Troy spotted Cal as he held the door to the diner for Casey and Annie. Sitting at a table in the back, Troy stood, weaving through tables crowded with people as he automatically headed for Casey. Sunday morning was a hive of activity at Fran’s, most diners dressed for church services while a few remained casual like him. Unfortunately, Troy didn’t remember the last time he’d attended services. But with a baby on the way they were going to have to rectify that and quick.
As he neared Casey, his mouth fell open. “Dad gum, woman. Where did you get that dress?”
“Do you like it?” she asked, her expectation stamped on her grin.
“Like it?” He inspected her attire with open desire. “I love it.”
“Thank you!” she chirped, blue eyes shining with pleasure as she practically lifted from her toes.
Taking her by the arm, Troy leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I mean I really love it.” The dress was bright blue with frilly trim, totally opposite to Casey’s normal boots, jeans and sneakers—or lately, her oversized maternity dresses—and it showed off her bare shoulders. Her really smooth, creamy white bare shoulders. “I’ve never seen you in anything like it before.”
“Aunt Lacy gave it to me. She said a pregnant woman was the most beautiful kind of woman and should dress like it.”
Troy chuckled. “Well, you ain’t gonna hear any disagreement from me!”
“How goes it, Troy?”
Troy looked at Cal’s knowing eyes, instantly wondering if Casey or Annie knew about the business with his brother but realizing at once they did not. Casey, anyway. She was too cheerful. “Fine. Real fine.”
“Good.” Cal placed a hand to the small of Annie’s back. “Mrs. Foster and I are going to enjoy a bite of breakfast.”
Troy nodded. Why else would they be here? Leading Casey by the elbow, he guided her back to his table. Jimmy Sweeney was in the back, sulking. Once Troy told him the news about him and Casey getting married, Jimmy had closed his mouth and turned on his heel.
Like he should. Trying to step in on his woman the way he did, the boy ought to run scared. He’d also better get the hint that Troy didn’t approve of male friends hanging around his wife, either. “Are you hungry?” Troy asked Casey, helping her to a seat and then sliding in next to her.
“Starving.”
Giving her the onceover, he commented, “You don’t look like you been eatin’ much.”
Casey groaned. “Now you sound like Fran and my mother.”
“Well, are they right?” He slid an arm around her shoulders and said, “I thought pregnant women were supposed to get big and round when they were carryin’ a child.”
She skewed her expression. “Not all do. My Aunt Lacy hardly gained an ounce.”
Troy pinned her with a skeptical gaze. “Well you’re gonna eat with me,” he told her as a waitress delivered two glasses of ice water. Looking up, Troy said, “We’ll have a stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs and grits, side of bacon and two biscuits.”
Casey gaped at him. “Who’s going to eat all that food?”
“You and me,” he said, then directed the waitress, “You can set it anywhere you like. And two OJ’s, too, please.” He looked at Casey and tapped the top of her stomach. “The baby needs some vitamin C.”
Warmth flooded her. He was being so protective, so caring. Casey didn’t know what she’d expected when she told him about the baby other than she’d been concerned about his reaction to the added responsibility. She never dreamed he’d take to it like a fussy old woman. But it pleased her. “Troy, you don’t have to fuss.”
The waitress left and he settled on her, a silly grin peeling at his eyes. “What? I ain’t fussin.’ All I’m sayin’ is we have a baby to care for now. We have to start thinkin’ about these things, make sure the baby is healthy.”
Doubt petered through her limbs. Casey reached for her glass. “The doctor said I’m fine.”
“Good. I aim to keep it that way. Now listen, I didn’t tell you about Vegas.”
“Vegas?” she asked absently.
“Remember that horse I helped deliver? I saw him at the stables. He’s a real strong one, maybe even a fast one. Miss Delaney has a winner on her hands with that one. Then there’s that horse I was training when you walked up the other day.”
“The big brown one?”
