Ladd Springs

by Dianne Venetta

  Chapter Eighteen

  Annie pulled into the Sweeney compound with her daughter, Casey, in tow. Candi Sweeney was Clem’s sister and Annie’s best friend—the only one of the bunch worth making the trip down the junk-lined road—and she needed to talk. Candi was like her other half, her soul sister. The two had met in high school. Annie thought she was pretty and sweet and perfect—until she met the Sweeneys.

  The black sheep in the Sweeney clan, Candi was one member of the family not at war with the Ladds. She was the daughter who wanted to earn her degree and encouraged Annie to do the same. She helped her study, encouraged her to try out for the cheerleading squad, even to audition for the starring role in a school play. And it was Candi who had urged her to go after Jeremiah. She claimed Annie was the prettiest girl in school and could have whatever boy she wanted. Annie hadn’t been as certain, but at Candi’s insistence she went after Jeremiah, and to her surprise, he showed an interest. Annie had been beside herself at the time.

  Jeremiah Ladd liked her.

  It wasn’t until he ran off to Atlanta with her sister Lacy that Annie uncovered the extent of his deception. Lacy was only the last in a long string of affairs. In the six months she and Jeremiah had been dating—or what she had believed to be dating—Jeremiah had slept with ten other girls. Ten. But Lacy was the most humiliating. Candi had been there for her, as sweet and caring as she could be, but it was Clem who took advantage of her devastation. One night, while out at the County Line Bar, he bought her drinks, danced with her, then took her back to his place. The rest was a blur, a nightmare Annie had been trying to black out of her memory ever since.

  As they rolled past the rusted John Deere tractor, its front wheels flat, the weight of it sinking beneath years of neglect, Casey piped up, “I don’t know why I had to come with you.”

  Annie glanced at her daughter. Sullen, moody, her jet black hair covering half her face, Casey wasn’t happy to be anywhere at the moment. “Because you’re grounded.”

  Disgust wrangled Casey’s full lips into a frown, twisted her blue eyes into a knot of anger. “Which is stupid. I didn’t do anything.”

  “It’s not stupid. It’s called consequences.” Something Annie had been living with ever since that night at Clem’s. Sleeping with two men and winding up pregnant was not a good mental place to be. While Annie was sure Casey belonged to Jeremiah, there always remained a seed of doubt. Nine months after Jeremiah left, nine months and a one-night stand later, Casey Melody was born. It was possible she belonged to Clem. But unlikely.

  A mild tremor ran through Annie. She had slept exclusively with Jeremiah for six months. In all likelihood, Casey was his. She shook her mind free of old anxieties. Only technically was Clem a possible contender.

  “Maybe you’ll think twice next time before you decide to lie to your mother,” Annie snapped. Lying only led to trouble, she added to herself.

  Casey looked as if she could spit. “Whatever.” She gave an indignant shake to her long, straight, glossy black hair and locked arms over her chest in defiance. Kicking a sneaker to the dashboard, she stared out the passenger window. “It’s not like I did anything.”

  Not yet, maybe. But at the rate Casey was going, trouble would find her. It would stop her in her tracks, smack her hard. “Sneaking out with your boyfriend is what I call something,” Annie replied.

  “So. I told you—we didn’t do anything. What’s the big deal?”

  “You’re grounded because you lied,” Annie informed her, hoping that what she claimed was true. For her daughter’s sake. Annie gathered Casey in her gaze and exhaled heavily. She had such pretty blue eyes, a natural fire to her spirit and she was smart. So smart. If only she applied herself. All I can do is pass on the lessons. What you do with them is up to you.

  Annie had learned hers the hard way. If she could alleviate a little pain and regret for her daughter, she would do so.

  Pulling up to the cement block house, walls painted gray with white trim, Annie parked and eased out of the car. “C’mon.”

  Begrudgingly, her daughter followed. Heat rose from the arid mix of grass and dirt and clay, surprising Annie at how fast the temperature had soared. Gone was the misty nip she had awakened to, replaced by a scorching heat. While she preferred sunshine to rain, a few passing clouds would be nice. Especially since the air-conditioning had gone out in her car. If she was lucky, it was only a matter of Freon.

  But Annie’s life wasn’t littered with luck.

