Ladd Fortune (12 page)

Malcolm would entertain Lacy
over her sister all day long. Granted both were attractive, but
Lacy’s brand of energy was exciting, stimulating. He’d take her for
a swing on the dance floor if she wanted, run his hands up and down
the low sway of her back, the round of her bottom. He’d hold her
close, pressing her soft curves against him. Oh, he’d keep Lacy
close and then some. But not this fellow. In what appeared to be a
surprise to Lacy, the man and her sister excused themselves and
headed for the dance floor. Engrossed by the state of affairs,
Malcolm observed Lacy’s reaction with amusement. When she realized
the man had dumped her for her sister, steam blew out her ears.
Malcolm smiled.
There, there,
sweetheart
.
Come
cry on my shoulder
.

“
Where’s your lady
friend?”

Nick’s voice startled Malcolm. “She’s
playing a game of cat and mouse,” he replied, amused by the
affair.

Standing by his side, Nick glanced in
her direction. “Did you have a chance to speak with
her?”

“
I did, but with no
measurable results.”

Nick smiled, a spark firing in the
black of his eyes. “You’re losing your touch, Mal.”

“
I’m just getting
started.”

“
Listen,” Nick said,
lowering his voice. “It looks like we may have another
problem.”

“
I’m listening,” Malcolm
said, watching in dismay as Lacy headed indoors. Was she
leaving?

“
Travis and Troy are on the
outs. In fact, Troy is sporting a shiner.”

The names snagged Malcolm back to Nick,
pulling his gaze from the home’s back door where Lacy had entered.
“What?”

“
They’re at odds right now,
but I’m not clear on the reason.”

“
Could it have anything to
do with Troy playing footsies with Jeremiah’s
girlfriend?”

“
That’s what I’m concerned
about.”

“
Well, you know I don’t
believe in coincidences.”

“
Neither do I.” Nick glanced
around them. No one was paying any attention to Delaney’s new
invitees, two strangers in a circle of hometown friends and
relatives. “Do you think the woman is trying to get information
from the kid?”

“
I absolutely think she is,
and she’s going about it the right way.”

Nick raked a hand through his hair.
“The boy may know about Ernie. And if he does, there’s no reason to
believe he wouldn’t share it with a woman asking the right
questions.”

“
Trust me, Nick. This lady
doesn’t even have to ask. She’ll whisper in his ear and he’ll bark
like a dog.”

Nick nodded with a smirk. “Don’t we
all?”

At the approach of Delaney and
Felicity, the men quieted. Delaney, carrying a plate piled with
barbecue pulled pork, handed it to Nick. “This should hold you over
for a while.”

“
God, I love you,” he said
to her.

The comment marshaled a wry smile to
her mouth. “You’re easy.”

“
I know.” He winked. “Lucky
for you.”

“
Though one more serving of
that and you’ll be splayed out on the couch for the
duration.”

“
Not a bad way to spend an
afternoon.”

Delaney grunted in response. In the few
short weeks Malcolm had known her, he had been surprised by her
domestic inclinations. To meet her outside of her family, you’d
think Delaney couldn’t locate the first pot or pan, let alone know
what to do with them. But he’d learned otherwise. The woman could
cook like nobody’s business and seemed to enjoy waiting on Nick and
Felicity.

“
You don’t look like you’re
having fun, Felicity,” Malcolm said, reflecting on the dull look in
otherwise bright features. Fair-skinned, freckle-faced, the teen
was a pretty girl, reminding him of a waif model he knew in Los
Angeles.

“
I’m good.” She gave a quick
nod, brushed fine strands of strawberry blonde hair behind an ear.
“I’m worried about Travis and Troy.”

“
Why?”

“
They’re mad at each
other.”

“
Is that unusual?” He
glanced to Nick and Delaney as he said, “I don’t know about them,
but my early days with my brother were loaded with
fights.”

