Bayou Beauty (Butterfly Bayou 4)

He was already pulling his tie off. “No. I can absolutely get away. I could use an afternoon off. I’ve got some more casual clothes up here for when I need to go to job sites. I’ll change and we can go grab my boat.”

A brilliant smile crossed her face. “Okay. I haven’t been out on the bayou since I came home, and I was thinking about it this morning at yoga.”

“I would love to take you,” he replied, a sense of satisfaction running through him. She’d come to him. She’d taken time off and wanted to spend it with him, and that meant she was willing to give this thing a try.

“I’ll wait out here for you to get changed.” She turned and walked back out.

“And you say you’re not passionate.” Louis sighed. “You’re crazy about her. Stop worrying about the words you use. Love is different for everyone. There’s no one be-all, end-all definition. You want to learn how to be a good husband? Ask her to show you. I’ll handle everything and give you a report in the morning. But be careful. I heard there was a storm brewing.”

Rene glanced at his window. The day was bright and shiny. The weather report was often wrong.

There was no way anyone was raining on his afternoon. Not when his world finally seemed sunny.

chapter seven

Rene slammed the door to the cabin shut as the walls seemed to shake with the force of the thunder. He could hear the way rain pounded on the roof, and he hoped the cabin had already gone through its yearly maintenance.

“I guess I should have looked at the weather report.” Sylvie was shaking, too, her clothes soaking wet because they’d been sitting in the boat when the heavens had opened up and dumped sheets of rain on them. “It’s lucky we were close to your fishing cabin or we would have had a long ride back to the marina.”

It would have been a dangerous ride, too. Lightning filled the sky, and it was hard to see anything through the pouring rain.

The afternoon had started off lovely. They’d gone out to the island and shared the sandwiches and cookies Sylvie had packed. They’d watched the butterflies and talked about everything from what movies they’d watched lately to stories of their travels. Everything with the singular exception of their relationship. They seemed to be treading carefully around that subject.

Then he’d realized it would be dark soon, and the bayou could be dangerous at night. They’d gotten back in the boat and the storm had come on them so suddenly they’d had no choice but to look for shelter. Luckily they hadn’t been far from the fishing shack his grandfather had built. Shack was a complete misnomer since his grandfather had believed in luxury. It was more of a cabin, and while it wasn’t as well appointed as his home, it was far from rickety. The cabin was warm and there was food and a roof over their heads. It was all he could ask for at this point.

“I don’t know that I would have made for the marina with the rain coming down like that.” He would have worried about lightning hitting them. “I would have found the nearest land and looked for a place to wait it out.”

Thunder cracked overhead and Sylvie looked up as though she could still see the deluge. “Then I’m spectacularly happy about this cabin. The thought of riding this out under a tree isn’t appealing.”

It hadn’t been to him, either, which was precisely why he’d taken the chance to come here. “Are you all right?”

Sylvie gave him a shaky smile. “Of course. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten stuck in a storm, though it is the first time someone has swept me away to his private cabin.” She glanced around with that look of wonder she always seemed to find. It didn’t matter if she was looking at a master work of art or an old cabin. Sylvie found the world interesting and worthy. He was pretty sure she looked at the world the way he looked at her. “It’s been years since I’ve been here. Do you still have a generator?”

“Yes. It’s out in the shed.” Despite the fact that spring was making its way to summer, there was a definite chill from the storm. “I’ll get the lights on and then I’ll build us a fire. There’s no central heat out here.” He stopped in front of her, looking down into those gorgeous eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have taken better care of you.”

Her head tilted back so she could look up at him. “Maybe I should be apologizing. After all, it was my idea to take the afternoon off. I didn’t know about the storm, either. You could be warm and cozy in your office.”