  Navigating the crooked line of stepping stones covered by weeds, passing a lone clump of purple hydrangea, she walked up to the front door and knocked. The bleached-out metal door exuded the stale scent of cigarette smoke. Boasting an oval glass etching in its center, it had been pretty in its heyday. Annie remembered when they installed it. Candi had been so proud, showing her friend how the gold lines glittered in the sun, the beveled glass sparkling as she opened and closed it. But like everything the Sweeneys touched, they only touched it once. Weather and time and neglect took over from there.

  Candi opened the door and greeted Annie with a warm hug. She invited her inside, where the remainder of Sweeneys were embroiled in a heated discussion.

  “It don’t matter to me what he does. I ain’t interfering.”

  “Now Buford, who said anything about interfering?” Mrs. Sweeney’s generous figure was wedged into a recliner, the mauve material faded and worn. Her silvery curls were un-brushed, her housedress a pink floral, and on her feet she wore blue terry cloth slippers. “I said go and talk to the boy. He can’t be hosting people at all hours over there, not when I can hear the racket from my front porch.”

  “Clem,” Candi said when Annie looked to her for explanation.

  Enough said, Annie thought. Uninterested in hearing anymore, she looked to her friend. She was here for a visit but preferred it didn’t include Candi’s family.

  The stocky Mr. Sweeney paraded across the square room, his lower stomach protruding from beneath his white T-shirt. Like his wife, his salt and pepper hair could use some attention. “Ethel, I’m going to put my foot down.”

  “Stomp it in the mud, for all I care,” she replied with a wave of her hand, a lighted cigarette hanging from between her fingers, the smoke snaking its way through the air toward Annie. “Just make sure you get the boy to quit or else.”

  Mr. Sweeney thrust out his hefty barrel-shaped gut. “Or else what?”

  Candi shook her head in frustration, highlighted blonde streaks forming distinct sections between her natural brown. “How about we take a walk?” she whispered to Annie.

  “Good idea.” Annie turned to Casey and found her staring down the youngest member of the family. Sulking in the corner, the elder Sweeney’s grandson Jimmy seemed content with staring right back at Casey, his dark brooding looks partially covered by the long swath of artificially black bangs. Dressed in black T-shirt and black jeans, the boy worked hard to project his new Goth image.

  “Wanna wait here?” Annie asked her daughter, knowing the answer before she replied.

  “No way.” Casey spun on her heel, making a bee line for the front door.

  Annie followed as Candi waved off to the family, “I’m going out for a while.”

  No one acknowledged she had said a word as Mrs. Sweeney stared down her husband, announcing, “Or else I’m gonna leave this house and never come back.”

  “Hah!” He flung his arms high into the air. “I been trying to get you to do that for thirty years and look at you...” He swept a beefy hand in her direction. “You’re still sittin’ here.”

  Annie caught Mrs. Sweeney’s icy glare on her way out and thanked God once again she hadn’t been born into this family. She might have issues with her own kin, but nothing compared to poor Candi.

  Outside, the air suddenly felt fresh and clean. Bright, sunny. Happy. Annie turned to Candi as she closed the door behind them. “When are you going to move out of that house?”

  “When I save up enough cash to
pay first month, last month, utility deposit—” Candi frowned. She glanced askance at the house beneath lowered lashes, thickly coated with mascara. “You have no idea what it’s like on a daily basis.”

  Annie hated the sadness pouring into her friend’s big brown eyes. She’d had it rough of late, and if Annie could have helped her, she would. But barely managing on her own with Casey, she had nothing to spare. She’d already offered her couch, but Candi refused. She wasn’t going to bog down her friend with her troubles. She’d handle them herself.

  “But I’m getting close,” Candi said, and took off walking. “Which is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Annie walked with her, but Casey declined. “I’ll wait here,” she said and leaned against the car door.

  “Fine.” Annie was in no mood to argue.

  “But first you. How’s your lawsuit going?” Candi asked, her gaze glittering with curiosity.

  “Nowhere, yet. The lawyer says I have a chance, but it would be better if I could prove paternity.”

  “Which means you’d have to call Jeremiah.”

  Annie nodded, unable to mouth the words.

  “Are you sure he wouldn’t agree? I mean, don’t you think he’d want to know for sure?”