Troy nodded. “His name is Spirit and, boy, I tell you he’s chock full of it. He came to us from another ranch where they claimed he wasn’t suitable for ridin.’ But you know Miss Delaney. When she has her heart set on something, she ain’t hearing nothin’ else. She knows a good horse when she sees one.” Casey smiled, pulled in by the depth of his pleasure. It was hard not to feel the things Troy felt about his horses. His love was visceral, contagious. His entire demeanor lit up as he spoke. “Well, I’ve been workin’ with him and I think he’s gonna be ready for riding next week!”
“So soon?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Troy squeezed her to him and drew his glass of water near. “Just goes to show most folks don’t know what they’re talkin’ about when dealin’ with horses.”
“Not like you.”
Troy took a sip, beaming in light of her praise. Setting his glass back down, he said, “You know, I’ve been thinking...”
When he didn’t continue, Casey wondered at the hesitation softening his gaze. It wasn’t like Troy to hold back. “What?”
“Well, I was wonderin’... When I save up enough money, what would you think about me training horses?”
“Training them how? Like you are now?”
“Yeah, you know, training them how to be around people, gettin’ them ready for others to enjoy but also maybe breeding. I know a fine horse when I see one. We could make a nice living makin’ a business of it.”
“Isn’t that what the Fosters do?”
“It is.”
“Sounds great!” she replied, uncertain as to what was involved but trusting him. Horses were his department and she believed there was no one better. The Fosters had been pleased with his performance, except for his drinking.
“Do you want to work them with me?”
She pulled back. “Me? I don’t know anything about horses.” She liked riding them, but that was as far as her knowledge went. Her interest lay in science, not horses. Stars, constellations. What would she do with a horse?
“I could teach you. I bet the horses would love you.”
“Well, er...” She glanced away, rubbed a hand over the swell of her abdomen. “I’m going to college now and—”
His brow shot up. “You are?”
She nodded. “Jimmy and I are taking a few classes—” She paused at his instantaneous glower. “What? Is that bad?”
Capping the lid on his temper, Troy glanced back toward the kitchen. “Naw, it ain’t bad.”
“I’m sorry.” Anything that had to do with Jimmy was bad in Troy’s eyes. “But when you left, I didn’t think you were coming back. My mom convinced me I should go to college, take a few classes, see how it went. Jimmy agreed to go with me.”
“You don’t have to explain,” he said, though it was clear they were words he was using to placate her, not words that reflected his true emotions.
“I’m sorry. I thought you were gone for good.”
The hard edge in his gaze melted away. “It’s not your fault. I thought you understood. I thought you knew I was coming back.” He paused, placed a hand over hers. Staring at the tabletop connection, he said, “It’s my fault.”
Shame filled her. Sinking her mind into the din of conversation around her, the banal normalcy of the life and people she’d always known, Casey wondered if she should have known better when it came to Troy. Her mother said not to waste her time on him. Her mother said to look ahead to the future. But then again, she never much approved of Troy. That was Casey’s role. She’s the one who should have believed in Troy when everything and everyone pointed to the opposite. Swallowing over a knot in her throat, she was grateful he�
��d come back to her. If he hadn’t, Casey could have lost him forever.
The waitress delivered their juice, vivid orange liquid with bits of pulp suspended in the glass. The sight made Casey’s stomach rumble. “Ya’lls order will be out soon,” the woman clipped on her way off.
“So you’re going to college.” Troy shifted gears, elevated his tone. “What are you studying?”
“I’m taking a few science courses.”
“Science?”
“Astronomy.”
A knowing grin lit up his eyes. “You’re studying the stars in school?”
“I am.”
Troy laughed softly and swung his head away. “Dad gum, Casey. It figures.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No. But now I’m gonna have to remember all those galaxies and things floatin’ up there. You’re always pointing them out and now I’m gonna have to learn them.”
“Why?”
“Because you like them.”
