Ladd Haven (3 page)

“
I never left
you!”

The outburst drew curious stares as
Jimmy retorted, “Could’ave fooled us.”

Troy plastered his hat onto his head.
Without making a move for the door, he stared at Casey for the
longest minute. It was a look that erased people and time, months
and doubt, and replaced it with longing. There was so much left to
say, so many questions, feelings, but neither uttered the first
one. Too much needed to be said. Jimmy was wedged between them. It
was awkward. Troy turned on his heel and strode out of the diner,
dragging Casey’s heart behind him. Her gaze trailed him as he
shoved open the door and disappeared from her sight. He was gone.
It was over. In a rush of rage, she turned on Jimmy, smacking a
hand to the table. Silverware bounced as she demanded, “What the
heck was that about?”

“
What?” he asked
dully.

“
You telling him we’re
boyfriend and girlfriend!”

“
Well, we should be,” Jimmy
mumbled.

“
But we aren’t, Jimmy! Now
he thinks we are!”

Met by a vacant stare, Casey could kill
him. With one stupid statement Jimmy ruined her opportunity to
understand what had happened. Why did Troy leave? Why was he back
home? What happened between them? Was it her fault? His? At this
rate she’d be lucky to ever see him again, let alone speak to
him.

“
What am I going to do?” she
wondered aloud.

“
I thought you said he was a
thing of your past.” Dark brown eyes grew still. “Sounds to me like
you want to pick up where you left off.”

About to tell him exactly what she
thought, Casey stopped herself. It was clear how she felt—to Jimmy,
herself—to everyone but Troy. A ripple of spasm crawled slowly
across the side of her belly, reminding Casey of someone else who
didn’t know, might never know, especially now that she had just run
him off. Troy was probably gone for good this time. Knowing his
obstinate temper as she did, he wouldn’t give her a chance to
explain about Jimmy. He hated the guy. Troy would assume it was
true and cut her from his life.

“
I was only trying to help
you,” Jimmy said. Sliding his glass of coke to him, he pulled a
long sip from his straw. He didn’t look at her. He drank.
Purposefully, mindfully, he ignored her.

Dropping her gaze to the
table, Casey was torn. She couldn’t be mad at him. Jimmy was only
acting based on what she’d told him. She never wanted to see Troy
again. Never wanted to hear his name. She’d never expected to see
him again, especially not making statements like he had.
I made you a promise when I left here and I aim to
keep it
. Did he mean it?

Visions of him storming out
tumbled through her. Angry, hurt, Troy wasn’t interested in
explanation. Consumed with thoughts of him, she tried to convince
herself it was for the best. Men disappeared when they heard their
girlfriend was pregnant. It meant obligation, commitment, two
important traits Troy lacked.
I
quit
.

He couldn’t even hold down a job. How
was he going to support a family?

At a quiet slurp, Casey’s thoughts
reverted back to Jimmy. Unlike him. He worked two jobs to pay for
his apartment and college classes, plus the occasional money he
slid to his mother on the sly because his dad was a bum. Jimmy
didn’t run from responsibility. Casey’s spirits slumped. He begged
for it.

Chapter Two

Troy thundered into his
parent’s home, anger and jealousy tearing through his heart. Jimmy
and Casey? How could she? And with him of all people? Stomping up
the stairs, he headed straight for his bedroom, his mind warring
for reason. The guy was nothing but a weasel—a slimy, slithering,
no good snake. He had no right to be with her. She was
his
woman, not
Jimmy’s.

But despite Troy’s every
protest, the pain of reality continued to slice him with every step
he took. Jimmy and Casey seemed real cozy tucked away in that booth
in Fran’s Diner. The homecoming that he expected to be rocky turned
out to be a dad gummed bald-faced cliff hurling him over the
edge.
How could she have moved on so
easily
?
How could
she have forgotten their night together
?

