Losing Ladd (9 page)

“
Oh, good!”

“
Where are you?” he asked,
flattening flowers and grass as he and Spirit plodded along the
tree line.

“
At Fran’s. My mom sent me
here to pick up lunch for one of the guys at the
stables.”

Troy nodded, his stomach growling at
the mention of food. “I could use a little lunch myself,” he said,
noting a shiny silver car turning into the hotel’s parking
lot.

“
Want me to pick something
up for you?”

“
Nah. I’ll go home for
lunch, but thanks.”

“
Okay and
Troy...”

“
Yeah?”

“
I saw my father this
morning...”

When she didn’t elaborate, Troy asked,
“What was he doin?”

“
He was with Jillian
Devane.”

“
Jillian Devane? What the
heck is she doin’ here?” he asked, memories of the cat woman
gurgling to the surface. The last time he saw her she was tryin’ to
wrap her arms around him like a noose. He’d been waiting for Casey
at Whiskey Joe’s and the woman latched onto him like white on rice.
Casey had walked in on him and nearly dumped him over the incident.
Which burned his hide. That vixen wasn’t even worth the
headache.

“
That’s what I was
wondering, but it’s worse.”

“
Worse? What could be
worse than the she-devil being in town?”

“
I think she spent the
night with my father.”

Troy groaned. Felicity was right. That
couldn’t be good.

“
Gotta go,” she said. “I’m
pulling into the lot for Fran’s.”

“
Okay. Thanks.”

Troy picked up his pace, more
determined than ever not to share what he saw in the woods with
Miss Delaney. If she knew Jillian Devane was in town, she would not
be happy. She already suspected Jeremiah was up to trouble. What
would it do to her to know she was up against a
double-whammy?

Crossing the bridge, Troy took the
turn for the trail leading up to the stables, stopped sudden by the
call of his name.

“
Troy, hold
up!”

Cal Foster descended the front steps
of the lobby and jogged over to him, wearing a light green
button-down and khaki pants, his standard manager wear. Combined
with his fair skin and light brown hair, the colors made him look
soft, but Troy knew the man to be anything but. Pausing, Troy
glanced back to Spirit, who tugged at the lead. “Whoa,
boy.”

The horse stopped, shook its mane and
swatted a fly from his rear.

“
You’re okay. We’re only
here for a second,” Troy said.

Mr. Foster grinned as he reached them.
“I see you found Spirit. Good job!”

“
Yes, sir. He was
wandering in the forest.”

“
Delaney will be thrilled
by the news.”

“
Headed up her way
now.”

“
Let me take a look at
him.” Troy stepped aside as Cal assessed the animal behind him.
Walking the around the back of him, he inspected Spirit’s body and
legs, ran a hand the length of his mid-section. “He looks good. Did
you have any trouble rounding him up?”

“
No, sir.” Troy paused.
Spirit’s ears twitched forward and back, he kicked a hoof
restlessly at the ground as he kept an eye on Mr. Foster. “But
there is something I have to tell you.”

Mr. Foster’s expression stilled, his
hazel gaze clouding with concern. “What?”

“
I saw Jeremiah Ladd in
the forest, out near the gold site.”

“
What?”

Troy nodded. “He was with two
men.”

Cal raked a hand through his hair. “Do
I need to ask what they were doing?”

“
I don’t know for sure,
but they weren’t real happy to find the gold had been
mined.”

“
I’ll bet they weren’t! Do
you know who the men were?”

“
No, sir. But I think Mr.
Ladd must have promised them some of the gold.”

“
They probably paid his
marker.”

Troy glimpsed a black head of hair and
his heart stopped, then punched into motion. “There’s something
else you need to know,” Troy told him, his gaze catching on a sight
over Cal’s shoulder. His heart began to pound. “We got
company.”

“
What’s that?” he asked,
turning to see what Troy was looking at. Cal’s demeanor coarsened.
“What the hell is she doing here?”

“
That’s what I wanted to
tell you.”

