And with that personal success, maybe, just maybe, the empty ache in her heart would vanish.
At the very least, she could learn what keeps a nineteenth century, deep-water vessel in the shallows of Bayou Mal Chance.
***
The following morning, instinct told Luc that Grace would be frustrated, the moment the two trucks drove down her lane. She wanted to search for his ship. Now she couldn’t. At least, not today.
He drifted close to where the trucks stopped in front of the house. The men were on the ground when Grace stepped outside with her rifle, dogs at her side.
“Stop right there.” She shouldered the rifle. “Who are you, and why have you come toSweet Dreams?”
The men held up their hands.
“We ain’t armed,” the nearest one said. A skinny, short fellow with a raspy voice. The other one nodded. “Don’t shoot.”
“Answer the question.”
“Mr. Guidry sent us.” That information came from the man standing farthest away. Taller than the first, he had a bull-like build with almost no neck. His voice was very nasal.
He must have hay fever,
“I’m Walters, and this here is Jeffries,” the man said. “We’re here to install the phone and assess the house,” the first man added.
“Guidry was supposed to send a note advising me when you were coming,” Grace growled, her irritation clear.
“This, note, Miz Thibodaux?” Nasal Walters reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
She rolled her eyes then lowered the rifle. “Bring it here.”
The man approached. Mars issued a low growl as the man approached.
“It’s okay,” Grace reassured keeping her eye on the man.
“That’s close enough,” she warned when he stood an arm’s length away. Rifle secure in one hand, she held out her opposite palm. “Now get back in your trucks. Come back in two days.”
A woof from Mercury emphasized the order.
Luc approved of her caution, especially after the incident with Filthy and Jowls, who also worked for Guidry.
The two new men moved in the direction of the trucks, but Jeffries hesitated. “We can’t come back in two days.”
Grace sighed. “When can you come back?”
“I…I dunno,” he rasped. “That’d be up to Mr. Guidry. He’s got a lot of appointments set up for us. I know that much.”
“Might be a month or more,” Nasal Walters volunteered.
Liar. Luc sensed the man’s pulse racing.
Grace frowned. “I need to get this done and over with. I can’t have people coming out here anytime they like. You’d better stay and do the work now.”
Raspy Jeffries grinned. The yellowed toothy smile took up most of his thin face. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
“Thank you, Miz Thibodaux,” they chorused. “You just go on about your business. We’ll be done in a jiffy,” Nasal said. He pulled gear from his truck.
“We work quiet, too. You won’t even know we’re here,” Raspy stated.
“That’s nice to know. Nonetheless, I’ll be checking on your progress from time to time, so I can tell Mr. Guidry what I think of your work.”