It was the most beautiful night of his
life...better than any they shared before. Casey had run away to be
with him in Murfreesboro, but it wasn’t the same. The night in the
field beneath the stars had been special because she’d forgiven
him. She’d forgiven him, when even he knew there was no reason she
should. It was a grace he didn’t deserve but one she had given
whole-heartedly. That night had meant more to Troy than anything in
his life. Casey Owens was the only person in this world who
believed in him and him alone, willing to overlook his stupidity.
Could she really have changed so drastically?

When you left me, Troy, you
gave up your right to have a say over what I do or don’t
do
. The scene at the diner felt unreal,
like he was walking through a nightmare. Didn’t their love mean
anything to her? Was it so easy for her to forget the words they
said, the promises they made?

When you left me,
Troy
...

Anger surged through him.
Why did she say that? He didn’t
leave
her. He told her he needed to
get a job and make something of himself, prove to everyone he
wasn’t a loser. Just because he was doing it in another town didn’t
mean he’d left her. He couldn’t. He could never leave her. The
night they shared together and everything it meant lived and
breathed in him, every hour, every second. It gave reason to his
days, gave comfort to his nights. It was his reason to stay sober,
to keep out of trouble and on target with his job. Casey had
forgiven him and he wasn’t going to let her down—ever.

Troy’s heart wrenched as he envisioned
Casey lying in Jimmy’s arms. He could see her pale white skin, her
delicate curves, her tender smile—could recall the scent of her
with painful accuracy—and she had revealed it all to Jimmy. Busting
into his bedroom, he slammed a fist on the dresser.
“Dammit!”

Visions of Jimmy Sweeney sitting across
from his woman roused a hatred that unnerved Troy. He’d wanted to
lash out and punch the kid in the face. Flatten him. It was
probably his fault Casey didn’t return any of his calls. Originally
Troy had blamed Casey’s lack of response on her mother but
now...

Thoughts of Jimmy and Casey together
swirled in a sickening mix of disbelief and jealously the likes of
which he’d never felt before. It had probably been Jimmy who
convinced her not to talk to him. Troy knew the guy had been
waiting to get his hands on her. Probably snuck in the second he
left town to grab his opportunity.

But Casey was Troy’s woman and only
his. She told him so. Promised it would always be that way. She
couldn’t love Jimmy. She couldn’t get over him that quick—it was
impossible.

Had been impossible for him. Every day
on the job became harder and harder, his mind split between
thoughts of Casey and the horse he was working. He couldn’t focus
and the animal knew it, fought him every step of the way. The head
rancher thought he was a loser. Thought his talk of training and
experience was nothing but bull. It wasn’t. Mr. Foster had backed
him up with a phone call. But in the end it didn’t matter. Troy
couldn’t focus, couldn’t perform his duties. He couldn’t do
anything without Casey.

Raking a hand through his hair, he
pulled his bangs tight. Sending his gaze fitfully about his room,
his bed untouched, his suitcase unpacked, he wondered what next?
Should he leave town? Should he give up and move on, accept that
Casey had done the same? Settling on her vision, remembering blue
eyes that cradled him with more love than he had ever known, a
heart that encouraged him with a voice more certain about his
future than even his own, Troy knew he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t
give up. As sure as he was standin’ here, his gut clenched tighter
than a dog on a bone, he couldn’t leave. Not until he was sure. Not
until Casey told him to get out of town pointblank would he
leave.

He’d stay. He’d stay and wait her out.
Maybe she’d realize what a mistake she was making by choosing
Jimmy. Maybe after she had time to think about it, she’d change her
mind and come back to him. His heart sank into his boots. She had
to. No other girl but Casey would do.

Travis Parker appeared in the doorway
to his bathroom. “Whoa, brother. What’s got you so riled
up?”