  “No.” And she didn’t want to hurt Casey any more than his absence already did. It was one thing to know your father lived in another state, had his own life, had his own issues. It was another to know he rejected you outright. At least that’s what Annie told herself. Early on, she had tried to persuade Jeremiah to acknowledge Casey was his, tried to talk sense into him about doing right by his own flesh and blood. But he’d refused. He was a selfish bastard and some things never changed. “I think it would only complicate matters.”

  Candi gawked at her. “Seems to me it would make your life easier.”

  In the sense of money, yes. But not emotionally. Which was the problem. Going after her rights to Ladd Springs was churning up some dirty water. Casey was firing insults and sucking mud, starting to hang around with the wrong kids at school. It was no good. But Annie believed in her heart that she was doing the right thing, that it was time to set things straight and give her daughter her due.

  She only wished it wasn’t so difficult in the getting. Seeing Jeremiah again would open old wounds. It would remind her of everything that happened, unravel everything she had worked to build for herself and Casey. No. Jeremiah would only be trouble.

  “Do you want me to call him?” Candi ventured.

  “No—absolutely not!” Her pulse fired in rejection, but the question of how Candi could pull it off quickly flooded in. She cupped a hand to her brow, shading her eyes. Did she know where Jeremiah was? Annie assumed he was still in Atlanta, but she didn’t know for sure. She’d stopped checking years ago. Stopped wondering and hoping and gave up on her last fantasy that he would do the right thing. Jeremiah Ladd was a son of a bitch, same as his father. It was in their blood, Delaney proving herself no different. Dropping her hand, she allowed thoughts of Jeremiah to subside. “I’ve been talking to a lawyer. I think I’ll let him come up with a plan.”

  “If you’re sure...”

  At the relief in Candi’s expression, Annie nodded. “I’m sure.” She kicked at a beer can lying in her path and asked, “What’s going on with you?”

  Candi’s eyes brightened. “I want to open my own salon.”

  “Really? But how are you going to manage that when you have no money?”

  “Well, I’ll need investors.”

  At Candi’s averted gaze, Annie asked, “What kind of investors?”

  “People who believe in me.”

  “Well, that’s easy. You’re the best hairstylist this side of the Mississippi!” Candi blushed at the compliment. “That ought to be easy.”

  As they rounded the corner of a stand of trees, a flowering dogwood reflecting bright white in the sun, Clem’s trailer came into sight. Annie’s insides clenched. Now there was a great way to ruin an afternoon, she mused. Dents marred the entire back side of the trailer, the result of a drink-induced parking attempt by Clem’s brother Hank. After a night of carousing the two had returned home, and Hank managed to nail the entire back end of trailer. Sober, he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. She shook her head. Both brothers were losers, with a capital L.

  Candi glanced at Clem’s trailer. “If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll steer clear of Daddy.”

  “Steer clear?” Annie asked, surprised. “I didn’t think the two spoke.”

  “They don’t. But even so, he manages to cause trouble.”

  “How?”

  “He’s been carrying on with some guys the last couple of weeks, playing his music loud into the night, probably drinking… Momma is none too happy about it, I tell you.”

  “Is that what they were talking about when I walked in?”

  Candi nodded. Turning to Annie, she rolled her lips together. “Momma wants Daddy to kick him out.”

  “I thought he already was kicked out.”

  “Off the property, kicked out. She wants Daddy to have his trailer towed.”

  Annie savored the vision of Clem’s rust-pit being towed away, never having to bear the sight of it again. A nice image. She glanced over again and wished Mr. Sweeney would do just that. Tow the dang-blasted thing away.

  “Daddy won’t do it,” Candi said.

  “He won’t?” Annie asked, her mind split between Buford Sweeney’s possible reasons against the idea and the sight of a blonde-headed woman sitting inside Clem’s trailer. Annie strained to see through the dirty, sliding glass doors of the trailer.

  “I think it’s because he’s too cheap to pay for the service, but Momma doesn’t care. She wants Clem out.”

  Candi continued walking. Annie haphazardly kept up, her attention wrapped around the woman in the trailer. She could see Clem’s figure, standing over her. Annie’s thoughts stilled. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear that was Delaney in there! Not too many women in this town had long, white blonde hair running down their back. Not near Delaney’s size and not talking to Clem. Coincidence?

  Realizing Annie had fallen behind, Candi stopped. “You okay?”

