Ain’t gonna happen. While he promised Casey he’d work on his relationship with Jimmy, Troy wasn’t going to allow that to include subservience. He might have to accept that Casey and Jimmy were friends and would remain so, but he didn’t have to lose his manhood in the process. Troy didn’t care for Jimmy. He’d put up with him, tolerate him, even allow him to visit with Casey and Cassidy whenever he wanted, but he wasn’t gonna act like they were cool. They weren’t.
Instead, Troy accepted an offer from his father to work part-time in Chattanooga. His daddy was a vice-president of operations for a packaging company and said he could use help in his office. He was willing to pay twice minimum wage which Troy took as a peace offering. Not like he’d get rich off the job, but it was a heck of lot more than he’d make anywhere around here at the moment. And he needed money to support his family. His momma encouraged him to take it as a way to end the hostility between father and son. They’d apologized for letting him sit in jail and he should forgive them. Old resentment pulled at him. Only because Miss Delaney marched over and gave them an ear full. If it wasn’t for her, his parents would still think the worst of him. Pulling his hand from Cassidy’s head, he shrugged it off. Whatever. Cal said they could move into the cabin next week and that’s what he was focused on. Moving forward.
Setting the bottle down on the cushion beside her, Casey tossed a soft cloth over her shoulder to prepare for a round of burping. Troy watched in awe as she handled the infant. Only three weeks old, Cassidy was small and spindly. The nurses kept her warm, kept her monitored, but he thought she was too skinny. Cassidy was being released today, something they’d been waiting for, but suddenly Troy wasn’t so sure. Would she be okay at home? Would he and Casey be able to care for her?
Placing child to her shoulder, Casey nestled close and began the process of eliminating any gas Cassidy might have ingested while drinking from her bottle. Gone was the uncertainty and doubt he’d witnessed in the immediate days of his return home, replaced by a confidence Troy assumed must come with motherhood. Giving birth must transform a woman’s heart and mind as the baby growing inside had done to her body. These days Casey seemed so relaxed, self-assured. After they delivered the baby, an ambulance transported them to the hospital where doctors and nurses flocked to their side, whisked Cassidy away and placed her under intense scrutiny by a twenty-four hour neonatal staff—despite his protest.
But if his baby needed care than so be it. At least they allowed him to be present while Casey was being examined. And while he held her hand the entire time, Casey only wanted one thing. Her baby. Not him, not the doctors or nurses or family but her child. Eventually he and Casey were allowed to visit Cassidy and Troy recalled how sick he felt when he saw her. There were wires connected to her chest, tubes attached to her nose and mouth, heat lamps set up all around her pint-sized crib. It looked awful, like Cassidy was near dead. But she wasn’t. The nurse assured him she was okay and this was nothing more than medical assistance to make sure she stayed that way.
Once they decided Cassidy was well enough to be with her momma, Casey took to mothering like she’d done it a hundred times. Forget that it was her first child, she seemed to know instinctively how to care for a newborn. She never stumbled or hesitated, rather reacted as if a whole new layer of knowledge had been packed into her brain with the birth of her child. Troy on the other hand was still getting used to the idea. He was getting better, but a part of him still felt like he was going to break something if he held or hugged Cassidy too hard.
“Let me see that little girl,” Troy said impulsively, reaching over for Cassidy.
As Casey released the baby to him, she handed Troy the cloth which he flung absently over his shoulder. He was the daddy and he was determined to care for his baby, too.
Skinny little legs kicked wildly against him and he said, “Hold on, now. I’m gettin’ there.” He shook his head. “You’re gonna have to learn some patience or you’re never gonna learn to work a horse.”
Casey gazed at him fondly, a soft sheen of love deepening the blue of her eyes. “Cassidy has a mind of her own, something daddy is going to have to get used to else there be fireworks in the household.”
“What are you talkin’ about?” Troy asked, concealing the swell of a smile. That much about kids he knew.
Folding her hands across her flat abdomen, Casey simply smiled.
Cassidy gurgled next to him, tickling the skin at his neck. Tilting his head, Troy gently tapped his to hers. “C’mon, sunshine. You’ve got this. Give me some gas, baby, gimme some gas.”
Casey chuckled and shook her head. “You’d better be careful, or she’s going to give you more than gas.” Arching a brow, she added, “Her face is turning red.”
A distinct sign of bowel movement. “It don’t matter. She can poop all she wants. Her momma will get her diaper,” he said, suppressing a knowing grin.
“If you can burp her, you can change.”
“Oh, no. No self-respectin’ man is gonna change a diaper.”
“What happens when you’re alone with her?”
“We’ll wait for her momma to come home.”
“You do and I’ll whoop your hide.”
Troy couldn’t help but laugh as he imagined Casey trying to whoop him. She was half his size and scrawny as a stray dog. She couldn’t whoop a flea, let alone him. “Go ahead,” he teased. “It’ll be fun wathchin’ you try.”
Casey crossed arms over her chest and feigned anger. “I’m gonna surprise you one of these days.”
“Good. I look forward to it. Now back to serious matters, have you talked to your momma about shopping?”
“Yes. She wants to go next week.”
As a wedding gift, Cal and Annie offered to purchase three rooms of furniture for the new cabin—living room and two bedrooms. Troy instantly refused, claiming it was too generous. He didn’t know what furniture cost, but it had to be a lot. Cal had already built them a home. Troy would buy his own furniture. Eventually.