“
None of your damn
business,” Troy fumed, hardly able to manage the rage and suffering
streaming through his veins without the presence of his
self-righteous brother. Travis always acted like he knew better
than Troy. Like he was superior. Well, he wasn’t. Even dressed in
his uppity jeans and designer T-shirt or with his first year of
college behind him, his twin brother was no better than
Troy.

Travis smiled, his eyes dripping with
self-importance. “Sure doesn’t look like nothing to me.”

“
Well, it is.”

Travis leaned against the doorframe,
his gaze matching the smug smirk on his lips as he crossed arms
over his chest. “Get turned down?”

Troy wanted to rip that smile right off
his mouth. Instead, he yanked the hat from his head and tossed it
to his bed. Pulling the wallet from his back pocket, he chucked it
to the bureau. It slid into a picture of his parents, sending the
frame crashing to the ground.

Travis chuckled as though he knew
exactly what was going on. “Shouldn’t have left her in the first
place.”

Troy whipped a finger toward his
brother. “Back off, Travis. This ain’t none of your business and I
ain’t in the mood to mess with you.” Troy yanked off his T-shirt
and threw it to the floor.

“
None of my business? I’d
say it’s everybody’s business now.”

“
Is not.”

“
How do you
figure?”

“
What I do with my
girlfriend has nothing to do with you.”

Travis pushed off from the door and
walked closer. Spearing him with a spiteful gaze, he said, “It does
when you leave me to pick up the pieces of your mess.”

Troy stopped dead center of the room,
his bare chest heaving in the heat of anger. Shoulders back, fist
clenched, he was ready to lash out if need be. “What the hell are
you talking about, ‘pick up the pieces of my mess’?”

“
What do I mean?” Travis
raised his eyebrows, lines forming across his forehead as he asked,
“Isn’t it obvious? Do you need me to spell it out for
you?”

Troy honed in on him.
“What’s obvious?” Was he trying to rub it in? Did Travis know
something he didn’t? A sharp dread stabbed at him.
Were Jimmy and Casey more serious than he
realized
?

“
I thought you went to see
Casey.”

“
I did.”

“
And?”

And she’s hooked up with
Jimmy
, Troy admitted silently but couldn’t
bring himself to say the words.
Hooked up
with Jimmy
. They were words he never
thought he’d have to think let alone utter.

Clipped to his jean waistband, Travis’
cell phone rang. He plucked it free and pressed the call button.
“Hey, Felicity.”

Hearing her name only added to Troy’s
misery. Felicity Wilkins was a childhood friend of the brothers,
the three a best-friend trio since grade school. For a time Troy
had designs on getting together with Felicity. Seemed Travis did,
too. The rivalry stirred up a lot of trouble between them until she
made her choice during high school—Travis would be her boyfriend
leaving Troy to find his own love. At the time, he’d been hurt. But
life was weird that way. If it weren’t for Felicity’s decision, he
would never have found Casey.

Turning away from Travis and his happy
phone call, Troy felt the blow. Travis and Felicity were happily
together, the way he and Casey were supposed to be. Dad gummit—he
should never have left! If he’d stayed in Tennessee, none of this
would have happened. Tugging his belt buckle loose, he hauled it
clear of the belt loops.

Travis chuckled. “You don’t say. He has
no idea? Huh,” he replied, shooting Troy a know-it-all smirk. “If
you insist, I’ll keep it to myself.” Ending the call, he smiled.
“Never mind.”

“
Never mind
what?”

“
It’s a private matter,”
Travis replied, barely able to keep a straight face.

Troy couldn’t care less about his and
Felicity’s private matters. He only wanted his brother gone so he
could take a cold shower and get these rabid thoughts and visions
out of his head. When his mind was cooled, he could plan his next
step.

Travis re-clipped his phone and
gathered himself into a half-serious expression. “Though in all
honesty, there’s nothing funny about it.”

“
About what?”

Travis stilled. “About you and your
lack of judgment.”

“
Get out of my room, Travis,
before I throw you out.”

“
No problem.”