Ladd Haven (16 page)

“
Listen, I have to go out of
town.”

She started. “What?”

Nick took hold of her shoulders, her
body narrow and small within his grasp. “Come with me. It’ll give
you time to think, give Felicity space.”

Sadie kicked a restless hoof
to the ground. “I can’t go anywhere—I have stables to run, a hotel
full of guests. How can
you
get away?”

“
I got a call from Lanny.
Seems we have some legal trouble with our property in St.
Kitts.”

“
What kind of legal
trouble?”

“
One of our vendors is suing
over a contract dispute. It’s nothing serious, but I can’t ask
Malcolm to go with a newborn on his hands. Besides, it will give
you and me a chance for a honeymoon.” He winked. “You want one,
don’t you?”

“
Well, sure, but...” Delaney
glanced to her horse, the Palomino lazily bumping against her.
Delaney placed a light hand to Sadie’s back. “There’s too much
going on here, you said so yourself. It’s why we didn’t take a
honeymoon in the first place.”

“
I know, but business
happens.”

“
When are you
leaving?”

He frowned. “You, as in not
we?”

Delaney sighed. “I can’t. Not with Troy
newly signed on. I want to be sure he gets a good
foothold.”

“
Because he can’t handle
himself without you?”

“
Because I feel responsible
for the hire.”

Nick smiled, a dash of merriment
livening his gaze. “Hate to inform you, Mrs. Harris, but as owner
and stable manager, you’re responsible for all the
hires.”

She furrowed her brow. “You know what I
mean. Troy is on rocky ground. I think I might be able to get him
and Casey back together, but he can’t mess up this
time.”

“
You’re a matchmaker
now?”

“
Add it to the list,” she
said, unexpectedly overwhelmed by a slew of emotional turmoil.
Casey and Jimmy were playing games, Jack was leading Felicity
astray, the Fosters were stirring the pot and Felicity wasn’t
speaking to her. It felt like people were going mad around her,
tossing her between them like a rag doll. Delaney prided herself on
being made from some tough fiber, but she could only take so much!
Settling on Nick, she longed for his support, not his absence.
“When will you be back?”

“
Few days. Shouldn’t take
too long to nail this one down. In the meantime I don’t want you
confronting Jack about Felicity. Let it lay until I get
back.”

“
Why? I’m not worried about
Jack.”

Nick pulled her to him and looked at
her directly. His smile was gone, replaced by a seriousness she
thought excessive. “I am. The man has already proven he’s willing
to stir up trouble. Don’t antagonize him until I return,
okay?”

Delaney suppressed a smile. “I can
handle Jack, Nick.”

“
I’m sure you can, but I’d
feel better knowing you don’t have to handle him alone.” She
hesitated and he pressed. “Promise me.

“
Fine.”

Nick peered over her shoulder. “There
aren’t any crossed fingers I have to worry about, are
there?”

“
Not my style.”

“
Good.” He kissed her
forehead. “That’s one of the reasons I married you.”

“
What were the others?” she
asked, trying to lighten the weight of his leaving.

He grinned. “Tell you when I get back.”
Nick leaned down and kissed her. Long and deep, filled with an
unexpected urgency. A swell of desire surged low in her abdomen.
Maybe a roll in the hay wasn’t such a bad idea after
all.

Felicity checked her watch. She was
meeting Travis for breakfast at Fran’s Diner, though she lacked the
first ounce of appetite. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. She
could only think—how everything she thought she knew wasn’t true.
How her mother lied to her, allowed her to believe in a man who was
no man at all but a monster. An abuser.

Last night when she
confronted her mother, she didn’t have anything to say. She stood
there, the truth rearing between them like a two-headed monster.
That’s what her father was—a man with two heads, two personas. Like
the people she read about in her novel,
When Families Hurt
. The father in that
story was leading a double life. He was Mr. Wonderful and
Professional at work but when he came home he was mean, criticizing
everything his wife and son did as inadequate. The mother in the
story was weak, turning to alcohol for escape. The boy had anger
issues—issues Felicity suddenly understood. How could he not when
presented with two adults making bad choices? Overcome by a fresh
swell of her own anger, Felicity deemed the son’s role was the only
one that made sense to her!

Bells clanged at the front door,
snapping her attention. Casey Owens stood behind an elderly couple
waiting to be seated. A glance around the restaurant showed, the
place was packed, standing room only. Shooting up from her seat,
Felicity waved to her cousin. “Casey!” She turned at the sound of
her name. “Over here!” Felicity gestured her to her
table.

Casey reacted, accepting the invitation
to join her. “Guess I should have come earlier.”

“
You can sit with me,”
Felicity said. “I’m waiting for Travis.”

A shadow flitted behind Casey’s blue
eyes. “Oh, well,” she said, brushing fallen black strands of hair
behind an ear. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“
Don’t be silly. It’s no
intrusion at all.”

Reluctantly, it seemed, Casey sat. As
was becoming her habit, she caressed her growing belly in what
Felicity thought a protective manner. Casey was going to be a good
mom. “How’s the baby?”

Casey’s smile was quick and bright.
“Good. She’s an active one.”

“
Really? Watch out. That
means she’s gonna keep you on your toes.”

Casey looked down as she paused, a hand
over her stomach. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“
Travis told me Troy is
working for Delaney.” Casey nodded. “Are you happy about
it?”

“
Why wouldn’t I
be?”

“
I don’t know. You haven’t
told him about the baby. I assumed you didn’t want him
around.”

Casey paused. Uncertainty pulled a veil
over her gaze. “It’s not that I don’t want him
around...”

“
You want him to
stay
around.”

Her expression slackened. “Well,
yes.”

