Unsuspecting

Beth’s stomach was in knots. Although she knew the job she was about to interview for was easily hers, the thought of negotiating wages and benefits had her nervous. She wasn’t about to move from Ohio to Louisiana for nothing. She knew that she had some pull, that she was going to be able to make a few demands, and the management team at Badly & Brooks Investments knew the same.

Stepping off the plane, the heat surrounded and embraced Beth, as if welcoming her to her new home. Beth had always loved Louisiana, having visited there a number of times in her life. But she had never really given any thought to the prospect of living there until this job opportunity had presented itself. Riding in the taxi from the airport through the tall, slender office buildings of the city, Beth felt as if everywhere she looked she saw signs of welcome, signs that somehow the surroundings were beckoning her to make her home there. The sense of comfort that she felt the city emitted helped ease the tension she was experiencing about the ever approaching meeting with the partners of the investment firm. As she walked through the heavy mahogany doors into the warmly decorated boardroom, she focused on the sensation she had felt as she had stepped off the plane, the feeling of the sun on her shoulders like a strong arm wrapped around her gently guiding her.

The meeting went better than Beth had ever expected. Where as she had expected to make salary demands, they immediately offered her nearly twice what she had planned to ask for. Where she had planned to express her indecision about moving half way across the country, they had offered to put her up in a luxury bed and breakfast a half hour out of the city for a week so that she might make up her mind. Beth’s head was still spinning as she was deposited in a cream colored limousine and taken to her temporary home on the countryside surrounding the city.

Beth had to chuckle to herself as she fell back onto the plush, thick bed in her large suite of rooms at the inn. She had wanted to take the job as soon as the salary was set, but she couldn’t resist taking advantage of a free week to get to know what would soon be her new home. All she had to do, really, was sit back and relax, as her new employer would quickly take the reigns once she accepted the position. They would find her a new home, arrange for her belongings to be transported south, and it appeared that they would bend over backwards to make her happy with her decision.

A soft knock on the door brought Beth back from a daydream about corporate lunches on the French quarter and nights spent away from the lights of the city, where one could see stars they never knew existed. Opening the door, Beth found a frail looking old man dressed in surprisingly stylish gray slacks and a nice sweater vest. He explained to her, with an accent that just melted Beth’s heart, that she was the only guest at the inn and the she basically had the entire staff at her beck and call. Anything she needed or wanted she would surely get, as they aimed to please and wanted her to make sure she fell so in love with the city and it’s surroundings that she’d want to make it her home.

Beth told the inn keeper, who’s name it turned out was Pete, that some of her fondest memories were of time spent in the swamps. Pete shook his head and laughed. “Missy Beth, I don’t know what it is about women and the swamps, but that’s almost always the first darn thing they want to do is get out there and float around with the gators.” He told her that there wasn’t a better day than that day to get to know the swamps, as there was a slight breeze that would keep the mosquitoes away. He asked when she could be ready to go and told her to meet Zach, one of the employees, downstairs. He would drive her out and set her up with a boat. Beth was surprised to find that what she had expected to be a large, terribly noisy airboat ended up being a relatively small rowboat tied to a creaky old dock. Zach offered more than once to act as the guide and row “Missy Beth” (as it seemed everyone had begun calling her) around the swamps. But Beth would have nothing to do with that. She was seeking some solitude and felt confident that she could maneuver her way around with the small boat.

With a slight push and a reluctant wave, Zach sent Beth on her way. Beth quickly became comfortable with the oars and was soon gliding almost silently through the green/black water. She rowed for nearly half an hour before coming upon a secluded little cove off of the main waterway. Carefully maneuvering her way through the thickly draped moss of the trees she found herself in hidden area. Beth stopped and sat looking around in awe. The small ‘room’ was heavenly, with a ceiling of emerald green foliage, a carpet of unknown depths and walls of draped Spanish moss, hanging lazily down to drink of the dark water. Beth mused at a small opening in the moss that seemed as if it should be a window, as it lent a perfect view to a grassy field that neighbored the densely treed swamp.

Not wanting to leave her new found treasure, Beth decided to take advantage of a large basket of goodies that Zach had placed in the boat with her. Her lunch consisted of crackers and fine cheese, fresh fruits and hearty, heavily grained breads. Beth sat in her small boat eating and listening to the sounds around her. She felt the food tasted better than any she’d ever had, somehow the air around her smelled sweeter, the colors of the swamp more vivid than any she had ever seen before. Having eaten nearly everything in the basket and realizing the sun was slowly beginning to set she decided to begin rowing back to the dock to where Zach would be waiting for her. Just as she was about to dip the tips of the oars into the cool water, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Through the ‘window’ Beth saw a man sitting tall in the saddle of a coal black horse. He wasn’t looking directly at her, but perhaps looking through the moss at the swamps beyond as if tempted to come closer, yet too afraid of what lay beyond the cover of the hanging foliage.

Still unseen, Beth stared at the man. His ebony hair rivaled the brilliant sheen of the stallions blue/black coat. His facial features were distinctive, his jaw strong, his cheekbones high. He looked almost hawklike perched upon the stallion peering through the moss like a hunter peering down upon it’s potential prey. Beth didn’t move, not wanting to draw any attention to herself as she watched the man reach down and stroke the muscular shoulder of his mount before gently nudging him to move on. Beth felt he had been looking for something, or perhaps someone....perhaps he was looking for her.

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