“The only crime that’s been committed has been by you,” Cal thrust angrily, irritated by his mother’s presence. He had wanted to avoid this scene altogether, but she was making that impossible. “We’re here to tell you it won’t stand. We will reveal you for the liar you are.”
Victoria set her sights on Cal, a glittery mix of anger and determination in her heated gaze heated. “Don’t tell me you’re going to continue this charade on behalf of your wife’s new family?”
“It’s no charade. Jack assaulted Delaney. With a gun.”
“Because Delaney said so?” Jack laughed, clearly comfortable under his mother’s wing. “That woman has had it out for me ever since the divorce, everyone knows that.”
Cal wanted to spit. He wanted to smack a stiff one across his jaw. Jack had always been a hell raiser, a short-cut taker, a man skating the field of responsibility, but an abuser? That crossed the line. “What happened to you, Jack?”
His mother responded for him, firing her disdain with both barrels. “What happened to your loyalty to family, Cal? Why have you forsaken your kin for the Ladds?”
“This is about right and wrong, momma. It’s not about taking sides.”
“So you intend to slander our good name with these false charges against your brother?”
“They’re not false.”
“They won’t withstand the scrutiny of a judge. You and I both know what will happen if you proceed. Without physical proof you will only succeed in smearing our good name.” Taking a step toward him, she said, “We have a reputation in this town, good standing within the community. Do you seriously want to ruin that for an old grudge?”
Seemed to him that’s exactly what his momma was doing—acting on an old grudge. “Jack is out of control. He needs help.”
Jack belted out a laugh, puncturing the room with contempt. “It’s not me who needs the help. Everyone in town knows it’s that Parker kid who’s trouble. Why don’t you focus some of your attention on him?” Erasing all ease, he added, “Screwing around with your girlfriend’s father’s lady is pretty sick, if you ask me.”
Nick flinched. Malcolm seized his arm. Cal balled his hand into a fist by his side. “You’re walking some treacherous ground, Jack. I’d watch your back, if I were you.”
“Threatening me again?” Jack looked to their mother. “Tsk, tsk, tsk...when you will you ever learn?”
Victoria glowered, frosty lines carved into her face. “Cal, I think you should leave.”
Something in him closed. Hearing those words spoken from his momma’s lips sealed it for him. This was a wasted effort. Her stake in this went deep, deeper than he’d realized. Maybe deeper than he could fathom. She was banking her reputation and family’s future relations on this one battle. For better or worse, she was fully vested. “I’ll go, Momma, but I can’t let Jack get away with what he’s doing. It’s not right, and I intend to do everything in my power to stop him. I’m sorry if it causes you pain, but it’s the right thing to do.” As he said it, Cal glimpsed sight of his father. His heart pitched. Standing several yards behind her, he’d been listening to the entire exchange. The guilt in his eyes said it all. This was about him.
And he knew it.
Victoria’s defense of Jack was an assault against her husband. It was emotional retaliation for the years of hurt she’d endured. Cal hadn’t realized until this moment how hot the memory of Susannah Ladd still burned in his daddy’s heart. Perhaps he hid it well, perhaps Cal hadn’t been looking, but now, in the dim light of the dining room, it was there, clear as mountain river stream.
Casey smacked the steering wheel of her car, cursing the vehicle ahead of her. “The speed limit’s forty-five not twenty-five!”
A brown station wagon lumbered along at an agonizing twenty miles per hour, blocking her passage on the two-lane highway. Black pavement was marked by a double yellow line, lined by heavily-wooded trees, constantly curving. There was hardly anyone out here, with only the occasional mailbox jutting out from a hidden drive. Still, there was no way she could pass. Not without risking a head-on collision.
A tiny spasm cramped in her abdomen. She’d been having them for the last few hours. They were minor. Nothing more than nerves, but she didn’t dare tell Miss Ashley. As it was, it took thirty minutes of “convincing” to keep her from driving Casey to the hotel herself. A woman in her condition shouldn’t drive. She was too upset. It wasn’t good for the baby. Casey wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, “I’m fine! I’m pregnant. It’s fine!”
