Threads of Steel (Bayou Cove) (40 page)

“Oh yeah, and I hear he’s a real nice guy.”

“Do you think he could work me into his schedule? I golf pretty
bad
. It might take a lot of
lessons.”

At that, Doug took the golf clubs from her, leaned them against the car,
then
pulled her into his arms. “And I have all the time in the world for you, Miss
LaFaire
.” He kissed her softly on the lips,
then
held her at arm’s length. “You’ve had a pretty eventful few months. I think a little time on the course is just what the doctor ordered, and then I’ll bet that doctor would say that you should spend as much time with that guy as you can. I hear the man’s been sitting back feeling really lonely waiting for you to make some decisions in your life, but he’s ready to interfere a little.” He raised an eyebrow. “How does that sound?”

She wanted to believe he’d been waiting for her, but she still had her doubts.

She hoped she wasn’t about to ruin a good thing when she opened her mouth. “Doug, I’d love for you to step into my life, but . . .” She hesitated.

“But what, Anna?
Do you think you’ll get hurt again?”

She bit her lip. “I’m just afraid I might be seeing more to the possibility of this relationship than you are.”

“Why do you say that? I haven’t been out with anyone else since you and I played that first round of golf. In fact, it had been a long time before that. I’m not one to play the field.”

She frowned.

He put his hands on his hips. “Come on, spit it out. What are you thinking?”

“You’re going to think I’m some kind of jealous shrew when I ask this, but that day I passed down your road and didn’t stop. You were escorting a lady out of your house.”

He thought a minute,
then
smiled. “That day you passed leaving town, right? Did you see a little red sedan?”

She nodded.

He laughed and shook his head. “That was a lady who lives around here. She and I get teamed up for a round of golf sometimes, but that’s all it is. We did go out a time or two, but I’m not interested.”

“But she is.” Anna Marie finished his sentence.

“Yeah, I guess she is, but I don’t care how interested she is, there’s nothing there for me. She was at my house because we’re on a committee together at the club. We’re planning a benefit for one of our members.” He stepped near her and took her hands. “Why didn’t you ask who it was?”

Emotion clogged her throat and tears welled in her eyes. “Because I guess I always expect the worse where men are concerned.”

“I guess while I’m showing you a few tricks about how to use these new golf clubs, I’ll have to work on changing your mind about this new man in your life.”

Was it possible that so much good could happen to her in just a few days? She swallowed and placed her hands on each side of his face.

“Thank you, Doug. I guess there’s a lot I need to change my thinking about.
”

He kissed her lightly on the lips.

“And I’m here to help you make those changes. Welcome home, Anna Marie. Welcome back to Bayou Cove.”

The End-

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to my good friends Susie
Baran
, Sue
Gallaspy
,
Ellen Kirkpatrick,
and Bettye Stewart for all the help.

About the Author

Fran Fisher
grew up along the beaches, bayous and islands of the Gulf Coast and uses this setting in most of her novels. She received both her BS and ME from the University of Southern Mississippi. She taught high school English and journalism until she took an early retirement and now enjoys presenting writing workshops. She lives on a quiet bayou harbor with her husband. Together they enjoy boating, fishing, and visiting the nearby barrier islands.

You can visit Fran online at
http://www.franfisherauthor.com
. She loves to hear from readers and invites e-mails at [email protected].

Fran’s publishing credits include two contemporary romances, PLAYING WITH FEELING and FOREVER, MY LOVE. THREADS OF STEEL is Book I in her Bayou Series. Check out HARBOR BREEZE in October 2012.