Ladd Springs (Ladd Springs, Book #1) (7 page)

There
was much about Nick Harris she didn’t know. For starters, she didn’t know why
he wanted this property so badly, not when there were plenty of other acres
available for sale and for a good price, too. Any number of tracts would be
suitable for his hotel project, but he seemed hell bent on getting his hands on
this one. Why?

Passing
the driveway to her home on her way to Ashley’s, Delaney’s grip tightened on
the wheel. Parked alongside Felicity’s red compact was Annie Owen’s white
two-door sedan. Delaney’s heart thumped in defiance. Annie wasn’t back at it
again, was she?

Instead
of heading to Ashley’s, she swerved into the yard and sped over the gravel drive,
dust billowing up around her truck as she closed in on the house. Slamming boot
to brakes, she yanked the gear shift into park and pushed out of the truck, marched
over to Ernie’s cabin and pounded up the steps. “What the hell are you doing
here?”

Chapter Seven

Annie
Owens turned to take Delaney head on. She wasn’t afraid of her and she would
not back down. Her daughter Casey was a direct descendent of Ernie and as such,
had every right to stake her claim to the title of Ladd Springs. “I’m here to
speak with Ernie.” She laced arms across her chest.” “If it’s any of your
business.”

Delaney
waved an insolent finger through the air and said, “It absolutely is my
business when you come here trying to swindle my daughter’s property from under
her feet.”

Annie
shook her new page boy cut and laughed derisively. “You can’t swindle something
from someone who has nothing.”

Delaney’s
brown eyes turned to stone, cold as river rock. “I have a lawyer who says
otherwise.”

“You’re
not the only one with a lawyer, Delaney.” Annie gave her a once-over. “Casey
has rights and I aim to see that she gets what’s coming to her.”

“Nothing’s
coming to her, because you’re leaving.”

Delaney
took a step toward her and Annie warned, “Go ahead. I’d love for you to add
assault to my lawyer’s list of complaints.”

Delaney
froze.

Heartbeats
walloped within her chest wall. “Guess you’re smarter than I thought,” Annie
said. Messing with Delaney Wilkins was not on her list of things to do. She’d
hated the woman for as long as she could remember, but taking a tumble with her
was not a winning proposition. She was like a cat in heat and would scrap at
the slightest provocation. Clem’s bullet scar served as a sharp reminder to
anyone paying attention.

But
Annie was on firm ground in this discussion. Casey was Jeremiah’s daughter and
despite his refusal to acknowledge the same, the courts would do so for him. That’s
what the lawyer told her.

“You’re
wasting your time, Annie.”

She
gave a terse shake to her head. “Don’t think so.”

Ernie’s
chair creaked beneath him as he pitched forward. “You two quit you’re
squabblin’ already, would ya? I done told her I ain’t signin’ over a thing to
that illegitimate brat of hers.”

“At
least we can agree on something,” Delaney said to him.

The
words stung, but Annie held her tongue. Beside Ernie, Albert rocked quietly,
content to watch the fireworks around him without the slightest interest. Annie
wondered if he understood what was going on but decided it was doubtful. The
man was as an empty skull atop a listless body. His sons Robby and Billy were
no different.

“Go
on all you want with your insults, but the fact remains,” Annie said, injecting
her spine with steel, “Casey is Jeremiah’s daughter and blood is thicker than
some phony promise you made up to get the property for Felicity.”

Delaney’s
hand flinched at her side and Annie’s feelers popped out. She’d best be careful
or the witch might just
add
that assault charge, Annie thought. “It’s
all there.” She pointed to an envelope on a small table between Ernie and
Albert, but quickly curled her shaky finger into a fist, dropping it by her
side. “If you have any questions, you can contact my lawyer.” She flashed a
heated gaze to Delaney and said, “Come near me, and I’ll file an injunction
against you.”

“Don’t
worry,” Delaney replied. “I won’t. And speaking of attorneys,” she said, directing
her words more to Ernie than Annie. “I’ve just come from a visit with mine. Ernie,
consider yourself officially on notice.”

“Notice
for what?” he griped, dodging her gaze. Albert turned toward her as though he’d
just tuned into the conversation.

“We’re
going to court.”

He
pushed back in the rocker and swiped, “I ain’t goin’ to no court.”

