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“Double yucky.” She managed to successfully bait her hook, and then he showed her how to cast the line out. It took her three times of trying before she managed to get the line far enough away from the shore and into the deeper water.

“Now we sit and wait for a bite.” He sank down to the grassy bank, and she did as well.

“It’s very peaceful here,” she observed after a couple of minutes.

“Yeah, I find a lot of my peace here.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for a little while. Birds sang merry songs from the tops of the trees, and small animals could be heard rustling through the brush behind them. There was a sort of primeval hush here that was very appealing.

He must have showered before she’d gotten up that morning. They sat close enough together that she could smell the minty scent of his soap and the ocean breeze fragrance of his shampoo. That all mingled with the aroma of shaving cream and his cologne. It made her realize that despite making love with him the night before, she wanted him all over again. She’d never, ever felt this way about a man before.

“I didn’t use a condom last night,” he said, breaking the silence and surprising her with the topic. “Hell, I don’t even have any condoms.”

“It’s okay. I take birth control pills, and I don’t believe you’re a promiscuous man,” she replied. “And I’m not a promiscuous woman, so we should be safe.”

“You know it was a mistake.” He continued to gaze straight ahead across the water. “We should have never gone there, and I definitely won’t go there again.”

“I don’t understand why it was such a big mistake? Both of us are consenting adults and don’t have significant others.”

He turned and looked at her, his gaze dark and shuttered against her. “You don’t have to understand. I just need you to know that I won’t allow myself again to lose control like I did last night.” His gaze returned to the water.

“So noted.” She couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by his words, especially since she didn’t comprehend his issues. Once again, she felt as if Jacque had inner demons. They were demons that had made him choose a shanty in the swamp and a life without laughter, without joy and without love.

“Oh, I think I’ve got one,” she exclaimed as the tip of her pole bent down.

“Give it a small jerk to set the hook,” he said. “And then reel it in.”

She did as he instructed and then got to her feet and reeled. She cried out in triumph as she landed a nice-size catfish.

Thankfully, he removed the fish from the hook for her and then put it into a basket that floated in the water. “I believe that’s one for me and zero for you,” she teased.

“Don’t get cocky, there’s plenty more time left for me to catch up to you,” he said with a laugh.

They fished for about two hours and then called it a day. She had three fish in the basket, and he had two. “You’d better start looking for those dancing shoes,” she said with a grin as they started the walk back to his shanty.

“It must have been beginner’s luck. Either that or you had an amazing teacher,” he said.

“Ha, don’t make excuses. I just fished way better than you today,” she teased.

“I demand a rematch on another day.”

She laughed. “You’re obviously a glutton for punishment because I’ll just beat you again.”

They were almost to the back door when the shot rang out. The bullet whizzed precariously close to her head. She screamed in terror.

“Get down,” Jacque cried out. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the ground with his body covering hers.

He yanked his gun from his holster and pointed it to the right, where he believed the shooter was somewhere hiding in the bushes. Even with all his muscles tensed and with him filled with a wealth of adrenaline, he could still feel Monique trembling with fear beneath him.

Damn, where was the shooter hiding and was he going to fire again? Right now, with him shielding her, there was no way she could get shot. But there was no question that the bullet had been meant for her.

If she’d been a mere inch to the left, it would have found its mark in her head. The very idea squeezed his chest tight. Death had come far too close to her.

Seconds ticked by…then minutes, and no other bullets flew. Finally enough time had passed that he believed the imminent danger was over. He half rose from his prone position. Nothing happened.

Still, he wasn’t willing to take a chance with Monique’s life. He glanced down at her. She was on her back beneath him, and her eyes were wide with fear and full of tears.

“We’re close enough to the back door that we should be able to crawl inside. I’ll raise up some more, and you turn over so you can crawl. Once you get inside, stay away from all of the windows.”