Ladd Fortune (15 page)

“
Did your buddies also tell
you that he kidnapped Delaney?”

Jeremiah laughed. “That little hot-head
probably deserved it!”

“
Jeremiah Ladd, you are a
despicable human being. I should never have called you.” Her
thoughts went quickly to Annie.
She
never planned on calling him. If only Candi hadn’t
been short-sighted and selfish. God knows, she’d been thinking of
herself when she called Jeremiah, thinking how if she could help
Annie get a piece of Ladd Springs, Annie would loan her the money
to open up her own salon.

It had been a mistake. And now she was
paying the price.

“
Ah, but you did,
sweetheart.” He bowed his head toward her. “You did.”

She glared. Maybe she could make it up
to Annie. If she was worried about Clem being Casey’s father, the
knowledge of his sterility might be just the tidbit Candi needed to
get back in Annie’s good graces.

“
Now I want to talk to your
brother,” Jeremiah repeated. “Where is he?”

“
Probably in jail, where he
belongs.”

Jeremiah paused. With a devilish smile,
he gazed at her, drew a finger down the length of her bangs. “When
did you get so mean, Candi?”

She shook free of his touch. “When I
started getting a lick of sense about me.”

He chuckled, his eyes mocking. “Make my
life easy, will you? Where does he hang out?”

“
I don’t know and I don’t
care,” she snapped and shoved past him to her car. “Now give me my
keys before I start screaming.” Oh
yes
, Annie would hear about this.
Jeremiah was a no good lowlife and Candi would help her friend put
him where he belonged—in court—paying not only child support but
half his stake in Ladd Springs.

Chapter Eleven

Parked at a table in her aunt’s diner,
Lacy poked at her plate of okra, the golden-fried nuggets still too
hot to eat. Aunt Frannie had ordered them for her, despite the fact
she wasn’t very hungry. But that was Frannie’s way—eat, eat, eat.
It wasn’t like she was starving. In fact, she’d eaten enough food
at Ashley’s picnic yesterday to last her a week! Around her, the
lunch crowd was picking up, a steady stream of customers piling in
through the front door. She recognized several faces, but many were
new, many young, new mothers, new babies. A newborn screamed in her
momma’s arms.

It made Lacy’s heart ache to see life
flourishing in the hills of Tennessee while hers sat idle, stale,
about as appealing as last week’s buttermilk biscuits. She wanted
action and excitement. She wanted love and family. As a young
mother ushered her toddler ahead, she expertly managed the baby in
her arms. Slinging the child onto her hip as she bounced and
walked, the red-faced girl grimaced and grew quiet. Lacy longed for
a child. She longed for the energy and commotion and the juggling
that came along with it. By this time in her life, she’d imagined
herself with a passel of kids—boys, girls, twins like on her
Daddy’s side. As her gaze trailed the trio to their booth, she
brooded over the unfairness. It felt like she’d lost decades of her
life, wasting away the hours in the bars of Atlanta, the nightclubs
and restaurants, with nothing more to show for her time than
memories.

Allowing the okra to cool, Lacy took a
sip from her coke and pondered her next step. The past was behind
her. She was looking forward, moving forward. She needed a job,
needed something to do, but what? Work at Whiskey Joe’s? Wait
tables for Aunt Frannie? Lacy didn’t want to do any of it. She
wanted an enjoyable job, a job she’d look forward to going to every
day. She wanted something fun, inspiring.

Spotting her sister Annie walk by the
front window, Lacy’s mood perked up. Maybe she could work at the
salon. She could learn how to cut hair or maybe answer the phone.
Annie swung open the front door, hesitating when she saw Lacy. At
least the two of them would be closer. A man bumped in behind
Annie, begging her pardon with a sheepish smile. Annie acknowledged
him and then marched straight over to Lacy’s table. Hope bloomed.
Was Annie having second thoughts about tossing her
aside?

“
Hi, Annie!” Lacy
waved.

