Bayou Baby (Butterfly Bayou 2)

And the weekend. This weekend he’d helped her pull the carpet out of the living room and hallways, and it had been a bit warm so he’d taken off his shirt. Then it had been even warmer.

She liked him. Really liked him. She couldn’t stop thinking about the man, and it was getting annoying.

She turned and there he stood in jeans instead of his usual athletic wear. He had on a T-shirt that hid all those muscles of his, but the sight was imprinted on her brain forever. Shep sat at his side, tail thumping against the floor.

“Is there a problem?” When Harry moved, the dog shifted with him. The leash wasn’t really needed, but Harry tended to attach it when they were in town.

She already knew way too much about his habits. She knew how he liked his coffee. A splash of cream. A lot of sugar. Knew he hummed when he got lost in work, and he was usually humming some country song. Knew he was a baby when it came to cayenne pepper.

She definitely knew she was developing a soft spot for a man who should be totally off limits. “You already have a truck. I need this one, Harry. The flooring store in New Orleans is having a sale today on the hardwoods I need, but they won’t hold it until tomorrow. If I don’t pick it up by four, they’ll release it for sale. It’s sixty percent off.”

“That’s an excellent discount.” Harry handed his driver’s license to LaTonya, who already had the keys in her hand. “You should definitely move on that. I browsed through the catalog you have and that hand-scraped oak will look beautiful and it doesn’t look too hard to install. I’m picking up the wood I need for the gazebo. The individual pieces are too long for my truck and it’s supposed to rain this afternoon. I don’t want it wet before I stain and finish it. So I rented the moving truck.”

“But I rented the truck.” She held up her paperwork. Harry was always super fair. “See. I even paid a down payment.”

He picked up the pen on the desk as LaTonya pushed some papers in front of him. He glanced down at the contract. “I paid the whole fee up front.”

Tears pulsed behind her eyes. What was she going to do if she couldn’t get the flooring? She would have to pay more or go cheaper. The oak was perfect. It would catch the light from the big bay windows and it would look golden. “You can have it tomorrow. Or I could drive real fast and try to get back here by afternoon. Would that work?”

He glanced her way. “It’s two and a half hours to New Orleans, so that means it’s also two and a half back. It’ll take a while to pack up the truck and get all the business stuff done. You couldn’t possibly return in time for me to get to the store before it closes.”

“Couldn’t you get it tomorrow?” He wasn’t even paying for it. His aunt would be paying, and she didn’t need a discount. Celeste Beaumont didn’t clip coupons and only eat the specials at the café.

He turned her way, his lips quirking up in a smirk. “I’m on a deadline. Gotta get my cousin married off and all.” That smirk turned down as he looked at her. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll drive. You can navigate. And that means they need to refund your deposit.”

She blinked back tears. “What?”

He sighed. “It’s a big truck. You’re picking up what? Fifty boxes of flooring?”

“Seventy.”

“It will all fit with room to spare,” he said. “But we’ll have to drop Shep off. I don’t know anyone’s home right now, but I can probably talk the maid into watching him. The cab will be too crowded with two of us and a big dog. Besides, he’s a little gassy. Too many treats.”

He was willing to share it with her? And she got her deposit back? “I can pay for half.”

“Or you can navigate because I don’t know the roads around here and half the time there’s a gator lounging in the center of whatever road I need to be on. Also, the sheriff is quick with a ticket.”

“That’s Armie. I heard the fridge at the station house has been acting up so he’ll ticket everyone until they can get another,” she explained, her heart rate back to something normal. Well, normal when she was around Harry, which was still elevated. “He’s married to my brother’s sister-in-law so I can usually get away with a warning.”

“See, you’re already helpful.” He signed the final contract with a flourish. “If I have to stop back by Beaumont House, we need to get going. Shep, you’re getting shut out for a girl, buddy. Sorry about that.”