Ladd Fortune (6 page)

Lacy’s heart caught and she ventured a
smile. “You do?”

Smacking the countertop she cried,
“Course I do! You know that. Ever since my sweet old Deacon died,
my footsteps have been echoing through the halls of that big old
house. You are moving in this afternoon and I won’t hear another
word about it.”

Lacy knew Aunt Frannie wasn’t kidding
when she said big and old. Her house was one of the original homes
in the area, three-stories in height, complete with wide interior
halls, beautiful wood floors, and a wrap-around veranda the whole
town envied. The third floor of Aunt Frannie’s home used to be one
of Lacy’s favorite hideouts. When she was little, she’d sneak up
there and read and sing, play with her stuffed animal moose. Aunt
Frannie never cared that she was up there. Said it made it easy to
find her when her momma called looking for her. “You sure you
wouldn’t mind?”

“
Mind? What I’ll
mind
is if you stay
another second in that motel, young lady.”

Lacy hugged her with all her might.
“Thanks, Aunt Frannie! I’ll pack my bags this
afternoon.”

Bells clanged at the front door. Aunt
Frannie looked over Lacy’s shoulder and called out, “Hey,
sugar!”

Lacy turned to see Delaney Wilkins walk
in, accompanied by two men. Two very handsome, tall men. Lacy
perked up on her soft cushioned stool. Things were continuing to
look up! Fussing with the frilly layers of her blouse, she slapped
on her biggest smile and called out merrily, “Hey, Delaney!” Lacy
waved happily.

Delaney scowled, but the men with her
smiled. One was tall, dark and handsome, reminding Lacy of a
lumberjack in his plaid shirt and jeans while the other was sleek
and sophisticated with a shock of white hair against tanned skin
and blue eyes. The first wore Levis and a denim button-down, the
second boasted a silky navy polo and fancy tan linen pants that
looked expensive. Shame on Delaney for being so unfriendly, Lacy
thought. Annie may have shunned her but what did Delaney have
against her?

Delaney and her men neared but didn’t
take seats. “Long time no see!” Lacy greeted cheerfully.

Giving Lacy the once-over, Delaney
crossed her arms over her chest. “So you’re back in town, too, I
see.”

“
I am.”

“
Ain’t it great?” Frannie
piped in, patting Lacy’s arm. “She’s back for a spell.”

“
For a spell?” Delaney eyed
her. “What’s the occasion?”

“
Well,” Lacy began,
conscious of the men staring at her. “Jeremiah told me he was
coming back and I thought, you know...” She twirled the short hair
at her ear. “I haven’t been back home in while and maybe it was
time for a visit.”

“
Jeremiah’s back in town?”
Aunt Frannie asked.

“
Yes,” Delaney replied,
eyeing Lacy like a bird on a worm. “Didn’t Lacy tell
you?”

“
Now we haven’t had
near
enough visiting time
to get to
that
silly fool,” Lacy defended, evading Frannie’s direct gaze as
guilt seeped into her heart. Would Frannie be mad?

The white-haired man reached a hand
between the squabbling women. “The name’s Malcolm Ward.”

“
Lacy Owens,” she replied,
placing her hand in his palm. He bowed slightly, lifting her hand
to his lips where he placed a gentle kiss. Excitement flitted
across her breast.

“
It’s nice to meet you,” he
said smoothly, branding her with a heated gaze.

“
Nice to meet you,” she
quipped, admiring his silken white hair shaped by an expensive
layered cut—striking for a younger man like him. Add his remarkably
blue eyes, pale blue, yet penetrating within his browned complexion
and she found it a fascinating combination. The shirt he wore hung
straight as a board past his pants, suggesting a lean build, and
the unmasked desire in his eyes warned Lacy he was a man accustomed
to having his way with the ladies.

She could see why. He was intoxicating
to look at.

“
Nick Harris,” the other man
said, drawing her attention from the first. Much darker than Mr.
Ward, this one kept close to Delaney’s side. Territorial, Lacy
mused. He must belong to Delaney. She returned her focus to
Malcolm. Did that mean this one was available?

