Haven

By Jewel Donovan

Lily Smith is a woman on the run. While fleeing across the country, circumstances leave her stranded in the small town of Haven, Alberta, where she meets the handsome Will Stone. His kindness begins to heal her wounded spirit, and his kisses make her breathless. But can she learn to trust again? When her past catches up to her, can their love survive?

Haven is a stand-alone novella of approx. 33,000 words. Content note warning for domestic violence, sexual assault. Intended for 18+ readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jewel Donovan
• Release date: Apr 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370886753

Jewel Donovan

Jewel Donovan is a Canadian author whose love affair with romance novels began in sixth grade, when a friend loaned her a copy of one. She has been constructing stories in her head for as long as she could remember and decided to try writing them down. She is currently hard at work on her next book.Jewel loves to hear from readers. You can contact her via her Facebook page or Twitter, or by emailing [e-mail]

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Haven

By Jewel Donovan

Copyright 2017 Jewel Donovan

Smashwords Edition

All Rights Reserved

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

EPILOGUE

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Chapter One

Will Stone hit the brakes on his black pickup as a deer ran out across the road ahead. Years of experience with driving on icy roads allowed him to maintain control as the vehicle skidded a little before coming to a stop.

The grey compact car coming the other way wasn’t so lucky. The driver must have panicked and swerved to avoid hitting the deer. The car’s wheels locked up as it went into a skid, sliding on the ice-covered road, brakes squealing, until it went off the road into the ditch, coming to a hard stop against a utility pole.

Will cursed and pulled his truck over as far to the side of the road as he dared, threw the vehicle into park, and turned on his four-way flashers. He knew that this road was a dead spot for cell service, so he didn’t even bother to check for a signal as he got out and ran as fast as was possible on the ice towards the other vehicle. The car hadn’t been going too fast when it had hit the pole, and he mentally crossed his fingers that the other driver wasn’t badly hurt. The deer had escaped injury, darting away and running through the field that bordered the side of the road.

The radiator was steaming, the bumper crumpled. The airbags had deployed, and he could see someone slumped against the one on the driver’s side.

Will climbed down into the ditch as quickly as he dared and tapped on the window. Hey! Ma’am, are you alright?

She was still for a few moments, making him worry she might have lost consciousness, before she sat back, looking stunned. She blinked a few times, shook her head slightly, then looked through the window at him with wide blue eyes.

You okay? he asked, tugging at the door handle. It remained shut. The door must be locked.

She shrank back a bit when she saw him before lowering the window a few scant inches. Did—did I hit the deer? she asked, her voice hesitant.

Will felt his eyebrows rise. The woman had just been in an accident. While she didn’t appear to be hurt, she had to be feeling shaken, and her car was likely no longer driveable, yet she was worried about the deer? No, it ran off.

She let out a breath of relief. Good, she said.

You sure you’re okay? he asked. You hit a pole.

Oh god, she exclaimed, as if just realizing what had happened to her vehicle. Is my car okay?

Will glanced over at the hissing radiator and crumpled front end and shook his head regretfully. I think it’s toast.

Oh no. She bit her lip, looking on the verge of tears.

Hey, as long as you’re okay, right? Nothing seems to be broken? You didn’t hit your head on anything?

Does the airbag count? she asked, pressing a hand to her temple, then said, No, nothing feels like it’s broken.

She turned off the ignition, then pulled out a cell phone before Will said, Don’t bother. There’s no service out here.

She didn’t respond as she tapped in a passcode and checked for herself. She waved the phone around at different angles for a few moments before muttering, Damn it, under her breath.

Told ya, Will thought, but instead only said, Need a ride back to town? You can call for a tow from there. When she looked undecided, he added, This road isn’t used much and it might be a while before someone else comes by.

She nibbled on her lower lip for a moment, considering. Maybe you could call in a tow for me when you get there? she asked, most likely wanting to avoid getting into a stranger’s vehicle.