“You
are, if the judge says you are, or else you’ll end up in jail.” Albert looked
away at the mention of jail. “If you don’t stick to your promise, the courts
will force your hand.”

“What
grounds do you have to go to court?” Annie asked, her confidence leaking at the
mention of official notification.

“Legal
grounds, something you seem to lack.”

At
the moment, Annie didn’t have anything official when it came to paperwork, but
she darn sure would tell her lawyer to get her some! A paternity test was her
only true path to victory, but without Jeremiah’s cooperation, there would be
no test. She could ask a court to order him, but court fights were fought
dirtier than street fights, and she had no interest in holding herself out for
that kind of punishment.

Until
now. Casey’s inheritance depended upon it. Annie looked down her nose at Ernie.
She could get a paternity test based on the grandparent, but that would require
yanking a gray hair from that balding head of his—which was tempting in its own
right but highly unlikely. For an old man Ernie was surprisingly agile when he
wanted to be. She’d seen him take out a snake with his walking stick not two
months ago. A shudder ran through her and her thoughts turned to Casey. She
deserved to call Ladd Springs her home.

“Well
now, who forgot to invite me to the party?”

Annie
whirled and her breath caught.

Clem
Sweeney smiled oil and vinegar as he ogled Annie’s body, his gaze slithering
over her scooped-neck blouse, her jean-clad legs, then settling on her breasts.
“Mighty nice surprise to see you, Annie.”

“Clem.”
It was all she could spit out, the breath still trapped in her chest. She had
not expected to run into
him
.

Delaney
looked at him and piped up, “Speak of the devil. Annie here says Casey deserves
this property as the rightful heir, on account of Jeremiah and all.”

When
Clem looked at her, Annie squirmed inside. “Casey is Jeremiah’s, you say?”

Delaney
nodded. “That’s what she says.”

Annie
didn’t like where this was going. “I have to go.”

“What’s
with the sudden rush, Annie?” Delaney asked.

“I’ve
said my piece,” she said. “Ernie, the next step is the court.”

“I’m
tired of all this court talk, now get!” He dismissed her with an aggravated
wave.

“Who’s
talkin’ about court?” Clem asked the lot of them.

When
no one said a word, Albert pointed at Delaney and Annie. “Them is.”

Clem
sharpened his gaze on the women.

“You
might watch your back around Clem, Annie,” Delaney said. “Seems he’s after the
property, too.”

Annie
reeled on Clem. “What do you have to do with Ladd Springs?”

Clem
ignored her and snarled to Delaney, “You sure are a big talker when your
boyfriend ain’t around, aren’t ya, Dell?”

“I
didn’t need backup, Clem,” Delaney defended. “Never did. I could have handled
you fine all by myself.”

He
snickered. “Maybe I oughta send that city boy a thank-you card.”

Annie
wondered what they were talking about, but wanted no part. Clem Sweeney was
trouble, and it was best she steer clear of the man. Stuffing her curiosity
into her back pocket, she headed for her car.

“See
you in court, Annie,” Delaney called out after her.

Delaney
was right behind her, but first she had a few words for her uncle. Strolling
near to him, she said, “I’ve got a sworn affidavit for Ashley to sign stating
she witnessed your promise to my mother. We will take it to court if you don’t
honor your promise to my mother before then.”

Her
attorney said that if Ernie wanted to change his mind, it was his prerogative,
but perhaps the affidavit would convince him otherwise. However, if he died
intestate, which meant without a will, then Tennessee law dictated who received
what—Jeremiah had first rights, Albert second, and she and Felicity were third in
line. Along with Casey, should Annie ever prove her paternity claim. Without
Jeremiah in the picture, Delaney knew she would have a better chance in court. Armed
with Ernie’s deathbed promise to her mother, the lawyer said it would then depend
upon whether Uncle Albert fought her for title—something she was certain would
not happen—and which judge heard the case. Who sat on the bench was anyone’s
guess.

Ernie’s
eyes became beads of hate in his colorless face. He pulled the pipe from his
mouth and rubbed the white whiskers of his jaw. “What do you want, Delaney?”

“I
want the property.”

“Why?”

“She
wants money,” Clem responded for her.