  Annie kicked into motion. “Yeah, sure,” she mumbled, her gaze stuck on the scene inside Clem’s trailer. When he noticed her, he rushed over and whipped the curtains closed.

  Could it really have been Delaney?

  Delaney hated Clem, maybe even more than Annie. Why would she be in Clem’s trailer? Was she talking about the property? Trying to scare him away from Ernie? He did seem to be hanging around there quite often these days...

  In fact, every time she’d stopped by, Clem was there.

  Annie wrestled with her curiosity as Candi waited for her. Hope twirled around her heart like the floating ribbons of sky-bound balloons. Could this work to her benefit somehow? Could she convince Ernie that Delaney and Clem were teaming up on him? Which didn’t make sense. Delaney was queen in her own mind. She thought she could conquer the world. She didn’t need Clem Sweeney.

  Annie’s brows rose and her pulse sprinted. Was something else going on?

  Felicity breezed in through the front door of the cabin. “Mom, I’m home!” she called out and climbed the stairs to her room. Travis and Troy were riding over in ten minutes and she had yet to change, but her band coach had stopped her after class to inform her that she was up for another scholarship. Another scholarship!

  Goosebumps raced across her skin. She couldn’t believe it. Another one—and this time it was money she could use for any musical cost she wanted. Maybe even a new flute. Felicity peeled off her good jeans and pulled on a pair of torn, faded Levis. Riding bareback would ruin a pair of designer jeans faster than Travis could jump the creek. Pleasure ripped through her. She couldn’t wait. He said he had a present for her. A present.

  For what? Her birthday wasn’t for three months! What could he possibly have and why? Buttoning her fly, Felicity rushed into the bathroom. Sh
e checked her hair in the tiny mirror, checked her makeup, her reflection revealing a goofy smile. But so what? Travis was the only boy she ever cared about. She liked Troy, but Travis was the one she preferred. Smart, sweet, he always kept her guessing. Troy was predictable. Outrageous and daring, but predictable in his quest for attention. Felicity ran a quick brush through her hair than hurried downstairs, the silken waves in need of a wash.

  Travis had a gift for her? What could it be? Leaping past the bottom stair, Felicity yelled, “Mom, I’m leaving now!” She swept into her mother’s bedroom, catching herself at the doorway. Poking her head inside, she glanced about, surprised to find it empty. The bathroom door was open, the light off. She looked around, perplexed.

  Huh. Her mom was always here when she arrived home from school. Walking back into the kitchen, Felicity glanced around the living room, the kitchen, noting nothing out of place. Everything was as it was when she left this morning.

  Maybe she was already at the stables. Felicity grabbed a green apple from the basket by the refrigerator and headed out the door. Wait until she heard about Travis’ surprise!

  But when she arrived to empty stables, Felicity became worried. Something was wrong. Her mom was always here when she got home from school. Always. Sadie came up to Felicity and nudged her soft muzzle against her. “Where’s Mom, Sadie?” Felicity asked, absently scanning the woods around them. No riding in the woods alone.

  Felicity grew uncomfortable. “What happened? Was her mom okay?

  With no choice but to meet the boys, Felicity gathered her black mare. Using the barn stool parked off to the side, she hopped onto her horse’s back. She gave a brief shake to the reins and clicked her mouth. “Let’s go, girl.”

  Travis would know what to do.

  As Felicity emerged from the trail into open field, she saw Travis and Troy Parker waiting for her just past Uncle Ernie’s cabin. They sat idle on two chocolate-colored Quarter horses, bareback as always, the only movement the occasional swish of a black tail. The day that begun with a nip in the air had warmed considerably, though Felicity was gripped by a building chill. When she called her Mom’s cell phone, it went straight to voicemail. It would only do so if her mother had turned her phone off. Why would she do that?

  Felicity trotted past the main house, looking past the empty rockers for signs of life inside. Ernie’s truck wasn’t here, but what about Uncle Albert? He never went anywhere. Had he decided to go somewhere with Ernie?

  “Hey Felicity, hurry on up!” Troy shouted.

  She turned toward the brothers, but her eyes focusing on Travis. As though he could sense something was wrong, he kicked heels to horse and rode toward her.

  Relief trickled in as she stopped her mare and waited for him.