Her heart sang. Because she liked them. Those were about the sweetest words she’d ever heard in her whole life. Because she liked them, he was going to learn about them. Leaning over, Casey kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. I won’t give you a test or anything.”
“I hope not,” he replied with a sheepish grin.
Casey perked up at the sight of Felicity and Travis walking in the front door. Her hands instinctively went to her belly. “Your brother’s here.” Troy shrugged a glance toward the door, “He’s been real nice about the baby,” she said.
“If he’s so nice, why didn’t he tell me about the pregnancy? I would have come home sooner had I known.”
“I asked him not to tell you. I didn’t want you coming home because you felt you had to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Casey’s throat became suddenly dry. One arm resting over her stomach, she reached for her orange juice and held it between them. “I wanted you to come home because of me.”
Troy leaned close, his movements cautious of her enormous midsection. “You listen to me. There’s only one reason I’m home and that is because of you.” Hitching a thumb towards Travis he said, “Mr. High and Mighty might think I’m a screw-up, like I was trying to shirk my duties, but that had nothin’ to do with it. I would have come home if I knew. I didn’t, I came home anyway. Because of you, you hear me? Because of you.”
Suddenly trembling, Casey nodded, then downed a small sip of her drink, the sweet taste cold and soothing as it flowed down her throat.
Troy smirked. “The baby’s an extra benefit.”
Casey almost choked on her juice. “Benefit?”
Troy’s cocky grin unleashed a smile. “Yeah, benefit. We were gonna have babies one day anyway. Why not get them out of the way now?”
Casey smiled. While it wasn’t the most beautiful of compliments, she understood what he meant. Troy was happy. Pleased. She was silly to have ever doubted him. Nudging Troy, she said, “They’re coming over.”
He turned as Felicity and Travis strolled up, hand-in-hand. Travis acknowledged Casey, then cast a reproachful gaze over his brother. “Troy.”
“Travis.”
Felicity waved hello, strangely preoccupied with Troy. She looked normal enough, dressed in her usual denim cutoffs and brightly colored T-shirt, her strawberry blonde hair braided in a line down her back. But her green eyes glistened, like she was about to cry. “Thanks for helping my mom,” she said softly, almost pained.
Helping her mom? Casey’s gaze sought Troy, who seemed as surprised as she by the comment. “It wasn’t nothin’,” he replied, easing away from Casey’s side.
“It was, and thank you. I can never repay you.”
Troy shrugged it off. “Your mom has been good to me. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for that woman.”
Felicity nodded, appearing to be on the edge of tears.
“Let’s go,” Travis said. “I’m hungry.”
The couple turned and Felicity froze. Casey spotted the cause.
Jack Foster stood at the front entrance to the diner, his face a horrible mess of purple and red bruises. People collected around the cash register concealed awkward glances, though it was hard not to stare. His eye was swollen shut, his skin marked by red and purple. It was horrible. “Oh my, what happened to him?”
Troy said nothing. Travis said nothing, though she noted he squeezed Felicity’s hand, drawing it close to his side. Intuition clanged like church bells in Casey’s brain. The man’s battered appearance reminded her of the day when her own father walked into the diner after a beating. She locked on Troy. Jeremiah had accused Troy of the beating. Did he have something to do with this one?
Chapter Nineteen
“Ignore him,” Travis advised her.
Casey tensed. That was going to be difficult, considering the man was headed directly for their table. She could feel Felicity’s nerves fire and pop while Troy remained a statue next to her in the booth. Travis stood strong, his muscular body edging in front of Felicity’s.
Swaying hips in and around tables, Jack Foster had eyes only for Troy as he made it tableside. A flurry of questions zipped through Casey’s mind. Please don’t let this have anything to do with why Felicity thanked him. Please make it a coincidence that her father is staring down her boyfriend. Casey wanted to close her eyes, pretend this was nothing but a dream.
Jack entered their midst. Briefly glancing at Travis and Felicity, the man drilled into Troy. Casey detected a soft spot in the callous demeanor as he gazed at his daughter. His face looked awful, but his hostility slipped. “I’ve been trying to call you.”
