Paradise (22 page)

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“Eddie! Yoo-hoo! Eddie! Over here!”

The somber mood around the oak tree shattered. Eddie stopped mid-sentence and turned to the piercing voice.

“Hi, Eddie!”

Robbie looked over her shoulder, frowning when she saw Betty Boop scramble past the other tour groups.

“Well, this is a surprise.” Eddie grinned.

She plowed into him and gave him a big kiss on the mouth. Robbie, still pressed to his side, let her hand on his hip slip. He tightened his grip, but having no desire to be part of a threesome, she stepped away. Short of creating a scene, he couldn’t keep her with him. His chagrined look before he gently clasped Lou Ann’s upper arms and eased her away said it all.

“Uh, hi Lou Ann. What an unexpected treat. What are you doing here?”

“I checked with Nick about your schedule, and he said you’d be by the old oak today, so Earleen and I thought we’d come out and keep you company. She’s getting some stuff out of our canoe.”

“Well now, ain’t that just plum sweet of you gals.”

Robbie raised an eyebrow. How could this stop be on his schedule when she suggested it only this morning? She watched in wonder as Eddie turned from attentive lover to Southern ladies man, complete with accent. Where did he pull these personalities from?

“I’ve missed you so much. I hate when you do these week-long tours. It gets so lonely without your handsome face down at Maisie’s.”

Robbie sniffed. My God, Lou Ann even smelled like Maisie’s place. Even at her worst, Robbie’s mom never smelled like a diner on her day off.

“Well, Lou Ann, and just what did you have to bribe ol’ swamp-hating Earleen with to get her to come out here with you?”

Lou Ann took no notice of his question but stuck to him like a hound on a rabbit. Every step back he took, she took two forward. She looked so ridiculous that one of the women tourists snorted as they left to re-join their tour guide.

A heavy set woman with big hair and nails as red as Satan’s tail dragged an overloaded picnic basket in both hands over to where they stood.

“Hi, Earleen. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

She grunted and dropped the basket at her feet. “Hi, Eddie. I sure do hope you appreciate the trouble we went through.”

Eddie ignored her less than gracious greeting. “By the way, ladies, may I introduce you to Miz. Robbie Miller. She was the winner of our Channel Ten travel giveaway. Miz. Miller, this is Miss Earleen Andrews and Mrs. Lou Ann Ritter.”

As the saying went “butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth,” he was so smooth. Robbie gave them a bright smile. “Hello. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Eddie continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “She havin’ a mighty fine time this week explorin’ the swamp. Ain’t you, Miz. Miller?”

Lou Ann gave Robbie a sideways glance but Earleen stuck out her hand. “Good to meet you, too, honey.”

Robbie shook her hand, wondering where this was going.

“Now, you know I don’t use ‘Mrs.’ anymore, not since my divorce,” pouted Lou Ann.

Robbie looked from Earlene to Lou Ann pawing at Eddie and a wave of righteous anger washed over her. How dare that slut touch her man! Taking a step forward with every intention of socking her in the kisser, Robbie caught herself up short.

She had no hold on Eddie. She insisted this was just an affair. He was her Rebound Man. She was leaving for
New York
, a place he hated, but a place where she would finally make her mark, prove her worth. By her own choice, Eddie wasn’t hers so she had no right to stop Lou Ann from chasing him.

Lou Ann stared longingly into his eyes while he continued his futile attempts to free himself from her grasp.

I may not have any right to stop her, but if she bats her eyes, I’m going to barf.

“You know, Lou Ann, I just can’t keep your marriages and divorces straight. I’ll try to remember you’re between husbands.” Eddie had finally succeeded in extricating himself from Lou Ann’s grasp and moved to stand beside Robbie.

Lou Ann’s head jerked around as if noticing Robbie for the first time.

“What’s that on your neck?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“That red spot at the base of your neck. What is it?”

Robbie lifted her fingers and stroked her collarbone. She flinched when she touched a bruise. Her eyes flew to Eddie, but he just stood there smirking. A very short time ago, his mouth had been pretty active on that part of her anatomy. She hid a smile. The creep had given her a hickey.

“Oh, that. It’s hives. I get them a lot. A hazard of being a redhead,” she muttered.

With a satisfied shrug, Lou Ann turned back to Eddie. He sidestepped when she reached for his shirt button. “We brought a picnic lunch. Thought you’d appreciate it after eating freeze-dried food all week. Got it special from Maisie’s.”

Robbie folded her arms across her shaking chest in a vain attempt to suppress her laughter at his predicament. He looked so pathetic she couldn’t be jealous. Lou Ann had her gun sights set on Eddie, and he didn’t know what to do.

“Well, that’s right nice of you gals, and we certainly do appreciate your thoughtfulness. Don’t we, Miss Robbie?” She gave him a blank stare so he hurried on. “But unfortunately, we’ll have to take a rain check. We’re already way behind schedule. As it is, we won’t make our next platform afore nightfall. Miz. Miller has a mighty big fear of being on the water after dark.”

He stepped around Lou Ann and circled behind Earleen to grasp Robbie’s elbow and hustle her away. “We’re powerful sorry we can’t join you. Maybe some other time,” he called over his shoulder. “You have a nice picnic and a pleasant trip back to town. So long, gals.”

