Ladd Haven (10 page)

She nodded.

“
I agree. I’ve known Troy
since he was a boy. He’s a good egg.”

“
You’re not worried about
him drinking or quitting?”

“
I’m willing to give him the
opportunity to prove otherwise.”

Casey stilled. A light switch had been
turned on, its dimmer slowly increasing the luminescent of her blue
eyes. “You are?”

“
I am,” she said, deciding
on the spot.

Casey fidgeted on her stool, glanced
into the kitchen as a new energy swirled about her. Visibly curbing
her enthusiasm, she remained silent, as though she feared jinxing
it.

Placing a palm to the counter, Delaney
relaxed into her decision. “I guess I do think people can change,
at least grow and mature and find their way.” She’d done it herself
over the last year. No reason why Troy couldn’t do so.

“
Thank you, Miss Delaney. I
know he’ll be happy to hear it.”

“
Are you?” The blunt
question sideswiped Casey, knocking the cheer from her expression.
Nibbling a nail, she rubbed a hand over the high mound of her
belly. In the space of an instant, Casey looked young, vulnerable.
Delaney could smell the insecurity and her heart went out to her.
“You need to tell him about the baby.” Casey dodged her gaze,
seeking the activity in the kitchen. Delaney followed her line of
vision, catching glimpse of an elusive Fran. Instinctively
intuiting the conversation, she was giving them time. It was time
Delaney appreciated. Moving a hand closer to Casey, she added
softly, “He needs to know.”

“
I don’t know.”

“
What are you afraid of? Him
leaving?”

She nodded.

“
What if he stays? What if
once he knows you’re carrying his child, it gives him the
motivation he needs to stay? Have you thought about
that?”

Tears pushed into her eyes. “I don’t
want him to stay because of the baby.”

Comprehension zipped Delaney
tight as a drum.
She wanted him to stay
because of her
.

Not out of duty or obligation but
because he wanted her. Of course she did. Struck by the simplicity
of Casey’s desire, Delaney was surprised she had missed
it.

Chapter Eight

Delaney leaned over and pulled the
pistol from her boot, tucked it into her rear waistband, then
tugged her boots off. Setting them alongside those of Nick and
Felicity, she pushed through the front door of her cabin, a torrent
of emotion rumbling through her. She’d hired Troy today, his first
day set for tomorrow. While she felt good about the quality of the
hire, she remained torn about the consequences, predominantly for
Casey. If he quit, she could hire someone else. If he abandoned
Casey again, it would kill her. Then there was Jack and Felicity.
She’d have to talk to her, tell her she knew about Jack’s offer and
counsel against it.

Met by the glum faces of Nick and
Felicity seated at the kitchen island, Delaney went on instant
guard, their erect body language signaling a less than friendly
reception. Closing the door behind her, she advanced with caution,
trying to read Nick’s gaze for clues. “What’s going on?”

“
I’m going to have dinner at
the Fosters,” Felicity announced. “Don’t try and talk me out of it
either.” She flicked an accusatory glance toward Nick. “I’ve made
up my mind. I’m going.”

Nick’s restrained look registered the
enormity of his displeasure.

Delaney ventured closer uncertainly.
“Don’t you think we should discuss it, first?”

“
No. You’ll only try and
talk me out of it.”

“
Do you know why that would
be?”

Taking her mother head on, green eyes
fierce and determined, Felicity replied, “You don’t like my father
and you don’t care for his family.”

The weight of past decisions crashed
onto Delaney’s shoulders. Felicity had no idea about the physical
abuse, the history of Jack’s drinking, the vehement defense from
his mother, Victoria Foster. The woman looked Delaney straight in
the eye and accused her of lying, trying to ruin the Foster’s
reputation because of quarrels from the past, ancient history
regarding Delaney’s mother and Victoria’s husband, Gerald Foster.
Delaney had been too stunned at the time to fight back and instead
retreated. If Victoria didn’t want to have a relationship with her
granddaughter because of past grievances, that had nothing to do
with the child then so be it. And shame on her. Avoiding Nick’s “I
told you so” gaze, Delaney focused on her daughter. Why Victoria
was interested now seemed the more important question. “It’s a
little more complicated than that, honey.”