Annie halted at Lacy’s table. She
pressed a forefinger to the tabletop and said, “I’m glad I found
you.”

Lacy brightened. “Would you like to
have lunch with me?”

“
No, I don’t want to have
lunch with you. I want to speak to you about your behavior at the
picnic yesterday.”

“
My behavior?”

“
Yes. Your interference with
Cal Foster.”

“
Interference
?”

“
Yes. I know that’s a big
word for you, but it means interrupt, intrude.” The black of her
dress accentuated the heavy liner around her eyes, underscoring her
anger. “You knew darn well he was talking to me and you tried to
steal him away.”

“
What are you talking about?
Cal and I are friends from way back, same as you. Why, we were
dancing together only minutes before he saw you.”

“
Don’t play coy with me. I
know how you operate. You were flirting with him to steal him away
from me. Well, I’m warning you right now—back off.”

Lacy smacked palms to table and
exclaimed, “Annie Grace, I was doing no such thing!”

Annie’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You
were and we both know it.”

Aunt Frannie walked up from behind and
put an arm around Annie’s shoulders. “Annie, honey, is there
something I can help you with?” She glanced around the restaurant.
“You’re making a scene, sugar, and I’ll not have you
continue.”

“
Sorry, Frannie, but Lacy
has it coming.”

“
Not in my diner, she
doesn’t.” Nudging her from the table, Frannie steered Annie a few
feet away and hushed her voice, “Your daughter is sittin’ over
there in the corner, all by herself. Why don’t you go sit a spell
with her and enjoy lunch on me?”

At the sight of her daughter, Annie’s
gaze splintered. Alone in the corner, Casey looked like someone
stole her puppy. Lacy’s heart fell.

Annie turned back to Lacy, her earlier
anger diffused. “Don’t let it happen again, Lacy, or I swear I’ll
let you have it.” Pivoting, she turned and headed for Casey’s
table.

Frannie watched her go, then asked,
“What was all that about?”

Lacy wanted to cry. Her sister hated
her. Growing up, Annie had always been better at everything than
Lacy. She could do hair and nails, ride better, swim faster—even
Daddy liked her best, always fussing over his oldest child, his
pride and joy. Annie scored better in school, took the lead role in
a school play, but she had never been very good with the boys. For
Lacy, flirting came natural, as natural as breathing. She enjoyed
the company of boys and encouraged their attention. Was it her
fault she connected with people in a pleasant fashion? Besides, she
hadn’t seen Cal since high school and she’d been happy to see a
familiar face.

Glancing over at Annie, now seated with
her daughter, Lacy understood all too well the value of having a
friendly face in your corner. It took the edge off the lonesome.
Yesterday at the picnic, she’d only wanted to show her sister that
Cal liked her, and why couldn’t Annie like her, too?

Tugging her focus from across the
restaurant, Lacy replied finally, “Nothing. It was about
nothing.”

“
Nothing?” Aunt Frannie
wiped hands together and then across her apron front. “I’ve seen
nothing and that ain’t it.”

Lacy looked up, met with a reproach
tampered by love. “Annie hates me, pure and simple.”

“
Your sister doesn’t hate
you. She just needs time to readjust to your being here, is
all.”

“
Hmph.” Lacy slumped back
against the booth. “You don’t know Annie, then. That girl can hold
a grudge longer than a dog with a rib bone.”

Aunt Frannie patted Lacy’s back. “Don’t
you fret, child. She’ll come around, you watch and see.” Staring
down her nose, she added, “Now eat your okra, young lady. You need
to put some meat on those skinny bones of yours.”

Lacy nodded. Aunt Frannie returned to
the kitchen and she returned to her plate of okra. If she had
somewhere to go, she’d leave this instant. Storm right out of this
restaurant and show Annie how little she cared about her silly
outburst.

But she didn’t. She had nowhere to go,
and that was her problem.

“
Mind if I join
you?”

