Ladd Springs (Ladd Springs, Book #1) (9 page)

Delaney
quieted the chaos of emotion churning in her heart. “This isn’t about me,
Ernie. This is about Felicity.”

“I
don’t believe that for a second.” Ernie leaned on the arm of his chair. “You’d
steal that sweet girl blind, the minute I signed it over to her. Just like you
tried to do to Jack.”

Delaney
ignored the insult. “You’re a miserable old man, hell bent on making everyone
around you just as miserable. It makes no sense, Ernie.”

A
glimmer of satisfaction trickled into his expression. “You ain’t denyin’ it,
are you?”

Jack
Foster came from a wealthy family, that much was true. But Delaney had never
been interested in him for his money. She had loved him. First love, only love,
she had believed in
‘til death do you part
. Problem was, it was likely
to be
her
death that parted them. But Ernie didn’t care about the truth.
He only cared about being hurtful. “Do you know this property is scheduled to
go up for auction?”

Awareness
registered in his gray eyes.

“Are
you willing to let a stranger have this property over Felicity?”

“No
stranger will take this property.” He jabbed a thumb to his chest. “I decide what
happens to it.”

“I
can assume, then, that you’ll pay the taxes you’ve neglected to pay, putting
this land at risk in the first place?”

“My
financial business ain’t none of your affair.”

It
was mind-boggling. He was incendiary, spiteful, dead set against her getting
anywhere near ownership for years, then turns around and offers her ten acres
to live on if she released her legal claim to the title. As though she were
that stupid. As though she were that easy to placate. “Why are you doing it? Why
make Felicity suffer? She spends night after night playing her flute for you,
yet you’re unwilling to give her a dime towards college. It doesn’t make
sense.”

He
lowered his gaze. “I don’t answer to you.”

“But
what about Felicity? Your sister? Do you answer to them?”

Ernie
shut down. Jamming the pipe back into his mouth, he sat back in his rocker and
closed his eyes, a grim expression carved into his face. He was a bitter man,
an unhappy man, and Delaney wondered if he wouldn’t fight her to the end just
to prove it.

Ernie
had lost his will to care about those closest to him. A foreboding settled upon
her shoulders. Would he take that despair to the grave and leave them out in
the cold?

Delaney
returned to her cabin to find Felicity pacing the living room. At her mother’s
entrance, she blurted, “What happened?”

“Ernie
tried to bribe me with ten acres for my release on the rest, plus fifty
thousand cash.” Delaney closed the door with a smooth thud.

“What
did you do?”

“I
didn’t sign,” she said, and pulled the hairband from her ponytail.

“What?”
Felicity asked, shocked.

“I
didn’t sign. I won’t.”

“But
you have to, don’t you?”

Delaney
glowered and ran her fingers through her hair clear down to the ends. The cool
interior of the cabin was a soothing relief. “I don’t
have
to do
anything.”

“Can’t
Mr. Harris help us?”

“No.”
She walked past her daughter and into the kitchen.

“But
why not? He said he’d give us a lot of money for this property—and we’d get to
keep some!”

Delaney
understood her concern, but until the title was in their hands, Mr. Harris’
offer was meaningless. Ernie was the only one who stood to gain from that deal,
and while the fifty thousand dollars he offered her would go a long way toward
paying Felicity’s college expenses, accepting it and a lousy ten acres in lieu
of complete ownership amounted to defeat. She pulled a mason jar from the
cabinet and filled it from the tap.

They
needed money, yes. Without it, Felicity would struggle through work and class
and not have enough time to practice her flute. If the girl had any chance to
make the cut for a professional orchestra, she would need hours upon hours of
practice—time she couldn’t spare, if forced to hold down a job. If her grades
dropped, the scholarship would disappear.

“What
are we going to do?”

Delaney
downed a healthy swallow of water and corrected defiantly, “You mean what is
he
going to do?” They may be in a bind, but she was not willing to concede. Not
yet.

“
Mom
.”

