Page 39 of The Cajun Doctor

His sarcasm deserved no response. She could have countered with an argument that quality merchandise lasted forever and never went out of style. Or she could have countered with a comment about his khakis and loafers as inappropriate for the outdoor work to be done here today. Instead, she continued her earlier conversation about rescue animals. “Not to worry about missing out on the goat, though, Daniel. I have lots of other animals left. Puppies and cats, in particular.” Samantha batted her eyelashes at Daniel, hoping to have a customer. As much as she’d come to care for her rescued pets, it would be nice to have an empty house for a change. Not that she’d ever be totally empty. No way would she give away her German Shepherd Axel, or her cat, Maddie.

“I do not want any more animals.” He enunciated each word for emphasis. “And don’t be giving me those come-hither eyes unless you’re ready to hither.”

The image of their shared dream shimmered in the air between them.

Samantha could feel herself blush.

Daniel just grinned.

“Holy Sac-au-lait! Doan get yerself in a snit,” Tante Lulu said to Daniel. To Samantha, she whispered, “Mebbe ya should ask Aaron instead. He ain’t so persnickety.”

“I am not persnickety, whatever the hell that is,” Daniel protested. “By the way, old lady, I don’t appreciate your setting up a medical practice for me, either.”

“Oh, did all them poor sick folks come t’day?” Tante Lulu inquired with the innocence of a cobra.

“Where’s Aaron?” Samantha asked, trying to defuse the situation, although she had no idea what they were talking about. Another of Tante Lulu’s machinations, she was sure. Although, if it had anything to do with Daniel being a doctor, she could understand.

“He was here all morning. Not sure where he disappeared to,” Daniel said, frowning, as if he’d just realized his brother was missing.

Tante Lulu, who had started to climb the steep steps in front of them, had the answer. “He’s over at the Dugas gator farm, tryin’ ta sweet-talk Del.”

“That’s just great,” Daniel remarked. “He’ll be back soon, or I’ll go drag him back. He’s not leaving me here alone to handle this mess.”

Samantha homed in on only one thing. “Gator farm?”

“Don’t ask,” Daniel warned.

Off Tante Lulu went then, talking away, irregardless of whether anyone was listening.

Turns out, the old lady was an excellent tour guide, Samantha had to give her that, as Tante Lulu interspersed her descriptions of the various rooms with a bit of the history of the house and the property that she knew so well. In fact, old sepia photographs of the house as it had looked in the mid and late 1800s were tacked on the wall of the entry hall.

Still other photos showed the exterior and interior of the house as it had been during more prosperous days. Unfortunately, all the furniture, fine Aubusson and Tabriz carpets, and paintings were missing, even the lighting fixtures, but the painted-over woodwork, ornate crown molding, and ceiling medallions on the fifteen-foot ceilings remained, along with the wide, carved stairway that ran up the center of the main floor’s hallway, and the eleven-foot-high sliding pocket doors, a Victorian-era addition, separating the rooms. Although they were scuffed and ingrained with decades of dirt, the random-plank cypress floors would be magnificent when refinished. And the tall, floor-to-ceiling windows remained intact, albeit with wavy glass.

Rooms on each of the three floors were separated by a twelve-foot corridor . . . wasted space in today’s house designs. On the main floor, there were two parlors, a dining room, library, and office. Six bedrooms on the second floor and four on the third floor, along with a nursery or schoolroom, and servant quarters. There were a total of four full and three half bathrooms, which had been installed at the turn of the last century . . . as in clawfoot tubs and pedestal sinks and shaving mirrors . . . on these three floors, along with the ground level where the kitchen, pantries, laundry, and other storage rooms were located. Only two of the bathrooms were functioning, and one of them had recently been modernized by Aaron with luxury improvements, including a rain forest shower, not at all in keeping with the historic nature of the building, but the kind of thing a bachelor would consider essential. There was no basement because of the high water table here in Southern Louisiana.

“Did you know the original owners?” Daniel asked.

“Idjit!” Tante Lulu jabbed him with an elbow. “How old ya think I am?”

“I meant the last owners,” Daniel amended.

“Oh, okay, then. Yep, the Gaudette fam’ly lived here when I was growin’ up. Left suddenly ’bout thirty years ago. Rumor was there was some kinda hanky panky takin’ place with Missy DuBois and them dogs.”

Samantha wouldn’t touch that last observation with a telephone pole.

Daniel made a sound that was halfway between a snort and a chuckle.

Time for another change of subject. “Forget about the kennels. This would make a wonderful family home,” Samantha remarked. “I can see all the possibilities for restoration, but also ways to make it a comfortable living space. Children would flourish in this setting.” In fact, it was the type of home she’d always dreamed of. Before she’d become disillusioned by Nick and her failed marriage.

Her Garden District home in New Orleans was more than adequate, but not perfect, for kids who needed, or would appreciate, open spaces to run and play, not to mention the bayou for swimming and fishing. If she’d gotten pregnant with Nick (hopefully, three times . . . two girls and one boy), she would have moved. Maybe that was another reason Nick had been unhappy with her. He was definitely a city person.

She glanced up to see Daniel watching her closely before he asked, “Is this the type of home you grew up in?”

“Hardly. We had nice homes, don’t get me wrong.” In fact, lavish for the most part. “But my father married five times, and changed houses each time. My mother cavorted around Europe, never spending more than a year in any one place. She practically invented the word cougar for older women, younger men.”

“And you?”

“I spent most of my time in boarding schools since I was eight. Same for my younger half brother Wallace. Plus, we grew up in different homes with different mothers. We were never close.” Suddenly, she realized how much she’d revealed and turned away from him.