Ladd Fortune (14 page)

And scores of other women.

The man was low, dirtier than a hog
wallowing in the mud. But he hadn’t heard the last from her. Annie
would fight for the property. She would fight him and Delaney, and
whoever else got in her way. She might not have been able to give
Casey a loving father, but she sure as heck could give her what
that father wanted for himself. Ladd Springs. If Jeremiah could
fight for his share of the property, then Annie could fight for
Casey’s. Ernie Ladd would be caught in the middle, no doubt about
it, but it was unavoidable. A quick sadness stabbed at her. The man
was sick. Terminal. Living out his last days squabbling over land
wasn’t the way Annie wanted him to go, but Ernie should have
listened to her before he thought about signing over the property
to Felicity. Casey was equally as entitled to inherit the land, but
he wouldn’t listen. In fact, Ernie shut her down cold in the most
offensive of ways.

Thoughts of Ladd troubles brought to
mind Annie’s own family woes. Daddy died of a heart attack when he
was much too young, and her Momma moved out right after Lacy. Up
and moved on without her daughter, Annie. She claimed Annie was a
woman of age and it was high time she started taking care of
herself. Didn’t matter that Annie didn’t want her mother to go,
that she would have left right along with her had her momma
extended the invite. But her mother’s intent had been clear. It was
time to move on and start fresh. Tears pricked Annie’s
eyes.

Her mother had gone and not
taken her daughter with her.

It was a day Annie would
never forget. Not only had Jeremiah left her, but her mother had
deserted her, too. Lacy was no different. Visions of her sister
prancing into the salon the other day, acting as though they could
mend fences with a hug and smile, was insulting. Annie might not be
able to count on anyone, but she still had her pride. She could
still walk through town with her head held high and her heart and
soul free and clear. But it was a road she’d be walking alone.
Anger welled. Candi’s betrayal rubbed raw. Could no one be trusted
anymore? They were cheats and liars—the lot of them—but Casey would
be able to count on
her
. Annie would not forsake her daughter, no matter how trying
the girl might become. Annie would prove to Casey that not all
people left. Not all parents abandoned. Jeremiah might not
acknowledge he was her father, but that didn’t mean Annie couldn’t
prove it. With him in town, her lawyer could serve him papers and
force him to take that paternity test. Then Casey would know for
sure. Delaney would know for sure. And no one could deny her child
was a Ladd.

For all the good it would do her. Annie
pushed back from the table abruptly. She might not be able to
secure a portion of Ladd Springs in her child’s name, but the
question would be settled. Once and for all, everyone in this one
corner town would know that Casey Melody was a Ladd, not an
Owens—and just as entitled to the wealth of Ladd Springs as
Felicity. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would pay a visit to her lawyer
and put an end to the doubt.

Annie hurried down the
sidewalk, mentally rehearsing her conversation with the
lawyer.
I wanted to inform you that
Jeremiah Ladd, the father of my child, is in town. I’m prepared to
press forward immediately with the petition for the paternity
test
. Agitation churned. Heat rose beneath
her hair, the midday sun hot on her skin. Darn it, she had gone
over this! She needed to get it right. She needed to sound calm and
professional. Detached. She was within her rights, the lawyer had
said so. Would it matter to a judge that her daughter was almost
eighteen?

Fear spiraled down her spine. She hoped
not. This was her last chance. This was her last chance to prove
once and for all that Casey was Jeremiah’s flesh and blood. His
daughter. What if the lawyer told her to forget about it? Annie’s
research via the internet last night indicated she could file a
claim until Casey was twenty-one. While Casey was technically an
adult, Annie should still be able to force the paternity test.
Maybe even sue for back child support.

Annie was so tired of playing the “what
if” game over and over and over. What if the information she found
online was wrong? What if Jeremiah refused? Would they spend the
next three years in court? She didn’t have that kind of
money!

Did he?