I wouldn’t feel right leaving you out here alone. It’s going to be dark soon, and it’s too cold. The temperature is already well below freezing, and it’s supposed to drop another ten degrees tonight. As if to prove his point, a blast of icy-cold late November wind blew across them, making them both shiver. You could freeze to death out here. When she still looked reluctant, he cracked what he hoped was a reassuring smile. I swear I’m not an axe murderer, he said. I’m Will, by the way. Will Stone.

I’m Am— she cut herself off before finishing, Lily.

Lily… he trailed off, waiting for her to supply her last name.

Just Lily.

She seemed awfully suspicious. He wondered where she was from. Probably a bigger city. People tended to be a lot less trusting in bigger cities than where he was from, which had a population of about five thousand people. Okay, just Lily, it’s only about a ten-minute drive to Haven, he said, referring to his hometown. You passed the turnoff a couple of minutes ago.

Lily appeared to wrestle with the decision before reluctantly saying, I guess. Thanks. She opened the car door and climbed out, revealing that she wasn’t properly dressed for an Alberta winter. Her navy-blue peacoat was too thin for this wind. While she had a ski hat on, her hands were bare, and she was wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and ankle boots that looked more fashionable than practical. They all but disappeared into the snowdrift. She pressed her lips together in a grimace, and Will guessed that her footwear had probably filled with snow the second she’d stepped out of the car. She obviously wasn’t from around here, or she’d know how to dress for this weather. He doubted she had thermals on underneath those clothes.

Shit. What the hell was he doing thinking about her undergarments? This is what came from going without sex for over six months.

And now what the hell was he doing thinking about sex? If Lily could read his thoughts she’d probably run screaming down the road. It was clear she didn’t want to spend any more time in his company than she had to, much less get any more intimately acquainted. He felt his face heat, hoping she wouldn’t notice, or that if she did, she’d think his cheeks were just red from the cold and wind. He had to stop thinking like that. She was clearly afraid he was a creep. Better to not act like one, even if it was just in his own mind.

She reached back in to grab a stuffed duffle bag, and that was when Will saw that her car was packed full of suitcases and boxes.

Going on a trip somewhere? he asked.

She looked at him sharply, then quickly slid her glance away. Something like that. As she slung the handle of the bag over her shoulder, it banged against her side and she winced.

You sure you’re okay? Will asked. Maybe I should take you to the hospital first. Get everything checked out.

No! she exclaimed abruptly, before her voice softened and she added, I mean, no thanks. I’m fine.

You sure? I don’t want you passing out on me.

I’m sure I’ll be fine. It’s just a fender bender.

It was a bit more serious than a fender bender, but Will refrained from saying so as Lily locked the car and began to climb out of the ditch.

Her impractical boots slipped on the snow-covered ice, and Will reached out a hand to catch her. Careful, he cautioned.

She jerked away from his touch, which only made her slip again.

The woman was as jumpy as a mouse in a snake’s cage. Hey, I’m not going to hurt you, he said. I just don’t want you to fall.

Sorry, she said quickly. This time she let him take her arm to help her back onto the road, but he could feel that she was shaking. From the cold, or because he was touching her? He released her as soon as they were out of the ditch. His truck was sitting where he’d left it, still running, the driver’s side door open. He led her around to the passenger side, opened the door, and took her duffle bag, tossing it up onto the bench seat before saying, You might need a boost to get in. He didn’t think she’d want him touching her again, but she was a small woman, maybe a few inches over five feet, and his truck was high. How many times had his sister Abby complained that she practically needed mountain climbing gear to get into the vehicle?

Once again, Lily looked reluctant before she accepted his help. Though he only touched her for a few seconds to help her in, he felt a prickle of awareness in his hands even with his gloves on. It had been too long since he’d touched a woman, he thought. This woman obviously had no interest in being touched by anyone. Or at least not by him. He knew some people found him intimidating given that he was six feet tall and muscular from years of manual labor.

He had no business feeling a spark of attraction for her. He was just helping a stranded motorist get back to town. Just a