Bayou Dreaming (Butterfly Bayou 3)

“Which is probably why they called me out and not you,” he grumbled.

“I thought I could help. That light is red. You know street signs aren’t suggestions.”

He stopped and sat. No one was around but here he was, waiting for something that wasn’t going to happen because it was after midnight and no one was out. But wasn’t that a metaphor for his relationship with her? He was sitting at a red light, and even if it turned green, it wouldn’t make a difference. The road would be exactly the same.

It would go nowhere.

So why couldn’t he walk away?

“I wasn’t trying to make you mad,” she said softly. “I’m talking about what I said in the shower. Not getting in the truck. I didn’t care if I pissed you off then. I would have come with you whether you liked it or not.”

“Because you can’t trust me to do the job Armie hired me for?” He turned down the street that Dixie lived on. Luckily they weren’t far away. Maybe there really was a rougarou out there, and if there was any good in the universe, he could be murdered by it and avoid this conversation completely.

“No, because I started this case with you and I want to continue it.” She stared out the window. “We both know she thinks she saw that rou thing. Everyone’s talking about it, and I want to make sure we didn’t miss something. Maybe it wasn’t Daisy the goats heard out at Archie’s. Maybe it was something else.”

“It’s most likely a mistake. She heard something. Everyone’s talking about the rougarou, and even though Dixie isn’t superstitious, her mind made connections and now she’s scared. I’ve seen it happen a lot.” Up ahead he could see the outline of a familiar vehicle. Major drove the same type of parish SUV that Roxie drove. His lights weren’t on, though it looked like Dixie had put on every light in her ranch house. It glowed like a beacon against the dark night.

“That makes sense, but I want to check it out,” she said. “I don’t have anything else to do.”

“You could have dried your hair. You’ll catch a cold.”

She turned his way, her lips curling up. “It’s warm out. I think I’ll be okay, but it’s nice to know you care. Maybe I also wanted to come with you because I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Sure she did. He pulled up behind Major’s SUV. “Let’s get this done so we can get some sleep.”

She put a hand on his arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Come on, Zep. Don’t be mad at me. It was good. I was happy.”

“Because I relieved your stress.”

She sighed. “Because I liked being with you. I didn’t say things right. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not good at this kind of thing. I’m awkward and weird.”

She wasn’t weird. Or rather everyone was weird, and he had a high tolerance for oddness. Sometimes he thought his attraction for her began because she was unlike anyone he’d ever met. She didn’t come on to him, didn’t try to tell him her life story in the first ten minutes. There was something deep about the woman that made him want to solve all her mysteries, that made him think she might want to do the same with him.

But once again he’d found someone who didn’t think he was worth knowing. Who could blame her? She was a serious woman. He needed to remember that. “It’s all right. We should go and see what’s happening.”

“Zep,” she began and then opened the door. “All right. You got called out and you need to do your job.”

“Is it a job?” Zep slid out and grabbed his bag. It contained most of the things he would need if he was dealing with an animal. He would let the deputy shoot something if they needed to. He was more of a lover than a fighter. “I didn’t exactly negotiate anything with Armie. He asked if I would do it and I said yes. I end up doing an awful lot of work for no money.”

Only to get a reputation for being lazy for it.

She moved in step beside him as they started for Dixie’s front door. “I’ll check for you. Armie can procrastinate about paperwork. If you let him, he’ll put it off and you won’t get paid for a month. I’ll make sure it goes through and that you get paid the normal contractor rate.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

She stopped him. “You’re doing the job. You should get the pay. I know I’m grateful you were with me the other night. Did I say thank you?”

“Not exactly.”

She put a hand on his arm and her eyes were steady on his. “Thank you, Zep. For everything. We’re going to talk when this is done. Like I said, I’m not good at this. I don’t think we work long term, but I can’t deny that I want to have this week with you.”