Losing Ladd
paid his
marker.”
    Troy glimpsed a black head of hair and
his heart stopped, then punched into motion. “There’s something
else you need to know,” Troy told him, his gaze catching on a sight
over Cal’s shoulder. His heart began to pound. “We got
company.”
    “ What’s that?” he asked,
turning to see what Troy was looking at. Cal’s demeanor coarsened.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
    “ That’s what I wanted to
tell you.”
    Both men watched as Jillian Devane
picked her way through the natural terrain, carefully walking over
the dirt and gravel trail in her heels. Her very high heels and
skintight pants. She wore a short jacket made of some kind of
animal print, the sleeves stopping just past her elbow. She glanced
over at them, gave a short wave and served up a fat
smile.
    Witch . “Felicity called me and told me she saw her outside a hotel
downtown with Mr. Foster.”
    “ Jack?”
    “ Yes, sir. Seems the two
have hooked up.”
    “ Great.” Cal’s displeasure
was visceral. “As if we didn’t have enough trouble already. Talk
about dastardly duo.”
    “ Can’t be good,” Troy
agreed. Beside him, Spirit whinnied, prodding him to resume his
trek to the stables.
    Cal looked at the horse and said,
“Appreciate you telling me. How about you go ahead and take Spirit
back to the stables while I take care of Jillian Devane.” Glancing
over his shoulder, his tone dropped. “See if I can’t shorten her
visit.”
    “ There’s one more thing,
sir.”
    Lines formed across Cal’s forehead.
“More bad news?”
    “ We found a lighter
outside the stables.”
    “ A lighter?”
    “ Yes, sir. When Felicity,
Travis and I set out on our search this morning, we spotted it on
the ground outside the side entrance.” Cal stared at him
expectantly and Troy swallowed. “Felicity said it belonged to her
daddy.”
    Cal’s gaze cooled several degrees. Mr.
Foster was thinking what he was thinking. Lighter. Fire. Jillian
Devane.
    Revenge.
    “ I need to call Nick right
away.”
    Troy figured he might. Snapping a
glance up the hill, Troy asked, “Should I say anything to Miss
Delaney?”
    “ I’d prefer you not. Let
Mr. Harris do the honors.”
    Relief swept through him. “Yes,
sir.”
    Without another word, Troy started for
the trail up to the stables. Mr. Foster would handle things from
here. He was General Manager of the hotel. He was in charge. He
knew what needed to be done. Avoiding eye contact with Jillian
Devane as he passed, Troy could feel her hot gaze beating down his
back. She wanted nothing more than to taunt him, to tease him. To
cause him trouble.
    It was a pleasure he would deny her.
Pulling his hat forward, Troy said, “C’mon, boy. We’re goin’
home.”
     
    Cal Foster walked over to Jillian,
curious as to her presence. Was this a pleasure visit to see his
brother? Cal doubted it. While Ms. Devane might indeed be playing
around with Jack, Cal didn’t think it stopped there. No. Ms. Devane
was a woman of means, a woman nursing a vengeful heart. She was
here for one reason and one reason only.
    Ruin Hotel Ladd.
    Jillian Devane stood out of direct
sunlight, waiting for Cal beneath the shade of towering oaks, a
cluster of dogwoods mixed in. Azaleas dotted the landscape along
with clumps of hydrangea, their leaves a deep, healthy green.
Against the backdrop of Tennessee country, Jillian looked out of
place, adorned in gold jewelry, her sunglasses oversized and very
black, a near match to her shiny hair falling in sheets past her
shoulders. A stick figure, her long legs were clad in form-fitting
jeans, her shirt a combination of gold mesh and creamy silk beneath
a leopard-print cropped jacket.
    “ Good afternoon, Mr.
Foster,” Jillian said, addressing him formally.
    “ Afternoon.” Cal stopped
feet from her. Masking his emotions with a detached
professionalism, he asked, “What brings you out our
way?”
    Jillian smiled. “Why, I’m here to
check-in.”
    “ Check in?”
    Her eyes

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