by Robin Caroll
Unscrewing the top, Tara pulled potion into the dropper. With a steady hand, she eased the dropper into Tanty’s mouth and administered four drops. She leaned forward and closed her eyes.
A strong hand wrapped around hers and the vial. “What’re you doing?”
Her eyes shot open.
Sheriff Theriot held her hand tight in his grip. “I thought we agreed no more of this.”
She hopped to her feet. “No, you said not to. I just said I understood.”
His face turned an interesting shade of red. “Tara, you’ve given me no choice.” He pried the vial from her hand.
“It can help her.”
“I told you not to, and you totally ignored my directive.”
“But you don’t understand. This potion ca—”
He grabbed her by the arm and led her to the door. “I can’t trust you.”
Her heart did a somersault. His statement hurt more than anything. “Look, I’m trained to do this. Trained by the very woman I’m trying to help.”
“And I’ve told you not to. You blatantly disregarded my order. Not only as sheriff, but as Tanty’s closest living relative.”
Fear made her heart pump faster.
“I have no choice but to take you in.”
Take her in? Was he insane? “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious.” And by his expression and the hardness in his eyes, he wasn’t lying.
She’d have to beg to get out of this one. Tara fought to find the right words, the perfect phrasing—
Beeeeep! Beep! Beeeeep!
Tara jumped, as did Bubba. He gently lifted his aunt’s hand. “Aunty Tanty?”
The elderly woman’s eyelids fluttered, then opened. She blinked several times and turned her head from side to side.
“Shh, Aunt Tanty. It’s okay. I’m here.” He turned his gaze to Tara. “Go get the doctor.”
Tara raced toward the nurses’ station. Two nurses were already on their feet.
“It’s Tanty Shaw. She’s waking up!”
“We’re on our way, child,” the elderly nurse said, clutching a clipboard to her chest.
The nurses headed to Tanty’s room. Tara rested against the counter, panting, her heart pounding. Tanty was awake!
She stared down the hall.
She’d done it. The potion had worked!
“You know the routine, Sheriff. We’ll begin taking her off the machines, one at a time, and run tests. Most likely, you’ll be able to see her around three this afternoon.”
Yeah, he knew the drill. But he wanted to talk to his aunt, hear it straight from her that she was okay. Bubba let out a long sigh. “I understand. Merci, Doctor.”
“I have to admit, I expected her organs to start shutting down soon. That she came out of the coma on her own is a good sign.” The doctor looked at him. “But you know all this. I’ll get to work now.”
Bubba nodded, his mind racing. Her coming out of a coma was a miracle. He raked a hand over his hair. But would Tara LeBlanc see it that way? Would she give her potion the credit? He stilled. Yeah, she would.
How could he help her see that the miracle was from God and not some silly little brew she’d cooked up?
The nurses were aflutter with good news. Not only had Aunt Tanty come out of a coma, but Mrs. LeBlanc had improved so much that they were decreasing her pain medication. Maybe soon he’d get some answers.
Please, Lord.
“Bubba.”
He turned to find Luc Trahan rushing toward him, a huge smile plastered across his face. “Another miracle.”
Bubba smiled. “Yes, it is.”
Luc clapped his shoulder. “Tara called and told us about your aunt and Grandmere’s progress.”
“Yeah. Maybe I can get to the bottom of all this soon.”
“I’m sure you will.” Luc looked at him carefully. “Is there something else wrong?”
Bubba hesitated, then nodded.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Let’s go to the waiting room.” Bubba led the way and took a seat in the far corner of the deserted room.
“What’s up?” Luc sat beside him, his gaze serious.
“It’s Tara.”
Luc straightened. “What about her?”
“I’d caught her giving Aunt Tanty some of her potion stuff earlier. I told her not to do it again. I thought she’d agreed.”
“But?”
“Tonight, just before Aunt Tanty came out of the coma, I caught her doing it again.”
