In Shining Whatever (Three Magic Words Trilogy #2)(29)

"Maw Maw used to say, `Don't let the green grass fool you.' You lookin' over the fence and thinking it's better in that pasture. Life is what you make it, Kate. Your daddy taught me that. I thought I couldn't leave Texas, but as long as I was with him, it turned out it didn't matter where I lived."

"I'm a detective. It's what I was trained for. It's what I like. I can never do that job in Breckenridge, not now," she said.

Mary dished up a plate full of scrambled eggs and sausage, added two pieces of pan-fried toast, and set it before her daughter. "You running to something, or away from something?"

Kate looked up at her. "Both maybe"

"Running away won't fix the problem. Running to leaves unfinished business behind. Go to Louisiana. It's time you paid your Maw Maw a visit. Sit on the old chair out in the backyard by the bayou and listen to the nutria and the tree frogs. She'll help you figure out everything. She's a wise old girl."

"How long will it take?" Kate whispered.

"Who knows? But when the answer comes to you, you'll know it's the right one and you won't be looking back at the other pasture all the time," Mary said.

Kate hugged Mary tightly. "I'll miss you"

"And I will miss you. That's only normal. Put your soul at peace and then come on back to Texas where you belong." Mary grinned.

"What if Louisiana is where I belong?"

"Then I will pitch a fit and you will change your mind," she teased.

"Momma, this thing with Hart.." Kate began but couldn't find the words.

"Which one-Hart, the man, or heart, the one in your chest?"



"I'm so confused right now."

"Pack your bags and get on out of here. If you don't go soon, I'll start crying just thinking about you not being here. Call me when you get there. And don't tell Maw Maw you are on the way. She loves surprises."

Kate's smile was halfhearted. "You can't surprise that woman. She's half voodoo witch. She'll be on the porch when I get there with one hand shading her eyes, declaring that a voice in the wind told her to get ready for company."

Mary finished her breakfast and carried both of their plates to the sink. "It's already warm in that part of the world, but you'll need a jacket at night. Tell everyone hello for me."

Kate hugged her mother again and went to the bedroom, where she opened a suitcase and began to pack. The advice was good. She needed to clear her mind, and there was no better place to do that than on the back side of a sugar plantation on the Bayou Teche.

A couple more long hugs an hour later at the cafe, where her mother had her hands knee-deep in tamales, almost convinced her to stay in Texas. But, as Mary said, she could come back any time she wanted. They could always use her at the cafe, and there was a possibility the police force would call her again if she put a little pressure on the chief.

Traffic was light, and she made good time. She stopped in Longview at a McDonald's for lunch and called Fancy while she ate in the truck. The sun was directly overhead, and the day was warm. McDonald's was doing a brisk business.

"Hello," Fancy said, out of breath.

"Hello. You sitting down?"

"Is it Aunt Maud?" Fancy's tone turned serious.

"No, I'm in Longview, Texas, on my way to Louisiana." She went on to tell Fancy the whole story.

"Running away won't solve a thing. I tried it, remember?"

"I'm not so sure I'm running. I just need to get my head on straight, decide what I want to do. Jesus, Fancy, I'm thirty-one years old and I'm trained to be a detective, not a waitress. Besides, I don't know jack squat about ranching," she said.

"That what's bothering you? It's Hart, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I do know I've got to get out away from him and make some decisions about me before I can get serious about him."

"Does he want serious?" Fancy asked.

"I think he does. All these years I would have given my soul for a chance at that man, and now I'm not real sure it's the right thing for me."

"Well, go to your grandmother's place and figure it out. Remember, the baby is due this fall, and I don't know anything about birthin' a baby, so you'd better be here by then to help Sophie with the cheerleading"

Kate giggled. "Surely it won't take me that long to get my head on straight"

"I'll call Sophie and fill her in. You get on back on the road so you won't be traveling so much after dark. Give her a ring when you get there, and she'll let me know you are safe. Deal?" Fancy asked.

"You got it. You going to call Hart for me too?"

"No, ma'am. That can of worms is all yours"

On that note, Kate's phone went silent; Fancy had hung up.

She caught Highway 49 south out of Shreveport, and by the time she reached Grand Bayou, she was ready to turn around and go back to Texas. She'd made a rash decision and feared it was totally the wrong one. She dialed the cafe's phone number and was glad to hear her mother's voice.

"If you are already in Jeanerette, you had to have flown. Please tell me you aren't on the side of a road waiting on paramedics," Mary said.