Rumble on the Bayou Read Free

and her success rate was one hundred percent. Her bad feelings were no longer something Joe ignored.
     
    She slowly shook her head and looked out the front window across Main Street. "I don't know. But something's coming. I can feel it." She looked up and gave him a grim smile. "Better prepare yourself, Joe. I think life is about to get complicated."
     
    He nodded and blew out a breath. "What are we going to do?"
     
    She rose from the chair and gathered up the printouts. "First, we're going next door for supper at Jenny's Cafe. You know I can't think on an empty stomach."
     
    Joe perked up considerably, but then everyone knew he had been in love with Jenny Johnson since the crib. “That sounds great," he said and headed out the door, his television show completely forgotten.
     
    Dorie smiled at his retreating figure. Men were so easy. Which was exactly why she didn't have one. No challenge, so what would be the point?
     
    Jenny's Cafe was busy, but it almost always was, being the only place to eat in town except for frozen pizza at Pete's Bar. Taking a seat at the counter, they studied the menu on the board and waited for Jenny to make her way over. Dorie glanced at Joe and noticed his eyes fixed on the cafe owner with an adoring gaze. She couldn't help smiling.
     
    He was a goner.
     
    A minute later, Jenny approached the counter, her long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, her big green eyes sparkling, and Dorie decided Joe could do a lot worse than hook up with her friend. Jenny was young, pretty, smart and nice as hell.
     
    When her mother had gotten ill a couple of years ago but refused to leave Gator Bait for a nursing home, Jenny did the only thing she could to make enough money to support them both, including fulltime care for her mother: She opened the cafe. And it had been an instant success. The population of Gator Bait was made up of a few more bachelors than married men. Added to that, the feminist movement had finally reared its ugly head, so home cooking was at an all-time low.
     
    "What can I get for the fearless law enforcement of Gator Bait?" Jenny asked, giving them a broad smile.
     
    Joe looked as if he'd been blinded by high beams. He sat there grinning like an idiot, not blinking at all. Jenny took one look at his face and fixed her eyes on Dorie. "Dorie?"
     
    "I'll have a soda and a BLT on white," Dorie said. "Add a bag of chips, too."
     
    Jenny nodded and made a note on her order pad. "What about you, Joe?"
     
    Dorie watched Joe try to shake himself out of his stupor, but he only made it halfway. "The same," he finally managed.
     
    She stared at him but waited until Jenny walked away before saying, "Joe, you don't eat bacon or tomatoes."
     
    He sighed, clearly disgusted. "Shit. Is that what I ordered?"
     
    Dorie nodded.
     
    "Guess I'll be eating a lettuce sandwich then"
     
    "I don't get it." She assessed the man next to her. With his wavy brown hair and amber eyes, Joe was considered a bit of a catch in Gator Bait and wouldn't have had any trouble holding his own in a big city. His lanky frame and soft heart only completed the picture.
     
    "You're a smart guy," she continued. "Good at your job, dedicated to this town and its people. Why does this one girl make you an idiot?"
     
    Joe shot a look back toward the kitchen. "I don't know. There's just something about her that gets me all tied up. It's like everything I say or do around her is so damned important."
     
    She laughed. "And then you wonder why I don't have a relationship with anyone. Who needs the angst?"
     
    He narrowed his eyes. "I didn't notice you having a communication problem at our annual conference with that sheriff from Texas."
     
    She waved a hand in protest. "Sex is not a relationship. Sex is easy and satisfying, and when it's over, you're done and can move on. There's absolutely no reason to complicate great sex with a relationship."
     
    "Oh, c'mon, Dorie," Joe said and blushed. "I hate it when you talk