Ladd Haven (24 page)

“
Starving.”

Giving her the onceover, he commented,
“You don’t look like you been eatin’ much.”

Casey groaned. “Now you sound like Fran
and my mother.”

“
Well, are they right?” He
slid an arm around her shoulders and said, “I thought pregnant
women were supposed to get big and round when they were carryin’ a
child.”

She skewed her expression. “Not all do.
My Aunt Lacy hardly gained an ounce.”

Troy pinned her with a skeptical gaze.
“Well you’re gonna eat with me,” he told her as a waitress
delivered two glasses of ice water. Looking up, Troy said, “We’ll
have a stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs and grits, side of bacon
and two biscuits.”

Casey gaped at him. “Who’s going to eat
all that food?”

“
You and me,” he said, then
directed the waitress, “You can set it anywhere you like. And two
OJ’s, too, please.” He looked at Casey and tapped the top of her
stomach. “The baby needs some vitamin C.”

Warmth flooded her. He was being so
protective, so caring. Casey didn’t know what she’d expected when
she told him about the baby other than she’d been concerned about
his reaction to the added responsibility. She never dreamed he’d
take to it like a fussy old woman. But it pleased her. “Troy, you
don’t have to fuss.”

The waitress left and he settled on
her, a silly grin peeling at his eyes. “What? I ain’t fussin.’ All
I’m sayin’ is we have a baby to care for now. We have to start
thinkin’ about these things, make sure the baby is
healthy.”

Doubt petered through her limbs. Casey
reached for her glass. “The doctor said I’m fine.”

“
Good. I aim to keep it that
way. Now listen, I didn’t tell you about Vegas.”

“
Vegas?” she asked
absently.

“
Remember that horse I
helped deliver? I saw him at the stables. He’s a real strong one,
maybe even a fast one. Miss Delaney has a winner on her hands with
that one. Then there’s that horse I was training when you walked up
the other day.”

“
The big brown
one?”

Troy nodded. “His name is Spirit and,
boy, I tell you he’s chock full of it. He came to us from another
ranch where they claimed he wasn’t suitable for ridin.’ But you
know Miss Delaney. When she has her heart set on something, she
ain’t hearing nothin’ else. She knows a good horse when she sees
one.” Casey smiled, pulled in by the depth of his pleasure. It was
hard not to feel the things Troy felt about his horses. His love
was visceral, contagious. His entire demeanor lit up as he spoke.
“Well, I’ve been workin’ with him and I think he’s gonna be ready
for riding next week!”

“
So soon?”

“
Yes, ma’am.” Troy squeezed
her to him and drew his glass of water near. “Just goes to show
most folks don’t know what they’re talkin’ about when dealin’ with
horses.”

“
Not like you.”

Troy took a sip, beaming in light of
her praise. Setting his glass back down, he said, “You know, I’ve
been thinking...”

When he didn’t continue, Casey wondered
at the hesitation softening his gaze. It wasn’t like Troy to hold
back. “What?”

“
Well, I was wonderin’...
When I save up enough money, what would you think about me training
horses?”

“
Training them how? Like you
are now?”

“
Yeah, you know, training
them how to be around people, gettin’ them ready for others to
enjoy but also maybe breeding. I know a fine horse when I see one.
We could make a nice living makin’ a business of it.”

“
Isn’t that what the Fosters
do?”

“
It is.”

“
Sounds great!” she replied,
uncertain as to what was involved but trusting him. Horses were his
department and she believed there was no one better. The Fosters
had been pleased with his performance, except for his
drinking.

“
Do you want to work them
with me?”

She pulled back. “Me? I don’t know
anything about horses.” She liked riding them, but that was as far
as her knowledge went. Her interest lay in science, not horses.
Stars, constellations. What would she do with a horse?

“
I could teach you. I bet
the horses would love you.”

“
Well, er...” She glanced
away, rubbed a hand over the swell of her abdomen. “I’m going to
college now and—”

His brow shot up. “You are?”

She nodded. “Jimmy and I are taking a
few classes—” She paused at his instantaneous glower. “What? Is
that bad?”

Capping the lid on his temper, Troy
glanced back toward the kitchen. “Naw, it ain’t bad.”

“
I’m sorry.” Anything that
had to do with Jimmy was bad in Troy’s eyes. “But when you left, I
didn’t think you were coming back. My mom convinced me I should go
to college, take a few classes, see how it went. Jimmy agreed to go
with me.”

“
You don’t have to explain,”
he said, though it was clear they were words he was using to
placate her, not words that reflected his true emotions.

“
I’m sorry. I thought you
were gone for good.”

The hard edge in his gaze melted away.
“It’s not your fault. I thought you understood. I thought you knew
I was coming back.” He paused, placed a hand over hers. Staring at
the tabletop connection, he said, “It’s my fault.”

Shame filled her. Sinking her mind into
the din of conversation around her, the banal normalcy of the life
and people she’d always known, Casey wondered if she should have
known better when it came to Troy. Her mother said not to waste her
time on him. Her mother said to look ahead to the future. But then
again, she never much approved of Troy. That was Casey’s role.
She’s the one who should have believed in Troy when everything and
everyone pointed to the opposite. Swallowing over a knot in her
throat, she was grateful he’d come back to her. If he hadn’t, Casey
could have lost him forever.

The waitress delivered their juice,
vivid orange liquid with bits of pulp suspended in the glass. The
sight made Casey’s stomach rumble. “Ya’lls order will be out soon,”
the woman clipped on her way off.

“
So you’re going to
college.” Troy shifted gears, elevated his tone. “What are you
studying?”

“
I’m taking a few science
courses.”

“
Science?”

“
Astronomy.”

