The Awakening by Jana DeLeon Read Free Book Online Page A

the man down at the work site and ask him some questions. Then he was going to spend the rest of the day attempting to prove that the Honey Island Swamp Monster was nothing more than a myth used to sell swamp tours and hotel rooms.
    * * *
    T HE VANDAL WATCHED THE woman and the horse from the dense undergrowth of the swamp. She didn’t appear troubled, much less scared. The work crew had reported what they’d seen, but apparently, Josette Bettencourt was as stubborn as her father.
    The man who’d raced outside last night exited the house and started across the lawn toward the swamp. The man was a problem. The vandal didn’t know who he was or what he was doing there, but it couldn’t be good. If the man didn’t leave soon, he’d have to be dealt with.
    No one was going to get in the way of the master plan.
    * * *
    J OSIE HAD JUST STEPPED inside the back of the house for a break when the phone started ringing. Instantly, her lower back tightened and her chest hurt. The first payment wasn’t due to the bank for another three weeks, but what if they’d heard about her problems? What if they called the note and ignored the earlier agreement?
    She picked up the phone and barely managed to get out a “hello.”
    “Josie,” the loud male voice boomed over the phone, “this is Samuel.”
    Josie blew out a breath and rolled her eyes. Sam Walker was the local Realtor and busybody. He’d been able to talk people into a coma as early as elementary school. “Hi, Sam. How are you?”
    “I’m doing great. Hope you’re doing the same.”
    “Everything’s just fine. What can I do for you?”
    “Nothing in particular. I was just wondering if you’d given any thought to that talk we had a couple of weeks ago.”
    “There wasn’t anything to think about,” she said, trying to control the sharpness in her tone. “I’m not interested in selling.”
    “No need to get upset over it. I figured as much, but I told the client I’d follow up, so I am. I’ll find him something else to suit. I always do.”
    “I’m sure that’s the case.” People probably bought something just to get away from him. “Well, if that’s all, I’m kinda busy.”
    “Actually, I was wondering if you’d be interested in having dinner. I’m free every night this week.”
    Shocking.
    “While I appreciate the offer, I’m not really interested in dating. I’ve got too much on my plate right now for romantic entanglements.”
    He laughed. “Not all entanglements between a man and woman have to be the romantic kind.”
    Okay. Ick.
    “I’m not interested in any entanglements right now.”
    Or ever with you.
    “Well, the offer for dinner is still open. No entanglements required. You have to eat.”
    “And I plan to. Usually in my own kitchen and in between tasks. I appreciate the invitation, but my schedule is just too busy right now to take that kind of time off.”
    “I heard you had a little trouble out there. I figured you’d put off the opening until you could deal with it.”
    Josie felt a flush of anger run through her. She knew exactly where Sam had heard about her trouble—Sheriff Reynard. That loudmouth wouldn’t do anything to help, but he had plenty of energy to gossip all over town about her private business.
    “You figured wrong,” she said, keeping her voice calm and even. “The bed-and-breakfast will open in time for the New Year’s guests.”
    “Then I best let you get back to it. If you change your mind about selling or the dinner, let me know.”
    She hung up the phone without forming a reply, not sure she had a polite one left in her. If Sheriff Reynard was telling everyone that she’d come to see him, worried about the delays in construction that the vandalism was causing, they might start to speculate about just how little money she had left. Right now everything was only rumor, but more than a few eyebrows had gone up in town when she sent some of her mother’s expensive paintings to New Orleans for auction.