Hotel Ladd (17 page)

Troy settled onto a stool in front of
Casey and Fran asked him, “Coke?”

“
Sounds good,” Troy said,
eagerness erasing his earlier displeasure.

Fran ran off to the kitchen leaving the
two of them alone. “What’s up? You seem happy all of a sudden. And
why are you here early?”

“
Guess what happened at work
today?”

Fear ripped through her.
“What?”

“
Dad gum, Casey. Wipe that
look off your face—it ain’t nothin’ bad.”

The clamp around her heart loosened.
“What happened?”

“
I helped deliver a
foal!”

“
You did?”

Troy nodded, joy pouring from his warm
brown eyes. “Sure did. Saved his life, too.”

Casey had never seen him so happy
before. Every inch of his face was smiling. “How?”

“
Gave him
mouth-to-mouth.”

She screwed her face. “Ew.”

“
Aw, it wasn’t that bad.”
Troy laughed and proceeded to relay the story about what happened,
how he helped, how Mr. Foster was real impressed with his
performance. “It felt good, helping that foal. Really
good.”

It felt good seeing Troy so gratified.
Made Casey want to have the same feeling about something she did,
though it certainly wouldn’t include mouth-to-mouth on a stinky
horse. Casey glanced around the diner full of customers, most of
whom she knew, many friends of her aunt, her mom. She didn’t want
to spend her life waiting tables, stuck in a town where things
never changed. It was the same people, same food, day in and day
out. She wanted something more exciting, something she could look
forward to, be proud of. Like Troy. He was doing what he loved.
What did she love?

“
Listen, I wanted to ask if
you could come to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving.”

Affection swelled. Troy wanted her to
be part of his family dinner. “Sure. I don’t think my mom will
care.”

“
She’s going to the Foster’s
place.”

“
She is?”

“
Yep. Mr. Cal told me
himself. Invited you and me, too, but my folks want me
home.”

And Troy wanted her with
him. Unlike her mother. She hadn’t mentioned the first word about a
Thanksgiving invite from the Fosters. “I’ll go.”
And to hell with what my mother
wants
.

Chapter Thirteen

Driving the half hour to
Cal’s family home, Misty Mountain Ranch, Annie wondered about her
future. With Cal, without Cal, with Casey, without her.
I’m going to Troy’s house for
Thanksgiving
. Last minute, Casey had
informed Annie that she wouldn’t be joining her for Thanksgiving
with the Fosters. She was going to her boyfriend’s holiday meal. It
seemed Casey was wrapping her whole life around Troy. Troy moved to
Murfreesboro, Casey followed him. Troy spent the holidays with his
family, Casey joined him. If Troy jumped off a bridge, would Casey
take the leap, too?

Annie shuddered to think about it.
Casey was young and impressionable and directionless. Feelings
Annie understood. She had once been obsessed with Jeremiah Ladd.
Whether he was good for her or not, she had wanted him and nothing
but him. But at least she had a job. At least she had the sense not
to chase him to Atlanta. But that was a long time ago. She was
different. Cal was different. Cal was a good man, a steady man. The
kind of man you could rely on to be there. He’d proven as much
since he’d been back in town. Every time she needed him, from
financing the taxes, logging the property to collecting her
daughter from Murfreesboro, he was there. Funny how different he
was from the old days. Back in high school Cal had almost been as
wild as his three brothers, Jack, Beau and Clint.

Anticipation shimmied through her
veins. Beau and Clint would undoubtedly be there today. What would
they think about her and Cal? Would they accept her into the
family? They’d never been over-friendly to her in high school.
Would they be any different as grown men with families of their
own? Cal had changed. Had they?

Annie took the turn onto the Foster
property with a slight measure of ambivalence. Making her way
through the rolling hills of Misty Mountain Ranch—acres upon acres
lined with traditional white fencing, grass as green as spring
against a palette of fall, horses grazing, their gentle swish of
tails—she was nervous. The day felt formal, like she was officially
meeting the family. Which was strange. She’d known the Fosters for
as long as she could remember. But today felt different. New.
Nerve-wracking!

