A gator slithered into the water toward her. Its tail splashed as it propelled toward her with its eyes barely peeking above the surface.
She wasn’t in danger of drowning but in danger of being eaten.
Adrenaline shot through her, and she moved as fast as shecould toward the safety of the land, but it was slow going with the mud so slippery on the pond’s bottom.
Fear dried her mouth. Those giant teeth would clamp around an arm or a leg any minute, and the gator would have her in its death roll.
The handrail board was still in her hand. Maybe it would do as a weapon.
The gator was coming fast, and she turned toward it. Its mouth opened, and she jammed the board in as far as she could and turned to scramble onto the grass. She spared a glance behind her and saw the gator retreating. Shivering and wet, she scurried away from the water before it changed its mind.
Something moved in the tree to her right, and she stared up into the blue eyes of a leopard.
At least the boys hadn’t awakened while Blake repaired the bathroom plumbing issue. His mom worked on mopping up the floor while he found plumbing flux and a soldering iron to reconnect the pipe under the bathroom sink.
He backed out from under the musty-smelling bathroom counter. “I might need to replace the cabinet floor. It’s already swollen from the water. We’ll let it dry before I replace the contents and see if it returns to normal. But it won’t be too expensive if I have to put in a new cabinet bottom.”
His mother’s hair was still wet from the dousing with water while she had tried to turn off the supply valve. “It’s a good thing you’re a jack-of-all-trades.”
“And master of none?” he teased.
“You’re the master of all of them. I hated to interrupt your evening with Paradise. The two of you have gotten so little alone time.”
He washed his hands in the sink and dried them. “Plumbing waits for no one. Is Frank good at plumbing?” His mom had been dating a former classmate, Frank Ellis, a well-known land developer. Blake liked him.
His mom’s cheeks grew pink. “I haven’t asked him.”
He quirked a brow and smiled. “It’s important to know these things before your relationship progresses any further. When are you seeing him again?”
She made a show of picking up the wet towels strewn on the floor. “I invited him to the cookout on Sunday.”
“Ah, is that sort of like walking through fire to meet everyone involved in this complicated family? Well, Paradise’s complicated family, at least. Ours is straightforward.”
“Her family will be part of ours. Did you pick up the ring?”
“Sure did. It’s gorgeous. Want to see?” He tossed the towel onto the sink. His mom followed him to his room where he dug out the black velvet box. The two-carat emerald sparkled in its setting of diamonds that accentuated its perfect square shape. “The jeweler said it came from Zambia. Do you know where Dad bought it when it was in a necklace?”
She touched it with a reverent finger. “I have no idea. We didn’t have much time to talk about it before he left on that final tour of duty. I waited to wear it until he came home, but he never did. It stayed in the safe all these years. It’s much prettier in a ring. I think Paradise will love it.”
“I hope so.” Blake closed the lid of the box and put it back in his drawer under his socks, then glanced at the bedside clock.“Whoa, it’s later than I thought. It felt like fixing the plumbing only took a few minutes, but it’s been half an hour. Where’s Paradise? I didn’t hear her come in.”
“I didn’t either, and she would have come to check on your progress to see if you needed help.” His mom clutched her hands together. “This is worrisome. Maybe she’s talking with Drew.”
“Let me go check.” Blake headed for the kitchen door and walked to the garage to climb the steps to the apartment on the second floor. Music played from inside, and he rapped his knuckles on the door. “Drew?”
The door opened almost immediately. Drew was alert and still dressed. “Everything okay?”
“Is Paradise with you?”
Drew’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “You’ve lost her somewhere?”
“I left her at the pond to rush home to fix a leak, but she shouldn’t have been more than five minutes behind me. It’s been half an hour.” Fear gripped Blake and he turned to run down the steps. “We have to find her,” he called over his shoulder.
Drew’s footsteps pounded down the stairs behind Blake. “Where’s the pond?”
“Out near the swamp. It will be faster to take the Gator. Come on.” He grabbed the tranq rifle, then they ran for the parking lot. Why hadn’t he paid attention to the time?
They reached the utility vehicle, and Blake barely waited for Drew to land on the passenger seat before he turned the key and accelerated to the pond.