“
Y’all hungry?” Aunt Frannie
asked them.

“
Starving,” Nick replied.
Lowering to a stool on the opposite side of Aunt Frannie, he
ordered, “Cheeseburger and fries, please.”

Aunt Frannie turned to Malcolm. “And
for you, young man?”

“
I’ll have what she’s
having,” he said, indicating Lacy with a flirtatious grin. Lacy
giggled.

“
Then you’re going to go
hungry,” her aunt remarked. “That girl plum don’t eat.”

“
Oh, Aunt Frannie!” Lacy set
a hand to her breast, spreading her fingers wide, showing off her
fiery red nails she had manicured before leaving Atlanta. “Don’t be
silly, of course I eat.” Lacy batted her eyelashes at Malcolm.
“Your fried chicken and okra are out of this world.”

Malcolm sniffed the air. “Smells like
it.” He turned to her Aunt Frannie and said, “I’ll have the chicken
and okra.”

“
Coming right up!” She
pushed up from the bar stool, headed for the kitchen.

Lacy trailed her aunt’s figure until
Delaney lassoed her attention, demanding, “So what are you really
doing here, Lacy?”

“
I told you. I decided it
was time for a visit. Haven’t seen the kinfolk in ages.”

“
Last I remember, you
couldn’t wait to get out of Dodge,” Delaney said, taking a seat
next to her man. “You high-tailed it out here with Jeremiah faster
than a wild hare. What happened?”

To Lacy’s delight, Malcolm Ward settled
in on the stool vacated by her aunt, bringing him up close and
personal. She suppressed a rush of nerves. Why did Delaney have to
bring up the past and ruin her afternoon?

“
Well?” Delaney persisted.
“What happened to bring you home?”

Life happened. The city happened.
Disappointment happened. Must she be chained to one decision? “I
was bored with Atlanta,” Lacy replied as casually as she could,
maintaining a sharp eye on Mr. Ward. Seemed he too was interested
in her answer.

“
Bored?”

Lacy nodded and tapped the tip of her
straw. “Bored. Plain B-O-R-E-D,” she spelled out.

Delaney cocked her head and retorted,
“I don’t believe you.”

Malcolm smiled. “I’ve been to Atlanta
and I have to agree. Once you’ve seen the magnolias and peaches,
you’ve seen it all.” He winked. “I like Tennessee much
better.”

“
Are you from here?” Lacy
asked sweetly, grateful for the distraction.

Malcolm laughed. “No, darlin’, I’m
not,” he drawled, mimicking a southern accent. “But I sure do like
what I see.”

Desire was something Lacy had become
accustomed to seeing in a man’s eyes and she never tired of it. She
liked to play the game of cat and mouse and she liked to get
caught—once a man proved he was worthy of catching her. Though
admittedly, these days she wanted more. Lacy reached for her coke
and politely inquired, “Where are you from, then?”

“
Everywhere,” he replied
evenly.

“
Everywhere?”

“
What he means,” Nick
pitched in, “is that he travels a lot. We own a hotel chain and
Malcolm here travels the world.”

Astonishment poured into
her. “You travel the
world
?”

“
I do. But the best places
I’ve found are the small towns.” He leaned toward her ever so
slightly and lowered his voice, “That’s where the best people can
be found.”

Lacy grinned broadly. Things were
definitely looking up!

Delaney led the way out of Fran’s Diner
and stopped mid-sidewalk to wait for Nick and Malcolm. Pulling up
the rear, warmed by the sunshine and thoughts of Lacy, Malcolm
loitered a moment. Damn, but she was fine. A pixie of fresh-faced
beauty and flirtatious attitude, he’d been particularly drawn to
her mouth. With a heart-shaped face and short-cropped black hair,
round cheekbones and blue eyes that could draw men from across a
crowded room, it was her mouth that had garnered Malcolm’s
attention. Naturally pink, her lips were full, but not overly so,
and when she ate, all he could think of was kissing her. Not that
her body didn’t have curves in all the right places, it did. Forget
breast men and butt men, he’d take a sexy mouth and a woman who
knew how to use it any night of the week.

