Page 25 of The Cajun Doctor

“First of all, I think we’ve both decided not to go back to Alaska. There’s nothing for us there anymore. A few friends, and Aunt Mel . . . that’s about it. And I for one prefer the warm weather.”

“Go on,” Daniel prodded. “This ought to be good.”

“Second, there’s a lot of acreage. I’m thinking about putting a mini runway in here, buying a small plane, and opening my own business. Aerial swamp tours, transport, that kind of thing. Same as I had in Alaska, but here in Louisiana.”

“An investment, then?”

“Could be. We don’t have to decide right away.”

Draping an arm over his brother’s shoulder, Daniel said, “Show me around this dump, and tell me what you have in mind.”

Aaron walked Daniel through the house, praising all the highlights, or potential highlights, skimming over the problems. “The electricity and plumbing are antiquated, but they work. So, at least we can move in while the renovation goes on.”

“Together? You and I are going to live together again? Next we’ll be having sleepovers.”

“Only if they involve women. Hey, we can divide the house into apartments if that’ll make you feel better, but it would mean more expenses and delays.” Aaron widened his eyes and stared at him with innocence.

Which Daniel wasn’t buying. He knew a con job when he heard it. “I’ll probably regret this . . . in fact, I’m already regretting it . . . but I’ll give it a try.”

They bumped fists.

“Truthfully, I’ve got to move out of that fishing cabin. And I haven’t been able to exert myself enough to find my own apartment.”

“See, it was meant to be.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Maybe it will help me get away from Tante Lulu and all her machinations. She claims St. Jude has his eyes on me for some love bolt thing.”

“He’s the patron saint of hopeless cases,” Aaron informed him, as if he didn’t already know that.

“Which is Tante Lulu’s unsubtle way of saying I’m hopeless, I guess. But I have no idea what that has to do with thunderbolts.”

“Thunderbolt of love, baby,” Aaron explained.

“Pff! She keeps telling everyone we meet that I’m not gay. As if that were even in question. Just because I don’t have a woman in my life, just because I won’t let her set me up on dates,” Daniel complained. “I don’t look gay, do I?” He turned to face Aaron.

“Well . . .”

Daniel swatted his brother on the arm for his teasing.

“Hey, she’s got me in her crosshairs, too,” Aaron said. “Except in your case she has a specific woman in mind. Samantha Starr.”

“What? Is that old biddy nuts? Not gonna happen.” Samantha Starr had become the bane of his life since he’d first met her at his half brother John LeDeux’s wedding. For some reason, she’d taken an instant dislike to him, just because he was a doctor and her ex-husband had been a doctor. Of course, it didn’t help that he baited her every chance he got. It didn’t help, either, that he seemed to run into her everywhere, probably Tante Lulu’s doing. At the foundation board meetings. At LeDeux family gatherings. Even the fish and bait store where she’d been buying a fifty-pound bag of dog kibbles. She was irritating, sarcastic, condescending, and for some inexplicable reason, sexy as hell. Inexplicable because she was not his type of woman. An erotic splinter, that’s what she was to him, and it was lodged smack dab where it would hurt most. Down yonder, as Tante Lulu would say.

Not that the old lady would remark on his down yonder.

On the other hand, maybe she would.

“Samantha is a good-looking woman,” Aaron said.

“If you like full-body freckles.”

“I suspect you do.”

“She hates my guts.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do. She told me so. More than once.”