Ashley had been insistent but Casey was determined she was going alone. Troy needed her. He’d been let go. Not fired, he assured her, but “let go.” Company policy. Harris Hotels wasn’t permitted to employ criminals or people arrested for crimes. Which was totally unfair. Troy wasn’t a criminal. He was arrested on bogus charges made by a man with a vendetta against Miss Delaney.
And Casey thought her sperm donor was a creep. Felicity’s father was right there with him! Jack Foster was acting like Troy attacked him when Felicity said it was clearly the other way around. He’d been attacking her mom and Troy had stepped in to protect her.. After Troy left the diner with officer Gavin, Felicity came clean and told her everything.
At least Mr. Harris was able to get Troy out of jail. When Felicity told her the Parkers were letting Troy stay in jail to teach him a lesson, Casey had wanted to cry. They were going to let him sit in jail for something he didn’t do? What kind of lesson was that? Don’t step in and help others in need? It made her sick. What kind of parents did that to a child?
Not her. She would never do that to her kid. Ever. Her daughter was going to be loved. Her child was going to know she mattered. Troy wouldn’t do that to his child, either. He was going to be a good dad. Brake lights illuminated as the station wagon in front of her slowed for a sharp curve.
Growling under her breath, Casey cursed the car. If she didn’t hurry, Troy was going to leave before she got there. “Get going!”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Regret pummeled her heart as Delaney paced the confines of her office. Nick sat idle, watching her work through her emotions. He was supportive, patient, exactly what she needed. Trail rides were finished for the day, a few men working to tidy up and prepare for tomorrow. Nick had relayed his meeting with Jack, his mother, Cal’s interpretation of it all and Delaney was sick about it. This was her fault. “I should have gone down to the police station. I should have gone first thing and pressed charges. That way Jack wouldn’t have been able to make it look like I only went down to protect Troy.”
“You were trying to protect the hotel. You didn’t know he was going to fabricate a story to frame Troy.”
“I underestimated him. I should have suspected Jack would try and pull something like this.” But in all honesty she’d never seen it coming. She’d been too busy with concerns over Troy and Casey, the initial shock, the near fatal shooting. Casting a glance through the plate glass window, she zeroed in on the scene of the crime. Images from that night swarmed—Sadie, Jack, Troy, shrieks, gunfire—the bloody mess of the fight that ensued. Sure as she was sitting here, Delaney knew that if Troy hadn’t stepped in when he did, Jack would be dead. A shiver raced through her. Pulling her gaze from the window, she quieted the flutter of pulse. “I wish I could go back and change it, go down and file the charges. At this rate Gavin won’t even listen to me.”
“Gavin isn’t the only officer on the force,” Nick said. “The police can’t ignore you. A woman comes in and makes attempted rape charges, someone will have to follow up. There will be an investigation. Troy will be questioned, you... Trust me, they’ll find inconsistencies in Jack’s statement. The truth will come out.”
“They’ll find my bullet lodged in a wall somewhere.” Despite her best efforts, Delaney had been unable to find her bullet. She’d scoured the walls, the ground, but it was nowhere to be found. Vanished. Disappeared. She bet the police would find it, and it would go to Jack’s claim that sh
e drew first and fired her weapon.
“Self-defense,” Nick stated matter-of-factly.
“Prove it.”
“Whose side are you on?”
She dropped to a seat on the edge of her desk, the metal edge cutting into her tailbone. “Reality. It looks bad for me. I’m not the one sporting bruises from the encounter. I don’t have any physical evidence to prove my claim.”
“You have Troy.”
“A young man with an unstable past.” A past with marginal personal judgment—very public marginal personal judgment—including two well-observed dalliances with older women, one of them Jeremiah Ladd’s girlfriend. When Delaney learned that Jack had insinuated Troy was there after hours to have an affair with her, she’d almost doubled over. Jack was disgusting. He was a disgusting human being with no sense of decency. Groaning aloud, she muttered, “Oh yeah, jurors are going to love the two of us.”