  Travis was by her side in seconds. Long brunette bangs partially covered his brown eyes but couldn’t conceal his concern. “What’s up, Felicity?”

  “My mom. She isn’t home.”

  Confusion rippled across his face. “She isn’t?”

  “No,” she replied quietly.

  He shook the hair from his brow, his brown eyes closing in. “Where do you think she is?”

  Felicity shrugged, but her heart caught at the sight of Nick’s sedan pulling into the driveway near Troy. Travis followed her gaze. “You expecting someone?”

  “No.” But she was grateful for Nick’s unexpected arrival. “He’s a friend of my mother’s.”

  Travis probed no further, turning his horse so the pair of them faced Nick as he drove in and parked. Rising from the vehicle, he pushed the door closed and strode over, his white polo shirt crisp against navy blue jeans. He checked out Travis with an almost dutiful paternal once-over and said, “Hey, Felicity.”

  “Hi.”

  “Is your mom around?” he asked with a hopeful smile.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Nick paused, scrutinizing her face. “Everything okay?”

  “My mom isn’t here,” she said, as though he would understand the significance.

  He nodded. “That’s what you said. Any idea where she is?” Nick set hands to hips. “I’d like to talk to her.”

  “No—and that’s the problem,” she said, her words suddenly tumbling out. “She’s always here when I get home from school. Always.”

  His brow rose, cutting deep lines across his forehead. “Well I’m sure she’ll be here soon.” Nick offered an appeasing smile, but Felicity was having none of it.

  “You don’t understand, Mr. Harris. She’s always here when I get home. Always. It’s not like her to be gone. She didn’t even leave a note.”

  Finally, the magnitude of her plight seemed to register in his expression. “She’s never missed a day?”

  “No. Never. I tried to call her cell phone, but it went to voicemail.” Scary shadows crossed his eyes. “Do you have any idea what could have happened, Mr. Harris?”

  Nick stepped toward them and Travis’ horse took a restless step, his ears pricking back and forth.

  “Where are you guys going?” Nick asked.

  “We’re going for a ride,” Travis responded, protective steel lining his voice.

  Troy trotted over, casting an appraising eye to the situation. “What’s going on over here?” Sporting the same brown hair and dark eyes, the brothers were nearly identical, save for the scar on Troy’s cheek and his more muscular build. Troy lifted weights. Travis did not.

  Felicity waved him off. “Nothing, Troy. We’re fine.”

  But the Parker boys were defensive that way, always on the lookout for someone moving in, trespassing. Tempers fired quickly around these parts, and these two were known for their hard-hitting response time, Troy willing to flaunt his strength more readily than Travis.

  “Felicity,” Nick prodded, ignoring the interruption. “When was the last time you talked to her?”

  “This morning when I left for school. Actually—wait—no. I talked to her when I realized I didn’t have my permission slip for a school field trip. I called her and she brought it to school for me.”

  “What time was that?”

  “About nine-thirty, ten.”

  “And she brought it to you? You’re sure?”

  “Yes. She left it with the office and I gave it to my teacher.” As Nick digested the information, Felicity asked, “Why? Did you see her today? Do you know where she might be?”

  “No.” But he had a funny idea he knew where she was headed. The golden rock. He had checked his sample with a local jeweler in town, and it was legit. Ladd Springs had gold on its hands, and he’d bet his life Delaney knew about it, probably suspected he’d find out, too.

  “Should we get my Uncle Ernie?”

  Nick glanced back to the cabin behind him. “No. Not yet. Let me do a little checking first.” He looked up at the young man next to Felicity, the boy next to him. These must be the twins Delaney had mentioned. They were friends of Felicity’s and, by the looks of them, both strapping and courageous in their own right. Nick could entrust them with the girl’s safety. No telling what Clem might do if he found her alone. After all, she was an extension of her mother. “Listen, you boys live around here?”

  Travis nodded and pointed up the road. “We do. Just up yonder, around the bend.”

  Troy scowled at his brother and asked Nick, “What’s it to you, mister?”

  “I want you to take Felicity with you.” Nick turned to her. “Can you stick with them while I look for your mom?”

  She nodded. “Do you think you can her?”

  “I do.”

  Relief softened the tension around her mouth. “Okay. Tell her I’ll be at the Parker’s. She can call my cell.”

  “Will do.”