Both men watched as Jillian Devane
picked her way through the natural terrain, carefully walking over
the dirt and gravel trail in her heels. Her very high heels and
skintight pants. She wore a short jacket made of some kind of
animal print, the sleeves stopping just past her elbow. She glanced
over at them, gave a short wave and served up a fat
smile.

Witch
. “Felicity called me and told me she saw her outside a hotel
downtown with Mr. Foster.”

“
Jack?”

“
Yes, sir. Seems the two
have hooked up.”

“
Great.” Cal’s displeasure
was visceral. “As if we didn’t have enough trouble already. Talk
about dastardly duo.”

“
Can’t be good,” Troy
agreed. Beside him, Spirit whinnied, prodding him to resume his
trek to the stables.

Cal looked at the horse and said,
“Appreciate you telling me. How about you go ahead and take Spirit
back to the stables while I take care of Jillian Devane.” Glancing
over his shoulder, his tone dropped. “See if I can’t shorten her
visit.”

“
There’s one more thing,
sir.”

Lines formed across Cal’s forehead.
“More bad news?”

“
We found a lighter
outside the stables.”

“
A lighter?”

“
Yes, sir. When Felicity,
Travis and I set out on our search this morning, we spotted it on
the ground outside the side entrance.” Cal stared at him
expectantly and Troy swallowed. “Felicity said it belonged to her
daddy.”

Cal’s gaze cooled several degrees. Mr.
Foster was thinking what he was thinking. Lighter. Fire. Jillian
Devane.

Revenge.

“
I need to call Nick right
away.”

Troy figured he might. Snapping a
glance up the hill, Troy asked, “Should I say anything to Miss
Delaney?”

“
I’d prefer you not. Let
Mr. Harris do the honors.”

Relief swept through him. “Yes,
sir.”

Without another word, Troy started for
the trail up to the stables. Mr. Foster would handle things from
here. He was General Manager of the hotel. He was in charge. He
knew what needed to be done. Avoiding eye contact with Jillian
Devane as he passed, Troy could feel her hot gaze beating down his
back. She wanted nothing more than to taunt him, to tease him. To
cause him trouble.

It was a pleasure he would deny her.
Pulling his hat forward, Troy said, “C’mon, boy. We’re goin’
home.”

Cal Foster walked over to Jillian,
curious as to her presence. Was this a pleasure visit to see his
brother? Cal doubted it. While Ms. Devane might indeed be playing
around with Jack, Cal didn’t think it stopped there. No. Ms. Devane
was a woman of means, a woman nursing a vengeful heart. She was
here for one reason and one reason only.

Ruin Hotel Ladd.

Jillian Devane stood out of direct
sunlight, waiting for Cal beneath the shade of towering oaks, a
cluster of dogwoods mixed in. Azaleas dotted the landscape along
with clumps of hydrangea, their leaves a deep, healthy green.
Against the backdrop of Tennessee country, Jillian looked out of
place, adorned in gold jewelry, her sunglasses oversized and very
black, a near match to her shiny hair falling in sheets past her
shoulders. A stick figure, her long legs were clad in form-fitting
jeans, her shirt a combination of gold mesh and creamy silk beneath
a leopard-print cropped jacket.

“
Good afternoon, Mr.
Foster,” Jillian said, addressing him formally.

“
Afternoon.” Cal stopped
feet from her. Masking his emotions with a detached
professionalism, he asked, “What brings you out our
way?”

Jillian smiled. “Why, I’m here to
check-in.”

“
Check in?”

Her eyes held a deliberate goad. “Of
course. Why else would I be here?”

Cal could name a thousand reasons,
none of them good, but refused to give her an ounce of
satisfaction. “Of course. A woman of your intelligence knows
there’s only one place worth staying in this part of the country. A
Harris Hotel.”

Jillian’s smile hardened but remained
intact. “Yes. You would say so, wouldn’t you?”

Genuine pleasure coursed through him.
Seems he’d struck a chord. “Facts are facts,” he said, adding
without pausing, “and we’ve got the booked schedule to prove it. Do
you have a reservation? If so, I’d be happy to assist you with your
check-in.”

