4 Stars Amazon.UK Review
Verified Purchase
"I really enjoyed reading this book. The leading lady and man were fantastic characters; their chemistry was intense, their dialogue was captivating and their story was realistic and endearing.
I would definitely read more stories from this author.
I'm glad I came across this little gem. I can be a picky romance reader, but I didn't find much fault in this story.
The romance story seems intelligent, and it doesn't rely on cliches to get to the end.
I would recommend it."
5 Stars B&N Reader Rating
4 Stars Goodreads Reader Rating
Synopsis:
How many things can go wrong at one time?
That question plagues feisty divorcée Sharlene Mouton. The banking department she heads takes a trip overseas. She pounds the pavement—and the keyboard—with resumes for ninety-nine weeks. Going home to regroup lands her in the middle of an ecological disaster that threatens her rural Louisiana community. What else can happen? How about repeated run-ins with suave Drake Cormier, the oil company's liaison officer.
Jobless, yet, not hopeless. Oil spill fiasco. Mouton-Cormier feud. Suitor not much older than her daughters.
Sharlene now wonders—how many wrongs make a right?
BayouBabe99er
(©2012)
By
Mickie
Sherwood
Chapter
One
BayouBabe99er
on the blog, bringing you the latest on the atrocities in the Gulf. Don't fall
for everything you see on TV. Would you believe they tried to sop up all that
black slop with diapers big enough to fit Little Lotta? I kid you not! The load
they're shoveling, shifting the blame, is maddening. Some of the locals are
able to earn a little money, risking health issues in the process, by picking
up tar balls. What's the monetary value of tar balls, you want to know? Ask
those whose livelihoods are destroyed. Until my next update.
Forty-four-year-old Sharlene Mouton networked her a** off.
But it was to no avail. Outsourcing had her outraged, out of her banking
position, and after more than a year, out of options. Now, she was one of the
maligned ninety-niners. However, she'd be damned if she wore the label pinned
on people in her situation.
Her meager savings tided her over while she worked up the
nerves to make the life-altering decision. Coming back home—even for a brief
month's stay—was as hard, if not harder, than when she left. Only
difference—this time—she returned alone. Here she sat, a divorced empty nester,
all because of her ex-husband's roving eyes and groping hands.
Sharlene squinched her eyes against the setting sun's glare
bouncing off the Louisiana Gulf. The trawler rocked as it strained on the
anchor. Between the waves slapping the hull and the serene stillness, she
drifted off into space propped comfortably on the back wall in the August heat.
Her bout with lethargy was short-lived when the drone of a racing motor
shattered her peace and quiet. Above the motor's rumble was the clash of
hard-rock music beating the airwaves. Shifting her body for a look, she reacted
to the pressure of the hard wooden bench on her bottom. Apparently, daydreaming
took its toll on the rear end.
She kept tabs on the boaters.
The advancing powerboat zoomed perilously close to hitting
her, rocking the small trawler like a cradle. Noise blasted passed her ears as
the driver whipped the wheel and the speedboat leaned into a cresting curve.
The close call left raucous laughter in the air and a body over the side. It
was long gone before the splash sounded or the call for help went out.
He bobbed in the wake a good distance away, still shouting and
calling names. It wasn't long before the name calling took a vulgar turn. She
watched as he swam to the nearest buoy where he clung for dear life. He swept
the horizon with his eyes while circling his life preserver, one hand always in
contact. Then—his eyes caught sight of her.
A hand swiped water from his face. "Hey!" his
baritone timbre rumbled. That same hand flagged overhead.
The next thing Sharlene knew, he took off in her direction.
Strong strokes propelled him within reach of the side ladder in no time flat.
That was as far as she permitted for she swung the oar like a weapon. "You're
drunk as a skunk."
"No, I'm not, Captain," he countered. "Permission
to come aboard."
"Don't patronize me, mister."
"Look around you." He floundered to stay afloat. "I'm
not in any position to patronize anybody. Please."
She wasn't feeling very sympathetic at the moment.
"I'm Drake Cormier. I don't bite."
Something unexpected happened in her spirit. Laughter
bubbled even as she gave him a direct stare. "I wasn't born yesterday. You're
a man, right?"
"Last I looked."
His comment sobered her. She disappeared from the side of
the boat. It shocked him when the motor started and his lifeline puttered away.
To add insult to injury, she slung a life ring overboard and nearly clocked
him. Hearing his pitiful cry, she cut the engine.
* * * *
Drake gulped, sputtering water in his attempt to yell. "I'm
sorry!" He hung on to the life preserver for dear life. He saw his chance
as the boat slowed. Long pulls had him within grasping distance of the ladder,
and he hauled his tired body onboard. All he could do was lie facedown in a
puddle of his own making. Smooth—brown—shapely—legs came into his line of sight
when he dared to look up. He allowed himself the luxury of scanning her anatomy
at his leisure from the top of her short, curled, cayenne-pepper hair down to
her snow-white deck shoes.
