South of Heaven Read Online Free PDF

Kendra.
    When their hands met, Kendra smiled. “Go ahead, just save me some.”
    “Aye, aye, Captain.
    Kendra took a piece of garlic bread and handed the plate to her dad.
    “How’s the fishing going for your dad?” he asked.
    “He’s been raking in the whites and rock shrimp. The water warmed quicker than usual this year.”
    “That’s not a good sign,” Kevin warned.
    “Especially with hurricane season just a few weeks away,” Lindsey agreed.
    “Hopefully we’ll be blessed with decent weather for the summer,” Kendra said. “I’d love to get a full season of reds in.”
    “We can only hope, and pray,” Kevin said.
    Kendra cleaned the kitchen while her dad and Lindsey drank coffee at the table.
    “Do you ladies have plans for the evening?” he asked.
    “Not really, Dad. What did you have in mind?”
    “I bought some fresh turkey necks at the market this morning. Those blue crabs you brought home last night were good, so I thought I’d go down to the docks and catch another batch to accompany the huge fish I’m going to reel in tomorrow.”
    “You’re sounding pretty confident,” Kendra said.
    “I’ve no doubt that between the three of us tomorrow we’ll catch a nice fish or two for dinner.”
    Kendra looked at Lindsey. “Are you exhausted yet?”
    “Nope, I’m good. I haven’t been crabbing in ages.”
    Kendra grinned at her dad. “It looks like we’re going crabbing with you then. I’ll do the netting, and you two can bring them up to the dock.”
    “Deal, I’ll grab the lines and net, if you two will bring those buckets from the back porch and the turkey necks from the fridge.”
    “Let’s do this. I’ll get the buckets and meet y’all out front.” Lindsey got up to leave.

    †

    The sun was well on its way to the horizon when the group met in the front yard. Kevin had a smile plastered across his face from ear to ear. Kendra loved seeing him so happy and her worries about his being bored with retirement were fading away.
    Kendra slipped a flashlight into her back pocket and wrapped an arm around his shoulders as they walked down to the docks. Moored at the dock, Heaven Sent sat high in the water as soft waves lapped up against her hull in a relaxing rhythm.
    Kendra extended the telescoping handle on the net and peered over the edge of the dock. She could see several large crabs scavenging around the pier posts. Deciding to get a jump on the harvest while her dad and Lindsey were preparing their lines, she knelt on the weathered wood and eased her net into the calm water. As she positioned the net behind a large crab she held her breath and then quickly scooped him into the net.
    “Got ya.” She lifted the net from the water. “I’m one up on y’all already,” she called out as she lowered the net into a five-gallon bucket and shook the crab free from the webbing.
    Kevin laughed. “She thinks she’s gonna outdo us, but we have the ammunition,” he grinned as he spoke. “Let’s show her how it’s done while she scoops up what she can around the posts.”
    “Bring ’em on,” Kendra crowed, dipping her net into the water as she went for a second crab.
    “Better get that net ready, Kendra.” Kevin grinned and swung a turkey neck, sending it sailing across the water. He overturned a bucket, sat, and waited.
    Lindsey moved a few feet away from him and mimicked his movements. The scent of the turkey necks would spread quickly through the warm water, and the crabs could not resist the lure of an easy meal.
    Kendra netted two more crabs while she waited for crabs to approach the turkey necks. The light was quickly fading, but the darkness wouldn’t stop them. The crabs would tug at their lines as they pinched tiny bits of flesh from the bait. When they felt the first tug, her dad and Lindsey would begin retracting their lines, drawing the crab toward the pier. She lowered her net into the water, and waited patiently for them to lure the crabs into her net. Kendra