Ladd Haven (6 page)

Her mother, Annie Owens, sat
in the front passenger seat, exchanging another one of those looks
with her husband Cal, the ones that shouted,
She’s fragile, she doesn’t know what she’s
doing
. “You can’t hide from him
forever.”

“
I’m not hiding.”

Oceans of blue submersed her with one
look—the look of a parent who knew better and was about to say “I
told you so.” “What do you call refusing to show yourself in public
for the last forty-eight hours?”

Casey glanced away, her gaze
inescapably pulled to Ashley’s house. Beyond the roof line, smoke
billowed up into a blue sky from charcoal grills manned by her
husband Booker. Every year he cranked out ribs and burgers and dogs
that were to die for. Through rolled-up windows, Casey could
faintly hear the sound of music. The party was in full swing—a
party where everyone and anyone would be, including Troy. Nerves
skirted through her pulse. She knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.
She knew it was inevitable he find out about the baby.

But she wasn’t ready to have that
discussion. There were too many unanswered questions and feelings
tumbling through her. “I’m tired,” she lied.

“
Casey.”

At the stern tone, she looked at her
mother. “I’m not ready,” she insisted, suddenly overtaken by a wave
of tears. They swamped her lower lids, drowned her eyes. She
blinked and the tears fell hot onto her cheeks. “I’m not
ready—can’t you understand that?”

Cal placed a hand to Annie. “Maybe we
should let her come up when she’s ready.”

Yes
!
she wanted to shout. Listen to him! Her mother wavered and Casey
held her breath.
Please. Give me time. I
need more time
!

Acceptance slowly seeped into her gaze.
“Do you promise you’ll come?”

“
Yes.” The reply was
automatic. “Yes, I’ll be in later.” Later, after she had time to
make a plan, devise a way to avoid Troy, the hurt she’d caused him
during their last encounter. He’d be here, she was sure of it. The
Parkers never missed one of Ashley Fulmer’s parties.
Ever.

“
Okay.” Annie Owens reached
a hand back and clasped one of Casey’s. With a gentle squeeze, she
said, “Promise me you won’t take too long.”

“
I won’t.”

“
Okay. You can do
this.”

Casey nodded.

With a ragged sigh, her mother looked
to Cal. He pushed out his door, the metal closing with a thud. As
he circled the hood to open her mother’s door, she said, “You can’t
hide from him forever. At some point, you have to tell
him.”

“
I know,” Casey replied, her
body fatigued by the mere thought.

Cal opened her mother’s door and held
out a hand. “I’m here if you need me,” Annie added.

A fresh round of tears pushed into
Casey’s eyes. “I know.”

For a moment, Casey thought her mother
might stay put, but after a quick nod of her head, her mom smiled,
her blue eyes brimming with love, the depths of which Casey was
only beginning to understand. “Okay. See you in a few,” she said,
her voice no more than a whisper.

Casey watched them go, the couple
twin-dressed in their blue jeans and red shirts as they head in for
the party. Regretting the need to sit alone in a car but knowing
she couldn’t arrive unprepared, Casey had to get her mind right.
She had to make a plan. Panic lodged in her throat. What would he
say? What would she say?

I made you a promise when I
left here and I aim to keep it.

What did he mean by that? Didn’t he
already break it when he abandoned her for Kentucky? Didn’t he
already break his word when he said they’d be together forever?
Casey didn’t call leaving her home while he took off for Kentucky
“being together.” Old anger threaded through her heart. Troy
ditched her. Made love to her, made her believe in him and then
ditched her. Ugly thoughts of Jillian Devane and Loretta Flynn
entered through a side door of her mind, scraping and clawing and
revealing their bodies to her like they most probably did to him.
Casey slammed the door of her imagination closed. Her stomach
tightened in one long spasm that stretched clear over the mound of
her belly. Troy was nothing but a cheat. On a good day he was a
dreamer. On a regular day he was a cheat.