“
How so?”

Nick eased back on his stool. Seemed he
wanted to hear the answer to that one, too.

Angling her shoulder to him, she
decided, fine. She’d been right in not telling her daughter about
the abuse, and she was standing by the decision. There’d been no
need to taint the child’s heart with the ugly details of her
father—unless of course, it would have prevented her from heading
into the monster’s lair all these years later. Flashing her gaze to
Nick, she briefly second-guessed herself. Would telling her years
ago have avoided this very scene?

Maybe. Possibly. But it was too late.
Delaney kicked into step and circled around to the opposite side of
the island. The butcher-block surface was littered with
grease-stained paper napkins and yellow crumbs, remnants of a
half-eaten pan of cornbread. She eyed Nick. Someone must have been
hungry when he came home and raided the goods. Pushing thoughts of
dinner aside—and the lack of a side to accompany it—Delaney zeroed
in on her daughter. At the moment, food was irrelevant. “Why do you
want to go over there? Hasn’t your father proven himself over the
years? Hasn’t he demonstrated his penchant for leaving, for
ignoring your needs? His family never tried to see you before. Why
now?” Delaney hated the picture of abandonment she was painting. It
didn’t exactly foster self-esteem. But it was the truth. It was
ugly, but it was the reality of her daughter’s life. Why prolong
the misery by allowing the man to set fresh hooks?

“
He seems different to me.”
Glancing to Nick, currently leaning over the counter on his elbows,
she added, “He’s been here since Thanksgiving. He hasn’t left.
Doesn’t that suggest he might actually plan to stay?”

“
And if he does?”

“
Well, he’s my father.
Shouldn’t I give him a second chance?”

Delaney’s heart twisted at the yearning
staring back at her. Fine strands of strawberry-blonde hair framed
her daughter’s heart-shaped face, curls that had escaped her French
braid. The creamy soft T-shirt she wore underscored the delicacy of
Felicity’s state of mind. Her words were tough but her eyes spoke
volumes. She wanted her father to be different. She wanted him to
be the father she’d never had. It broke Delaney’s heart to think
about the pain that lay ahead for her.

Nick came to life and turned to his
side. “It’s like I said...not everyone deserves a second chance,
Felicity.”

“
Why not?”

Because some things are
unforgiveable, Delaney rebutted silently. Because some people never
change. Ignoring Nick’s reproachful gaze, she crossed her arms.
Rehashing
their
prior conversations wasn’t going to help. “What if he hurts
you?”

“
Hurts me how? It’s not like
my having dinner with his parents is dangerous. They’re nice
people.”

“
It’s not his parents that
concern us,” Nick pitched in.

Speak for
yourself
, Delaney scoffed
privately.

“
It’s not like I’m going to
be alone with him. I’ll drive over myself, have dinner and be done
with it.” She glanced between the two. “I’m an adult now. I’ve
completed a year of college away from home, and it’s time you
started treating me like one.”

“
Yes, but college is
different,” Delaney said, stumbling over the idiocy of her own
words. Of course her daughter was an adult. Of course she could
face a dinner with her grandparents on her own. It wasn’t the
capability that concerned Delaney. It was the emotional
consequences.

“
Next year I’ll be living in
an apartment off campus. Two years after I’ll be completely on my
own.”

Translation:
You have to let go at some
point
.

“
There’s no harm in having
dinner with my grandparents,” Felicity stated, as though it were
settled.

Yes, no, there were so many
things Delaney wanted to say, but the staunch conviction scoring
her daughter’s tone indicated this was a hill the girl was prepared
to die on. Delaney sought Nick for help. He merely arched a
brow.
Your move, dear
. “When are you planning on going?” she asked, bracing herself
for Felicity’s answer.

