Bayou Sweetheart: A Butterfly Bayou Novel - Softcover

Blake, Lexi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593439554 ISBN 13: 9780593439555

Verlag: Berkley, 2022

Inhaltsangabe

Sparks fly in Louisiana's Butterfly Bayou when a Hollywood starlet falls for a local deputy in a small-town contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.
 
After leaving the military, Major Blanchard moved to Papillon, Louisiana, to be with his aging father, where he's taken a deputy position with the sheriff’s department. Now that he’s settling into life on the bayou, he’s trying out the dating scene. Every single woman in town seems to be pining after the handsome newcomer. But so far, nothing’s worked out, and he’s had some spectacularly bad dates. Major’s getting ready to give up on love when a new lady roars into town to film a movie and turns his world upside down.
 
Actress Brynn Pearson is trying to make a successful transition from child star to leading lady. Now that she’s landed her first lead in a major film, nothing can stop her. She's committed to focusing solely on her work, so romance is the last thing she needs—too bad she can’t get her mind off the dreamy deputy she keeps running into. He’s gorgeous, and something about him makes her feel safe. As Brynn’s feelings for Major deepen, she starts to wonder if maybe there’s more to life than her career.
 
When a family crisis throws Major’s life into a tailspin, he turns to Brynn for support, and hopes their budding relationship will shine brighter than Hollywood lights.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Lexi Blake is the New York Times bestselling author of over seventy titles. She lives in North Texas with her family and two of the most adorable rescue dogs ever. She's a big-city girl who married a small-town boy and loves visiting his hometown. Except when the bears show up on the porch.

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Chapter One

Brynn Pearson took a deep breath and soaked in the morning light. The world seemed softer here, the green of the trees above in stunning contrast with the blue sky and puffy clouds. Their trunks seemed to come straight out of the water, their limbs bending and twisting.

But what she really loved about Papillon, Louisiana, was the quiet.

She sat on the back porch of the small cabin and stared out over the water, her corgi resting contentedly on her lap. She absently ran her hand along Duke's fur and felt him yawn. Even her dog was at peace.

She could think here. How long had it been since she was still? She'd forgotten how good it felt to know she had a whole day with nothing planned. No agenda items. No meetings. No rehearsals or interviews. She'd been staying in the cabin on the grounds of the Butterfly Bayou Bed-and-Breakfast, owned and operated by the cutest family she'd ever seen. From what she could tell, no one even recognized her here. If the owners of the B and B did, they gave her absolutely no clue. Maybe it was the new hair and the lack of makeup.

Or maybe not everyone had watched her grow up on TV, and wasn't that the coolest thing?

Duke's head came up and swiveled.

"Hey, I've got your lunch along with some water and a couple of snacks."

She glanced up. One of the proprietors stood there with a big German shepherd and the little boy who'd been introduced as Luc. Harry Jefferys was a handsome man with a ready smile. He was one of those guys whose obvious goodness shined through.

He could have killed in Hollywood, had every casting director in the world at his feet. But she got the feeling the man was happy right where he was.

Duke jumped down and greeted the newcomers.

Brynn stood and offered to take the backpack from him. "Thanks. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your wife's cooking."

If she didn't watch it, she would be in trouble when production started up in a couple of weeks. Papillon was playing hell on her diet. When she'd decided to come out early to prep for her role, she'd banished her personal chef/sadistic purveyor of all things kale. Her character wouldn't have a chef. Or an assistant. Or a chick who walked behind her with a compact to make sure her skin didn't shine.

"She's the best, but if you want to try some real gumbo, you might want to go to her brother's place on the bay. It's called Guidry's," Harry offered.

"And bread pudding." Luc wore a Spider-Man T-shirt and jeans, his dark hair adorably messy. He knelt down to pet Duke. "Uncle Remy makes the best. And French fries."

"I'll have to give it a try," she promised. It all sounded good, and really, how much damage could a week off her ridiculous diet do?

Harry nodded. "There's a chicken salad sandwich in there, along with potato salad and some brownies. I also snuck some of last night's pork chop leftovers in a baggie for Duke."