“
Oh, they fight, but usually
it’s no big deal. They’ve never been to the point where they’re not
speaking to each other.”

“
Don’t worry, honey,”
Delaney said and rubbed her daughter’s back. “They’ll be fine. It’s
just a rough patch of trouble, but they’ll get over it.”

Malcolm glanced at Nick and asked for
silent permission to broach the subject of Troy and Loretta. Nick
cocked his head. Why not?

“
I wonder if it has anything
to do with the woman I saw Troy with the other night,” Malcolm
offered, “over at Whiskey Joe’s?”

“
Whiskey Joe’s?” Felicity
asked, surprised by the mention of the local lounge.

Malcolm nodded. “He was there with an
older blonde. They seemed kinda friendly.”

Shock would have been a mild
description for the girl’s reaction. He flicked a glance toward her
mother. Did she not know that a teenage boy had desires?

“
I don’t know who it could
be...” Felicity said, absorbed by the revelation.

“
I heard it was Jeremiah’s
girlfriend,” Malcolm said and braced himself for the
fireworks.

Felicity freaked, spots of freckles
reddening against her skin. “What?”

Delaney gawked.
“
Jeremiah’s
girlfriend?”

Nick stood passive while Malcolm
elaborated, “That’s what I understand.” He looked between the
women. “Any reason why those two would know each other?”

“
None,” Delaney remarked.
“Except one.” She turned slowly to her daughter and lightly grasped
her arm. “Felicity,” she said, urging the girl to look into her
face. She did so, but it was clear she feared what came next. “Did
you tell Travis and Troy about Ernie? About him being
sick?”

Felicity’s lips began to
quiver.

“
We need to know. It’s
important,” Delaney said gently but sternly.

The girl went pale. “I did.”

At the admission, Malcolm, Nick and
Delaney stilled.

“
Is that a problem?” she
cried, comprehending that somehow she may have thrown the match
into the tinder box.

Chapter Nine

Sitting alone on the front
porch, Casey Owens could hear the band banging out an old country
song, probably packing the dance floor with old people. The songs
they played were ancient and definitely not her thing. She
preferred contemporary music and not the dancing kind. On the front
porch, the smell of smoke didn’t coat her clothes and skin. How
people stood next to the grill swamped by gray smoke without
plugging their noses was beyond her. It was too much—and she
liked
hamburgers! But
smoke saturated clothing was not her idea of a good time. She was
only here because she had to be.

As she nursed a tall glass of iced tea,
Casey’s thoughts went to Troy, Travis and Felicity. As usual,
Travis and Felicity were stuck together like two pigs at a trough.
Normally Troy would be right there with them, but for some reason
he kept his distance from the pair today—which was weird. He even
boasted a black eye, something Casey had the sneaking suspicion
Travis might have had something to do with. That part wasn’t so
weird. Those two scrapped all the time, but mostly for play,
usually started by Troy. Had something changed between
them?

Pondering the matter, Casey
pulled a slow sip from her drink, the liquid cold, but the tea and
ice running together in a bland mess of taste. She set the glass on
the floor beside her rocker, tucking it out of the way of her
chair. Pulling her legs into a fold beneath her, Casey peered out
over the heap of cars and wondered how much longer she had to stay.
Her mom would have a fit if she left early. Said it would be a
personal insult to Miss Ashley if they didn’t stay for at least a
few hours. Casey didn’t see how it would matter one way or the
other. Her godmother was so busy running back and forth between the
kitchen and the grill, where Mr. Fulmer kept hollering like a
chicken with his head cut off.
Ashley,
fetch me some more butter
!
Ashley, we need more cheese out
here
!
Ashley, where
in tarnation is my spatula
?

If Casey had a husband yelling at her
like that, she’d tell him to get his own spatula. She wasn’t his
servant. But not Miss Ashley. She just ran and ran and
ran.

“
Hey, darlin’.”

Casey’s heart stopped, then thudded
through her chest like a freight train. “Miss Ashley! I didn’t hear
you come out,” she said, her cheeks flushing hot.

