Ladd Springs

by Dianne Venetta

  Chapter Seven

  Annie Owens turned to take Delaney head on. She wasn’t afraid of her and she would not back down. Her daughter Casey was a direct descendent of Ernie and as such, had every right to stake her claim to the title of Ladd Springs. “I’m here to speak with Ernie.” She laced arms across her chest.” “If it’s any of your business.”

  Delaney waved an insolent finger through the air and said, “It absolutely is my business when you come here trying to swindle my daughter’s property from under her feet.”

  Annie shook her new page boy cut and laughed derisively. “You can’t swindle something from someone who has nothing.”

  Delaney’s brown eyes turned to stone, cold as river rock. “I have a lawyer who says otherwise.”

  “You’re not the only one with a lawyer, Delaney.” Annie gave her a once-over. “Casey has rights and I aim to see that she gets what’s coming to her.”

  “Nothing’s coming to her, because you’re leaving.”

  Delaney took a step toward her and Annie warned, “Go ahead. I’d love for you to add assault to my lawyer’s list of complaints.”

  Delaney froze.

  Heartbeats walloped within her chest wall. “Guess you’re smarter than I thought,” Annie said. Messing with Delaney Wilkins was not on her list of things to do. She’d hated the woman for as long as she could remember, but taking a tumble with her was not a winning proposition. She was like a cat in heat and would scrap at the slightest provocation. Clem’s bullet scar served as a sharp reminder to anyone paying attention.

  But Annie was on firm ground in this discussion. Casey was Jeremiah’s daughter and despite his refusal to acknowledge the same, the courts would do so for him. That’s what the lawyer told her.

  “You’re wasting your time, Annie.”

  She gave a terse shake to her head. “Don’t think so.”

  Ernie’s chair creaked beneath him as he pitched forward. “You two quit you’re squabblin’ already, would ya? I done told her I ain’t signin’ over a thing to that illegitimate brat of hers.”

  “At least we can agree on something,” Delaney said to him.

  The words stung, but Annie held her tongue. Beside Ernie, Albert rocked quietly, content to watch the fireworks around him without the slightest interest. Annie wondered if he understood what was going on but decided it was doubtful. The man was as an empty skull atop a listless body. His sons Robby and Billy were no different.

  “Go on all you want with your insults, but the fact remains,” Annie said, injecting her spine with steel, “Casey is Jeremiah’s daughter and blood is thicker than some phony promise you made up to get the property for Felicity.”

  Delaney’s hand flinched at her side and Annie’s feelers popped out. She’d best be careful or the witch might just add that assault charge, Annie thought. “It’s all there.” She pointed to an envelope on a small table between Ernie and Albert, but quickly curled her shaky finger into a fist, dropping it by her side. “If you have any questions, you can contact my lawyer.” She flashed a heated gaze to Delaney and said, “Come near me, and I’ll file an injunction against you.”

  “Don’t worry,” Delaney replied. “I won’t. And speaking of attorneys,” she said, directing her words more to Ernie than Annie. “I’ve just come from a visit with mine. Ernie, consider yourself officially on notice.”

  “Notice for what?” he griped, dodging her gaze. Albert turned toward her as though he’d just tuned into the conversation.

  “We’re going to court.”

  He pushed back in the rocker and swiped, “I ain’t goin’ to no court.”

  “You are, if the judge says you are, or else you’ll end up in jail.” Albert looked away at the mention of jail. “If you don’t stick to your promise, the courts will force your hand.”

  “What grounds do you have to go to court?” Annie asked, her confidence leaking at the mention of official notification.

  “Legal grounds, something you seem to lack.”

  At the moment, Annie didn’t have anything official when it came to paperwork, but she darn sure would tell her lawyer to get her some! A paternity test was her only true path to victory, but without Jeremiah’s cooperation, there would be no test. She could ask a court to order him, but court fights were fought dirtier than street fights, and she had no interest in holding herself out for that kind of punishment.