Reading the name of her lawyer
plastered over a door on a small, one-story building, Annie’s
nerves ripped and tore. Dakota Law and Associates. It was now or
never. Casey was probably too old to expect any financial support
from Jeremiah, but at least it would solidify her status as a
Ladd.

Annie pulled a tissue from
her purse and dabbed at her nose, her cheeks. Crumpling it, she
stuffed the paper into a side pocket and froze, paralyzed to move.
For the space of several seconds, her heart came to a complete
standstill. Not twenty feet away from her, Jeremiah Ladd strode out
the front door of her lawyer’s office.
Her
lawyer’s office. A shudder ran
through her. What was he doing there?

Jeremiah’s eyes lit up at the sight of
her and he sauntered over, the turquoise of his shirt reflecting
brightly in the morning sun in a glaring sheet of blue. “Hey,
Annie.”

Perspiration broke out beneath the silk
of her top. Annie’s throat closed.

“
Fancy meetin’ you here.” He
glanced back at the building. “You have business with Mr.
Dakota?”

She clutched her purse to her side.
Vocal cords scratched and scraped as she replied, “I
do.”

Jeremiah drew closer. “What’s it
about?”

“
None of your business,” she
wanted to shout, and smack the smirk from his face. Visions of him
and Candi together congealed in her mind’s eye.

“
You heard about Ladd
Springs?” he asked.

Annie stared at him. The man was
clueless. Utterly clueless.

Jeremiah made a click with his mouth
and said, “Well, I’m here to get what’s mine. Delaney’s trying to
steal it from me, but I’m not going to let her. That little fox is
going to get what’s coming to her.”

And so will you. A strange band of
courage encircled Annie’s heart. She pushed her shoulders back and
said, “I’m here to establish paternity for my daughter, Jeremiah.”
She watched for it to register and it did—quickly.

“
You still trying to put her
on me?”

Good. The statement erased all trace of
his previous ease. Jeremiah understood the implications of her
statement, clear as the blue sky above. “Casey is your daughter,”
Annie said flatly. “I intend to prove it once and for all.” Unlike
Atlanta where he managed to dodge her summons, he could not hide
from her around here. These buildings had eyes and ears. Someone
would know where to find him at the drop of a gavel. “And when I
do, I will see to it that she gets her rightful share of Ladd
Springs.”

His brow rose at the revelation. “So
that’s what you’re after.”

“
I’m after doing what’s
right, Jeremiah. It’s been long overdue.” A concept he clearly
didn’t comprehend.

“
You’re wasting your time,
Annie. I know you slept with Clem Sweeney before I left, and I bet
your illegitimate brat belongs to him.”

Annie slapped him across the
face.

Jeremiah shot a hand to his
cheek.

Shocked by her response, she curled her
fingers into her stinging palm, pressed it to her beating heart.
She hit Jeremiah!

He stared at her, rubbing his cheek. A
smile twisted his lips. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll tell
him when I see him.” Without another word, he stalked
off.

Annie couldn’t believe what she had
done. Slapping Jeremiah—was she crazy? Staring after him, she
pulled herself together and ran for the lawyer’s office. Grabbing
the cold metal door handle, she pushed inside, pulse racing. Had
she lost her mind?

Jeremiah sat alone in his truck in the
parking lot, behind the single-story cement block building. Painted
white and lined with black metal doors, it was the strip center
that ran down Main Street, the one where Candi’s salon was located.
Loretta was off trying to get information from the Parker kid after
her night at Whiskey Joe’s turned up zilch. She got nothing, except
a second chance. They were having lunch at Fran’s Diner, and this
time, she’d better not blow it.

Speaking of blow, Jeremiah needed to
blow off some steam. Running into Annie outside the lawyer’s office
this morning had been a complete surprise, as had her reaction. The
bitch actually hit him! If she thought that was the way to get him
to acknowledge her bastard child, she had another thought coming.
There was no way in hell he would claim that kid as his own, even
if she was his, especially since Annie seemed to think the girl was
her ticket to his inheritance. Did she think all she had to do was
prove the kid belonged to him and she had her ticket to his
dough?

