Page 111 of Sweet Home Louisiana

“So, another hour or two won’t hurt you,” George said.

“Anotherhour or two?”Owen asked.

“Quit doing stuff that you have to give statements for and we won’t have to keep doing this,” George said.

Owen looked down as Maddie looked up at him.

“Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen,” Owen said.

Maddie laughed.

George nodded.“That’s what I figured.”He gave Maddie a wink.“Welcome back.”

Her eyes stung with tears.Happy tears.She hugged Owen.“It’s really good to be home.”

Epilogue

Four days later

“Damn, girl, that looksgood,”Owen said.

“It really does.Wow,” Josh agreed.

Maddie took a deep breath.Her latest painting, the one that had poured out of her after the huge fiasco at the dock, the one that was full of bright, vibrant colors and people—the first time she’d ever painted people—was displayed in the front window of one of the art galleries on Royal Street in New Orleans.

The gallery was, appropriately, namedCrazy Creatives.

Owen had talked her into loading her newest painting into the truck and taking it to New Orleans.“What’s the worst that can happen?”he’d asked.And hey, they were coming to town today anyway.So she’d done it.They’d driven past the gallery and she’d seen the name and immediately ordered Josh to stop.The gallery owner had flipped for the painting and had put it right up front.

The painting was of Ellie’s and all the characters that filled the place with laughter and life every day.Maddie almost didn’t want to let it go.She’d envisioned it hanging on the wall in Ellie’s, straight across from the bar.

But Owen was trying to be supportive, and she knew it would reassure him that there was now nothing she was missing about California.She’d been so amazed when she’d awakened the morning after telling him she was staying and that she was in love with him and had headed to Cora’s and started painting immediately.

It seemed that she could channel happy feelings, too.Perhaps she just hadn’t enough of them over the past few years.Or the ones she’d had hadn’t been so overwhelming that they poured out through her brush.

That wasn’t going to be a problem anymore.She now felt happiness and love and hope and an incredible sense of belonging that was too much to keep inside.

“Okay, we’ll leave it here,” she said, taking a breath.

“It looks amazing.”Owen squeezed her hand.

It did.But she still kind of wanted to keep it.

Josh’s phone dinged with a text message.He looked down.“Bennett’s there,” he said.“We should head over.”

“What did the guy say again?”Owen asked as they approached the attorney’s office.

“Just said that they wanted to make a deal.They thought they had an idea about how to make this all work out for all of us without having to go to court,” Josh said.“The other kids are all still waiting to see a judge, but this one wanted to talk.”

“I’m still having a hard time believing that kid is going to medical school,” Maddie said.“Not sure that makes me feel real secure about the medical system in a few years.”

“He’s from Virginia,” Josh said.“Probably don’t need to worry about him working on you.”

Maddie rolled her eyes.“That guy is a dumbass.”

Owen couldn’t argue.He reached out and pulled the door open for her.Then he swatted her ass as she passed.“Try not to call him that in front of the lawyer.”

She grinned at him.“Guessing the lawyer already knows.”

---