  Until now. Casey’s inheritance depended upon it. Annie looked down her nose at Ernie. She could get a paternity test based on the grandparent, but that would require yanking a gray hair from that balding head of his—which was tempting in its own right but highly unlikely. For an old man Ernie was surprisingly agile when he wanted to be. She’d seen him take out a snake with his walking stick not two months ago. A shudder ran through her and her thoughts turned to Casey. She deserved to call Ladd Springs her home.

  “Well now, who forgot to invite me to the party?”

  Annie whirled and her breath caught.

  Clem Sweeney smiled oil and vinegar as he ogled Annie’s body, his gaze slithering over her scooped-neck blouse, her jean-clad legs, then settling on her breasts. “Mighty nice surprise to see you, Annie.”

  “Clem.” It was all she could spit out, the breath still trapped in her chest. She had not expected to run into him.

  Delaney looked at him and piped up, “Speak of the devil. Annie here says Casey deserves this property as the rightful heir, on account of Jeremiah and all.”

  When Clem looked at her, Annie squirmed inside. “Casey is Jeremiah’s, you say?”

  Delaney nodded. “That’s what she says.”

  Annie didn’t like where this was going. “I have to go.”

  “What’s with the sudden rush, Annie?” Delaney asked.

  “I’ve said my piece,” she said. “Ernie, the next step is the court.”

  “I’m tired of all this court talk, now get!” He dismissed her with an aggravated wave.

  “Who’s talkin’ about court?” Clem asked the lot of them.

  When no one said a word, Albert pointed at Delaney and Annie. “Them is.”

  Clem sharpened his gaze on the women.

  “You might watch your back around Clem, Annie,” Delaney said. “Seems he’s after the property, too.”

  Annie reeled on Clem. “What do you have to do with Ladd Springs?”

  Clem ignored her and snarled to Delaney, “You sure are a big talker when your boyfriend ain’t around, aren’t ya, Dell?”

  “I didn’t need backup, Clem,” Delaney defended. “Never did. I could have handled you fine all by myself.”

  He snickered. “Maybe I oughta send that city boy a thank-you card.”

  Annie wondered what they were talking about, but wanted no part. Clem Sweeney was trouble, and it was best she steer clear of the man. Stuffing her curiosity into her back pocket, she headed for her car.

  “See you in court, Annie,” Delaney called out after her.

  Delaney was right behind her, but first she had a few words for her uncle. Strolling near to him, she said, “I’ve got a sworn affidavit for Ashley to sign stating she witnessed your promise to my mother. We will take it to court if you don’t honor your promise to my mother before then.”

  Her attorney said that if Ernie wanted to change his mind, it was his prerogative, but perhaps the affidavit would convince him otherwise. However, if he died intestate, which meant without a will, then Tennessee law dictated who received what—Jeremiah had first rights, Albert second, and she and Felicity were third in line. Along with Casey, should Annie ever prove her paternity claim. Without Jeremiah in the picture, Delaney knew she would have a better chance in court. Armed with Ernie’s deathbed promise to her mother, the lawyer said it would then depend upon whether Uncle Albert fought her for title—something she was certain would not happen—and which judge heard the case. Who sat on the bench was anyone’s guess.

  Ernie’s eyes became beads of hate in his colorless face. He pulled the p
ipe from his mouth and rubbed the white whiskers of his jaw. “What do you want, Delaney?”

  “I want the property.”

  “Why?”

  “She wants money,” Clem responded for her.

  “It’s not the money,” she said to Clem, irked by his nosey presence. “But Ernie knows my desire runs deeper. It’s about family and tradition. It’s about ensuring my daughter has a place to live, a legacy to pass on.” She paused, allowing it to sink in. “It’s what you were supposed to do, Uncle Ernie. My mother would turn in her grave if she knew you were even considering allowing this property to fall out of family hands.”