A knowing grin lit up his eyes. “You’re
studying the stars in school?”

“
I am.”

Troy laughed softly and swung his head
away. “Dad gum, Casey. It figures.”

“
Is that a bad
thing?”

“
No. But now I’m gonna have
to remember all those galaxies and things floatin’ up there. You’re
always pointing them out and now I’m gonna have to learn
them.”

“
Why?”

“
Because you like
them.”

Her heart sang.
Because she liked them
.
Those were about the sweetest words she’d ever heard in her whole
life. Because she liked them, he was going to learn about them.
Leaning over, Casey kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. I won’t give
you a test or anything.”

“
I hope not,” he replied
with a sheepish grin.

Casey perked up at the sight of
Felicity and Travis walking in the front door. Her hands
instinctively went to her belly. “Your brother’s here.” Troy
shrugged a glance toward the door, “He’s been real nice about the
baby,” she said.

“
If he’s so nice, why didn’t
he tell me about the pregnancy? I would have come home sooner had I
known.”

“
I asked him not to tell
you. I didn’t want you coming home because you felt you
had
to.”

“
What’s that supposed to
mean?”

Casey’s throat became suddenly dry. One
arm resting over her stomach, she reached for her orange juice and
held it between them. “I wanted you to come home because of
me.”

Troy leaned close, his
movements cautious of her enormous midsection. “You listen to me.
There’s only one reason I’m home and that is because of you.”
Hitching a thumb towards Travis he said, “Mr. High and Mighty might
think I’m a screw-up, like I was trying to shirk my duties, but
that had nothin’ to do with it. I would have come home if I knew. I
didn’t, I came home anyway. Because of
you
, you hear me? Because of
you.”

Suddenly trembling, Casey nodded, then
downed a small sip of her drink, the sweet taste cold and soothing
as it flowed down her throat.

Troy smirked. “The baby’s an extra
benefit.”

Casey almost choked on her juice.
“Benefit?”

Troy’s cocky grin unleashed
a smile. “Yeah,
benefit
. We were gonna have babies one day anyway. Why not get them
out of the way now?”

Casey smiled. While it wasn’t the most
beautiful of compliments, she understood what he meant. Troy was
happy. Pleased. She was silly to have ever doubted him. Nudging
Troy, she said, “They’re coming over.”

He turned as Felicity and Travis
strolled up, hand-in-hand. Travis acknowledged Casey, then cast a
reproachful gaze over his brother. “Troy.”

“
Travis.”

Felicity waved hello, strangely
preoccupied with Troy. She looked normal enough, dressed in her
usual denim cutoffs and brightly colored T-shirt, her strawberry
blonde hair braided in a line down her back. But her green eyes
glistened, like she was about to cry. “Thanks for helping my mom,”
she said softly, almost pained.

Helping her mom? Casey’s gaze sought
Troy, who seemed as surprised as she by the comment. “It wasn’t
nothin’,” he replied, easing away from Casey’s side.

“
It was, and thank you. I
can never repay you.”

Troy shrugged it off. “Your mom has
been good to me. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for that
woman.”

Felicity nodded, appearing to be on the
edge of tears.

“
Let’s go,” Travis said.
“I’m hungry.”

The couple turned and Felicity froze.
Casey spotted the cause.

Jack Foster stood at the front entrance
to the diner, his face a horrible mess of purple and red bruises.
People collected around the cash register concealed awkward
glances, though it was hard not to stare. His eye was swollen shut,
his skin marked by red and purple. It was horrible. “Oh my, what
happened to him?”

Troy said nothing. Travis
said nothing, though she noted he squeezed Felicity’s hand, drawing
it close to his side. Intuition clanged like church bells in
Casey’s brain. The man’s battered appearance reminded her of the
day when her own father walked into the diner after a beating. She
locked on Troy. Jeremiah had accused Troy of the beating.
Did he have something to do with this
one
?

Chapter Nineteen

“
Ignore him,” Travis advised
her.

Casey tensed. That was going to be
difficult, considering the man was headed directly for their table.
She could feel Felicity’s nerves fire and pop while Troy remained a
statue next to her in the booth. Travis stood strong, his muscular
body edging in front of Felicity’s.

Swaying hips in and around tables, Jack
Foster had eyes only for Troy as he made it tableside. A flurry of
questions zipped through Casey’s mind. Please don’t let this have
anything to do with why Felicity thanked him. Please make it a
coincidence that her father is staring down her boyfriend. Casey
wanted to close her eyes, pretend this was nothing but a
dream.

Jack entered their midst. Briefly
glancing at Travis and Felicity, the man drilled into Troy. Casey
detected a soft spot in the callous demeanor as he gazed at his
daughter. His face looked awful, but his hostility slipped. “I’ve
been trying to call you.”

“
I know,” Felicity
stammered, leaning into the safety of Travis, his body a shield
between her and her father. He was a gallant knight, wielding his
shield for his damsel in distress. And Felicity was clearly
distressed by her father’s presence. After their conversation the
other day, Casey could understand why. She stole a peek at the
man.
He hit Delaney
.

“
She doesn’t have anything
to say to you,” Travis stated.

“
Don’t interfere, boy. This
is between me and my daughter.”

Felicity remained a frightened fawn,
but Travis pushed out his chest as though he were looking for a
fight. “She wants nothing to do with you.”

“
And I told you to stay out
of it.”

Troy was on his feet in seconds,
standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother. Together, they
looked like twin guards. Glancing between the two, Casey thought
Troy every bit as tough as Travis, and with far less
effort.

Jack merely chuckled. Giving Troy the
onceover, he remarked, “Surprised you’re still walking the streets.
Won’t be long, though. The police are looking for you.”