See Me on the Bayou: Love & Found

By Corilyn Holloway

Willie Doucette believed he could never escape his rotten past, but then in the twilight of his life, he came to Simoneaux Bayou …

 

In the twilight of his life, Willie Doucette arrives in charming Simoneaux Bayou, carrying the weight of a dark past. Betty Ruth, the spirited proprietor of a country store, can't resist the opportunity to help a stranger in need. With determination in her heart, she breaks through Willie's defenses, intrigued by the haunting sadness in his eyes.

Willie, haunted by a life of crime, believes he is forever trapped in his own mistakes. Struggling to adjust to a quiet beach community, he tries to avoid contact with others, including the persistent cabin owner who delivers him dinner. But fate has other plans, and one day, Betty walks right into his world.

Can an old crook find a glimmer of hope and transformation? As Willie battles his own demons, he must decide whether to let Betty in and risk shattering his heart once again...

Experience the power of forgiveness, love, and second chances in this gripping tale set in Simoneaux Bayou.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cactus Rose Press
• Release date: Sep 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215983645

Book preview

Willie Doucette believed he could never escape his rotten past, but then in the twilight of his life, he came to Simoneaux Bayou …

For decades, Betty Ruth has run a little country store and rented cabins on the bayou, and she’s the sort of woman who has never met a stranger. Loud and enthusiastic, she steps right up when her friends the Broussards ask her to rent a place to the mysterious Willie Doucette. It isn’t the man’s burn-scarred face that has her so intrigued. Instead, it’s something about the lost look in his eyes that makes her want to learn more about him… and she won’t take no for an answer when she pushes her way across his threshold.

Willie is on the run from a life of crime, and he knows he can never escape it. He’s as befuddled as anyone when he finds himself in a tiny beach community living alone in a cabin. It’s all thanks to the family of a little girl he saved from a fire, but even that won’t help him break away from the no-good person he is. The bossy owner of the cabin delivers dinner to him every night, but he manages to hide out to avoid talking to her … until one day she walks right through his door.

It would be nice to believe that life could be different for an old crook, but in the end, Willie knows his heart can’t afford to let Betty get close.

Prologue

Willie

December 20 – The Present

She ain’t comin’, I said, tipping my head back as if to look over my shoulder. Even though I still made those kinds of motions, the truth was I couldn’t see a thing. Not a blessed thing.

No one had heard my muttered comment, I decided since no one responded. Too much good timin’, I guessed. I could hear the crunch of ice in coolers as folks reached in over and over to grab a cold beer because even though it was chilly on the bayou, beer was still the drink of choice.

I was nursing a cold one, too, a Shiner, I’d decided after taking a few sips. I wasn’t choosy really. Beer was beer, and since the people of Porpoise Beach never failed to be sure I had one in my hand, I couldn’t really complain about brand.

The scent of wood smoke was like sweet ambrosia to my nostrils. There was nothing like a good bonfire on a cold evening. I raised my head, nostrils high as I took in the smell and sound, enjoying the crackle and pop of the logs and driftwood. I couldn’t see them, but I could imagine them. I knew the reds and yellows of burning embers and the dancing swirl of blue at the center when a fire got to just the right temperature.

Bringing