Page 100 of Beauty and the Bayou

God, she loved when he smiled like that.He looked so damned happy.

“Will you go out on the tour with us?”he asked, running a hand down her arm and linking their fingers.“I would love to show you what the tours are like and have you get to know these people better.I’d also love to have you there in case I…start to overreact to something.”

Oh, crap.He needed her support.

Out on the water.

Thewater.

Her gut clenched thinking about it.If she closed her eyes and let her mind go there, she could still feel the water pressing in on her, as if it was trying to push her down, as if it was sucking the air out of her lungs, as if she was wrapped in invisible rope, unable to move and fight.She could remember the moment when she realized that she wasn’t strong enough to get out of it by herself.The fear, the helplessness, then the resignation.Then the relief when she felt her brother’s arms around her.

Her heart raced and she felt light-headed at theideaof being out on the wild waters of the bayou, out of reach of solid land, nothing keeping her from going under but a lightweight boat propelled by a big fan at the back.

Then she looked up at the man in front of her.

Okay, nothing but the boat and Sawyer.

Sawyer would be there.

She looked up into his eyes and felt her head nodding.How could she say no?He was a pro.He’d done this a million times.The bayou wasn’t that deep.She’d have a life jacket on.Stella wasn’t afraid.

And Sawyer was asking her.Sawyer needed her.

He admired that she’d fought for her bike rides.And she had.She’d done that.She’d gotten on that bike in spite of the risks.That wasn’t nothing.

She’d love to really feel that she deserved all of his admiration.She would earn the admiration of her bravery if she went out onto the bayou with him.

“Of course,” she told him.Because what else could she really say?

The smile he gave her in response was everything she needed to see.

He gave her a big hug and then grabbed her hand, pulling her out to the dock where everyone was getting ready.

Juliet eyed the water and, ironically, felt her mouth go dry.

Sawyer breatheddeep as the rumble of the airboat hummed through his body, and he watched the front of the boat cutting through the water, the people bobbing on the padded metal benches of the boat.And not just any people.One of his best friends, some of his favorite kids in the world, and the woman that he was falling in love with.

He couldn’t see her face, but Juliet sat right in the middle of the boat, her life jacket strapped tightly around the body that he was completely, officially addicted to, gripping the bench with both hands, her body stiff and tense.

Her being on the boat with him was a big deal.He got that.She was a little freaked out here.She was out on the water for him, because of him.She would have never gone out with anyone else and that meant the world to him.

But he was determined to show her that would be fine.He was determined to showhimselfthat it would be fine.

Stella was, as usual, bouncing in her seat.Maybe more than usual.The little girl had been away from her beloved bayou for a while and it made sense that she was overly excited.At one point, he’d slowed considerably as he’d noted a big gator basking on the bank and wanted to be sure the kids saw it.He didn’t point it out.For one, the airboat engine was too loud to talk over.For another, the kids were scanning the water and banks like hawks looking for mice.He knew Cooper spotted it when he pointed and Stella popped up and leaned close to the railing.

Juliet reached over and gently tugged Stella back into her seat by the strap on the back of her life jacket.Then she nodded as Stella looked at Juliet with a big grin and pointed at the alligator.She didn’t have to hold onto Cooper.He was obediently sitting right next to Gabe in front of Juliet.

Sawyer grinned at the whole damned thing.

A few minutes later, he turned them into the area where Hank, the gator who lovedhimthe way Wilma and Betty loved Owen—purely for the snacks they brought, of course— and killed the engine.

They all took their headsets off, and the kids were able to move around, standing and getting close to the railings on the sides of the boat.

Everyone moved, except for Juliet.Who stayed glued to her seat.With her headset on.

Sawyer didn’t push.This was her first time out on the airboats.They were loud, they moved fast along the straightaways, and they drove right through the swamp grass into areas you couldn’t get to any other way.The only way out of this part of the bayou was by boat—specifically airboat since a regular boat’s motor would get almost instantly tangled in the grass and vegetation—or with a rope dropped from a helicopter.

They found Hank after a few minutes of floating and chatting.Sawyer tossed him a few pieces of chicken and he came close, delighting Stella and making Cooper look fascinated and sick at the same time.The way it always had been with these kids.

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