Swells of pleasure rippled through him.
Lacy Owens was a surprise find for a small town, a find that would
make his stay all the more tolerable. Delaney was attractive, he’d
give her that, but hers was a country appeal and he, a city man.
While he appreciated a cowgirl in jeans and on horseback, Malcolm
preferred the savvy smile of a city girl, a girl who’d been around
the block, enjoyed the late night scene and filled her gaze with a
knowing tease. Had he not been dining with Nick and Delaney,
Malcolm would have scooped that woman up and taken her for the ride
of her lifetime.

But he was here on business, and
business had to come first—though it shouldn’t preclude him from
seeking her out in his spare time. Heading back to the car, Nick
and Delaney flanking his side, Malcolm asked, “So who is that Lacy,
anyway?”

“
Trouble,” Delaney
quipped.

“
Trouble?” Now she had his
attention. “What kind of trouble are we talking about?”

“
The kind you want to steer
clear of.”

“
Lacy Owens is sister to one
Annie Owens,” Nick clarified.

Malcolm let out a low whistle. The same
Annie Owens responsible for inviting one Jeremiah Ladd back to
town. “Talk about complicating matters.” Glancing at Nick over
Delaney’s blonde head, he said, “No cavorting with the enemy,
right?”

Nick grinned and Delaney snapped,
“Exactly.”

Malcolm chuckled. “And just when I
thought this town was getting interesting.”

“
If it helps to cool your
engines,” Delaney pitched out, “Lacy ran off with Jeremiah as a
teenager.”

“
Ah...and the plot
thickens,” he said, intrigued by the connection.

“
Thickens, hardens, turns
into dried spit gum, if you ask me. Annie wants nothing to do with
Lacy, which is why I’m surprised she’s here.”

“
Doesn’t she have other
family in the area?” Malcolm asked.

“
Only Fran,” Delaney
replied. “Fran is her aunt and the only blood relative she and
Annie have left around here. Her father died of a heart attack when
they were little and her mom moved to Chattanooga. Just up and left
after Lacy took off for Atlanta.”

Malcolm turned the information over in
his mind. “The mother left, leaving Annie alone?”

Nick frowned. “I didn’t know
that.”

“
She was of age,” Delaney
told him. “No reason Annie couldn’t take care of
herself.”

“
And all she has left is her
daughter Casey?” Malcolm asked.

“
That’s right. And trust
me,” Delaney said, slowing with Nick as they reached his parked
car, “Casey will take to her Aunt Lacy about as warmly as a hawk on
a squirrel.”

Surprised by the venom in her voice,
Malcolm commented, “That friendly, huh?”

“
There’s no love lost
between the Owens girls. Annie wasn’t real fond of Lacy growing up,
but at least they were on speaking terms back then.”

“
And now?”

Delaney squinted against the late
afternoon sun and explained, “Annie is the jealous type. She’s
jealous of me, jealous of Lacy. Pretty much any female, except
Candi Sweeney, and Annie never took kindly to the fact that her
younger sister Lacy was prettier than her, or the fact that she
stole her boyfriend.”

Malcolm exchanged a knowing glance with
Nick. Annie was not an ugly woman, by any definition of the word.
She may not have the knockout figure of her sister Lacy, with her
slim hips and busty cleavage, but Annie was attractive in her own
right.

“
Annie is going to become an
old maid,” Delaney predicted, “because she can’t see past her own
envy.”

Point noted.
Don’t bring up Lacy around
Delaney
.

Nick pressed the key fob and with a
double beep, the car doors unlocked. Nick opened the passenger door
and Delaney lowered down to the seat. Nick closed the door and
turned to Malcolm. “It’s not a good subject.”

“
I see that.” Dropping a
fleeting gaze toward the seated Delaney, he asked, “Will I be
disowned if I cross enemy lines?”

Nick smiled. “You might be.” Placing a
hand to Malcolm’s shoulder, he said, “But you’re a gambling man, so
I’d suggest you proceed at your own risk.”

“
Any idea where I might bump
into Lacy on a Friday night?”

Nick grinned and shook him lightly.
“The only place in town anyone goes. Whiskey Joe’s.”