Ladd Fortune (22 page)

Nick stepped forward and growled, “I
oughta cram that smirk straight down your throat.”

Jeremiah’s face twisted with pleasure.
“Go ahead and try.”

“
Don’t do it, Nick,” Malcolm
said, grabbing his arm.

Malcolm stood between Jeremiah and Nick
and Lacy reveled in his courage. What Malcolm and Nick didn’t
realize was that Jeremiah had a black belt in karate. Add those
ostrich boots of his and he could really hurt them if he wanted to.
Yet look at them, brave as soldiers. Lucky for Delaney. She was
thin as a twig and Jeremiah could break her in two, if he had a
mind to do so.

A flash of sunlight glinted off the
windshield of an incoming truck, its tires pummeling the gravel as
it sped in. Lacy looked to see who the driver was, wondering why
they were in such a hurry, but a puff of dust obscured her view as
the red vehicle turned and stopped. Then Ernie Ladd jumped out and
she gasped. My God, he was thin. He’d never been a big man, but he
was half of what she remembered!

“
Well, if it isn’t the man
of the hour,” Jeremiah said, turning only slightly, maintaining a
wary eye on Nick and Malcolm. Jeremiah had always been clever when
it came to his adversaries. Lacy had seen him fight for less than a
blink back in Atlanta, but never did she know him to be
sucker-punched. He was too smart. Deviously so.

All eyes were on Ernie as he hobbled
over on his cane, though at a pretty good clip, with legs that
weren’t much bigger than his cane. Ernie didn’t have a spec of fat
on his body, and instead reminded Lacy of a walking skeleton. His
black boots were like cement blocks around his feet, his black belt
cinched so tightly at his waist it was a wonder he could breathe.
Even his ears stuck out from beneath his ball cap, like they were
glued to a skull, one where they didn’t belong. “Ernie looks so
thin. Is he okay?” Lacy asked Delaney.

“
Ernie is sick, Lacy,”
Jeremiah said, flicking a spiteful glance toward Delaney. “Or
didn’t you know?”

“
Sick? Oh, heavens!” Lacy
looked to Delaney for explanation. “Is he going to be all
right?”

Jeremiah shook his head. “Afraid not.
It’s terminal.”

He spoke gravely, yet Lacy didn’t
detect an ounce of sadness in his voice—only mockery—which angered
her. She stole a peek at Ernie. Bless his heart, but he didn’t look
well at all.

Pushing the black-rimmed glasses up his
nose, Ernie grimaced at Jeremiah. “What are you doing back here?
Didn’t I warn you off this property once already?”

“
I came to tell you that
your precious niece has been stealing from you.”

Ernie didn’t say a word, only continued
to stare, like Jeremiah was some kind of dangerous varmint that
might attack at any moment.

“
Did you know you have gold
on this property?”

Lacy’s ears perked at the information.
Gold? She flashed a glance to Delaney. The woman looked like a kid
caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She checked with Malcolm.
There was gold on the property? For real?

Malcolm nodded, but kept a wary eye on
Jeremiah.

Oh my, Lacy thought. Didn’t things just
grow worlds more interesting? And folks in Atlanta thought small
towns were slow and sleepy. If only they had a clue!

“
I don’t care nothin’ about
no gold,” Ernie said, then jabbed a crooked finger in Jeremiah’s
face. “I want you gone. You hear me, boy? Gone. Right
now.”

Delaney came to life. “You heard the
man. It’s time for you to go.”

“
You’re telling me you don’t
care that Delaney and her kid Felicity are stealing from you?
Taking you for what could be hundreds of thousands of
dollars?”

Ernie got in Jeremiah’s face and
snarled, “Don’t you ever speak that child’s name again, you hear
me?”

Lacy pressed a hand to her mouth.
Ernie’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head and
clear through his glasses! Was the gold worth that much?

Jeremiah’s posture stiffened. “Nobody
tells me what to do, especially not you.” He whipped a glance
around the group and said, “You’re a fool, you let them run off
with this property. But not me. I’m entitled to what’s mine and I
aim to get it. And I’ll take it from Delaney any way I can. Or her
stupid daughter.”

