Ladd Fortune (35 page)

Officer Shore straightened. “Huh.” His
gaze teeming with suspicion, he muttered, “It seems I have a man to
find. But don’t go anywhere, you hear? I want to speak to you four
again.”

“
Understood,” Nick
replied.

Officer Shore edged his way through the
crowded entrance and Malcolm breathed a sigh of relief. Temporary
relief. There was still the matter of assault and battery, the
question of title, the question of paternity. Too many damn
questions for him to keep track!

“
Do you think he’ll think we
had something to do with Jeremiah’s beating?” Delaney
asked.

“
We sure do look a lot
guiltier,” Malcolm acknowledged.

“
Oh, poo—it’s all my fault!”
Lacy cried.

Malcolm slid an arm around her and
pulled Lacy to his side, kissing the top of her head. “No it’s not.
Knowledge is not a crime.”

“
But the suspicion has been
raised,” Nick said.

“
That it has,” Malcolm
agreed grimly.

“
We better get going,” Nick
said.

The statement kicked Delaney back to
the present. Ernie. She turned to Felicity and said, “Ernie’s in
the hospital.”

Her daughter’s brow puckered. “He is?”
Travis put an arm around her narrow shoulders and stood staunchly
by her side.

“
Ashley called. We’re going
to see him now.”

“
Oh, no...” Felicity’s eyes
shone bright green.

Malcolm hated it for her. She was
young, sensitive, the pain gouged deep. This was her grandfather
they were talking about, a man who cared for her. Loved her. And
now she might have to say goodbye.

“
Travis, you’ll take me,
won’t you?” she asked.

“
Of course.”

There was no question, no hesitation of
any kind. The family would rally to Ernie’s bedside.

Malcolm and Lacy walked out with them,
and the couples head out to their respective vehicles. There was no
need for Lacy to go. Ernie wasn’t her family.

“
I need to call Annie,” Lacy
said.

“
Why?” Malcom
asked.

She shrugged. “I need to tell her that
Delaney is considering giving Casey half the property.” Lacy turned
her head up to him and cupped her eyes against the bright sunshine.
“Is that okay?”

“
Of course. You do what you
feel you need to do.”

Offering his elbow, he escorted Lacy
down the sidewalk and listened as she called her sister. It was
brief, excitement mixed with sadness, and when she ended the call,
Lacy seemed pensive. Tugging her close, he asked, “What’s the
matter?”

“
Nothing.” She slipped the
phone back into her purse and said, “It’s weird how life works,
isn’t? Good news, bad news, they always seem to come tied
together.”

“
How so?”

“
Oh, you know...” Lacy
carelessly dragged her boot heels against the cement, slowing their
pace as she elaborated, “I learned about the gold and was able to
tell Annie, which was good news, but then you and Delaney got mad
at me for sharing.” Malcolm chuckled, reveling in the feel of her
body, the scent of her hair, her perfume. It was a little more than
that, he thought, but okay. “I left Tennessee for a life of freedom
in Atlanta only to find it wasn’t anything like I imagined. Then I
have the opportunity to come home and start over but I don’t have
anything to do,” she said glumly, leaning into him as they walked.
“It’s not right.”

Strolling together down the sidewalk,
the feel of her arm looped through his reminded Malcolm of a
different kind of stroll. “You have me.”

“
But you’re not something to
do,” she said.

“
I could be,” he
teased.

Lacy yanked on his arm. “Be
serious.”

He was—more serious than he’d ever
been.

“
I need something to look
forward to, something to be excited about.” She waved a hand ahead
of them and whined, “What’s there for me to do in this old
place?”

“
What about my job
offer?”

“
Well, sure, but that isn’t
something to do today.”

Today. Yes, today. Malcolm took in the
quaint street they paralleled, sidewalks lined with storefronts,
pedestrians moving on idle, the green mountain ridge rising behind
the town for an incredible vista. The sky was clear and blue, the
temperature warm with a mild breeze. Her hometown was idyllic. This
was beautiful country, a place you could settle down, even raise a
family. Inhaling the view, Malcolm found he was looking forward to
spending time here, building Serenity Springs, spending time with
the woman beside him. It might be a town Lacy took for granted, but
he did not.

Malcolm stopped. There was no doubt in
his mind that Lacy would enjoy traveling the world, visiting new
and exotic locales, but he bet she’d enjoy coming home again, too.
Home. It was a word he was beginning to like the sound of, the
feel. “Sweetheart, let’s say we make it official.”

“
Make what
official?”

He grasped both her hands. “Us. You and
me.”

Lacy looked at him as if in pure
shock.

Malcolm chuckled, a rush of nerves
barreling through him as he dropped to his knee.

“
Are you serious?” Lacy
asked.

“
Never been more serious in
my life. I know this sounds sudden, but you strike me as the
spontaneous type—and exactly my kind of woman.” Lacy blinked, her
blue eyes glittering like a sheet of island water. “Is it possible
to fall in love with a woman every day? To learn something new
about her and want her even more?”

She gaped at him.

Growing serious, Malcolm caressed the
slender hands folded within his and asked, “Lacy Louise Owens, will
you marry me?” She stood speechless, those luscious lips of hers
slightly parted. “I want to spend every waking hour with you. I
want to hike with you, swim with you, make love to you until we
lose ourselves and become one.”

She remained silent. A jolt of angst
fired hot in his chest. She wasn’t going to decline, was she?
“Lacy?”

She nodded—suddenly, eagerly—a smile
seizing her face. “Yes, Malcolm.” Lacy beamed and squealed, “Yes!
Yes! Yes!”