In her dreams, he fumed
inwardly.
In her dreams
. Why Candi hadn’t told him that little morsel was something
else he needed to find out, but getting the lowdown from her while
she was in the salon wasn’t gonna to work. Approaching her out back
would save him from gawking strangers while he coaxed her into
giving him the information he wanted.

So he sat. And waited. Eventually,
Candi would have to come out of the salon. Since it was almost the
lunch hour, he anticipated that time to be soon. After a few
minutes, the salon’s rear exit door opened and out pushed an old
woman. Jeremiah checked his watch. High noon. As he imagined, the
women were flocking to their cars like cows to sweet feed. Two more
followed, one’s head dumped in her purse as she searched it, most
likely for car keys. All three women drove off. The minutes ticked
by. With his engine turned off, the sun baked his truck, raising
the interior heat to unbearable levels. Jeremiah swiped the
moisture from his brow, his upper lip. He’d run his
air-conditioner, but who knew how long he was going to have to wait
and running gas cost money. Money he didn’t have.

The salon door swung open
again and Jeremiah’s insides shifted.
Bingo
. He pushed out his car door and
strode toward Candi. As though she sensed his presence, Candi
looked up. He savored the look of fear that swept her features.
That’s right.
You should be
scared
.
Lying to me
about your intentions was a dumb move.

Candi hurried to her car—as though she
would beat him to it—but Jeremiah was faster and pulled the keys
from her hand. “Hey, baby, why the rush?”

“
Jeremiah!” Candi exclaimed.
She fired a glance around the parking lot, heartbeats stampeded
through her chest. The other hairstylists were nowhere to be seen.
Narrowing in on him, she wondered how she missed his approach in
the outrageous blue shirt. “What do you want now?”

“
Information.”

Candi shuddered. The word slithered out
like a snake’s tongue. “I told you everything I know.”

“
Really?”

“
Yes,
really
. Now if you don’t mind, I’m in
a hurry.” She tried to grab her keys, but anticipating the move, he
whisked them behind his back.

“
Actually, I do mind.” He
smirked. “You see, I ran into Annie at the lawyer’s office this
morning.”

Candi’s heart missed a beat. Heat clung
to her skin, moist and hot beneath the hair on her neck.
“So?”

“
Seems she thinks she can
file a lawsuit for the property, on account of Casey being my
daughter.”

“
Well.” Candi paused. “She
is.”

Jeremiah chuckled. “Now, now, let’s not
leap to conclusions. We both know she slept with your brother.” He
cocked his head in a pompous move, gathering his brow. “For all I
know, the kid is his.”

“
She did not!”

“
Did, too.”

“
She didn’t,” Candi
insisted. “She would have told me.”

“
Maybe your friend isn’t as
good a friend as you think she is,” he said, pleasure licking at
his golden-brown eyes.

“
But still, Clem isn’t
Casey’s father. He can’t be.”

“
I don’t know that. A woman
sleeps with a man, she can get pregnant.”

“
But Jeremiah, Clem is
sterile.”

“
So what?”

“
So what?” She gaped at him.
Was he that ignorant? “It means he can’t possibly be Casey’s
father.”

With a hitch of his chin, he thrust,
“Prove it.”

“
I don’t have to prove
it—everyone in the family knows!” Why was he being so difficult?
Did he really not get it?

“
Tell it to the judge, baby.
I told Annie the same thing and she shut up pretty quick about it.”
His tone grew urgent. “Now speaking of your brother, where is
he?”

Realizing Jeremiah didn’t have any
business with her, Candi relaxed, but only slightly. It was best a
girl keep her guard up around a man like him. “I don’t
know.”

“
My buddies tell me he was
pretty tight with my old man and I want to talk to him.”