Catching sight of the tall, lanky Jimmy
Sweeney, Casey swiped the tears from her cheeks. She yanked at the
door handle and pushed it open. “Jimmy!” Confused to hear his name,
he turned. With another jab to dry her tears, she waved
frantically. “Over here!”

His angular features softened in
recognition. Brushing long hair from his eyes, he changed direction
and headed toward her. “Hey, Casey!”

Easing down from the vehicle, she
tugged at her dress hem and tidied her hair. “Let’s walk in
together,” she said as casually as she could.

“
Sure.” He stood by as she
closed the door and came up to his side. Looking into the cab of
the truck, he asked, “Where’s your mom and Cal?”

“
They’re already
inside.”

Disapproval pushed into his gaze. “And
left you out here alone?”

“
I wasn’t feeling well, but
I’m better now.”

“
Oh.” His expression
tripped. “Are you sure?”

Irritated by the switch to mother hen
mode, she said, “I’m fine.” Casey took off for the house, assuming
Jimmy would kick into step with her.

He did. His long jean-legged strides
closed the distance in seconds. “You’re looking nice
today.”

Dressed in a bright red tent
dress and black boots, her outfit hardly qualified as “nice,” but
Jimmy insisted on complimenting her every time he saw her. It was
as though he’d been reading from some pregnant mother
manual.
Pregnant women are insecure about
their appearance so reassure them on a regular
basis
. Casey scoffed at the idea. Being
pregnant didn’t bother her a bit—except for the change in her diet.
She missed cheeseburgers and French fries. She missed drinking coke
like it was water. She did like the way pregnancy felt, knowing she
was carrying a baby around, one she could feel and talk to, one she
was already experiencing incredible emotion toward. It was surreal
in a way. Her body felt normal yet looked anything but.

As they rounded the last row
of cars, Casey spotted Troy’s truck. Her heart stopped—then
galloped out of control.
He was
here
. Her limbs became hay sticks, her
thoughts a jumble of emotion. The band was rocking loud and clear
and by the number of cars parked out front, the dance floor would
be full. Brushing shaky fingers through her hair, she organized it
as best she could, then ran them over her brows to make sure they
were in place, no hairs sticking up in odd positions. She cleared
her throat, calmed her breathing and followed Jimmy to the back
yard.

Turning the corner, Casey slowed, the
smoky scent of grilled barbecue filling her nose. Her stomach
grumbled in response. Tables were laden with food, a band belted
out a rowdy tune. Another one of Ashley’s parties was in full
swing. Running hands over her belly, Casey edged behind Jimmy as
they neared the throng of party-goers, people she knew well, people
she knew vaguely, everyone carrying on, laughing and smiling but
not her. She searched for sight of Troy.

“
Are you thirsty?” Jimmy
asked as they weaved between clusters of guests, raising his voice
in competition with a lively CCR tune blasting from speakers across
the lawn.

“
No,” she clipped. Angling
for a better view, she searched between bodies but didn’t see him.
She saw Travis, Felicity, Delaney, Nick, Lacy, Malcolm, but no
Troy.

“
Are you hungry?” Jimmy
asked.

“
No,” she muttered,
distraught by the possibility he might see her and she might not
see him. She didn’t want him to have the upper hand. She wanted to
see the look in his eyes when he discovered she was
pregnant.

Jimmy stopped and she bumped right into
him. “Jimmy!”

“
You’re gonna hurt yourself
cranin’ your neck like that.”

“
I’m not doing anything of
the sort!”

Taller than most, Jimmy scanned the
crowd, able to see much more than she could. “He’s over there, by
the band.”

“
He is?” Casey rose up on
tiptoe and struggled for sight of him. Using Jimmy as a balance,
she studied faces but there were too many bodies between them,
dancing, talking, eating, drinking—she couldn’t make his
out!

“
He’s coming over,” Jimmy
said plainly.

Alarm fired through her veins. “He
is?”

“
Yep.”