“I know,” Felicity stammered, leaning into the safety of Travis, his body a shield between her and her father. He was a gallant knight, wielding his shield for his damsel in distress. And Felicity was clearly distressed by her father’s presence. After their conversation the other day, Casey could understand why. She stole a peek at the man. He hit Delaney.
“She doesn’t have anything to say to you,” Travis stated.
“Don’t interfere, boy. This is between me and my daughter.”
Felicity remained a frightened fawn, but Travis pushed out his chest as though he were looking for a fight. “She wants nothing to do with you.”
“And I told you to stay out of it.”
Troy was on his feet in seconds, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother. Together, they looked like twin guards. Glancing between the two, Casey thought Troy every bit as tough as Travis, and with far less effort.
Jack merely chuckled. Giving Troy the onceover, he remarked, “Surprised you’re still walking the streets. Won’t be long, though. The police are looking for you.”
Casey’s pulse quickened. What? Police?
Thankfully, Cal Foster walked up behind his brother. “Jack,” he said in a very calm voice, “why don’t you leave these kids alone?”
“Why don’t you stay out of my business.”
“These kids are my business.”
He scowled. “Not my daughter.”
Cal glanced to Felicity. She stood immobile, Travis silent. He exchanged a glance with Troy. It was as if everyone was communicating via ESP, everyone except her. Casey’s insides began to unravel. What did the police have to do with Troy? Who had beaten Jack Foster? What did Cal have to do with any of it?
Cal turned to Felicity. “Are you interested in a visit with your father at the moment?”
Visibly trembling, her pink-toned skin pale, she shook her head.
“You have your answer,” Cal said to his brother. “It’s time for you to leave.”
Like a cornered rat, Jack made a quick assessment of the situation and decided the odds were against him. Three men against one. And he was already injured. Looking as if he were about to spit, Jack replied, “You’re gonna be sorry for this.”
Casey shuddered. If words could kill, her stepfather would be lying in a pool of blood right now. As Jack walked away, Troy stood rigid by Cal
’s side. Felicity reached for Travis and he pulled her close, mouthing, “It’s okay.”
“You okay?” Cal asked Felicity.
“Yes.”
Travis led her away from their table, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. Cal looked to Troy and then offered a small smile for Casey. “You two enjoy your breakfast, you hear?”
She swallowed hard. Not hardly!
Troy sat down and Casey whirled on him. “What was he talking about? Why are the police looking for you?”
Clearly agitated, Troy replied, “It ain’t nothin’ to worry about.”
“Nothing to worry about?” Was he insane? He just got back in town, just got a new job and the police were looking for him? She didn’t call that nothing to worry about—she called that a big problem! “Did you do that to him?” she blurted, gripped by a sudden need to know. “Did you do that to Felicity’s father? Does it have anything to do with why she was thanking you?”
Troy didn’t answer. He clamped his mouth closed as though forcing the words to remain unspoken. Casey wanted to shake him, shake the words from his lips. Their waitress arrived with their breakfast, sliding plates of steaming food before them. Moist heat rose from the pancakes before her, mixed with the scent of buttery yellow eggs and grits, half a dozen strips of rusty-red bacon and two fat biscuits. A mountain of food.
Food she couldn’t stomach the first bite of. Casey clutched hold of her belly, reassured by the warm round feel of her baby. She had no appetite—not for food. She needed answers and lots of them.
“Will there be anything else?” the waitress asked.
Troy looked to Casey but all she could think about were police, his job, a beating.
“I think we’re good,” he told the girl.
“Okay. Holler if you need anything!”
“Troy.” Casey’s breathing grew shallow, her chest tight. She didn’t want to know but she had to know. “What happened?”
He unrolled his silverware. “It’s nothin’ you should be worried about.”
“I am. I am worried. Are you in trouble?
“No.”
Ladd Haven Page 17