Relief washed through him. “I don’t
have a ring,” he confessed, rising to his feet, “but Vegas has some
of the finest jewelry stores in the world. What do you say we head
west? There’s a flight leaving Atlanta this evening, and we can be
married before midnight.”

Lacy hopped up and down and flung her
arms around his neck. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Malcolm hugged her tightly, luxuriating
in her soft curves. Nuzzling close, he whispered, “You’re going to
make the cutest kids.”

She pulled back abruptly. Concern
doused her happiness. “But what about Ernie and
Delaney?”

“
We can be back by lunchtime
tomorrow.”

“
We can?”

“
If you want, we
can.”

A joyful pleasure shattered any and all
reservation. “Oh, Malcolm, call them. Call them and tell them we’re
going but we’ll be back the instant they need us!”

He laughed. “Will do,
sweetheart, but in this particular instant, I need
you
.” Malcolm ducked down
and kissed her, kissed her deeply, thoroughly, emotions firing
inside him like a Grand Opening Day. This was going to be some kind
of
adventure
.

# # #

The End

Lacy’s Favorite Fried Okra

1 lb. fresh okra (frozen, cut okra will
do just fine)

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg (optional)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 inch vegetable oil in pan (or bacon
fat for added flavor)

If using fresh okra, trim ends and cut
into 1/2 inch pieces. In large bowl, whisk together buttermilk and
egg. Toss okra in buttermilk ~ let marinate at room temperature for
at least 15 minutes. Mix cornmeal, salt & pepper and set
aside.

Heat oil in large cast iron skillet on
medium heat. When hot, dredge okra in cornmeal mixture, coating
well, then cook okra until golden brown, careful not to crowd okra
in pan. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

***Oil is ready when test piece bubbles
immediately.

Thank you for reading Ladd Springs. As
an author, reviews are a wonderful way to help future readers
discover my books. Will you take a moment to review Ladd
Springs?

Appreciate your time and effort on my
behalf!

About the Author:

Dianne Venetta lives in
Central Florida with her husband, two children and part-time Yellow
Lab Cody-boy! An avid gardener, she spends her spare time growing
organic vegetables, surprised by what she finds there every day.
Who knew there were so many amazing similarities between men and
plants? Women, life and love and her discoveries provide for
never-ending fun on her garden blog:
BloominThyme
.

You can also find her on twitter
@DianneVenetta and facebook.com/DianneVenetta. Plus, learn how you
can become a member of her street team, Bloomin’ Warriors, where
you’ll be eligible for special discounts, advance excerpts, author
swag and unique gift items throughout the year. For full details,
be sure to check out her website,

Dianne
Venetta

Other novels by Dianne
Venetta:

JENNIFER’S GARDEN

LUST ON THE ROCKS

WHISPER PRIVILEGES

CONDEMN ME NOT

Ladd Springs Series...

LADD SPRINGS #1

LADD FORTUNE #2

HOTEL LADD #3

Watch for book #4 in the Ladd Springs
series:

LADD HAVEN

October 2013

Chapter One

Annie Owens fiddled with the business
card in hand, the matte finished paper growing worn from her
constant handling. Colored in green and tan, flecks of natural
fiber, the earth-friendly tone was clearly communicated. Eco
Domani. Annie’s gaze slid down to the name embossed in the lower
right corner.

Jillian Devane, President and
CEO.

“
What are you gonna do?”
Candi Sweeney asked, a nervous edge creeping into her
voice.

“
I don’t know,” she murmured
in reply. Seated on the couch in her living room, the two-bedroom
apartment she and her daughter called home, Annie glanced up at her
best friend. Concern scored Candi’s dark brown eyes, her face
framed by stick-straight hair that fell in fine points across her
shoulders. Amazingly the hairstyle was impeccable after a full day
working at the salon. Not only her best friend, but Candi was the
best hairstylist Annie knew.

“
She seemed real intent on
talking to you.”

Annie nodded, dropping her
gaze to the two half-eaten sub sandwiches sat on the coffee table
before them, food Candi had graciously picked up on her way over
after work. Candi understood this development was significant.
Annie had to do
something
. If she were to keep the
property, she had to think, plan, strategize—but it was the details
that were tripping her up. This was out of her league. She didn’t
do financial calculations. She did nails!

A flurry of angst peppered her chest.
Shooting her gaze out the back windows of her apartment, Annie
latched onto the range of Blue Ridge Mountains. Saturated by a late
afternoon sun, the hills were ablaze with orange, red and gold with
clumps of green tucked here and there in between. Beyond, the sky
cooled to a bluish-lavender. Fall had come early this year,
dropping temperatures into the upper thirties for the third day in
a row. There was even talk of snow, though Annie didn’t believe the
first word. Snow in early November? It would never
happen.

“
Annie?”

Annie looked to Candi.
Caught by a sudden chill, she shuddered.
What was she going to do
? Annie knew
what she
wanted
to
do. She wanted to call the woman. She wanted to speak with Ms.
Devane about the financial potential of her share of Ladd
Springs.
Casey’s
share, Annie corrected. Delaney Wilkins had finally acquiesced
and signed over half of the Ladd Springs property to Annie’s
daughter, Casey. Over five hundred acres of pristine forest snaked
with rivers and streams, dotted with springs Delaney had given to
Casey because Casey was a Ladd. Eighteen long years and a paternity
test had proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt. It was a fact
Delaney could no longer refute or ignore. Annie’s daughter belonged
to Jeremiah Ladd which made Ladd Springs her birthright.