their car moved into one of my vacant rental houses. It had taken months to get them out. Total pain in the ass. I was not dealing with that bullshit again. Good thing I had a key. I’d get them out before they got comfortable.

Uh oh lol

My mom had pretended to be surprised that I’d found a place to live already, but I could tell she was relieved. The feeling was mutual. Even aside from the Max and Duchess situation, my relationship with her was always better if we didn’t see each other every day. “I think we can make this work. What do you think, Max?”

“What do you think, should we unpack the rest of the car?” I asked. Max rolled to his side. “And by we, I mean me, since you need all your limbs for walking.” With a big yawn, he stretched his legs in opposite directions. “I think that means I should relax first. Maybe poke around the house a little more. That’s good advice.”

I left Max on the bed and shut the bathroom door behind me, in case he woke up and got curious. I didn’t want him thinking he needed a bath too and jumping in with me. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Oh no lol

Out of nowhere, the door opened. I whipped my head around, my heart instantly racing, to find a big, burly, bearded man in red flannel standing in the doorway. I screamed. His eyes widened. Max barked again, like this was a fun game, not a potentially life-threatening breaking-and-entering situation for his human. “Get out! Who are you? What are you doing here? Get out!” I was rambling at the top of my lungs, but who could blame me? I was stark naked, bent over with one foot in the tub, holding on to the edge for dear life so I wouldn’t fall, and a strange man was in the doorway, looking away as if he were trying to avert his eyes. But he wasn’t a strange man. I knew who he was. Josiah Haven. The shock of it all destroyed my balance. I tried to stand up and grab the towel off the counter so at least I wouldn’t be completely naked, but my foot slipped. I fell forward, face-first into the bathtub, and sucked in a mouthful of water.

“Are… are you okay?” Josiah asked. To his credit, he was keeping his eyes averted. “Do I look okay? What are you doing in my house?” “This isn’t your house.” “Yes, it is.” “No, it’s my house.” “Can we maybe have this conversation when I’m not naked in a bathtub?”

Josiah glanced at Max, then at me. He looked away abruptly. “Sorry.”

Max put his paws up on the side of the tub and looked at me, panting happily. “Some guard dog you are. What if he’d been trying to kill me?” He leaned closer and licked my face.

I opened the bedroom door and stuck my head out. “Are you still here?” “Are you dressed?” “Obviously.”

“Why did you break into my house?” “It’s my house.” “According to the rental agreement I signed today, it’s mine for the next twelve months.” His brow furrowed. “You’re the tenant? I thought you bailed.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Who gave you a rental agreement?” “Annika Bailey.” Recognition softened his features. “You talked to Annika?” “Yes. I called on the ad. She ran my application and gave me the keys today.” His hands rested lightly on his hips and he looked at the ground. “She didn’t tell me the place was rented. I thought you were a squatter.”

“We’ve had problems with them before. And your car is full of crap. Looks like you’re living out of it.” “Don’t judge. I just moved and I haven’t had a chance to unpack. And that doesn’t give you the right to barge in on me when I’m in the bath. Or ever.” He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I didn’t know you were in the bath.” “Well you shouldn’t just walk in.” “I told you, I thought you were a squatter.” “And I told you I’m not.”

“My mistake,” Josiah grumbled. “I’ll get out of your way.” He was out the door before I could say another word.

I let out a long breath. Had that just happened? I probably should have been preoccupied with the shock of a man walking in on me naked—not to mention my extraordinarily embarrassing face-plant into a bathtub full of water—but all I could think about was how disappointing it was that he hadn’t asked for my name. Or offered his. Granted, I knew who he was. I wasn’t usually good with names or faces, but how could I forget Josiah Haven? We’d gone to different schools and he’d been two years ahead of me, but everyone knew the Haven brothers from Tilikum. They’d been right alongside the Baileys for being high-school famous in the area, mostly because of sports.

Oh yes, I knew Josiah Haven. I’d cheered against his football and basketball teams with my pom-poms in hand, and cheered against him from the stands during baseball season. I’d harbored a secret crush on the forbidden Tilikum high schooler. He had no idea who I was, obviously. That didn’t bother me. How could he? We’d never met, or talked, or even hung out in the same circle.

But my daydreams had been full of Josiah Haven. I’d seen him since, too. Just a handful of times when I’d been in town visiting my parents. He always caught my eye, made my stomach tingle a little. And now he’d seen me naked.