Luc let out a heavy sigh. “Oh, man.”
“Yeah. So now, I don’t know what to do. She’s going to think that stuff she brewed is what brought Tanty out of the coma, not God’s healing hand.”
“That is a dilemma.”
“How’d you deal with that with CoCo? I mean, back before she became a Christian?”
“Not very well. Remember, we broke up because I couldn’t deal with all the voodoo stuff.”
Bubba rubbed the back of his neck. “I just don’t know what to do.”
Luc narrowed his eyes. “She’s gotten to you, hasn’t she?”
“What?” Bubba shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Luc smiled. “Don’t try to deny it, man. Your feelings are all over your face.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Does she know?”
“I hope not. I’m not sure, though.” He took a deep breath. “I pulled her into a tight embrace the other day. I’m pretty sure she knew it wasn’t just a brotherly one.”
One of Luc’s brows shot up. “Really? How’d that go?”
Heat crept up the back of his neck. “Better than it should have.”
“What’d she say?”
“Nothing.”
Luc cocked his head. “Nothing?”
“We, uh…” Bubba’s tongue tripped. He forced a cough. “We didn’t have…haven’t had a chance to talk about it.”
Luc sat silent for a moment. “You must be asking yourself the same things I did—how can you have feelings for a woman who doesn’t love God? I know, I’ve been there. Not a fun place to be.”
“So, I’m back to the question—what do I do?”
“I wish I had an easy answer for you. I don’t. Just pray. God’s still in the miracle business—today’s a prime example. And look how He touched the hearts of CoCo and her grandmother. Who would’ve ever thought Marie LeBlanc would turn her life over to God?”
Luc had a point, but it didn’t make Bubba feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He couldn’t imagine Tara admitting she needed anyone, especially Jesus. The idea grieved him deeply. Compounded with the guilt that he hadn’t witnessed to Aunt Tanty as much as he should have over the years, his emotions were as tangled as fishing line caught in a propeller.
“I’ll be praying for you.” Luc stood and rested a hand on Bubba’s shoulder. “With your permission, I’ll talk to CoCo, Alyssa and Jackson. We’ll all pray diligently.”
Too late to keep his feelings to himself. Bubba stood. “I’d appreciate all the prayers I can get. I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Luc grinned again. “Ain’t love grand?” He turned and waltzed out of the waiting room.
Love? Bubba shook his head. He wasn’t anywhere near that emotion. Sure, he couldn’t stop thinking about Tara. The way her eyes danced, her hair smelled, how she talked with her hands. The way his heart contracted when she smiled.
Oh, no. He was falling in love with Tara LeBlanc.
Lord, please help me.
Couldn’t her voodoo give her a little better direction? Tara stomped through the kitchen, heading straight for the coffeepot. How had she slept in so late?
Actually sleep had teased and tormented her all night, hovering just out of her reach. It didn’t help matters for her dreams to be littered with images of the sheriff. But in her dreams, he wasn’t the sheriff, just a very attractive man.
Tara pulled a mug from the cupboard and filled it to the top with the chicory blend. She took a sip
. It was just the way she liked it—hot, strong and not weakened with sugar or cream.
She groaned and set the cup on the counter. What had happened to her? Amidst all the hoopla at the hospital last night with Tanty waking and Grandmere making such a vast improvement, Bubba hadn’t been able to finish scolding her about the healing potion. Or arrest her, for that matter. He’d never accept the truth that voodoo worked, just as she couldn’t believe in his—and her sisters’ and Gramdmere’s—Jesus.
They were worlds apart, yet every time she’d seen him since Grandmere had awakened, his gaze did something to her. Something strange. Her heart would do little flips. Butterflies would flutter in her stomach. Her arms would feel tingly. What was she going to do?
The phone rang, pulling Tara from her thoughts. She moved to get the phone in the living room.
“Hello.”
“Tara? It’s Jayden.”
Why would her boss be calling her before nine in the morning? “Hey. What’s up?”
