Simon whirled the line like a lasso several times before he released his hold. The line landed in front of J.D.
The old man grabbed the end, tied it to the rear of his skiff and lifted his chin toward Simon and Holly. “Ready?”
“Yes, sir,” Simon responded.
J.D. turned his skiff and slowly drew the line taut. Then he eased his little boat forward, dragging the houseboat in its wake.
“Keep trying to reach Mitchell,” Holly said. “At this rate, we might not get back to the dock until sometime next week.”
Simon called Mitch several times over the hour-and-a-half it took J.D. to tow the houseboat back to its dock.
Simon spent the time cooking scrambled eggs and bacon, saving back a paper plate full for J.D. for when they finally made it back to where they’d started the night before.
As they approached the dock, J.D. parked his skiff on the other side, took the lead line and walked with it up to the post that had been the anchor for the houseboat for a number of years.
He held up the cut line, his bushy white eyebrows forming a V over his nose. “This line has been cut.”
Simon adjusted the gangway, lining it up with the dock before he stepped across and joined J.D.
Holly followed him to reaffirm that the houseboat’s voyage into the bayou hadn’t been an accident.
Back on land, Simon called 911 and reported the vandalism and the explosion that could have caused a conflagration sufficient to consume the houseboat and force Simon and Holly to abandon ship in the middle of the alligator-infested bayou. He called Remy to bring him up to date as well.
Deputy Shelby Taylor showed up to take their statements. The fire chief arrived shortly after and collected evidence he would have analyzed.
Though they couldn’t state the obvious until the results came in, the sheriff and the police chief were convinced someone had tried to kill Holly and Simon.
Once they had the houseboat secure and their statements taken, Simon helped Holly up into his truck.
“You sure you want to go see the nutria seer and go house hunting after all that has happened this morning?” Holly asked.
“LaShawda has a few homes for us to tour,” Simon said as he drove out onto the road and turned toward town. “Afterward, we can have lunch at the diner and decide whether or not we want to stay at the houseboat tonight or hole up in the boarding house. At least it won’t float out into the bayou where alligator mamas are guarding their nests.”
Holly’s lips twitched. “That bothered you, didn’t it?”
He shot a glance her way. “It didn’t bother you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe for a moment when the fire flared up, but we put it out pretty quickly and didn’t have to abandon ship.”
Simon shook his head. “I don’t like it,” he said. “That was too close. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied, I might’ve caught on to the sabotage sooner.” He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “What happened last night...though amazing... made me forget why I’m here in the first place.” He shot a glance her way. “To protect you.” Simon’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I failed when I surrendered to my desire.”
Holly sensed what he would say next and braced herself.
“Until this—whatever it is that’s happening— is resolved, I can’t lose focus.” He stared straight ahead.
Holly’s heart sank into the pit of her belly. “Which means we won’t be making love again,” she stated softly. As badly as it hurt to say it, she was convinced it was the right thing to do. Whoever was after her and her loved ones might now target Simon.
“You’re right,” Holly said. “We can’t be intimate. It puts you at risk and makes us lose focus on finding the source of the troubles.”
Simon reached across the console, clasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “When whatever is happening is resolved, we can reconnect. Reevaluate.” He met her gaze briefly across the console. “I’m not giving up on us. Not after last night.”
“I’m not holding you to it,” Holly said. “People do crazy things under stress. We might change our minds or discover that we don’t have as much in common as we think we do. We might realize we have different needs and desires after all is said and done.”
His lips twisted. “You’re really killing my buzz.” He gave her a tight smile and squeezed her hand before he let go. “I know what I want and desire. I want and desire you.”
Holly’s chest swelled with longing and something she suspected could be love, though she wasn’t ready to admit it aloud. They had to overcome so much more before they could launch into the selfish pursuit of anything resembling commitment.
No, Simon hadn’t declared his love for her. And why would he? They hadn’t known each other long enough to know. Yeah, the sex had been mind-blowing. But was that enough?