Nick walked over and took her by the shoulders. He held firm, looked her square in the eye and said, “I love you. You’re not going to go through this alone. You have me, and together we’ll give Jack exactly what he deserves.”
Including a messy battle between two well-established families in town, she mused soberly. While she appreciated Nick’s declaration of love and support, she didn’t share his confidence. Jack Foster had eluded the consequences of his behavior for twenty years. There was no reason to believe that would change.
“You have to believe you’re the one with the power here. Don’t give it away so easily.”
Delaney blinked, realizing at once he was right. But it was past tense. Shame poked at her heart. She’d been the one with the power a decade ago yet she’d neglected to exercise it. She never pressed charges against Jack for his abuse, instead, opting to run home, taking shelter in the shadows of her mother’s sanctuary, just as her mother had done before her. Delaney ran, hid from her assailant. She hadn’t done anything wrong yet she was the one in hiding. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again. “You’re right. I’ll go to the police station tomorrow morning and give a complete statement.”
“Good girl.” He kissed her forehead. “Want me to go with you?”
“No.” Delaney didn’t want Nick to be subjected to anymore ugliness than need be. If Gavin wouldn’t listen, she’d find someone who would. This was about doing what was right, not giving into tawdry insinuations and accusations. “It won’t take long,” she said, and mentally began to prepare for the day ahead, the consequences to come.
“Okay. Now let’s get out of here and go home.”
Cal and Annie stepped outside the lobby, pausing. Off to the side of the front entrance near plump hydrangeas, their round blooms a soothing periwinkle. A collection of irises surrounded their base creating a lovely effect yet Annie couldn’t enjoy them. Not when her husband was hurting. Troy was no longer employed by Harris Hotels—a technicality of sorts, but a fact—a shock that still stung. Cal felt responsible which was ludicrous. He’d done nothing wrong. It was his brother, not him. Circling a hand around his arm, Annie secured their connection. “At least ya’ll were able to get him out of jail. I know he’s grateful to you for that. Did Troy say what his plans were? I mean, if the Parkers weren’t willing to bail him out, will they let him move back in?”
“He didn’t say. He was pretty beat up about losing his position at the stables.”
“You assured him it’s only temporary, right? Until Nick gets it cleared up in court?”
Cal gazed down at her, a deep sadness wedged in his hazel eyes. “Yes, but that can take months, especially if Jack proves to be difficult.”
“Do you think he will?”
“Yes, but the rest is up to Delaney.”
“She’s going to officially press charges, right? Won’t that help?”
“I imagine so.”
“But what?” His reticence was distinct. “What’s troubling you?”
“It’s my mother.”
Annie balked. “Victoria? What’s she got to do with anything?”
“She’s taken up for Jack.”
As a mother, Annie understood. A mother couldn’t forsake her child. Couldn’t abandon them in their hour of need. Even when they made poor decisions, a mother would be there for her child. “But surely she understands the severity of the situation. This isn’t a bar fight. Can’t she support him without allowing him to lie?”
Cal stepped away from Annie. Locating the nearest bench, he lowered to a bench, dropped his elbows to his knees, burying his face in his hands. Annie hurried to his side, placed a hand to his back. “Talk to me, Cal. What’s going on?”
“It’s ugly. Momma is fighting Jack’s battle because of Daddy’s past with Susannah.”
Annie dropped to a seat next to him, the rich scent of pine infusing the air around them with a serenity she needed but did not feel. A beautiful mountain evening was unfolding, but it was stained by an unfortunate turn of events. Victoria couldn’t possibly be holding a grudge over Susannah Ladd after all these years. The woman was dead. Gerald and Susannah were ancient history—they’d been teenagers, for Heaven’s sake! Annie honed in on Cal’s face as he raised his gaze to hers. Could she?
“Daddy is caught in the middle and I’m afraid it’s his fault.”
“His fault?”
“I think he’s been pining for Susannah more sharply than we realized.”