Robbie glanced over her shoulder in time to see Lou Ann stamp her foot. “Eddie!”

“I told you this was a stupid idea!” Earleen’s hiss drifted to them.

He marched her to the canoe. His grim countenance warned her to keep her snide remarks to herself, but the giggles wouldn’t stop.

“Not one word about thirty year mortgages,” he growled.

“Smooth, really smooth.” She grinned. “Didn’t I mention Mrs. Ritter had you slated to become her next bridegroom?”

Eddie replied in his good ol’ boy accent. “My, my but you do have an active imagination, Miz. Miller. Lou Ann is a good friend. The Okefenokee will freeze rock solid before she’d consider me husband material.”

“Yeah, right, and what’s with this whole ‘Ah shucks, Ma’am,’ Mayberry accent? You haven’t talked like that since that first day at Maisie’s.” She egged him on.

Reaching the canoe, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, lingering kiss that sent her heartbeat into overdrive.

“Well, ya see, darlin’,” he said, affecting the slow, melodic drawl. “Ya gotta play to your audience. To Lou Ann and Earleen, I’m a regular good ol’ boy.”

“And that gaggle of women you charmed the socks off of?”

“Give me a break, any tourist coming to a
Georgia
swamp wants to believe the guide was born and raised in a little shack. It’s much more exciting if he walked barefooted to the one room schoolhouse and had a gator instead of a dog as his best friend. If that’s what they want, than that’s what they get at McGraw Tours. We aim to please, Ma’am.”

He gave her another slow kiss, massaging her bottom and pulling her tighter to his hips. For a moment, she couldn’t help wonder how many other “little campers” he’d pleased. And the thought brought a deep sense of regret.

“So I’ve noticed.” She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.

“Are you going to make me go on a snake hunt again and empty this thing out?”

Her gaze shifted from Eddie to the canoe, then back to Eddie. After the special time he’d given her, guilt crept up her spine at the thought of making him do all that extra work.

“No, I think I’ll survive. As long as you promise no creepy crawly things got in there.”

He released her and drew a cross on his chest. “Scout’s honor. Nothing’s in there that shouldn’t be. Now, we’re going to switch places. You’ll take the rear and I’ll be in the front.”

“Why?”

“Usually, it doesn’t matter which end is the front or back of the canoe. But the way I’ve got this thing packed, there’s no foot room if we reverse it now.”

She heard his lecture voice coming on. “So unless you want me to get in the rear and you push the canoe back into the water, we’ll need to switch seats for the next leg of the journey.”

“Oh,” she mouthed, picking up her paddle and climbing over the supplies to sit in the rear. She watched as Eddie put his shoulder to the bow and shoved it into the water. Just before it slid in, he jumped deftly aboard, sitting and using his paddle as a rudder to guide them around and back onto the trail.

“Looks like we’re going to escape the rain tonight,” he shouted over his shoulder. “Too bad you’re not up for moonlight tour.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Too much excitement for one day. How far to the Holiday Inn?”

“We’re heading to Platform Five. It’s a couple hours from here so just settle back and enjoy the view.”

She decided to do just that, only the view she was enjoying included a broad back, tapering down to narrow hips and the nicest buns she’d ever laid eyes on.

Chapter Eleven

“Okay, let’s do it,” Robbie said, drying the last dish from dinner. She huddled outside the tent, close enough to remain in the small circle of lantern light.

“Again? I don’t think I can, darlin’. You’ve totally worn me out. As much as I’d like to, I’ve got to take a break.” Eddie slid his arm around her and pulled her onto his lap.

“Not that, silly.” She waved her hand where she guessed the canoe was. “Let’s go out in the swamp. It’s not raining. How bad can it be? You’re a trained professional. You won’t let anything happen to me. Right? Besides, it might be a good story to tell Leah when I get back.”

His eyes lit up and a slow smile spread across his beard-shadowed chin. “I promise you, Robbie, you will be perfectly safe. I do this all the time. It’s really exciting.”

She returned his smile, pleased that she could do this for him. George of the Jungle was an outdoor boy. It must have been boring -- more like torture -- for him to be stuck in the tent every night.

“You’re sure it’s not going to rain tonight?”

“Absolutely, those were cirrus clouds passing through before. They’re not rain clouds. It’s going to be bone dry tonight.”

He looked so sincere and earnest, like a small child eager to please a stern parent. “Okay, let’s go. Quick now, before my sanity returns.”

“Really? Great!” He reached into the tent and came back with a large flashlight. She scrambled to her feet and followed him to the edge of the platform.

The frog chorus was in full swing tonight, joined occasionally by the lonely bellow of a gator. Where had this sudden adventurous streak come from? Maybe this wasn’t such a bright idea.

“This is so great! You’re going to love it!”

The words to call off the adventure stuck in her throat. She couldn’t squash his enthusiasm. That same warm feeling surrounded her, the one she had had watching the herons when he’d kissed her. Taking a deep breath, she tuned into his excitement and willed herself to feed off his madness.

He climbed into the canoe, balancing his weight before helping her descend. The flashlight beam danced wildly at her ungraceful boarding. She clung to his hand and was grateful when his arm circled her and gently plopped her on the canoe bench.