Felicity nodded. “I
understand.”

“
You do?”

“
Sure. If a guy’s gonna
commit, you want him to mean it, to follow through. There’s nothing
complicated there.”

“
Right.” Casey relaxed.
“That’s the way it should be.”

“
I think so.”

Casey smiled and for a moment, the two
young women sat alone with their thoughts. Felicity knew Casey was
going through a hard time with Troy, given the unpredictability of
his behavior. One minute he was here, doing a great job, the next
minute he was gone. She couldn’t blame Casey for having mixed
feelings. Having a baby changed things. A child needed stability,
commitment. It wasn’t a game. Casey couldn’t up and leave to follow
Troy when the whim struck—or his bad luck. She couldn’t uproot a
child, separating them from everything they knew and loved. She had
to stay and commit. Something a lot of parents seemed to have
trouble doing.

“
Can I ask you
something?”

“
Sure.”

“
Do you blame your mom for
being with Jeremiah Ladd?”

Confusion tangled in her eyes. “Blame
her?”

“
Yeah, you know, like, are
you mad that she slept with him and made him your dad?”

Easily readable, thoughts rose and fell
as Casey considered the question, actively examining what she
thought, how she felt. Seconds passed before her gaze filed to a
fine point. “No. Not really.”

“
Even though she picked a
man like him?”

“
Like him
?” Casey parroted warily.

Felicity immediately walked the
statement back. “Like him, I mean, you know, a man who has proven
not to be such a great guy.”

Casey stiffened. “Why are you
asking?”

Felicity dropped her gaze to her lap
then faced Casey fully. It was time to spill. “I went to the
Fosters for dinner last night. I found out my dad isn’t a great
guy.”

“
Was that a surprise to
you?”

Casey was genuinely
astonished. Felicity felt foolish. Was she the
only
one who didn’t know? “Do you know
why my mother left him?”

“
They didn’t get along?”
Casey offered.

“
He hit her.”
Spit it out
, Felicity told
herself.
Say the words aloud and remove the
stigma of secrecy. It’s what Travis told her to do. Don’t let this
man hurt her any more than he already had
.
She needed to hold her head high, not hide from the truth. “He beat
her and she left.”

At Casey’s mouth agape, a
strange relief swept through Felicity.
She
didn’t know
. At least Casey hadn’t been
part of the rumor mill around town like all the others.

“
I’m sorry.”

Felicity nodded and fought back a rush
of tears. She didn’t want people to be sorry for her. She wanted a
normal life. The one she thought she had before last night. When
she left the Foster’s home, she believed those people knew the
reason why. She could see it in the eyes of the wives. Mrs. Foster
clearly didn’t believe her impromptu illness. Jack questioned her
all the way to the car as he walked her out. He’d called several
times this morning but she hadn’t answered. She wasn’t going to.
She never planned to speak to the man again.

The wisp of Casey’s voice cut through
her fog, reached deep into her heart. “No, I don’t blame my mother.
She was young and in love.” Gripped by the intensity with which
Casey spoke, Felicity hung in expectation. “She wasn’t thinking
about anything but the present moment, her own desires. It’s not
like she purposefully gave me a rotten father. It happened, is
all.” Moisture collected in her lids and Felicity thought Casey was
about to cry. Crossing arms over her mid-section, she added, “It
wasn’t what she wanted. It wasn’t what she planned but she raised
me, did it on her own.”

Staring at a napkin roll of silverware,
Casey continued, “I think she did the best she could. Given the
circumstances, the difficulty.” She paused, gathering Felicity in
her gaze. “I think in the end she did her best. Can we ask for
anything more? Can we make someone give more than they are?” Casey
glanced away. “I think life is hard. It’s harder than any of us
expect, and some people handle the challenge better than others.
Doesn’t mean they’re better people. Just means they handled that
situation better.”

Struck by the wisdom, the forgiveness
in her voice, Felicity fell back. From what she understood,
Jeremiah Ladd was not a nice man. He was a lowlife, a bad guy. He
wasn’t always that way, but her mom said that when he came back
home after living in Atlanta, he’d changed. Had there been a
challenge in the big city he couldn’t handle?

What about her mother? Had she done the
best she could? Felicity had always believed she had. She’d always
believed her mom was amazing. She was strong and smart and took
care of Felicity all these years on her own. Like Casey’s mom did
with her. But Casey’s mom didn’t lie to her about her father. Her
mom never hid the truth from her, good or bad. But hers did. “My
mom never told me.”

Casey gaped at her. “Would you have
wanted her to?”

“
Yes,” she replied, but the
minute the word left her lips, Felicity wondered about its
validity. “I think so.”

“
Not me.” Casey shook her
head. “I wished I didn’t know anything about my father.”

“
You wouldn’t have wanted to
know the truth, one way or another?”

“
What good did it do me? My
father’s in jail. He’s a loser. How does that help?”

“
But, he’s your—”

“
Sperm donor. That’s all he
is to me. A sperm donor.”

Felicity closed her mouth, bit back her
objection. Casey had turned cold. Completely shut down. Could she
really view her father in those terms? Was she really okay with the
loss? After years of spotty contact with her dad, Felicity had
always harbored a secret wish for things to change. One day, when
their paths crossed, maybe they could find each other, work through
the past and form a new relationship. It was possible. She’d heard
stories of people who had done the same.

It was her mother who had been standing
in the way. Felicity had decided she was the obstacle. Her father
had validated the same when he invited her to dinner, claiming it
was her mom who had stood in the way of a relationship with her
grandparents. Looking back, Felicity couldn’t deny her excitement.
She’d been nervous but looking forward to opening a new chapter in
her life. Her heart closed. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the
beginning of a horror story.