Page 74 of Sweet Home Louisiana

“Sawyer shouldn’t have to deal withthat,” she said.“None of you should.”

“People come down here to party,” Josh said.“You really think these bachelor parties and sorority girls come for the gators?”

She nodded.“I do.”

He gave her a look.

She rolled her eyes.“Okay, the gators are cooler if you’ve had a couple drinks.”

She didn’t actually think they were cool at all, ever.

“It’s all just fun,” Josh said.“Wewantto give them a good time.”

“Sawyer’s having trouble,” she said, glancing at Owen.

He was watching her with a strange look on his face.It was a mix of frustration and…heat.Yeah, it was.There was no mistaking that.She felt her heart flip in reaction and she had to swallow hard.

“I know,” Josh said.He sighed.“But that’sourissue.Not our customers’.”

“So what are we going to do about it?”she asked.

Josh shook his head.“Wish I knew.”

Maddie glanced at her computer screen, where she had the schedule for the day pulled up.Sawyer had another tour coming in two hours.It was for one of the small airboats.Only five people.A young couple and three middle-aged women.

Josh would already be out and Owen had a tour leaving at the same time.She scrolled up through the previous few days, then down into the next week.

She looked up at Owen.“Do you schedule your tours so you’re out there at the same time Sawyer is?”Nearly every tour Sawyer had was at the same time Owen had one.Josh’s varied a little more, with him taking most of the longer ones.

Owen nodded.“Doesn’t always work, but I try to.That way I’m not too far away if something goes on.Sometimes we even stick right together and take the same route.”

She felt her heart flip again, but not because of heat.It was more just…warmth.These guys were looking out for Sawyer as best they could while working to keep the business going.They couldn’t afford to keep Sawyer off the boats entirely, but they were there supporting him.

“Can we do that this afternoon?”she asked, making a decision and closing the laptop lid.

“Do what?”Owen asked.

“Stick together and take the same route.”

“We?”

She nodded.“I’ll take Sawyer’s afternoon tour.But we’ll stick close to you so I don’t get us lost or stuck.”

“You’re going to do the tour?”Josh asked.“Seriously?”

“I can drive an airboat and I know all the bayou history and stupid facts about the stupid gators,” she said, not bothering to fake enthusiasm for any of it.

“You haven’t driven an airboat in twelve years,” Josh said.“Wait, have you?”

“No.But it’s not like it’s something you forget.”

Airboats didn’t operate like most boats.They were flat bottomed and were propelled by a huge fan mounted at the back of the boat rather than a motor.There were no parts below the surface of the water so there was no worry about getting tangled up in the grass and plants in the swampy waters or disturbing any animals that hung out there.The boats were steered by rudders and they didn’t have brakes and they couldn’t go in reverse, so they took a little practice, but Maddie had been riding on and driving airboats since she was a little girl.It maybe wasn’t exactly like riding a bike, but she thought she could probably pull off one tour.

And if she got the fucking thing stuck, Owen would be there.He’d wade into the water and push the boat out.He might even take his shirt off for it.It would at least get wet.It was really a winning situation no matter how she looked at it.

Except for the gators.And the being outside.And the freaking heat.

What was she thinking?

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