His eyes retraced their trek to land on hers.
"Are you finished?"
Her candid way of putting him in his place affected him.
Yet, it was the dazzle in her sparkling brown eyes that captivated him. He knew
better than to respond, for his sarcastic wit was well known in his circle.
Instead, he devoted all of his energies to getting off the deck. "Thank
you."
"You're welcome."
Those words zipped passed his ears as she marched back to
the wheelhouse. He turned to follow, only to be barred by the extended oar she
brandished in his face.
"You're welcome on the boat," she reiterated. "Not
in the cabin."
"I really mean it." He humbled himself. "Thanks
for taking me on." He stood at the bow, keeping an eye on her and the
direction they traveled. "City's that way." He pointed while making
his voice heard above the engine's repetitious twang.
"I'm not going to the city."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't live in the city. That's why."
Those words slammed the subject closed.
Drake leaned on the railing, taking in the approaching
shore. That wasn't all capturing his attention as a sheen floated on the
surface of the water. The oily swirl parted when split by the boat's
progression. He watched with immense curiosity while almost on the verge of
skimming his hand in the water.
"Going in for another drink?"
His slow turn revealed a scowl as he looked at her. He
received a facetious grin, which made him think of his sopping clothes and
slick, black hair. He was sure he looked like a scrawny mutt.
They inched along, closing in on the channel entrance.
Cypress stumps lined both sides of the waterway before finally giving way to
groves of green-leaved, moss-draped trees. There were telltale signs crude
settled around their trunks for quite a while. Every now and then, the tragic
evidence of swamp creatures caught in the mire appeared.
"What's the name of this canal?" he asked, unable
to take his eyes away from the disastrous sight.
"Pauchex Pass."
"Pauchex Pass." He repeated the name several times
to mark it in his memory.
* * * *
Sharlene felt terrible about the conditions of the swamp she
traveled so much in her younger days. The Black Gold found its way into the
deepest reaches of the waterway that led to the village. It turned up in the
primary food source that, in the past, made the area a popular draw for those
seeking a scrumptious seafood meal. That way of life was teetering on the edge.
The trawler crawled into the dock, with Sharlene displaying
her finesse at the wheel. A smug grin touched her glossed lips. It was like
riding a bike. Once one learned one never forgot. She shut down and closed up
the wheelhouse. Deck shoes silenced her appearance at his side. He leaned
forward with both arms braced on the railing. The way his thumbs beat a cadence
on his clasped hands hinted at internal turmoil.
She waited on him to acknowledge her presence. Even closer
to him now, the expression he wore piqued her interest. Finally, he realized
she was beside him and pushed off. The distressed look faded as his black-eyed,
penetrating gaze once again swept her person.
They stared at each other while standing on the open deck.
Sharlene never said a word when she sidestepped him to take the gangplank down,
forcing him to trail behind her. Drake lagged along all the way up the hill.
She turned to face him without warning.
"You can use the phone over there."
There wasn't much to see when he swung to follow her finger
point. The community looked every bit of two blocks long, with one dangling red
light at the crossroads. By the time he looked back, Sharlene was bearing down
on a gravel lot at the opposite end of the street. He took a couple of steps
toward the building marked CLYDE'S, keeping tabs on her with the flat of his
hand braced on the door of the business. Cowbells clanked and the door opened
from the inside.
"Ya lettin' the air out." Drake came face to face
with the store clerk's curious expression. "Doused ya, huh?"
Drake pivoted to resume his watch of Sharlene, momentarily,
ignoring the Southern drawl with the Cajun flavor. She seemed to have trouble
starting her vintage truck before the engine rattled in cooperation. She drove
off the lot and moseyed by them toward the light. "Why do you say that?"
he asked halfheartedly, for his eyes were glued to the departing truck. He
prepared to wave, but she never gave him the time of day.
"Hmmm. Didn't know she was back." That made Drake
face him. The shop clerk seemed to size him up. "Ya don't wanna mess with
them Moutons."
"And why not?"
"They'a ornery bunch. Stay mostly to they self."
He left Drake hanging out at the entrance—spying—until Sharlene turned and was
out of sight.
Drake entered to wafting cool air pushed around by a couple
of strategically placed black oscillating fans. The overpacked interior boasted
everything from dry goods to a small deli counter complete with an eating area
off to the side. The place also appeared to be the location to purchase bait
for fishing excursions. It didn't look like there'd been much business lately
out back on the dock.
"Do you have a phone I can use?"
"Gon' cost ya."
Drake shook his head. "I can pay," he
reassured and pulled his water-logged cell phone and soggy wallet from his wet
cargo knee-knockers.
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