“I hate to bother you since your grandmother’s sick and all, but I’ve tried and tried, yet can’t get the books to balance for the last couple of nights. I really need to make a deposit but can’t until we reconcile.” He paused, then cleared his throat. “I hate to ask, but could you please come by and figure out where I’m messing up?”
“Sure. How about I head that way now? It’d be better for me.” And as soon as she was done there, she could head straight to the hospital and see Grandmere.
“That’d be great. Thanks, Tara.” Relief filled his voice.
“Non s’inquiéter.” If only she had no worries.
She took her coffee and marched up the stairs. She’d grab a quick shower and then be on her way.
Still, her mind raced with all her problems and complications. Her life had become like a hurricane out of season.
FIFTEEN
When Tara stopped into look at the club’s books, she found the problem. A stupid credit card chargeback.
That was what threw the books out of balance. It was a simple issue to fix. Unfortunately one that took three hours to find. Now it was early afternoon and Tara’d have to hurry and get the issue resolved before she could head to the hospital. She’d already missed the noon visitation time.
Tara lifted the offending charge slip in front of her face. Fifty-eight dollars and thirty-three cents. She shook her head and squinted to read the imprinted name.
Winn Pharm.
She didn’t know anyone named Winn, unless you counted the member of the Rockefeller family. With a chargeback of less than sixty bucks? Not likely.
Tracking him down would’ve been much easier had she recognized the name. Now she’d have to search. Tara grabbed the parish phonebook and searched under P. No Pharm listed. Big surprise.
Jayden lumbered into the office and perched on the edge of the desk. “Making any headway?”
She showed him the chargeback. “Know this Winn character?”
“Let me ask Mike if he remembers the clown.” He took the paper and went to talk to the bartender.
She pinched the bridge of her nose. If Mike didn’t remember, what next? Maybe someone knew who Winn was. She lifted the phone and dialed the number for Luc’s sister and husband.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Spence. Ça va?” The image of the younger man with his shaggy hair danced across her mind. She could just picture him sitting there in jeans and a T-shirt, smiling at the sound of her voice.
“Good. How about you?”
“Comme ci, comme ça. How’s Felicia?”
“Great.” The preacher paused. “We heard about your grandmother and Ms. Shaw. We’ve been praying.”
“Merci.” Had she really just thanked him for praying? Sheesh, she was losing her mind. “Listen, I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Ever heard of a Winn Pharm, spelled P-h-a-r-m?”
“Hmm. Not that I know of. Why?”
“I’m trying to work on the club’s books and I need to get in touch with this Winn guy. I thought maybe he attended your church or something.”
“Nope, not one of mine. Have you checked with Luc? He’d know if Winn attended the Lagniappe church.”
“Haven’t had a chance to ask him.”
“Want me to ask Felicia? She attended that church until we got married.”
Tara smiled. The couple had only been married a month or so. “Sure.”
“Hang on.”
After a moment, Felicia came on the line. “Hey, Tara. Spence said you were needing to know if someone is a member of the Lagniappe congregation, yes?”
She grinned at Felicia’s voice. Always upbeat and chipper, no matter what. Felicia Trahan Bertrand was one of the strongest women Tara had ever met, despite her gentle demeanor. “Yeah. A Winn Pharm, spelled P-h-a-r-m. Ever hear of him?”
“Doesn’t ring any bells, and I grew up in that church. Are you sure that’s the right name?”
“It’s what my paperwork shows. But thanks, anyway.”
“Come see us.”
Tara grinned against the phone. “As soon as I can.” She replaced the receiver and chewed her bottom lip. Who was this Winn guy, and why didn’t she know him? Lagniappe wasn’t that big of a community, and the LeBlancs knew the family names of most everyone in the area. Unless they were new. Or just passing through.
That’d definitely make things hard if Winn had just been passing through.