Delaney
hated the swells of doubt in Felicity’s eyes. Her daughter shouldn’t be
stressing over money and property rights. She should be carefree and excited
over the prospect of attending UT next year. She was being pulled into the mix
of a family feud and it was inexcusable. But then Ernie always did go for the
jugular.

Delaney
set her water down and closed the distance between her and Felicity. She pulled
her baby into a strong-armed hug and promised, “It’ll work out, you’ll see.”

Chapter Nine

Delaney
negotiated the rocky trail with ease, making her way down to the spot in
question without issue. Careful not to be followed, she double-backed and
triple-backed just to be sure, checking the path ahead and behind her for signs
of the men. Running into them would complicate matters.

Working
through the brush, she scanned the horizon through the trees. She stood
perfectly still, held her breath, and watched for signs of movement, listened
for the sound of voices. Nothing. She glanced about. As far as she could tell,
she was alone. Breathing in the scent of wet laurel, she forged forward. Overhead,
the canopy of trees rustled with the breeze, peppering sunlight in shades of buttery
gold. Dusk would be upon the forest soon and her visibility would be reduced to
nothing. But she couldn’t get away any earlier. One of her clients was being
audited and needed his accounting organized for inspection. Fortunately, Felicity
and a few girlfriends were with the Parker boys tonight, as they were every
Friday night, catching a movie and hanging out at the boys’ house afterward. But
Felicity would be home by eleven—per
her
strict orders.

Arriving
at the area, Delaney noted everything was as it was before. Matted forest floor,
nothing left behind in the way of backpacks or camping equipment. No signs of a
campfire. She surveyed the trees and rocks but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
She looked for broken branches, any clue to their activity from the other day. But
she detected nothing. Like before, all looked as expected. What was she missing?

A
patter of sound and her heart bolted. She glanced over her shoulder. Was
someone there? Maybe an animal, she thought, peering around, seeing no one. Taking
a deep breath, she calmed the angst building in her chest. It was nothing. She
was alone. Squatting, she sifted through leaves and dead branches on the
ground. There had to be something here. Those men were not hanging out in this
specific location without purpose. She looked around. Were they hiding
something in the bushes? She rummaged through nearby philodendron and a scraggly
bush, one she couldn’t identify.

She’d
heard tales of hikers through the years, hiding out in the woods, stashing
drugs and stolen goods where no one could find them. Maybe that’s what they
were doing. With hundreds of thousands of acres, she figured the USFS and
adjoining properties were as good a hiding place as any. A branch cracked.

Delaney
sucked in her breath, ducking instinctively. She gulped, waiting. When no more sounds
came, she warily raised her head. Leaves fluttered high above. An animal?

Black
bears were a growing population in this area. Her chest tightened. Momma bears
were not known for their rosy disposition. Running into one was not on her list
of things to do. Delaney swallowed back her fear and suddenly worried about
Sadie. Tied to the post, she would be easy prey for any animal with a knack for
attack. Should she go back for her?

Delaney
glanced around. She wasn’t accomplishing anything here. Rising to her feet, she
considered her options. It was going to be dark soon. Maybe she should come
back tomorrow and resume her search. Setting a hand to the rock beside her, she
leaned against it. The stone was cold, damp, mottled with white fungus.

Yes,
it might be better to return in the morning. She’d feign business and head out
first thing. Felicity would be all right for a few hours without her. Delaney
pulled her hand away and noticed a stick poking straight up from the stone
behind it. What the—?

That
was an odd position for a branch. Inspecting it more closely, she realized the
stick was propped up artificially. Excitement surged through her. Could this be
a clue?

She
moved to the other side of the rock. A large dead branch was lying over top of
it. She removed it and looked closer. In the trickle of sunlight, she caught
the sparkle of a dusty stone surface. She wiped at it and her breath caught. She
rubbed harder and stepped back, stunned.
Oh my
...

Adrenaline
liquefied her limbs. She’d heard of this before, but never dreamed it was
anything but a tall tale—or a thing of the past. With a shaky hand, Delaney
reached out and traced the lines etched in the gray stone. In the faint light,
she could see layers of rock separated by a distinct discoloration. Her
breathing grew shallow. She might be mistaken—most probably was mistaken—but
she would swear she was looking at gold.

