Page 9 of Sweet Home Louisiana

“Very likely.At least a lot of ’em.”He didn’t know where else they’d be since they weren’t down on the docks or out on the airboats.

They’d done a few tours that morning, but had closed up early so Sawyer and Josh could help move furniture in and out of the room where Maddie would be staying at Cora’s.If they hadn’t, Leo would have tried to do it and would have thrown his back out.Or pretended to, anyway.He would have been bitching and moaning and hoping that Cora would feel bad and make him cornbread and beans.It was amazing the things Leo would do for Cora’s cornbread.

Owen had chosen to stay out of that, volunteering to do some extra repairs and cleanup on the boats instead.He didn’t need to be anywhere near Maddie’s bed, whethershewas near it and whether it was temporary and in her grandmother’s guest room, or not.

Maddie took a deep breath.“This is going to be a big deal, isn’t it?”

“You being home?”he asked.

She shot him a glance.“Me being inAutre.”

So she wasn’t going to refer to Autre as “home?”He frowned.“That’s what I said.”

“No, you said home.”

“This is your home.”

She turned to face him more squarely.“I haven’t lived here in twelve years.”

“So?Home is home.Your roots are here.”His heart was thundering now and he felt tension squeezing the back of his neck.

She stepped back, putting more space between them.Which was probably for the best.

“My past is here,” she said.“But I only lived here for sixteen years.”

“Your family is from here.”

“Not my whole family.”

Owen shoved his hand through his hair.“You lived here longer than you’ve lived in California.”

She lifted a shoulder as if this topic were no big deal.“For now.But if you consider that I don’t remember much of my life here before age three or four, it’s almost even.”

“It’s not almost even,” he said, aware he was gritting his teeth.

She frowned, clearly noting his teeth.“Are you really going to make me say this?”

“That you don’t feel like you’re from here?”he asked.

“That I don’t want to be here.That if Tommy hadn’t died and left his share to me, I wouldn’t be here now.”

Owen took a deep breath and worked on being laid-back.He never had to work at that.Apparently Madison could still wind him up.Of course, in the past, he’d had the outlet of hot sex.Whether he was feeling possessive or they were making up after an argument, the sex had been the perfect release.Now they were on opposite sides—she didn’t want to be here and wanted to get rid of Boys of the Bayou.He needed her to not only keep Boys of the Bayou, but within twenty minutes of her being in town, he had a gut-deepneedto make herwantto be here.Yeah, he wanted her tolikebeing here.To miss them.To find things here that were better than California.He didn’t just want her to agree to keep the business going.He wanted her to want to be a real part of it.

This business and his family were the center of his life.They were everything that mattered to him.And if Maddie didn’t love them and want them, that was going to eat at him.

Damn.This was getting complicated.Already.

And if he didn’t have hot sex as the way to blow off steam, he was afraid of how this might all end.

He took a breath.“Yeah, okay, yes, they’re very excited to see you.They’ve been moving furniture in and out of the extra bedroom at Cora’s, cooking up a storm, and generally worrying and planning for your visit,” he finally said.

Maddie dropped her chin to her chest and blew out a breath.“Okay, then.”

He couldn’t resist.He reached out and put a hand on her arm.He squeezed.Her head came up quickly and she met his gaze.

“It’s going to be okay,” he felt compelled to say.Because he was always compelled to comfort her and make her happy.

“A month is a long time.”

---