Ohmigod, ohmigod.
What was she going to do? What was she going to
say? Hello again.
Yes, I’m pregnant with
your child, the one you ran off and left me to handle
alone
. Fear tingled across her skin. What
would he think? What would he do?

As he came into her line of
vision, Casey ducked behind Jimmy, pretending she was looking in
the opposite direction. Heartbeats thundered in her chest.
Ohmigod, ohmigod
.

“
Jimmy.” Troy spoke the name
evenly.

“
Troy,” came Jimmy’s steady
return.

“
Casey?”

At the sound of her name on his lips,
her heart exploded. His voice was soft, supple, the same way he
spoke to her that night, the night he promised he’d change and
they’d be together forever. Casey turned, unable to hide her body a
second longer. Guilt feathered through her body, petered through
her limbs. “Troy.”

It was barely a squeak but
no more was necessary. His gaze dropped to her mid-section and he
blanched. Barely controlled civility became total shock. Troy
smacked her with a direct gaze. “
You’re
pregnant
?”

Chapter Five

“
Yes,” Casey stammered.
“Isn’t it obvious?”

The party dissolved into a sea of
nothingness. The smell of food disappeared from his senses, the
music extinguished. Troy couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He
searched Casey’s face for explanation. She seemed so angry, so mad.
“Is it mine?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“
No”—she thwacked Jimmy on
the arm—“it’s his.”

Troy’s gaze sprang to Jimmy. The guy
looked like a deer catching whiff of a trigger pull.

Jimmy swallowed, his boy Adam’s apple
bobbing up and down. “Yep. That’s right.” He slanted a gaze down to
Casey and slid an arm around her shoulders. “The baby’s
mine.”

Son of a
bitch
. Troy wanted to scratch his face off,
wanted to pound him into the ground, kick him in his teeth. He
glanced to Casey, stunned by the pathetic look of fear on her face.
What the hell was
she
afraid of? He’s the one standing in the middle of the picnic
like a fool!

The party came back to life around him,
people carrying on like nothing ever happened. But it did.
Everything happened. Troy whirled and headed for his truck,
bombarded by shock and anger. He finally understood why everyone
had been acting so strange. They knew. They knew his girlfriend was
pregnant with another man’s child.

Hurt fired through his veins, punctured
him to the core. There was no chance for them now. There was no way
she’d come back to him with Jimmy’s baby. There would never be a
Troy and Casey again.

He didn’t want her back. He
didn’t want any part of her. Jerking the door to his truck open, he
tore the hat from his head and threw it inside. Jumping in, he
slammed the door closed. He clutched his head, emotions imploding
inside him. How could she? How could she have done it so quick and
with him? By the size of her belly she hadn’t wasted any time—like
Troy had been
nothing
to her. Tears filled his eyes, blurred his vision. Images
punctured his soul.

Casey slept with Jimmy. She was having
his baby. Troy tried to shut out thoughts of them, but festivities
surrounded him, penetrated his vehicle. It was a mistake to have
come here. Casey was pregnant. He couldn’t ignore the facts. Casey
had moved on and slept with Jimmy Sweeney. Troy slammed a fist to
the console sending car keys rattling to the floor. Despair closed
in around him. Heartache wound deep. He whacked a hand to the
dashboard.

Everything he believed to be true was a
lie—a dad gum lie! Wrapping his throbbing palm around the steering
wheel, Troy dropped his forehead and closed his eyes. All those
months in Kentucky spent pining for her had been a waste. A stupid,
idiotic waste. Casey had been with Jimmy. She had moved on and left
him behind. What a fool he had been.

Casey watched in horror as Troy stalked
off. What had she done telling him the baby was Jimmy’s? Was she
insane?

“
Oh, brother,” Jimmy
muttered beside her, dropping his arm.

Casey began to tremble. She didn’t dare
look at Jimmy. She couldn’t look him in the eye after what she’d
done. Her mother appeared by her side in seconds. With an arm to
her back Annie asked gingerly, “Casey, are you okay? What happened
with Troy?”