Page 26 of Stuck Bayou

“Nope.”

“Have you ever wanted to?”

“No.” He looked over but looked away quickly. “Never been on an airplane.”

“Oh.” Her voice was quiet.

And yep, he heard the disappointment.

“What do you love so much about the bayou?” she asked.

He took a moment to answer. “It’s not just the bayou itself,” he said. “I do love it. It’s got its own unique beauty and all. But it’s just that this is home. I want to protect it because it’s where I’m from and those of us who were put here should take care of this corner of the world. Just like those who were set down in the desert, or in the mountains, or along the lakes, or whatever, should take care of those. That just makes sense to me.” He looked over at her. “If the Universe had plopped me down and raised me up in the middle of Ohio with the Landrys, I’d love it just as much and be working to protect it.”

“So it’s about family and your roots and history here more than the actual place,” Savannah said.

“Yeah. Home is where the heart is,” he said. He looked at her again. “Right?”

She was staring out the windshield. She didn’t answer.

“Where’s your heart, Savannah?”

She glanced at him. “Maybe that’s the thing,” she said slowly with a small frown.

Theo felt his chest squeeze for some reason. “What?”

“Maybe that’s what I’m actually looking for. My heart.”

Well… damn. What was he supposed to say to that?

This woman was trouble.

She wasn’t what he’d expected. She wasn’t what he’d thought she’d be.

He’d put her in one of the little boxes where he could keep her neatly labeled and away from the other things he didn’t want her messing with, but she kept poking holes in that box.

In fact, she’d just ripped a big chunk out of one of the sides.

They didn’t talk the rest of the way back to the cabins. Theo pulled the truck in next to his and finally let go of her hand. He killed the engine. Then he turned to her and held out the keys.

She frowned. “What?”

“Here. Take them with you.”

She eyed them with suspicion. “Why?”

“So you’ve got them in case you need them.”

“I don’t.”

“They’ll be a sort of security blanket.” He jingled them. “If I need to leave, I’ve got the boat.”

She looked at the keys. Then, with a sigh, took them. “If I leave, I lose.”

“You lose my endorsement,” he said with a nod. Because if he said anything else she wouldn’t believe him anyway. “But the city council is still meeting next Thursday. You’ll still have a chance to convince them your project is a good idea.”

“They won’t agree with me if you’re against it.”

He lifted a shoulder. “It’ll be harder for you. But you’re up for it.”

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