  He didn’t reply and Clem became squirrely. “You’re as greedy as they come, Dell. He sees right through you, can’t you see that?”

  “It’s up to you, Ernie,” she said, without acknowledging Clem. “It’s your call. This isn’t about me, it’s about Felicity. Your granddaughter,” she emphasized, as though it were a fact that had slipped his mind. “We can play nice, or we can play ugly, but one way or another, Felicity and I will not be kicked off of Ladd Springs.”

  Without another word, Delaney stomped off to her truck. Boots crunching over gravel, she hoped it sunk in. She hoped Ernie would remember his sister and do what was right. Clem’s cozy visits were doing nothing but stir up mud—especially after his stupid stunt in the forest. What the hell possessed him to do such a thing? He’d been after her all through high school, but since she married and divorced Jack, not a peep. She swung open the door to her truck and hopped in. It was strange behavior, even for him.

  She’d brought up the part about Jeremiah, because Delaney suspected Clem and Annie had a thing, years back, but it was only speculation. Was Casey Clem’s daughter?

  She turned the ignition and tore out of the driveway. Sure would make her life easier if she was.

  Delaney drove the short distance to Ashley Fulmer’s house, a modest log cabin sitting on ten acres of manicured lawn, a backdrop of forest to the rear. Potted plants filled with flowers hung across the front porch, knick knacks of every size and shape littered the walls, hung from shutters, sat perched out by the walkway in welcome. But the eccentric décor was but one facet of the woman inside. After a quick rap on the door, Delaney let herself in and called out for Ashley.

  Ashley poked her head out from the kitchen and waved with a toothy grin. “Hey, darlin’!” Dressed in denim skirt and sequin-covered fuchsia blouse, her platinum hair twisted high atop her head, she had more bracelets jangling from her wrist than Delaney had owned in the course of a lifetime. But Ashley was the Queen of Bling around these parts and clogging champ. When she spruced up for a run on the dance floor, watch out—this woman had fire in her boots, glitter in her eyes and a win in her heart. She and her husband Booker were county champs for five years running now. “C’mon in, make yourself comfy. I’m in the middle of supper.”

  Ashley was her mother’s closest friend, closer than any sister could be. She had laughed with her mom during the good times, cried during the bad and held vigil bedside as she fought through the darkest days of her life.

  “Smells like someone’s making pie.”

  “You’ve got a nose like a bloodhound. My blueberries were ready early so I decided to make pie. It’s in the oven now.”

  Delaney laughed softly. “What else would you do with blueberries?”

  “Aw, honey, you know they’re my weakness.”

  “And oh-so-delicious in pie form.”

  Ashley laughed in agreement. “You know life is good when the blueberries are plump on the bush!”

  Delaney strolled over, grabbed a big hug from her, and was instantly enveloped in soft motherly comfort and powdery perfume. With her mother gone, Ashley was the next best thing. “How are you?” she asked.

  “I’m brighter than a peacock in heat, how ‘bout you?”

  “Getting by,” Delaney replied. Uninterested in dwelling on her troubles, she admired the frilly smock Ashley wore. “I like your apron.”

  “Isn’t it precious?” With floured hands, Ashley held it out for inspection. “One of the girls from church was selling these at the bazaar last week and you know me, I had to have one. Matches my boots,” she said in a flirty fashion, outstretching her leg, twisting her boot on its toe.

  Bejeweled in a punch of rhinestones, yellow and pink and purple, the apron was trimmed in green lace, a tiny floral pattern running through each swatch of fabric. It had Ashley written all over it. “Bet it was calling out your name.”

  Ashley laughed, her generous bosom rising and falling with each breath she took. “There were three more like it child, it was all I could do not to grab them, too,” she exclaimed and winked. “But it just wouldn’t be fair to the others, you know what I’m sayin’?”

  “I do,” Delaney replied and hated to put a damper on Ashley’s good mood, but she was here with a purpose. Best to get to it and get on with it. “I have that paper for you to sign.”