In
the rough. On Ladd property. Her mind staggered at the implication. Could it be?

Heart
beats thumped behind her breast. The narrow threads of yellow were jagged,
uneven, and ran the entire width of the stone. Several areas looked as though
they’d been chipped away, revealing the vein as it penetrated deep into the
boulder. Delaney ran a shaky hand across the section, the surface sharp and
irregular beneath her fingertips. Disbelief poured into her skull. Those men
had discovered gold.
Gold
.

Immediately
she started calculating the significance in dollars and cents. The price of
gold was at a record high. Depending on how much there was in this rock, it could
mean Ladd Springs was worth millions.
Ladd Springs. Millions
.

The
thought made her dizzy. But how to get it out? What to do with it? Who to tell?
Delaney bolted upright.
Those men knew there was gold on her property
. Panic
sliced her in half.
Clem
knew there was gold on her property. His visits
with Ernie, his eagerness to please, mow the lawn, fix the plumbing...

It
was no wonder he was working so hard to ingratiate himself with Ernie! He
wanted the rights to the gold.

She
had to get out of here, had to think. She had to figure out her next step. Ladd
Springs had gold. It had to be real. Those men believed it was real, risking
the chance of getting caught in order to loot the land.
Clem
was looting
her land.

Ernie
had to be told. But just as quickly as the thought occurred, futility settled
in. He would not believe her. He would call her a liar, and it might even send
him further onto Clem’s side. He might sign the property over to Clem just to
spite her.

Delaney
needed proof. She patted her pockets, but they were empty. She hadn’t brought her
phone. Damn the luck. Where was it? Home? Truck? Delaney took one more look at
the vein etched in the rock before her, the waning light dulling its luster, and
a ravenous desire slinked in.
There was gold in Ladd Springs
.

On
the ride back to the property, Delaney worked to organize her thoughts. She had
to formulate a plan. She had to be sensible, rational. Finding gold on the
property incurred an entirely new set of concerns. Once she and Felicity
acquired ownership, she’d have to arrange for access to the location. They’d
need equipment to get it out. Machinery. Men. But deep in the woods, it
wouldn’t be easy.

Sadie
trotted over the river bridge, her hooves making a hollow echo over the rush of
white-capped water beneath them. A quarter mile down was Clem’s trailer. It sat
off the shoulder, just past the first curve. Delaney imagined him in it,
counting the days until he had stolen all the gold for himself. Well, that low
life was in for the surprise of his life. When she revealed her find and his
connection to the men in question, Ernie would have a fit! He’d renounce him on
the spot.

But
she couldn’t let Clem know she was on to him. She’d heard the stories about how
far miners were willing to go to stake out their claims. It seemed nothing was
off limits, up to and including murder. The fine hair on the back of her neck
stood, as she recalled Clem’s sordid actions from the other day. He had
surprised her with the move to grope her, but now it served as fair warning. Put
nothing past the man. Nothing. She must conceal her knowledge of the gold until
she was able to announce it with the confidence that he couldn’t steal any more.
Was this how lottery winners felt?

Struck
by the comparison, Delaney assumed they probably did. Tell no one until you see
an attorney and have confidentially arranged to have the winnings transferred
to your bank account. Sadie tripped as she side-stepped the gravel in favor of
the grass. She shook her mane with a rumbled of snort. Delaney held the reins
forward, giving Sadie the room she needed as they neared the dip in the drive. Passing
by Ernie’s cabin on her way to the stables, she saw Ashley’s car parked out
front. Delaney suppressed a quick rise of optimism. The cavalry had arrived, and
right on time. With a click from her mouth, she hurried Sadie forward. “Get on
it, girl. We’ve got plans to make!”

Inside
his cabin, Ernie scowled at Ashley through the dusty haze of light, the room
lit by a tiny Tiffany lamp perched on the end table by his chair. The scent of stale
tobacco hung in the air. Spiral braided floor rugs were scattered out across
wood plank floors, their fabric stained. Dirt and sweat permeated the room. It
was a pathetic way to live. Ashley frowned. If Susannah were alive, this dump
would be spotless.