Ashley moseyed near and lowered to a
white wicker rocker beside Casey, laughing as usual. “Oh, child—I’m
like a thief to the cookie jar when I need to be!”

Casey tried to smile, but the effort
failed. Good thing Miss Ashley couldn’t read minds. “I
guess...”

Ashley sighed. “I’m as full as a
stuffed pork chop, I couldn’t eat another bite.”

Dressed in rhinestone-punched red,
white and blue, her boots candy apple red and scuffed with mud,
Casey suppressed a chuckle. Splattered with barbecue sauce and
grease stains, Miss Ashley’s sparkly stars and stripes apron looked
as if she ate a dozen stuffed pork chops, some hamburgers, and a
few greens to go with them! It was a shame to ruin a pretty apron
like Miss Ashley always wore, but Casey knew there were ten more
just like this one hanging in her pantry. As to her own wardrobe,
Casey had decided against anything red, white or blue just to irk
her mother.

In no hurry Ashley eased back in her
seat, took a cloth from an apron pocket and dabbed her brow. Her
heavy makeup was beginning to slip from the heat, leaving a shine
of perspiration in its place. “I swear Mother Nature must be having
hot flashes—it’s so hot you could pull a baked potato right out of
the ground!” She grinned at Casey. When Ashley’s smile didn’t catch
a response, it withered to a frown. Blue eyes burrowed in. “Child,
you know the party’s out back. What are you doing out here by your
lonesome?”

Casey turned from her. Taking a deep
calming breath, she pulled knees to her chest and replied, “I know.
Guess I’m not much in the mood for a party.”

“
What’s the
matter?”

“
Nothing.”

“
Nothing?” Ashley waved her
off and tucked the handkerchief back in her pocket. “Nothing
doesn’t come hide out on the front porch like a bandit.” With a
slanted gaze she asked, “Who you running from—your
momma?’

Casey shook her head and plopped her
chin onto her knees.

“
Now don’t you go fibbin’ to
your Great-Godmother. It’s my job to keep you on the straight and
narrow and I intend to see that you do.”

Casey smiled. “I’m straight, Miss
Ashley.”

“
Are you?” Ashley leaned
forward and placed a hand to Casey’s back. She stroked her hair.
Tender and caring as she probed, “Are you really?”

“
I am.” Though at times,
Casey wished she weren’t. Life was easier when she didn’t have to
think about everything—her mother’s disappointment, the family feud
over Ladd Springs, the identity of her father. Most days she’d
rather up and forget about it all.

“
You know I worry about you,
Casey Melody.”

“
I know.”

“
You have a beautiful life
ahead of you. All you need to do is step up and claim it. Grab a
good strong hold of it and say, ‘Ready or not—here I
come!’”

Casey grinned. She’d always
liked Miss Ashley. Positive and outgoing should be her middle name.
Unlike her mother, Ashley believed in Casey, believed she could do
anything and everything and helped encourage her to chase her
dreams. Her mother? Casey could see the disappointment in her mom’s
eyes as clearly as if it were branded across her blue eyes. Clear
as a mountain stream, her mom looked at her own flesh and blood and
thought,
You’ll never be
anything
.
You’re
going nowhere and on the fast train to get there
.

“
Hey, Miss
Ashley.”

Casey’s nerves zipped through her
stomach at the sound of Troy’s voice. She gulped, lifting her head
from her knees as Troy sauntered over.

“
Well hey, good-looking,”
Ashley said easily, her smile large and welcoming.

Casey privately agreed. Longish brown
hair swept over his brow to one side drawing attention to his dark
brown eyes. Like her, Troy skipped the red, white and blue and
chose a snug black T-shirt instead, tucked neatly into his blue
jeans. His cowboy boots were the same dusty brown he always wore,
and Casey had to admit there was something strong and manly about
Troy Parker. Something that always made her skin tingle.