I stalked out of the house and back to my truck feeling like an idiot. Talk about awkward. I’d gone in full of righteous indignation at the apparent squatters in my house, only to find a naked girl in the bathroom. A hot naked girl.

I got in my truck and dug out my phone to call Annika. “Hey,” she answered. “I kind of have my hands full, but what’s up?” “Did you rent the two-bedroom to someone?” “I sure did.” Her voice was annoyingly cheerful. “Quick, right? Did you call to thank me? Because if you did, I don’t know why you sound angry.” “Were you going to tell me the place was occupied?” “Sorry, I just hadn’t yet. Wait, why?” “I just went over there and barged in on some girl because I thought she was a squatter.”

“I’m sorry.” She took a gasping breath. “Oh my gosh, that’s not funny but I can’t stop laughing.” “You’re right, it’s not funny. She was in the bath.”

“That poor girl. I really shouldn’t laugh. You must have scared the crap out of her.” The image of her falling, face-first, into the tub was burned into my memory. “Yeah.” “I’m sorry. She came out of nowhere asking to rent it and wanted it as soon as possible. I only gave her the keys a few hours ago and then I had to get home to the kids.” “And you say I’m the one who lacks communication skills.” “Well, you do. Did you apologize to Audrey?”

“You know, the tenant,” Annika said when I didn’t answer. “Her name is Audrey Young. She’s from Pinecrest.” “Yes, I apologized.” I paused. Had I apologized? “Sort of.” “You should probably go back over there and tell her you’re sorry. Just, you know, knock first like a normal person.” “I’m not going back over there.” She sighed. “Sure, leave it to me to do damage control.” “You’re better at it than I am.” “True. Although if you didn’t barge in on our tenants, we wouldn’t have this problem.” “You say that as if I’ve done it before.” “Haven’t you?” “No.” “Huh. Seems like something you’d do.” I rolled my eyes. “Thanks.”

I didn’t know why whoever had done the work originally had such a hard-on for construction glue. Unfortunately for me, I was the guy who had to deal with it. This was my problem. Not Audrey. It was weird that I remembered her name. I generally wasn’t good with names. Like the latest girl Aunt Louise had tried to foist on me. No idea what her name was. Not that I cared. It was just odd that the name Audrey rang so clearly in my memory after only hearing it once or twice.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a black and brown dog appeared. He ran a circle around me as I dropped my load on the ground, then stopped, looking up at me with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail wagging so hard it made half his body wiggle. He’d seemed similarly excited to see me last night, just before I’d walked in on his owner. “Not much of a guard dog, are you?” I picked up a chunk of flooring and tossed it into the dumpster.

“Hi.” She flashed me a friendly smile. “Sorry about Max. He thinks everyone is his best friend.” “I can see that.” “I guess we didn’t have a chance to actually meet before.” She held out her hand. “I’m Audrey Young.” I took her hand in mine. Her skin was soft, her grip firm. “Josiah Haven.” “Yeah, I know. Sorry, that sounded weird. I just mean I remember you. From high school.”

“Oh no, I didn’t go to Tilikum,” she said, as if I’d asked a question. “I went to Pinecrest but I was a cheerleader and we played you guys in sports a lot. So I remember you and your brothers.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, hoping to end the conversation quickly. “You can let Annika know if you need anything for the house.” “Oh, thanks. She’s your sister, right? She’s so nice. She called me this morning to explain – well, you know – you.” I furrowed my brow even deeper. “She explained me?” Audrey smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Just so you know, we’re fine. About last night, I mean. It’s no big deal.” “Did you get hurt?” I asked before I could stop myself. “No, not really. I might have a bruise or two.” She twisted one arm to examine her elbow. “But I’m fine. That’s sweet of you to ask.”

“What are you doing over there? Remodeling?” I glanced at the other house. “Yeah. Just getting started.” “I was wondering about the big dumpster. This thing is huge.”

“It’s a gut job,” I said. “Outdated everything.” “Did you remodel the house I’m in?” “Yeah. It’s what we do.” “You, meaning you and your sister?” “She works for us, but I partner with my dad.” “Do you keep them all as rentals when you’re done remodeling?” I picked up another chunk of flooring and tossed it in the dumpster. “Why are you asking so many questions?” “I’m just curious.”