In Shining Whatever (Three Magic Words Trilogy #2)(51)

"Mais, we're about there," Bubba said, after an hour of sliding down the water.

"Hey, man, if you're in love with Kate, why'd you invite me to go fishin' with you? Tell me that before we break out the fishin' equipment."

"Kate Miller?" Bubba asked.

"You brought me out here to feed me to the gators so you can have her, didn't you? I'm not stupid"

It was Bubba's turn to laugh. "I'd like to have a turn at Kate. That's a fact, but I'm not in love with her. Where'd you get that?"

"Little girl told me."

"Julietta? Little imp. Last week I was talkin' about Kate Miller. This week I was talking about Kate Faucheaux. Now that's the woman Julietta heard me sayin' I'd like to marry up with. She's the daughter of a fisherman and has a whole fleet of boats. She's almost as good a shrimper as I am and pretty as a picture."

Hart felt a little better, but not much. "Okay, then, let-'s-fish."-

"We will, my friend. But we got to get the nets out of the old shack."

"What old shack?" Hart asked.

"Folks used to live out in the swamps more than they do these days. There's an old place back in here where a man raised up a family. He was a shrimper, Cajun man. Had a bunch of kids who lived on this island in the swamp. Pretty place, really. Ain't been too much touched by the modern world. Anyway, that's where we'll dock up and get our nets," Bubba said.

"And then what?"

"Then we go on down the swamp to the fishin' hole. I bet you catch a bunch of fish," Bubba said.

Five minutes later, a house sitting up on stilts appeared among the trees. Moonlight showed it to be sitting on a small island. Hart recognized an outhouse down a grown-over path several hundred feet from the main house. A set of steps that didn't look too sturdy led up to the screened porch around the outside of the place.

Bubba pointed at the outhouse, once he'd tied the pirogue to a stump and was standing on grassy land. "You got to go, go ahead. I'll get the nets"

Hart shook his head. "I'll help you"

"Okay, go on up in the house. Nets is up there over in the corner. I'm goin' to the outhouse. Be out in a minute," Bubba said.

Hart climbed the steps one at a time and carefully. They felt like they could break under him at any time. He'd barely made it to the top when he heard Bubba yell his name.

"What?" he turned and yelled back.

"I'll be seein' you in a few days," Bubba hollered. "Left you some supplies on the bank there. You can take them on up to the house"

"You miserable Cajun," Hart screamed.

"Don't come gunnin' for me. It was Maw Maw's idea, and I ain't goin' agin her for nothin'," Bubba yelled back, and then there was nothing but silence.

Hart leaned against a tree and shook his head. He pinched his arm and it hurt, so he wasn't dreaming. He'd been suckered into a fishing trip by an old woman and a redneck Cajun to teach him-what? Manners? Had he been that rude at the dinner party, the cochon whatever? Or were they just getting rid of him so Bubba could have a few days to talk Kate into staying?

Hart was going home. He'd told them that. He wasn't staying in Louisiana but one more night, and then he would be out of Kate's presence and back in his own sweet Texas. So why'd they have to pull a stunt like this?

Bubba said he'd left supplies on the bank. So that's what was in the boat instead of fishing stuff. Hart jogged in that direction to find two burlap bags full of food stuff. No bottled water. Just cans of beans and boxes of macaroni and cheese. At least that's what he could see by the light of the moon. He dragged them over to the steps and looked up. He had to get it inside in case of rain.

He figured the best way was to unload the sacks at the bottom of the stairs and carry items up a few at a time. So he loaded his arms with groceries and carefully put a boot on the first step. It didn't even creak. The wood must be petrified to be that sturdy. Six trips later, he decided the wood would hold up the Statue of Liberty, and he slung the rest of the food over his shoulder and toted the remainder all at once.

He'd worked up a sweat getting the supplies to the screened porch and then realized he didn't have a key to get inside the place. He stomped the floor without any thought of bringing down the house with his big boots, and was surprised when he found both the screen door and the wooden one open. Couldn't be much of a house if they didn't even lock it up.

Once he had all the supplies moved inside the door, he slid down to the floor and put his head in his hands. Bubba said he'd come back and get him in a few days. Did that mean the other five he had planned to be out of Texas or did it mean a month? He stood up and looked around. Moonlight flowed through the windows enough that he could see a kitchen of sorts over at the back of the room. The cabinets looked like crates turned up on their sides and nailed to the wall. A table with a small galvanized tub was pushed up under a window. Surely that wasn't the sink.

He squinted and decided that it was. He got to his feet and inspected the thing. There was a pipe running down the wall with an elbow at the end and a faucet attached to it. He turned it, and cold water shot out into the tub. He quickly turned it off and looked up, hoping to find a cord to turn on a light.

"Well, stupid," he chastised himself after a few seconds.