The deep masculine voice startled Lacy.
She snapped her head up and found Malcolm Ward peering down at her
with an easy, friendly smile. The shock of white hair still
surprised her when she looked at him, so at odds with his pale blue
eyes and tanned skin. His body was lean and fit, not appearing a
day over forty. At the picnic he’d been dressed in navy linen
shorts and white silk T-shirt. Today he wore blue slacks and a
pressed gray shirt, a steel gray that underscored his hair and
eyes. Clearly, in spite of his hair, Malcolm was young, vigorous,
sleek and sophisticated.

“
Looks like you could use
some company.”

Ignoring the jump of her pulse, Lacy
gave a quick nod. “If you want.”

“
I very much want,” Malcolm
replied, and lowered himself to the bench seat across from her.
Sliding the napkin-rolled utensils aside, he asked, “You
okay?”

The earnest look in his eyes served to
massage her spirit. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“
I saw your sister. She
didn’t seem too happy with you.”

“
Annie doesn’t seem to be
happy, ever.”

“
Does she always take it out
on you?”

“
Yes.” No. Lacy nibbled her
lip. She could use an ally right about now. Reaching for her coke,
she decided to share, “She’s a bit stressed. We haven’t seen each
other in a long time.”

“
I remember.”

Lacy paused. “That’s right. You know
Delaney.”

“
I saw you at the picnic
yesterday.”

A quiet understanding passed between
them. Of course he knew everything. She stole a glance at him, then
averted her gaze to the safety of her glass. He knew about her
troubles with Annie, Jeremiah—everything. Witnessed her exchange
with Annie and Cal Foster.

“
I missed you after you
left.”

She stared at him. “Missed
me?”

“
You left rather abruptly. I
was hoping we’d have some time together, maybe a dance or
two.”

A torrent of desire blasted through
her, permeated by resentment. She would have loved to dance with
Malcolm—if only Annie hadn’t spoiled her afternoon. And Cal. He
didn’t even stick up for her. Lacy dropped her gaze. So much for
that friendly face she’d been hoping for. He’d been friendly until
Annie showed up.

“
Ever find out what your
friend Loretta and the boy were up to the other night?”

“
No.” Lacy looked up. “How
could I? I was talking to you, remember?”

“
I remember,” he said,
pleasure swamping his expression.

A thrill skipped through her breast.
Lacy took the napkin from her lap and patted her lips, hiding the
smile tugging at her mouth.

“
But don’t you two talk? You
said you were friends, right?”

“
In Atlanta,” she said
matter-of-factly, replacing napkin to lap.

“
And that friendship doesn’t
extend to Tennessee?”

Lacy reached for her coke and sipped.
“Oh, course it does, but it’s like I told you. I’ve only seen her
that once.” And at the diner, earlier in the day, when Loretta must
have been making plans with the boy. In case Lacy had missed the
connection, Aunt Frannie sure had given her an ear full about
it.

Malcolm interlaced his fingers, his
well-manicured nails drawing her attention momentarily. Elegant
hands, they appeared refined for a man. She wondered if he had them
professionally manicured.

“
Do you mind if I ask you a
personal question?” he asked.

“
No. What?”

“
You seem pretty easygoing
with your ex, Jeremiah. You’re friends with his current girlfriend.
I don’t know too many women who would be.”

Lacy gave him a queer look. “Why
wouldn’t I be?”

“
Oh, I don’t know,” he
ventured. “Bad blood, bad breakup, it happens.”

“
Oh, poo.” She stirred the
straw through her drink. “Jeremiah and I split six months after we
arrived in Atlanta. He didn’t care. I didn’t care. Why be
mad?”

Malcolm grinned. A group of businessmen
passed by their booth en route for the lunch counter, each one
stealing a glance at the woman seated across from him. She was
definitely eye candy in her silk turquoise blouse, the V-neckline
revealing her creamy white cleavage. Lips glossed in pink and her
makeup applied to enhance the blue of her eyes. More than a looker,
Lacy was a rare bird. And exquisitely rare bird.

“
You never felt like he took
advantage of you?”