“What
do you want?” Ernie muttered, not moving his eyes from the television.

Holed
up in his recliner, she regarded him with a twinge of pity. “Quit your
grumbling, old man. I’ve come to talk.”

“I
don’t wanna talk to you.”

She
planted a fist on her hip, pointing the other at him like the barrel of a gun. “I’m
here to speak my peace and then I’ll leave you to yours.” Though she doubted he
had any peace to speak of. Since Susannah died, Ernie had hardened his crusty
shell until it was downright impenetrable. He wouldn’t let anyone in, wouldn’t
listen to any kind words or offers of support. He wanted only to stew in his grief.

Which
gave her pause. It was a grief Ashley understood. When Susannah died, it had felt
like her other half died. Susannah was more than a friend to her. She was
sister, soul mate, the half to her whole. Without Booker, she would have not
survived Susannah’s death. Her heart went out to Ernie. She had survived. He
hadn’t. And now he was staring down the end of his own tunnel. Hopefully the
man would finally find peace.

“I’m
here to talk about you and Felicity,” she said.

“No
you ain’t. I read the paper.” He jabbed the mouthpiece of his pipe toward her
and accused, “I know you’re in cahoots with Delaney.”

“I’m
not in any cahoots with anybody. I’m here to talk some sense into you.” Without
bothering to ask for permission, she lowered her tired old body onto the sofa,
the cushion sinking flat beneath her. If you could call it a cushion. Felt more
like plywood than pillow. Wouldn’t surprise her if it was a throwaway he
salvaged from the junk pile out back. Ernie hadn’t bought a spec of anything to
outfit this place. Everything in it was a remnant from those who roamed these
rooms before him. She looked around the cabin. The walls were dank and dirty,
the light fixtures coated with a thick layer of dust. Even the antique Queen
Anne dining set was suffering under his neglect, its elegant curves chipped and
scratched. Everything was old, battered, tattered and stunk to high heaven.

Ernie
jammed the pipe back into his mouth and glared at her, his eyes glassy marbles
magnified beneath the lens of his black-rimmed glasses.

Pitiful.
The man was pitiful. But he was Susannah’s brother and Ashley swore to look
after him, whether he wanted her to or not. Those baskets of pole beans and
okra didn’t drop out of the sky. No. She’d been delivering them to Ernie for
years, to see that he ate a decent meal, kept his strength about him.

“I
know about your illness,” she stated quietly.

He
swiped his glance away from hers. “Dad-burned whole town knows.”

“I
know it’s gone to your pancreas.”

Ernie
whirled, animosity splintering his gaze. “How do you know about that?”

“I
have my ways.” Ashley buried her hands in her lap and asked, “Why aren’t you
seeing anyone about it?”

“Why
should I?” He glanced away. “Ain’t nothin’ nobody can do.”

“Doctors
can help you, Ernie. Booker’s sister-in-law went through a similar situation. The
doctors said she only had months to live, but she proved them wrong.”

“I
ain’t never been so lucky.”

It
was the first hint of sorrow she detected in the man and her heart pinched. Staring
at him, mired in his misery, she shook her head. “Is this how you want to go
out?” she asked. “Do you really want to forsake your kin for a silly vendetta?”

Ernie
hooked into her with a sharp, “Delaney’s a money-grubbing—”

Ashley
silenced him with a raised hand. “I’m tired of hearing your excuses. Gerald
Foster isn’t this issue and neither is his son.”

“He’s
a crook!” Ernie exclaimed, his voice nothing but a ragged croak.

“He’s
no more crook than you are astronaut.” And she wasn’t going to stand another
word of his trash. Ernie refused any and all reason when it came to Gerald
Foster. The minute Delaney started dating his son, Ernie nearly had a stroke—as
though she had betrayed him somehow. Ashley pushed her shoulders back, heaving her
generous bosom forward as she declared, “Susannah told you there was nothing
between them and I can vouch for her.
There was nothing between them
. She
only had eyes for Harry.”