Oh, no... Annie looked away, settling on a clump of ferns. Realization settled in like a barrel of cold molasses. She recalled his offer to buy her share of Ladd Springs. He’d been quick to offer, excited by the prospect. At the time Annie had chalked it up to his passion for land, his admiration for the beauty and abundance of Ladd Springs, the rivers and streams, the wealth of natural springs. She tried to remember Victoria’s reaction but nothing stuck out as memorable. Victoria didn’t cringe, she didn’t protest. The woman didn’t so much as blink.
Could it be true she’d been harboring a stubborn jealousy all these years?
The pain in Cal’s gentle eyes tore at Annie’s heart. This cut deep for him. Jack was his brother, Victoria and Gerald his parents, Troy his soon-to-be son-in-law. Cal was caught in the middle, tangled in a web he had no part in spinning “I’m sorry, Cal. This can’t be pleasant for you.”
“It’s not pleasant for anyone. Momma was angry. When we were there to confront Jack, convince him to change his mind about these assault charges, Momma appeared out of nowhere and told us where to go and don’t waste time gettin’ there. She didn’t know it, but Daddy was standing behind her. He didn’t say anything but the look in his eyes...” Cal looked away. “It was sadder than a lonesome breeze through a cold forest of pine. It was a look I saw for the first time, but Momma”—he shook his head—“I think it must have been something she’s been living with for too long. The dam on her emotions finally broke.”
It never occurred to Annie that Gerald and Victoria could be the ones hurting the most right now. The two had built a life together, had four sons, a reputation as a loving couple. Annie had always thought the rumor mill was churning because folks were jealous of Gerald’s and Victoria’s ideal marriage. Annie never suspected it was due to a deep-rooted truth. “Do you think she would listen to reason? Could you talk to her?”
“What kind of reason speaks to a woman scorned?”
Annie pulled back. He had a point. “But she has to, Cal. She has to understand the repercussions of this decision.”
“She might be a woman tired of patchin’ together the threads of her heart. Jack is moving out of the house, but I don’t know how far he’ll get.”
“If we’re lucky, he’ll make it across the state line and never look back.”
“Don’t count on it. Not with Momma’s support.”
Distracted by movement, Annie turned, searching a cluster of rhododendron rising behind the hydrangea. She searched for signs of an animal. Had it been a bird? A squirrel? Running her gaze up the trunk of a nearby tree, she sifted through leaves and branch
es but saw nothing. Returning to Cal, she asked, “What about family? Don’t you think it would matter to her to know she’s tearing apart the family by supporting Jack?”
Cal dragged his hands down his face, raked them back over his head. “Maybe.” Blowing a ragged sigh, he turned to Annie. “Family’s always been important to her. Maybe it will make a difference this time.”
Felicity ducked further behind the bushes, careful to avoid detection by Casey’s mother. After returning Blue to the stables, she’d come here looking for Casey, prepared to offer her help in any way. But while eavesdropping on her mother’s and Cal’s conversation, an idea had formed. Victoria Foster was a mother, a woman. Her family was being torn apart. Naturally she wanted to stick up for her child, grown adult or not. Only in this case it was misguided. She didn’t understand what actually happened. She only understood what she’d been told. Of course her son was going to lie to her. He was trying to protect himself.
Moving away from the entrance, Felicity retreated and headed for her car. Travis was right about one thing. Passion had a way of making people do things. In the heat of the moment, people said and did things they wouldn’t ordinarily do or say. She’d done it with her mom. She’d said hateful things the night after her botched dinner with the Fosters, none of which were true. But she’d been angry, hurt. Maybe her father had been drunk the night he hit her mom, like at the stables the other night. Maybe alcohol was the real problem and not the man. It could be true. It was possible. Felicity pulled keys from her purse and centered on the notion. Without the alcohol her father could prove to be a decent person.
Look at Troy. His poor decisions had been due to drinking. He’d been fired because of it. Now that he’d quit drinking, he was back home, back with Casey. He was rising above his past to be the man he was meant to be. If Troy could do it, maybe her father could too. Maybe Jack Foster could beat the bottle and live the life he was meant to be—father, community leader—whatever he wanted to do he could, so long as he quit drinking. Victoria Foster didn’t want her son to be a drunk, did she? Especially not to the point of misconduct. A shiver passed through her. Criminal misconduct.
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