Ernie shoved Jeremiah and Lacy’s heart
caught. Jeremiah raised his hand, but Malcolm and Nick were between
them in seconds—Malcolm taking Jeremiah, Nick taking Ernie. Lacy
watched in horror as Ernie tried to fight his way free from Nick’s
grasp, shouting at Jeremiah.

“
Ernie, stop it!” Delaney
hollered. “Don’t let him get to you!”

Lacy couldn’t move, couldn’t think.
Jeremiah would hit his father? His sick father? Really? She closed
her eyes. It was too horrible a thought.

“
Get your hands off me,”
Jeremiah yelled at Malcolm.

Lacy opened back up to see Jeremiah
break free from Malcolm. That’s when she saw Albert Ladd. Ambling
toward the house, his body larger than she remembered his
pear-shaped figure to be, Albert looked like he was trying to mind
his own business, passing by the scuffle like he was invisible, his
eyes riveted to the scene nonetheless.

“
You need to go,” Malcolm
commanded Jeremiah.

Jeremiah spit on the ground, then
yanked the orange paisley shirt away from his body. “You are insane
if you think I’m going to walk off and let Delaney have this
property without a fight—a fight I intend to win.” Lacy swore
Jeremiah was about to spit on Malcolm, but he didn’t. “It ain’t
gonna happen, cowboy. This here land is mine and I’m going to get
it, one way or another.”

Standing several feet from Ernie, Nick
said, “This property goes to Felicity. It’s a done
deal.”

“
There’s no such thing as a
done deal where I come from.” Jeremiah glowered at the group of
them, with a brief glance to the passing Albert Ladd. “Never heard
of challenging a deed?”

Lacy bet they had. Malcolm and Nick
were smart. But Jeremiah was conniving. She frowned. Did they
understand what they were dealing with when it came to
Jeremiah?

“
Whatever I have to do, I’ll
do it.” Jeremiah pointed at Delaney. “Watch your back, sweetheart.
You’ve messed with the wrong man.”

“
I’ll kill you, you come
back here again,” Ernie declared.

Delaney flinched.
“
Ernie
!”

He smacked her with an angry glare and
repeated, “I’ll kill him, I tell you. I’d kill him with my bare
hands if I had to.”

Jeremiah’s hazel brown eyes grew black
as night. “I’d love for you to try.”

A chill raced down Lacy’s spine. Her
gaze went quickly to Nick. If there was a hothead in the bunch, it
was him. But this time, he remained in place and merely watched
Jeremiah walk away. All of them trailed his figure as he climbed
into his truck, started the engine, and tore out away, tires
skidding as he hit the street.

Ernie shuffled toward his
cabin and Lacy caught her breath.
Kill
Jeremiah? She turned to Delaney.
“You don’t think he’s serious, do you?”

“
He’s not going to let this
go without a fight,” Delaney muttered.

“
I’ve only known Ernie a few
weeks and I wouldn’t put it past him,” Nick put in.

“
Why the love fest?” Malcolm
asked, smoothing a hand through his hair. “I’ve seen bad blood, but
this mix is lethal.”

Delaney stared after her uncle. Lacy
thought she looked torn. Did it hurt her heart to hear her uncle
speak that way about his own son? His own flesh and
blood?

“
Jeremiah caused Ernie a lot
of grief before he left,” Delaney said, her gaze settling on Lacy
who shrank under the spotlight of attention. Delaney took on a
tough-girl stance, setting hands to her jean-clad hips. “He stole
money and guns from Ernie. The money, so he could run off to
Atlanta with his new squeeze,” Delaney’s eyes spit knives toward
Lacy, “the guns because he was traveling with a rough crowd at the
time. In fact, the night they left, there was a shooting downtown
and word had it Jeremiah was involved.”

“
I didn’t know anything
about any shooting!” Lacy cried, genuinely stunned by the
accusation. “He never said a thing to me about it.” She sought
Malcolm’s reaction, her heart suddenly in her throat.
“
Honest
. I swear on
my momma’s life!”

