Ladd Fortune Read Free Page A

for her and her daughter, Felicity. This land
was their home, their legacy, but now she and Felicity stood to
lose it all.
    Because of Jeremiah Ladd. Because of
Annie Owens.
    Nick smiled, the confidence in his dark
brown eyes quieting her angst, much like his dimples. They reminded
her of more friendly times, times when her future didn’t hang in
the balance. Nick was a man of calm, a man of strength under
pressure. From his formidable six-foot-four stature to his
determined, steady gaze, he’d know how to make this right. “When
there’s a lawyer involved,” he said, “you always have
recourse.”
    “ But what? Jeremiah’s as
entitled to Ladd Springs as I am. His father, my mother…” Delaney
didn’t want to think about the repercussions of her cousin’s
presence, but she had to—she might have to go up against him in
court. And while she hadn’t seen Jeremiah since they were
teenagers, she remembered one thing about him. One very important
thing. Jeremiah Ladd was a man who cared little about the
consequences of his actions.
    Nick reached over and took
the paper from her. Securing her hands within his, he was her rock.
Strong. Steady. Fearless. Everything she didn’t feel at the moment.
“Don't worry ,
Delaney. Jeremiah doesn’t have a stake in this claim. Your uncle
was sole owner and he signed this property over to Felicity. I
intend to see that it stays that way.”
    Delaney wanted to believe him, wanted
to believe it would happen, that she would keep Ladd Springs,
but... She dropped her gaze to the papers strewn about the butcher
block surface, a miscellany of warranty deeds, tax bills, any shred
of paper bearing the Ladd name that she could get her hands on.
She’d collected as much information as she possibly could on the
property, dating back to the turn of the century, searching for
clues as to how Jeremiah might possibly take it from her. Like a
Swiss watch, the hands of time ticked through the line of
ownership, recording generation by generation, each and every name
a Ladd. But Jeremiah’s name was nowhere to be found.
    “ I agree with Nick,” Malcolm
said. “You’re in good shape.”
    Peering at him, Delaney thought his sky
blue eyes cradled a gentle intelligence. Wisdom. Malcolm’s appeal
was softer than Nick’s rugged, swarthy looks. Malcolm was elegance
in the male form, sophistication, grace and aplomb. His tanned
complexion was smooth and refined, his body lean, like a runner’s.
Add the shock of white-gray hair on his head and you had the yin
and yang in men. Black and white. Lion and lamb.
    “ Challenging a life estate
deed is tough,” Malcolm said. “Your cousin would have to contest
the validity of the deed, prove that your uncle did not have
authority to sign over the property, or that he was coerced in some
way.”
    Delaney rustled through the papers, as
though the answer lay buried within them. “But Annie said it was in
the fine print. I’ve read through every document—twice. I don’t see
anything written by Grandpa Ladd that says Jeremiah has rights to
the property.”
     
    Nick cocked a brow. “It’s not a wonder,
the way you Ladds write contracts.”
    Delaney assumed he was referring to the
deathbed promise Ernie had penned for his sister, Susannah, the one
swearing he would give Delaney rights to Ladd Springs. Fear zipped
through her stomach. “But Annie said it was here. I’d lose the
title because I overlooked the fine print.” She pushed at the
papers and said, “I don’t see it!”
    “ Have you considered the
possibility that Annie was bluffing?” Nick asked.
    “ Bluffing?” Delaney scoffed.
Annie Owens was a lot of things, but a poker player was not among
them. “She’s not that smart.”
    “ You don’t care for her
much,” Nick observed, a question lingering in his voice. Malcolm
seemed interested in her answer as well.
    Delaney sat back on a wooden saddle
stool, one of four placed around her kitchen island. Pulling a
bare-footed heel up to