Page 26 of Beauty and the Bayou

That would have been normal.His usual.

If he embraced it all now, it would surprise his family.But it would also make them happy.Relieved, even.

“Well, if she comes out in steel-toed boots, I’m a goner,” he joked.

Joking.

He remembered that.Vaguely.

He took in the slightly stunned, but very pleased, looks on Josh, Owen, and Maddie’s faces and felt like he’d just given them a fucking gift.

God, had he been that bad?That wound up?That hard to be around?

Yeah, he had.

The last few months had been hell.

He thought about Juliet again.Gorgeous, worst-case-scenario pro, worried-big-sister, willing-to-get-her-hands-dirty-to-make-things-right Juliet.She was out of her element here, clearly.If she was a worrier by nature—and the pocket knife in her bra indicated she was…and then some—the bayou was going to give her all kinds of things to fret about.Cottonmouths and black widows were only the beginning.

But he had a feeling she was going to be a step or two ahead of him.

He smiled thinking about that.Again.

Smiling.

Yeah, he vaguely remembered doing a lot of that, too.

3

An hour later,Sawyer was no longer smiling.His frown was going strong though.

It was probably because of the huge truck blocking the road in front of Boys of the Bayou.

Or maybe it was the ridiculous amount of wood and equipment that truck had delivered.

Possibly it was the three young guys who were unloading said wood and equipment, and making asses of themselves over Juliet.

Though it could have been that Juliet was now dressed in work clothes.Or what Sawyer assumed she thought were work clothes.She had a long-sleeved white tee paired with khaki work pants and her hard hat.She also now had safety goggles on.And steel-toed boots.

Holy fuck.He’d been right.He was a goner.Even without the tiny tank and short shorts.He wasall inon her current look.She was wearing the damned goggles even as she watched the guys unload the truck and directed them where to put everything.Which was ridiculous.She didn’t need the things onnow.

And then there was the neon green safety vest she wore.Was she afraid the guys were going to back over her with the truck or whack her with one of the wooden planks they were carrying?

But it made him freakinglike her.

Even as he was annoyed by it.There was no way this woman, with that body, needed to add neon, look-at-me green to the ensemble.All the men were definitely looking.

For his part, he was hard as a rock looking at her in her goggles and vest and boots.She was the epitome of the fantasy he hadn’t even realized he had.

“Just need you to sign right here,” one of the guys told Juliet, turning the clipboard he held slightly so she could see it but not enough that she didn’t have to lean in a little.Enough that there was no way the guy wasn’t going to catch a whiff of that lilac scent from her hair.Probably enough that one of those encased-in-glow-in-the-dark-green breasts would brush against his arm.

Sawyer didn’t even realize he was stalking across the expanse of dirt and grass between his vantage point from the path to where the over-the-top amount of wood and boxes of bolts, screws, and nails sat until he was nearly on top of them.

Juliet smiled at the man.“Great.Thanks.I appreciate you guys coming out with such little notice.”

She leaned in to sign, and Sawyer noticed the guy looking down the front of her vest.

Jesus, how did she not realize she looked like the star of an online erotic story that started, “When I hiredBuilding Babesto put in my man cave, I had no idea that they were going to send Juliet over to do the pounding and screwing.”

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