Page 88 of Sweet Home Louisiana

That had never occurred with another woman.He’d never felt particularly protective of them, and he’d definitely never cared if they were willing to fight a battle for him.

With Maddie he did.

He pulled back.He needed to tell her all of this.

He stared at her.She looked so fucking gorgeous.She was riled up right now, too, but this was a whole different kind.And this was definitely because of him.

“Mad—”

They were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.“Owen, Maddie…we need to talk.Now.”

It was Sawyer.

Fuck.

Maddie ran a hand through her hair.Her cheeks were flushed and her mouth pink from his.

“Wow,” she said.

He couldn’t disagree.“We’re not done.”

She wet her lips and nodded.

“Maddie!Owen!Rightnow!”

Owen stalked to the door and pulled it open.“What?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”His angry gaze flickered to Maddie.“Agun?You pulled agunwhile out on a tour?”

“It was…complicated,” Owen said.

“It was agun,” Sawyer said.

His expression was hard and he looked ready to strangle someone.He was nearly vibrating with what seemed like anger, but Owen knew that it was mostly fear.The idea that one of them could have been seriously hurt had him rattled.

Owen used a calm, firm voice.“Everything is fine.We’re fine.”

“I should have never let you take that tour,” Sawyer said to Maddie.“That’s my fault.If I had my shit together you wouldn’t have had to.”He shoved a hand through his hair.

Awesome.Now Sawyer was blaming himself for this, too.

“There’s a reason we have guns on board the boats,” Owen said.“It’s for situations just like that.If someone’s in danger, we have ways to protect them.That’s all that was.Maddie was doing her job.”

“You weren’t in danger,” Sawyer snapped.

“She didn’t know that.And if we’d been out there and I’d been in danger in your eyes, you would have done the same thing she did.”

Sawyer scowled at him.

Owen stepped forward and put a hand on his cousin’s shoulder.Man, he would do anything to take some of this anxiety and anger out of Sawyer.“Everyone is fine,” he said, his voice again firm and calm.

Sawyer sucked in a breath.“Yeah, well maybe notfine.”

Owen frowned.“What’s up?”

“George Williams is here.”

Owen felt his eyebrows rise.“What the hell is the sherriff doing here?”

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