Malcolm moved to her side. “I believe
you,” he said softly and slid a protective arm around her
shoulders.

“
Did they ever arrest anyone
for the shooting?” Nick asked.

“
Albert’s son,
Billy.”

Malcolm let out a low
whistle.

“
His other boy is on the
run,” Delaney added.

Lacy had no idea! “Robby? What did he
do?”

“
Held up a liquor
store.”

“
Oh, no...” Billy and Robby
both? And they had been so nice to her in high school. A little
rowdy, but she never imagined they’d turn into
criminals.

“
They’re both worthless,”
Delaney said without care, as though she weren’t speaking of two
men’s lives, of two living, breathing human beings.

“
And both blood relatives to
Ernie,” Malcolm said quietly.

Delaney stilled.

“
You understand that under
Tennessee law, both Albert’s sons are equally as entitled as
Jeremiah to ownership should he challenge the deed and
win.”

Nick dropped his head back.
“Perfect.”

Delaney buried her face in her hands,
then fell against Nick’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her and
held her close. Why, if Lacy hadn’t witnessed it with her own eyes,
she wouldn’t have believed it. Delaney Wilkins falling helpless
into the arms of a man? She shook her head.
Unbelievable.

About time, if you
asked
her
. Women
needed men. Lacy’s eyes went to Malcolm. Strong, brave men who
would look after a female the way a man should. She smiled at him
and he smiled back giving her a light squeeze. It was their job.
After all, God made men strong and brave, and women sweet and
beautiful and in need of protection and love. It’s what kept the
world spinning in harmony.

Startled by the sight of a
white sedan pulling in, Lacy peered at the driver.
What in tarnation is she doing
here
?

Chapter Seventeen

Lacy watched with displeasure as her
sister drove over the bridge. Was Annie following her? Was she here
to ruin her afternoon with Malcolm? If Aunt Frannie was to blame,
Lacy would pinch her ear. She was only enjoying a picnic with the
man. Her aunt didn’t have to spy on her.

The white car rolled to a stop next to
Malcolm’s truck, and Annie hopped out. Clad in her usual salon
black, she marched straight toward them with nary a concern to her
shiny black heels.

Nick nudged Delaney and she
straightened. “What now? More threats?”

Annie Owens pulled up front and center
and stopped. After gathering the group of them in her gaze, she
sized Lacy up with a suspicious look. “What are you doing
here?”

Lacy gave a flippant shake to her hair.
“I’m visiting, if it were any of your business. What are you doing
here is the question.”

“
I’ve come to have a word
with Delaney.”

“
We’ve said our words,
Annie. There’s nothing left to discuss.”

As though it required great effort,
Annie cleared her throat, glanced about and stated, “I’ve come to
inform you that my lawyer is seeking a court-ordered paternity test
from Jeremiah to settle the matter of Casey’s birthright once and
for all.”

“
You sure you want to do
that, Annie?” Delaney asked.

Lacy was surprised by the venom tone.
It was clear Delaney didn’t believe Annie’s claim for one second.
Truth be known, Lacy wasn’t quite sure of it herself. Annie had
been with more than a few boys back in high school. Casey could
belong to one of them.

“
I’m sure,” Annie replied.
“And when you learn the truth, I’ll expect you to do the right
thing and split the property between the two girls.”

Delaney’s mouth fell open. “Split the
property?”

Annie nodded with what Lacy found to be
an imperious flair, like she was some kind of queen, or something.
Good for her, she privately cheered. Delaney had no right to keep
Ladd Springs from Casey if she really did belong to
Jeremiah.

“
At this rate, Felicity will
be lucky she doesn’t get run off the place entirely!” Delaney
exclaimed.

Annie took a step back as though struck
off balance. Her blue eyes rounded, confusion warring with
suspicion. “What are you talking about?”

“
The
father
of your baby may take
everything.”

“
Don’t blame
me
for Jeremiah’s
behavior.” Annie flung an intimidating glance toward
Lacy.