Free Ladd Fortune by Dianne Venetta Page A

rowdy banter following them as they entered.
They immediately scouted for a place to sit. No surprise they chose
the table next to the high-top full of women. Malcolm watched the
men make their way over, eyes roving over the females as they
approached.
    Lacy appeared confused. “Hope
to?”
    Malcolm brought scotch to mouth as he
pondered her sudden interest. “That’s why I’m here. Nick and are I
looking at the Ladd Springs property to build our next
hotel.”
    The revelation crushed her spurt of
enthusiasm. “Oh.”
    “ You don’t like
hotels?”
    “ No, but I don’t’ think you
know what you’re getting yourself into.”
    “ Care to enlighten
me?”
    “ Jeremiah Ladd is back in
town. He’s after Ladd Springs.”
    “ You know Jeremiah?” he
asked innocently, knowing full well she ran off with the
man.
    “ Yes. We both live in
Atlanta.”
    “ And now you two are back
home for a visit?”
    It took her a minute to decipher the
insinuation. “Oh—we’re not together!” she cried.
    “ Coincidental
visit?”
    “ Er—no, not exactly.” Lacy
picked up her drink and seemed to seek refuge in her glass, sipping
slowly. It was a dodge if he’d ever seen one.
    “ I understand he had a
relationship with your sister,” Malcolm said quietly.
    Big blue eyes blinked up at him.
Skeptical eyes. Wary eyes. “You could call it that.”
    Malcolm laughed. Part of him enjoyed
seeing her squirm, but the other part of him wanted the sexy,
sultry Ms. Owens to return.
    “ Listen.” She hushed her
voice. Checking the bar for onlookers, she said, “If you’re trying
to build a hotel on that property, I’ll warn you right now that
Jeremiah is here to cause trouble.”
    Malcolm leaned toward her, enjoying a
sudden drift of her perfume, her invitation to inside information.
“What kind of trouble?”
    Lacy looked at him, her gaze darting up
and down as though suddenly realizing exactly how close he was
standing, then leaned back into her chair. “Well, he wants the
property for himself, though I don’t see how that’s going to
happen. Not going up against Delaney, anyway. But Jeremiah is
underhanded, especially when there’s money involved. And I hear
Annie wants it, too, so all I’m saying is you might have to get in
line.”
    For a woman in town for all of
twenty-four hours, Lacy was well-informed. “You have personal
knowledge of this?”
    “ I know Jeremiah. My Aunt
Frannie told me about Annie.”
    “ Hmm.”
    “ And Loretta.”
    “ Loretta?” Malcolm echoed,
intrigued by the growing cast of characters.
    Lacy set her cigar into the ashtray.
“She’s his girlfriend and she’s with him.”
    “ I see.” The man he met at
Delaney’s cabin certainly carried an edge to him. How far would he
go to get his hands on Ladd Springs?
    “ I’m telling you, watch your
back with Jeremiah.”
    “ Will do,” he
said.
    Lacy’s gaze leaped to the door. Her
features changed from those of a willing conspirator to intrigued
spectator.
    He turned to see Felicity’s friend,
Troy Parker, enter the bar with a bombshell of a woman on his arm.
Malcolm cocked a brow. From what he understood, those two boys only
had eyes for Delaney’s daughter. Malcolm asked Lacy, “You know
them?”
    “ That’s Loretta.”
    “ Jeremiah’s
girlfriend ?”
    “ One and the same.” Lacy
reached for the cigar and inhaled quickly, blowing the smoke out
equally as fast, her gaze fixated on the couple. “I saw her with
that boy earlier today.”
    “ You did? Where?”
    “ Aunt Frannie’s.”
    “ At the diner?” She nodded.
Malcolm didn’t believe in coincidences. “Were they talking to one
another, or just in the same restaurant, same time?” he
probed.
    “ They weren’t exactly
talking, more like making eyes at one another.”
    The blonde spotted Lacy and waved
gaily. Lacy summoned a quick smile and waved back.
    Troy Parker took note of Lacy first,
Malcolm second, his expression coiling around Malcolm with deadly
precision. The