Page 44 of Louisiana Protector

“I am. Johnny, thank you for all the trouble you went to tonight.” She looked around the space, and a softness fell over her features. “This all brought back a lot of wonderful memories.” She gazed at him, a warmth shining from her eyes. “And we made another memory tonight.”

“Yes, we did.” He wanted to profess his love for her again but told himself she already knew how he felt and what he wanted from her. Now all he could do was wait to see if she’d allow herself to love him again, to trust in him enough to marry him and build a life with him.

Once again doubts crept into his head. Was he really worthy of her love? Could he be the father Danny needed? Or would it be better for her if he stepped back and gave her an opportunity to find a better man?

No, dammit. He was a good man who had made a bad mistake. He would be a good, loving husband to Mimi and a great father for Danny. He wasn’t the lazy, stupid man his father had said. He emptied his head from these thoughts.

They started the walk back to her shanty. Johnny kept her close to him as his gaze shot all around looking for trouble. Darkness had fallen, but a near full moon shone down with beautiful silvery illumination, playing peekaboo among the tree leaves.

They didn’t speak as they walked, which made it much easier for him to listen for anyone coming too close to them on the path.

They were almost to her place when he heard a rustling that indicated somebody was nearby. Immediately he pulled his gun, grabbed her elbow and pulled her close to his side as they halted on the path.

River appeared on the trail just ahead of them. “Whoa,” he said. “For God’s sake, man, don’t shoot me.” River carried with him a fishing pole and a tackle box. He didn’t appear to have any weapons, so Johnny slowly holstered his gun.

“You two scared the hell out of me. What are you doing out here?” River asked.

“Taking a walk,” Johnny replied coolly. “And I see you’re headed somewhere to do a little fishing.”

“That’s right.” River looked at Mimi. “How are you doing, Mimi? I’ve really missed seeing you and Danny.”

“I’m doing fine, and to be honest, I’m enjoying my quiet evenings right now,” she replied.

River’s gaze lingered on Mimi for a fraction too long, making Johnny’s chest tighten with tension. “Guess I’ll just see you guys later,” he finally said.

“Good luck with your fishing, River,” Mimi replied.

“Thanks, Mimi,” River replied, and then he stepped off the trail so Johnny and Mimi could pass him. For the rest of their walk to her place, Johnny stayed hypervigilant.

He released a sigh of relief when they reached her shanty door. She turned back to look at him. The moon loved her features, highlighting her cheekbones and the fullness of her lips.

“Good night, Johnny,” she said softly, her gaze warm on him. “Thank you again for everything.”

“Mimi, after tonight, don’t you see that we belong together?” He couldn’t help himself. He had to speak of his love for her. He had to remind her just how right they were for each other.

“Johnny, just because we made love tonight, that didn’t magically fix everything between us. I’m still working on forgiveness and trust.”

Her words definitely disheartened him. “Then I’ll just keep showing up until you forgive and trust me,” he replied. “That is, if you want me to keep showing up.”

She smiled at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow night as usual.”

Warmth swept through him. “Can I kiss you good night?”

“You may.”

He gathered her into his arms and lowered his lips to hers. He kept it soft, tender and brief. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful evening.

He released her, and once again she smiled up at him. “Good night, Johnny.”

“Good night, Mimi.”

She went into the shanty and he heard the lock fall into place. Satisfied that she was safe and sound for the night, he headed back to the abandoned shanty so he could remove all traces that they had ever been there.

As he walked, he thought about the fisherman they had encountered on the trail. This made twice River Dubois had shown up someplace unexpectedly. The first time had been when Johnny’s trailer had gone missing. Had he been following them tonight? Had the fishing pole and tackle box simply been a deception so he wouldn’t look suspicious? Was he the man who had grabbed Mimi in the swamp, not once but twice? Had he been the person who punched her in the jaw so hard it left a horrendous bruise?

Johnny didn’t have the answer, but he found River’s appearances damned suspicious. He hadn’t heard or seen much of Gus Martine or Jean-Luc Benoit. One morning when he was at work, he’d seen Gus going into the bait shop, and he left soon after.

He hadn’t seen Jean-Luc at all, but he knew from talking with Mimi that if he was the guilty party, it would hurt her more deeply than if it was one of the others. She’d told Johnny that of the three, she was closest to Jean-Luc.