Pulling up to a two-story brick home,
an impressive estate with chimneys on either end, smoke curling up
into a gray sky, Annie inhaled deeply, struggling against the wild
thump of her pulse. It was huge, bigger than any home she’d ever
been in before. From the front second-floor ceiling, an enormous
black lantern hung above massive double wood doors. An open patio
wrapped around the house, lined with rockers and bordered by a
hedge of azalea. It was clean, pristine, the epitome of southern
charm. Annie tensed as Cal rose from a rocker. He’d been waiting
for her. He’d offered to pick her up, but expecting to drive Casey,
Annie thought it better to drive herself. Now, with no Casey in
tow, Annie blew out her breath. Would he be upset?

Rounding the hood of her car, Cal
opened her door. As he helped her from her seat, the scent of wood
smoke greeted her. A smell that smacked of fall, cooler weather and
leaves changing. Autumn was her favorite time of year.

“
My, but don’t you look
beautiful.” Cal said easily. “That’s a mighty pretty color on
you.”

“
Thank you.” The emerald
green cashmere sweater was one of her favorites. Paired with an
ankle length black skirt and boots, she deemed it simple, yet
elegant. From her neck dropped a double-strand of faux gray pearls.
Hopefully she’d blend in with the wealthy Fosters. Victoria Foster
was a socialite type of woman. No doubt she’d be dressed to the
hilt.

Cal leaned over and pecked her cheek.
The touch felt electric to her skin. “No Casey?”

Annie shook her head, a shade
embarrassed. Rubbing the spot on her cheek, she felt the sensation
of his lips linger against her skin. “I’m sorry. She decided to go
to Troy’s, last minute.”

“
I invited him to supper,
but his family has first dibs.” Cal nodded. “I
understand.”

Cal invited Troy? Was
he
trying
to put
the two kids together?

Escorting her to the front doors, he
went on, “Troy is a nice boy. Excellent with the
horses.”

“
He is?” Annie didn’t know
much about Troy other than what Casey told her, which couldn’t be
trusted. She thought everything he did was perfection. Annie’s
heart pinched. Because she was in love. Troy could sink like a rock
in a stream, yet she’d continue to swear he walked on
water.

“
Troy helped me deliver a
foal this week. Poor animal came out of its momma in distress, but
he handled it like a pro. Even took to giving it mouth-to-mouth
without being asked.”

Annie balked. “Troy gave a horse
mouth-to-mouth?” The idea of her lips anywhere near a horse’s mouth
sounded utterly disgusting.

Cal grinned. “That he did.” He dropped
his gaze to Annie’s lips. Sliding a hand over her shoulder, he
cupped her neck. “Sort of like this,” he murmured, then leaned down
and kissed her. The slight brush of his mouth over hers sent hot
tingles across her breasts. His touch was so tender, so delicate—so
unexpected—it stole her breath away.

“
Cal,” she gasped,
involuntarily scanning their immediate vicinity for
onlookers.

“
Sorry,” he replied
sheepishly. “Couldn’t resist.” Then he proceeded to relay the
entire event of Troy’s mouth-to-mouth as though nothing ever
happened. Annie could hardly concentrate, her mind instantly
divided between Cal, his kiss, and the elegant foyer of his family
home. It was two-stories high, dominated by a huge diamond glass
chandelier. A mix of wrought iron, animal horns and glass, the
piece was a gorgeous, glittery spectacle of light and
design.

Venturing farther inside, she was
warmed by the sight of a huge fire dancing beneath a wood beam
mantle, a thick log that ran ten feet long, adorned with family
photos. Oriental rugs were sprawled across gleaming wood floors,
sofas were supple brown leather, seams secured by rounded metal
bolts. Lamps were shapely and unique. Fat, interior wood posts
reached from floor to ceiling, supporting equally large beams
overhead, their wood surfaces sanded to a polished shine. The
Foster home was pure mountain luxury. Allowing her gaze to drift
and settle, Annie imagined it must have cost a fortune to build and
decorate.