Jayden returned and tossed the paper back in front of her. “Mike says the only out-of-towner he recalls being in recently is a blond woman. Very sexy—Mike’s description, not mine—and the totals could match, but he’s not sure.”
“So, I’m back to square one.”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s after noon. Would you like to grab lunch, get a break from this?” Hope flared in his eyes.
Tara chewed her lip again. She’d suspected her boss had a crush on her for a while. While he was handsome and sweet and funny, she didn’t see him as anything other than a friend. Not at all the way she saw Bubba, judging by her reaction whenever the sheriff was around. She groaned inwardly.
Jayden stood. “I just thought it’d be nice for you to get away from the paperwork for a bit. Not a date or anything.”
“I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I have to finish this up so I can go visit my grandmother.” Not a lie, but not exactly the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It’d have to do for now.
“Well, good luck, sweetie.” Jayden winked and bit into the apple he carried. “It’s less than a hundred dollars, so if we need to write it off, we can.”
“It irks me to do that. Haven’t had to do it since I started working here.”
“And that’s why we love you.” Jayden smiled and sauntered out the door.
With a sigh, Tara lifted the receiver. She hated calling the credit-card company, but she had no choice at this point.
She’d figure out who this Winn Pharm was, where to find him, and then she’d collect the fifty-eight dollars and thirty-three cents, plus thirty-five extra bucks for the chargeback.
Nobody slipped one past her. Nobody.
“May I speak with you, Sheriff?”
Bubba glanced at the door. “C’mon in, Suzie.” He shoved the bring-a-burger wrapper into the trash. The life of a sheriff meant lousy lunches in the car or office.
The wife of one of his fellow deacons crept in the room and slunk into a chair. Hesitation and worry were etched deeply into her young face. Suzie had to be no more than twenty-five, yet at the moment she had the lines of a woman thirty years her senior.
“What can I do for you?” Please let this be business. He couldn’t handle dispensing any personal advice. And if it was about Paul, her husband, well, he really wouldn’t be able to help. The whole matters-of-the-heart thing was beyond him at the moment.
“I…I didn’t know where else to go.”
Didn’t sound like business. He lifted his pencil and rolled it
between his forefinger and thumb.
“I…I’m pregnant.”
Bubba’s heart missed a beat, then thrummed normally. “Paul mentioned it at church Sunday. Congratulations.” He smiled. Paul had been ecstatic.
“Merci. But I did something very stupid.”
He really didn’t want to hear any more, but what choice did he have? Normally when someone said something like that to an officer of the law, the rest wasn’t very good. “What?”
She wrung her hands in her lap. “I’d begun to believe Paul was having an…an…that he was cheating on me.”
The words Don’t be silly stung the tip of his tongue, but Bubba choked them back. He didn’t know. Sure, he’d like to think a fellow deacon, a friend, would do no such thing, but he couldn’t be sure. Who could be sure about another person these days? Especially in his line of work, people continued to shock him.
“Don’t look so stricken, Sheriff. I’m not about to ask you to find out for me.”
Had he been that transparent?
“He’d just been acting so secretive, not being where he said he was, coming home late without reason, things like that.”
Bubba held his breath.
“Then I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t know what to do. We’d wanted a family, were ready to start, but with Paul acting so strangely…”
Big tears welled in her eyes. “I thought he was cheating on me. I was scared. Terrified. What if he’d fallen in love with someone else and now I was pregnant? Would he stay with me out of obligation? Would our baby be born into a divorced family? It’s all I could think about.”
He didn’t like where this was headed. Her overexplaining. Her demeanor. The guilt on her face. Was he about to hear a confession of a crime?
“You have to understand, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
When was the last time he’d seen Paul? Sunday? Wednesday night?
She sniffled. “I went to see your aunt.”
He hadn’t been expecting that. Bubba dropped the pencil. “What for?”
“To see if she’d help me miscarry.” Tears fell from her guilt-ridden eyes. “I didn’t know what else to do.” Sobs broke her words.