“It’s
not the money,” she said to Clem, irked by his nosey presence. “But Ernie knows
my desire runs deeper. It’s about family and tradition. It’s about ensuring my
daughter has a place to live, a legacy to pass on.” She paused, allowing it to
sink in. “It’s what you were supposed to do, Uncle Ernie. My mother would turn
in her grave if she knew you were even considering allowing this property to
fall out of family hands.”

He
didn’t reply and Clem became squirrely. “You’re as greedy as they come, Dell. He
sees right through you, can’t you see that?”

“It’s
up to you, Ernie,” she said, without acknowledging Clem. “It’s your call. This
isn’t about me, it’s about Felicity. Your
granddaughter
,” she
emphasized, as though it were a fact that had slipped his mind. “We can play
nice, or we can play ugly, but one way or another, Felicity and I will not be
kicked off of Ladd Springs.”

Without
another word, Delaney stomped off to her truck. Boots crunching over gravel,
she hoped it sunk in. She hoped Ernie would remember his sister and do what was
right. Clem’s cozy visits were doing nothing but stir up mud—especially after
his stupid stunt in the forest. What the hell possessed him to do such a thing?
He’d been after her all through high school, but since she married and divorced
Jack, not a peep. She swung open the door to her truck and hopped in. It was strange
behavior, even for him.

She’d
brought up the part about Jeremiah, because Delaney suspected Clem and Annie
had a thing, years back, but it was only speculation. Was Casey Clem’s
daughter?

She
turned the ignition and tore out of the driveway. Sure would make her life
easier if she was.

Delaney
drove the short distance to Ashley Fulmer’s house, a modest log cabin sitting
on ten acres of manicured lawn, a backdrop of forest to the rear. Potted plants
filled with flowers hung across the front porch, knick knacks of every size and
shape littered the walls, hung from shutters, sat perched out by the walkway in
welcome. But the eccentric décor was but one facet of the woman inside. After a
quick rap on the door, Delaney let herself in and called out for Ashley.

Ashley
poked her head out from the kitchen and waved with a toothy grin. “Hey,
darlin’!” Dressed in denim skirt and sequin-covered fuchsia blouse, her
platinum hair twisted high atop her head, she had more bracelets jangling from her
wrist than Delaney had owned in the course of a lifetime. But Ashley was the
Queen of Bling around these parts and square dancing champ. When she spruced up
for a run on the dance floor, watch out—this woman had fire in her boots,
glitter in her eyes and a win in her heart. She and her husband Booker were
county champs for five years running now. “C’mon in, make yourself comfy. I’m
in the middle of supper.”

Ashley
was her mother’s closest friend, closer than any sister could be. She had
laughed with her mom during the good times, cried during the bad and held vigil
bedside as she fought through the darkest days of her life.

“Smells
like someone’s making pie.”

“You’ve
got a nose like a bloodhound. My blueberries were ready early so I decided to
make pie. It’s in the oven now.”

Delaney
laughed softly. “What else would you do with blueberries?”

“Aw,
honey, you know they’re my weakness.”

“And
oh-so-delicious in pie form.”

Ashley
laughed in agreement. “You know life is good when the blueberries are plump on
the bush!”

Delaney
strolled over, grabbed a big hug from her, and was instantly enveloped in soft
motherly comfort and powdery perfume. With her mother gone, Ashley was the next
best thing. “How are you?” she asked.

“I’m
brighter than a peacock in heat, how ‘bout you?”

“Getting
by,” Delaney replied. Uninterested in dwelling on her troubles, she admired the
frilly smock Ashley wore. “I like your apron.”

“Isn’t
it precious?” With floured hands, Ashley held it out for inspection. “One of
the girls from church was selling these at the bazaar last week and you know
me, I had to have one. Matches my boots,” she said in a flirty fashion,
outstretching her leg, twisting her boot on its toe.

Bejeweled
in a punch of rhinestones, yellow and pink and purple, the apron was trimmed in
green lace, a tiny floral pattern running through each swatch of fabric. It had
Ashley written all over it. “Bet it was calling out your name.”

Ashley
laughed, her generous bosom rising and falling with each breath she took. “There
were three more like it child, it was all I could do not to grab them, too,”
she exclaimed and winked. “But it just wouldn’t be fair to the others, you know
what I’m sayin’?”