But Cal insisted the cabin had been a Christmas gift to Casey, under construction before Troy ever set foot back home. He said the furniture wasn’t too generous, considering it was his brother, Jack, causing Troy to lose his job in the first place. Troy had still refused until Casey urged him to reconsider. Raising a baby without a proper home wouldn’t be easy. They needed a bed, she needed a crib... If he wanted, Troy could pay him back. At that, the matter was settled. For now, they’d go shopping and furnish the home. When he saved up the money, Troy would pay Cal back for half of it. Cal agreed.
Troy honed in on Casey. “You’re not buyin’ any frilly, flowery stuff, are you?”
She giggled. “And what if I am? Don’t you think Cassidy should have girly things?”
“Don’t go makin’ a sissy out her. She’s gonna be a horse girl.” Casey laughed at him. Troy didn’t know if she was having fun with him, or making fun of him. “What?”
“You. You’re so predictable.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. It makes it easy to know what will please you.”
Troy liked the sound of that. At the sound of air escaping Cassidy’s mouth, he patted her narrow back. “Good girl.”
“And you should know better than to think I would make a sissy out of our daughter,” Casey went on. “As if I were that kind of woman, myself.”
“I don’t know about that one.” Troy eyed her dress, a floral-printed halter top and skirt that betrayed her denial of feminine taste. “You seem to have taken to girly fashion these days.” Which he liked—a lot—though he wasn’t gonna tell her at the moment. It would undermine his argument. But he did like it. Casey looked really good when she wore bright colors and prints. It brought out the blue in her eyes, brightened her ivory complexion, kinda like the makeup she was beginning to wear. Not much, but he discovered a touch of colored lip gloss and shimmery blush went a long way on Casey’ face. Desire surged. A really long way.
“So that’s my grandkid, huh?”
Troy and Cassidy whirled at the sound of a male voice at the doorway.
Jeremiah Ladd strolled in, conceit ingrained in his light brown eyes, the swagger of his blue jeans and ostrich boots. “They told me but I didn’t believe it.”
Troy pressed Cassidy closer to his body and demanded, “What are you doing here?”
Casey didn’t say a word, only stared as her father invaded their hospital room.
“Another girl, huh?” Jeremiah shook his head, short layers of sandy-blond hair greased in place by hair gel as they skimmed over the collar of his lime green pinstriped shirt. “Must be the weak gene pool on your side that can’t produce a boy.”
Every fiber in Troy’s body sprang to ready mode, wanting nothing more than to pounce on this loser. He had no business here. Casey hated him as much as Troy did. Rising from his chair, he stepped forward. “Who let you in here?”
Jeremiah smiled smugly. “Visiting hours don’t discriminate.”
“You need a pass,” Troy objected.
Jeremiah tapped the space on his shirt where the adhesive name tag should have been stuck. “Grandfather of the baby gets family access.”
“Well, we don’t want you here so I’d suggest you turn around and get out.”
Standing near shoulder-to-shoulder with Jeremiah, Troy sensed the hatred pulsating beneath the man’s calm exterior. It mirrored that of his own. Jeremiah Ladd was nothing but trouble. He’d caused Miss Delaney grief, Casey, her mother and her aunt Lacy. The man had even been willing go to fists with his old man, and for what?
Land. Money. Jeremiah waltzed into town a year ago claiming Ladd Springs belonged to him. It didn’t. Ernie Ladd signed it over to Felicity and she signed half of it over to Casey. Facts Jeremiah was well-acquainted. The fact that he was here could only mean one thing.
He wanted revenge.
# # #
The End
Deep Dish Sweet Potatoes
3 lbs. sweet potatoes
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
5 TBSP butter, softened
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg, ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake potatoes 1 hour or until soft. Cool.
Butter a 2-quart deep dish casserole pan and set aside. Scoop cooked potato from skins and place in a large mixing bowl. Add all ingredients to potatoes and blend until smooth. Adjust for salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to casserole dish and spread until evenly distributed, creating textured surface. Bake uncovered on the middle oven shelf for about 30-45 minutes or until surface is lightly browned. Serve hot.
The orange-flavored base in this recipe is a great compliment to the sweet potatoes. Variations include the addition/substitution of bacon bits, dried cranberries and walnuts. Let your imagination run wild with this southern staple!
Thank you for reading Ladd Springs. As an author, reviews are a wonderful way to help future readers discover my books. Will you take a moment to review Ladd Springs?
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About the Author:
Dianne Venetta lives in Central Florida with her husband, two children and part-time Yellow Lab Cody-boy! An avid gardener, she spends her spare time growing organic vegetables, surprised by what she finds there every day. Who knew there were so many amazing similarities between men and plants? Women, life and love and her discoveries along the way provide for never-ending fun on her garden blog: BloominThyme.
You can also find her on twitter @DianneVenetta and facebook.com/DianneVenetta. Plus, learn how you can become a member of her street team, Bloomin’ Warriors, where you’ll be eligible for special discounts, advance excerpts, author swag and unique gift items throughout the year. For full details, be sure to check out her website,
Dianne Venetta
Other novels by Dianne Venetta
Romantic Women’s Fiction
The Gables Trilogy:
JENNIFER’S GARDEN
LUST ON THE ROCKS
WHISPER PRIVILEGES
Women’s Fiction
CONDEMN ME NOT
Mystery/Romance Fiction
Ladd Springs Series:
LADD SPRINGS #1
LADD FORTUNE #2
HOTEL LADD #3
LADD HAVEN #4
LOSING LADD #5
Ladd Haven Page 27