“
Tomorrow night.”

The reply gutted Delaney. Unwinding her
arms she objected, “So soon? Don’t you want to give yourself some
time to think about it?”

“
Do you see any reason to
wait?”

Reason to wait? Delaney saw no reason
to go in the first place.

Annie dialed Delaney’s number. After
the doctor’s appointment this morning, the day had been swallowed
up by a packed salon, a pile of paperwork and a constant stream of
worry over Casey’s pregnancy. She’d been mentally unprepared for
the challenge, though to the staff’s credit, guests were
accommodated beautifully. It was a heady experience dealing with
foreigners, wealthy women draped in fine clothes and jewelry,
exotic accents and exquisite good looks. They were nothing like the
awful Jillian Devane woman, the she-devil who almost prevented this
salon opportunity from becoming a reality, yet they were exactly
like her. Exacting, demanding. Annie had gained an entirely
different perspective dealing with the clientele of Serenity
Springs versus women from a community she’d lived with and known
all her life. It required more energy, more focus. Despite doing
nails for almost twenty years, this salon felt new and fresh every
day, requiring her to be as alert and focused as a
newbie.

The process was exhausting.
Invigorating, rewarding, but exhausting—especially today. Talk
about unprepared—Annie couldn’t answer the first question regarding
the Ladd health history, Jeremiah’s mother or father, his
grandparents. None of it!

Delaney would know. She’d have to know
more than Annie.

Settling into a leather chair in her
fancy new office, the walls painted a soothing cream and
illuminated with recess lighting for a calming effect, Annie waited
for Delaney to answer. With the salon closed and Cal working the
front desk, she’d have all the privacy she needed. She hated to
bother Delaney at this hour but she couldn’t wait another second.
Notepad and pen in hand, she was ready to take notes.

“
Hello?”

“
Delaney, its
Annie.”

“
I know. What’s
up?”

“
Do you have a minute? I
have some questions I need to ask you.”

“
Yes.” There was a pause.
“Shoot.”

Mildly put off by the detached tone,
Annie asked, “Do you know anything about Jeremiah’s health
history?”

“
His health history? As in,
what, was he sickly?”

“
As in, does his family have
a history of heart disease, diabetes, high blood
pressure?”

“
What’s this
about?”

Annie heaved a sigh. Couldn’t Delaney
simply answer the question? Did she always have to answer a
question with a question? “Casey’s doctor wants to
know.”

“
Is she all
right?”

Encouraged by the switch in tone, Annie
replied, “We think so. Her blood pressure is running a bit on the
high side so the doctor wants to be rule out anything more serious.
My family doesn’t have any issues with blood pressure, but I have
no idea about Jeremiah’s. Do you?”

“
Casey didn’t mention
anything about health problems to me this afternoon. What’s going
on?”

Annie wasn’t surprised. Ever since they
left the doctor’s office, Casey had detached herself from the
subject, immersing herself in denial. She continually claimed she
was fine and the doctor was overreacting. Truth be known, Annie
understood her bigger concern was the need to involve Troy.
“Casey’s downplaying the doctor’s request but I’m not. He asked and
I want to give him as much information as I can.”

“
Understood,” Delaney
clipped. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure how much help I can be. You
already know that Ernie died of lung cancer.”

“
Yes, but his smoking
probably contributed to that, don’t you think?”

“
Probably. Albert never
smoked or chewed and he’s still kicking about. My mother died of
breast cancer.”

Okay. It was established that cancer
existed in Delaney’s line. But Annie was interested in Casey’s at
the moment. “What about Jeremiah’s mother? Do you know anything
about her?”

“
Well, she left when he was
a teenager, so I don’t know if she’s alive or dead. I do remember
stories about her losing a baby or two.”