“
My mother is waiting to say
hello,” Cal said, nudging Annie back into the moment. Annie nodded
and followed him over to where his family was gathered near the
fireplace. Gerald and his two sons stood by the hearth, two ladies
were seated nearby. Through the plate glass window, Annie could see
one wife out back watching the children run around the yard, well
clear of the pool. Beyond them were pasture and hills, the
Appalachian Mountains miles off in the distance.

Cal’s mother rose when she saw them
coming.

With a gentle hand to Annie’s lower
back, Cal said, “Mom, you remember Annie Owens?”

“
Of course I do,” she
returned, her voice bright and cheerful, though Annie couldn’t
imagine she remembered her. Not only had twenty years gone by, but
they couldn’t have met more than once and in passing, at best. No
matter. Annie greeted her just the same. “It’s so good to see you
again, Mrs. Foster.” The women shook hands. As expected, the elder
woman was well-dressed in wool slacks, a long-sleeved cream satin
blouse with a colorful silk scarf loosely wrapped around her
shoulders. The shades of brown and apricot were pleasing against
her fair complexion and wheat blonde hair. Annie dropped a fleeting
gaze to her hand. Of course her manicure was flawless, setting off
a huge diamond ring.

“
Cal has been telling us all
about you, what you’ve been up to over the years.” Annie kept her
smile firmly in place, musing,
there’s a
fun-filled ten minutes
. “And I’ve heard you
are simply the most amazing nail tech in all of Tennessee, I
absolutely must stop by and have you take a look at
mine.”

Annie’s smile grew. Whether or not she
believed Mrs. Foster was irrelevant. She prided herself on her
ability with nails and it was always nice to hear good things about
her results, even if they were nothing more than good manners
speaking. “Thank you, Mrs. Foster. I’d be delighted to have you,
any time.”

Looking on, Cal said, “Her daughter
Casey wasn’t able to make it. She went with Troy to his family
get-together.”

Mrs. Foster nodded as though it was
nothing less than she expected. Gerald Foster ambled over and
smiled. The man was larger than life with his full head of brown
hair and robust build. Dashing in his plaid flannel shirt and
indigo blue jeans, he exuded country and confidence. “Nice to see
you again, Annie.”

“
Same to you,” she replied.
The last time they’d met was during her loan application. With
Cal’s assistance, the entire process had only taken thirty minutes,
with Gerald talking about horses and training the entire
time.

“
I hear you may be looking
to sell your share of Ladd Springs?” The floor dropped out from
under her. Cal looked to her, a distinct suspicion clouding his
eyes. “Hank Dakota called me and said you might need to open a
trust account. Course I told him it’d be no problem, we’d take
right good care of you.”

Avoiding the brunt of his father’s
surprise, Cal asked, “You’re thinking of selling?” It was clear the
senior Foster believed Cal was already privy to the
news.

“
No,” she stammered, placing
a hand to her throat. “Not really. I was only discussing potential
plans with Mr. Dakota, and how any future sale would be handled on
behalf of Casey.” Which her lawyer apparently felt entitled to go
blab all over town!

“
Huh.” Gerald mulled the
situation over a minute, the atmosphere growing heavy. “Well, if
you ever do decide to sell, I’d sure like a crack at it. Ladd
Springs is a beautiful piece of land and I’d sure like to own a
piece of it myself.”

Annie privately scoffed. Gerald Foster
had no need for more land, beautiful or otherwise. He wanted Ladd
Springs because it had belonged to Susannah Ladd Wilkins. Everyone
knew he’d been sweet on her in the day, but she turned him down for
Harry Wilkins, a hayseed of a man without a penny to his name. It
ranked as the top unrequited love story of their day and had grown
to near legacy status in their small town. According to Aunt Fran,
Gerald and Susannah were meant for each other, but Ernie Ladd hated
the man and set out to bust them apart from day one. Harry Wilkins
stepped into the picture and Susannah’s heart was stolen right
quick, the two marrying soon after. No one knew what really broke
them apart, but that didn’t stop the rumors from churning up muddy
waters. Some even speculated that Delaney belonged to Gerald
Foster. How was that for a backward romance? Annie savored a
private chuckle. It would mean Delaney married her
half-brother!