The B and B was a pet-friendly place. Besides the big German shepherd named Shep, there was a pretty tabby cat who wandered the grounds. There were all kinds of what Harry called "critters." She was pretty sure last night she'd seen a group of raccoons running around. Or maybe it had been possums. "Thank you. He'll love it."

"I also packed some supplies you might need. Be careful out there. It's been raining the last week and the mud can be dangerous. All kinds of animals get stuck and can't get out. The trail you're going down takes you around the water. That little thing right there could get sucked right in."

Luc frowned up at his dad, a hand still on the corgi. "Brynn won't let her doggie get hurt."

"I'll stay on the trail. Promise." She looked back at Harry. "You said the light was good on the dock, right?" She wanted to spend the day sitting on that dock, sketching and soaking in her surroundings. She would take pictures so she could remember the details when she went to paint.

Harry frowned. "Well, the light is pretty much the same everywhere, ma'am."

Ah, the non-artist. They thought light existed merely so they could see and be warm. She knew light played all around her. Light illuminated far more than the way. "It's pretty?"

"Oh, yes, it's gorgeous, and you should be alone at this time of day," Harry agreed. He held out the keys. "All you have to do is go back down the drive, hang a right, and you'll see the turnoff about a mile down the road. The trail will take you to the dock."

"And I will be sure to avoid the mud."

Harry grinned. "You should. That mud is serious. Suck a man right down. We'll be back later this evening. You sure you don't want Sera to leave some dinner for you?"

"That's okay. I can pick up dinner. Maybe I'll go to Guidry's." She wanted to hang around the town, soak it in. If Harry and Sera were any indication, no one would bother her. She might even be able to blend in.

Maybe she would get to feel normal for half a second.

"Be careful out there." Harry put a hand on Luc's shoulder. "Come on, son. Let's go find Momma and Ella."

Luc gave her a heart-stoppingly sweet smile. "Bye, Brynn. See you tomorrow. Momma's making pancakes."

She'd had breakfast with the family this morning because she was their only guest for a couple of days. The production crew had bought the place out for three months. She'd sat down in the dining room all alone and thought about taking the food back to her room, when Seraphina asked if she wouldn't mind eating in the family kitchen since it would be easier for her to serve there.

"I'll be there, buddy." She'd loved it, loved the camaraderie and the way Harry and Sera worked together to take care of their kiddos. She'd enjoyed hanging with Luc and watching baby Ella laugh.

Breakfast at home usually consisted of making sure she didn't get a single extra gram of fat while her mom was on the phone with her agent or one of her other clients or whoever had gained her ire overnight and her sister prepared for yet another audition.

All in all, she liked pancakes and baby spit-up and a big German shepherd who waited patiently for one of the kids to drop food.

She waved good-bye, picked up her pup, and then headed into one of the three cozy cabins located around the grounds of the gorgeous B and B. She and Duke were in the one closest to the water, and she'd gone to sleep the last couple of nights to the sounds of the bayou. The noises of the bayou were for the most part charming and lulling. They only once made her wake up in fear that there was some kind of wolf outside her door. But that was crazy. It had probably been a dog. Maybe Shep liked to howl at the moon.

She gathered up what she needed and headed for Harry's truck. Brynn had been thrilled when he'd offered her his truck for the day. The car she was owed by contract wouldn't be delivered until the actual film production started, though honestly, her mother and Ally would likely drive her to the set each day and then use the car as their own.

Freedom. That was what that banged-up Ford represented. She had a few weeks of freedom before the production team landed and she had to be Bria Knight again. For now, she could be Brynn.

She settled Duke into his safety seat, got into the truck, her lunch and sketchpad tucked away in the backpack Harry had given her, and started down the road.

It wasn't their first adventure. Since she'd gotten Duke as a puppy four years ago, he'd been her constant companion. He'd traveled with her to Europe when the show filmed there. She remembered a time when she hadn't had a dog and she'd been lonely on set. Duke had changed that and she viewed being able to have him with her as a new stage in her life, a better stage.

Now she was on the cusp of another change. This new project was supposed to catapult her past her childhood stardom and into full-fledged adult...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Berkley
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2022
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593439554
• ISBN 13: 9780593439555
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 336
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Buchbär; info@buchbaer.de; ; Weberstr. 67; Osnabrück; 49084; Deutschland