“
I do.”

Too bad. Cal extended a hand toward
the hotel “Shall we?”

Cal followed Jillian as she walked to
the lobby, employing a full hip swagger, most likely for his
benefit, though he wasn’t interested. She could shake and shimmy
all she wanted, Cal preferred his woman down-to-earth and real.
Neither of which applied to Jillian Devane.

While he didn’t find her presence
threatening, there was no mistaking the look in Troy’s eyes when he
spotted her. He was not happy. Knowing Jillian, Troy had a right to
be upset. With a new wife and baby on his hands, the last thing he
needed was Jillian working to upset the mix—a real possibility,
especially if she was working in cahoots with Jack. Wasn’t it
enough Jack was taking Troy to trial? Did his brother need to
provoke tension between Troy and Casey by re-injecting Jillian onto
the scene?

Troy was under a lot of pressure these
days. Trial was scheduled for week after next and without a job,
the boy had nothing to do but think. Think about everything he
stood to lose should he receive a guilty verdict. Think about his
wife and new baby going it alone without him. Think about his
horses. Cal was glad he hadn’t lost Spirit. Granted, it wasn’t
technically his horse, but Troy connected with the animals,
treating each and every animal he worked like it was his own. Troy
built layers of trust, bonding with the horses in a way most people
never experience. He’d given up drinking, but Cal knew how hard a
battle it could be. It was a job you attended every day of the
week, every week of the month, every month of the year. Sober
himself now for nineteen months, Cal understood the challenge.
Desperation pushed a man to his limits. It made him shift
priorities. If Troy broke under the pressure, he could easily seek
relief from a bottle.

Troy wasn’t the only one caught in a
vise-like grip at the moment. Cal’s daughter Emily was arriving in
Chattanooga this evening. His ex-wife had agreed to allow the
visit, a week-long stay that could turn into two, provided Emily
was in agreement. Cal was excited. Nervous, excited, he was set to
drive to the airport in a few hours and meet Emily at the gate.
Annie wouldn’t be joining him. She decided it was best if he and
his daughter took the initial reunion solo. There’d be plenty
enough time for visits with her new family during her
stay.

A visit complicated by the likes of
Jeremiah and Jillian. Jeremiah had made a point of threatening
Annie during his last trip to town. If he had thoughts of repeating
the gesture, Cal was going to make him wish he’d done otherwise.
Her too, Cal mused, following Jillian as she ascended the front
steps to the lobby. It wasn’t a coincidence Jillian was in town. Or
that Jack’s lighter was found outside the stables. The two had been
seen together. Lighter. Fire. A shudder passed through him. Jillian
set fires. Jack was facing jail time. Sure, it was possible he’d
dropped the lighter back when he attacked Delaney, but if it was in
good condition and relatively unscathed, it could be the clue that
put Jack in the guilty seat more recently.

Someone deliberately set those horses
free. Someone who knew the animals, someone with a
motive.

Opening the door for
Jillian, more out of habit than courtesy, Cal decided that someone
could be his brother, Jack.
She
, his willing accomplice. Cal
didn’t want to even think about what the lighter represented. Not
with Jillian on premises. She had a reputation for arson and a
heart black with envy and malice.

Chapter Eight

Nick Harris spied the narrow backside
of Jillian Devane’s figure as she stood in front of the bar at
Whiskey Joe’s. Not his preferred meeting place. Unfortunately he
wasn’t in a position to quibble. She’d insisted on the bar and
lounge and he accepted. Actually, venue mattered little. This
wouldn’t take long, he mused, raking his gaze over the length of
her body, her tapered legs draped in denim, her four inch heels par
for the course. Nick could envision her face. Cat eyes would turn
up at the ends when she smiled, spit daggers when she was angry,
accompanied by a flash of temper. Full lips would pout or part,
depending on her mood. She’d held an intrigue for him once, an
adventure onto dangerous terrain, but when her heart turned
spiteful and she turned the sharp end of her blade toward him, the
thrill had ceased. She was threatening his family now, and Nick had
zero tolerance for her games.