Long Road Home (The Barker Triplets 4)

“Keep that up, and we won’t make it to dinner.”

“What was that?” Mouth dry, she tore her gaze from his chest. His smile was going to be the end of her.

“I’m almost ready. Hold on.” He disappeared and a few moments later was back, this time properly covered up in a white T-shirt. He had an extra helmet in his hand and motioned for her to take the stairs.

Miss Callie was just sitting down on the front porch with Coral, each of them holding a tall, frosty-looking glass of sweet tea, when Bobbi and Shane walked out.

“Where are you two off to?” Miss Callie asked, sipping from her glass as she looked their way.

“I don’t know,” Bobbi replied, glancing toward Shane.

“A little place I found, next parish over.”

“Uh-huh. Well you take care of our Bobbi Jo on that there machine you drive. I don’t trust ’em, no way no how.” Coral frowned and shook her head.

Shane winked. “Don’t wait up ladies.”

With a quick wave to Coral and Miss Callie, Bobbi followed him down the steps. She could do this. Date night with her husband. Something they’d done a hundred times before.

Yet, why did things feel so different?

Chapter Twelve

Moss Growed Over was a little hole-in-the-wall place out in the bayou renowned for its Cajun fried chicken, jambalaya, deep-fried alligator, and the coldest beer in the parish. Bernadette had recommended it to him earlier in the day and said he’d be a fool not to visit it at least once while in Louisiana. It was the kind of place filled with dark corners, loud conversation, and the best blues band this side of the Mississippi.

Shane felt right at home the moment he walked inside with Bobbi. Moss Growed Over was like falling back in time. There was a jukebox playing some old Johnny Cash lit up with neon signs that were decades old. The wall behind the bar was covered in license plates from across the nation, and a big stuffed black bear head sat smack dab in the middle of them all. The parking lot was full, and the place was hopping for a Monday night, but Selma, their waitress/hostess/bartender, found them a table tucked away near the right of the stage.

“Now, before y’all ask, no one knows for sure just how this place came to be called Moss Growed Over. From what I understand, the original name never took, and someone walked into the place one day and said the insides looked like moss growed over everything.”

Shane chuckled, since he’d been wondering. “Seems like every place down here has a story.”

“Don’t it?” Selma grinned as he slid onto a seat across from Bobbi and ordered a draft.

“And what’ll you have, sugar?” Selma turned to Bobbi Jo. “The wine isn’t so great, if that’s where your head is at. I’ll tell you that upfront.”

“Iced tea is good,” she said.

“You sure you don’t want a shot of vodka in your iced tea?”

“I’m on a health kick and this cleanse thin

g, so no alcohol for me.”

“Oh my goodness. I hear ya there, honey. I swear I need to do something like that to clean out the pipes, ya know?” Selma winked and told them she’d be back with their drinks and to have a look at the menu.

Shane watched Bobbi as she perused the menu. Something was off with her, aside from the obvious, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Made him wonder, though, and that made him all the more determined to get this shit out of the way and his wife back into his home.

And bed.

He held onto the menu as if reading it, but watched her instead.

Damn, but she looked beautiful tonight. Her hair was fuller, with more wave from the humidity, and longer than he was used to, her skin was silky smooth, and her eyes were incredible. Luminous, even. Shane gave himself a mental head shake. Luminous? Since when did he use words like that?

He tossed the menu aside and didn’t take his eyes off her. Hell, he could spend all night looking at Bobbi Jo. Mine, he thought, chest tightening. He clenched his fists and sat a bit straighter, because this woman who sat inches from him held his heart in her hands, and he had no idea when it all went bad.

His plan had been to seduce his wife—to make her realize what she was missing—but the rule thing she’d thrown his way kind of screwed that up. And sure, he could say screw it and use that thing between them to get her where he wanted, but Shane knew this was important and he needed to do things right. He didn’t know much about what the hell was going on exactly, but the one thing he did know was that they were walking the edge of something that would either make them stronger, or keep them apart forever.

He would not survive life without Bobbi Jo in it.