  Without a second’s hesitation, Ashley said, “Whip it out, Delly, and I’ll get my pen.” Ashley snatched a dishtowel from the counter beside her and wiped the flour from her hands.

  “I think you have to go to your bank to sign it. Something about it has to be witnessed.”

  “Not a problem. I’ll put it over here in my ‘to do’ pile. I’m going to town tomorrow, I’ll do it then.” Ashley stopped short. With hands to her hips, blue eyes lined in black swamped with concern. “Why so glum, darlin’?”

  Delaney shrugged. “Ran into Annie at Ernie’s place on the way over here.”

  “What’s that wild cat want with the old coot now?”

  Ashley was Annie’s godmother and loved her like a daughter, but she called a skunk a skunk and a young woman with a wild streak, exactly that—wild. Delaney sighed. “She’s still making noise about getting the property for Casey.”

  “It’ll never happen,” Ashley said, all signs of light-hearted fun erased from her tone. That property belongs to you and Felicity. She knows that.”

  “I don’t want it for me, Ashley. It’s for Felicity,” Delaney defended.

  “I know you say you don’t, but your momma’s spirit lives on that land and you need to be there, to be close.” Ashley picked up a raw chicken breast and dredged the prickly pale skin in a pan of flour, speckled with orange and black. Cajun fried chicken was one of her specialties, and Delaney almost wished she could stay for dinner. “It was important to Susannah that you live here ‘til your dyin’ day. And she would have loved Felicity to do the same.”

  Delaney’s throat closed and she nodded.

  “She deserved half that property and she would have passed it on to you—you know as well as I do, it’s true.”

  “But Jeremiah is entitled to his share, isn’t he?”

  “He was until he ran off with that little vixen and left his father to rot.” Ashley patted the flour around the breast, filling in around the rib cage, packing it onto the flaps of hanging skin, mincing no words when it came to family. “Whether Casey is really Jeremiah’s offspring or not is irrelevant. As far as I reckon, he surrendered his rights the day he deserted his father—whether the man deserved his devotion or not.”

  Delaney rubbed a hand over her forehead. As much as she’d like to agree with Ashley, she couldn’t. Legally speaking, Jeremiah could contest any will that didn’t include him. Stood a better chance should Ernie die without one.

  “Don’t you fret, Delly. We’ll get this done. A deathbed promise will hold up in a court of law. He wrote it down himself and I watched him do it.”

  And burned it three months later. Grief at losing his sister had overtaken Ernie in the beginning but eventually festered into hatred. He couldn’t think straight, he couldn’t see straight. He could only feel the loss of his sister—the one person in this world who cared about him had died. Wanting to keep her close, Ernie buried his sister near the slope between his cabin and hers. In his own weird rationale, it was his way of taking care of her, watching ov
er her. He built a wooden cross to mark the spot, even planted flowers. He was pitiful—and over a loss he could have avoided.

  After a brief visit with Ashley, Delaney drove home. Predictably, Ashley had invited her to stay, but she needed to get home, to be there for Felicity. Passing the main house, Delaney fumed inwardly at the greedy hands working to massage Ernie their way. Although she felt sorry for Annie and her pathetic past, Casey was an illegitimate heir. Annie and Jeremiah had never married. Hell, they barely had a relationship! He used her for his pleasure. He knew she’d be there any time he snapped his fingers, and he took full advantage. To make matters worse, he ran off to Atlanta with Annie’s sister Lacy, leaving Annie pregnant and alone.

  But Annie had been fairly loose back in the day. Casey could belong to anyone and without a positive paternity test, Delaney was not willing to grant her rights to Ladd Springs. As far as Clem went, Delaney would be damned if he got anywhere near the title to the property.

  Sure as she was breathing, that man and his cohorts were up to no good in her forest, and she would expose him to be the con artist she knew him to be. But first, she had to secure the proof.