Bayou Baby, an all-new steamy contemporary romance that will warm your heart from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, is out now!
Seraphina Guidry loves Butterfly Bayou. A young, single mom, sheโs trying to find a place for herself in the town she cherishes, but past mistakes have made her wary. She adores her son but has sworn off men. She’s dedicated herself to restoring an historic house and building her own business. A quiet life is all she wants.
Harrison Jefferys never expected to find himself in small-town Louisiana, but he has a job to do and a family to reconnect with. After years in the Army, heโs happy to spend time with his Aunt Celeste and his cousins in such an idyllic spot. When he meets Seraphina, he starts to think Papillion might be a great place to call home. But a secret from Seraโs past rears its head and threatens to tear the community apart.
Caught between the woman heโs coming to love and the only family he has left, Harry knows he has to follow his heart and with the help of the crazy, loving, meddling locals find a way to keep them both.
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Excerpt
Harry found himself standing in the doorway of the church reception hall. There were a bunch of people milling about, most with red cups in their hands. โFor a crazy old lady she drew quite a crowd.โ
โOh, everyone comes out for funerals in these parts,โ Cal admitted as he made his way to the big crystal punch bowl and got himself a cup. โThereโs not a lot else to do so weddings and funerals are big social events.โ He took a long drink. โAnd, damn, but Zepโs got a heavy hand with the rum. Thereโs way more rum than punch. The Guidrys might be trash, but trash around here usually knows how to party.โ
He wasnโt sure he liked his cousin referring to anyone as trash, but he didnโt know the family well. He did know heโd heard the name Guidry from his auntโs mouth and it was obvious she didnโt think much of them. โI think Iโll try the lemonade.โ
โSuit yourself.โ Cal refilled and looked around the crowd. โIntroduce yourself around. Iโm going to see what Josette has going on. Now thereโs a woman I could spend some time with. Some fun time.โ
His cousin winked and walked off toward a slender blonde.
He was rapidly discovering his cousin was a bit of a douchebag.
โYouโre the new guy.โ
He turned to find his own pretty blonde staring up at him. She was petite, barely coming up to his shoulders, and he would bet half her weight was in that hair. It flowed past her shoulders almost to her waist, and there was so much of it. Thick, honey-colored silk. Sky blue eyes found his own and held him there. Her arms were crossed over her chest and he noted that she was drinking the lemonade.
โHow do you know that? Maybe Iโve been here all along and no oneโs noticed me.โ
Her nose wrinkled sweetly. โOh, they all notice you. Thatโs how I know youโre the new guy. Welcome to Papillon. I came over to give you fair warning. I think single people need to stick together in an effort to stay single despite the societal pressure to give in to the patriarchy. If my mother tries to convince you to let me show you around, sheโs really trying to find me a husband.โ
Oh, but he might not mind her showing him the town. Beyond being gorgeous, he liked the sass she was throwing his way. He was self-aware enough to admit that women had come easy to him. He wasnโt hard on the eyes, but finding one who got him was a different story. โThat seems to be a theme. The church secretary already tried to have her granddaughter show me around.โ
A single brow rose over those heavenly eyes of hers. โDebra? Yeah, you have to be careful with her.โ
โIโve heard sheโs handsy.โ He nodded. โAnd she talks a lot.โ
โYeah, she also drinks a lot more than Helena will admit, and sheโs started a couple of spectacular bar fights. She likes to pit her suitors against each other and make them fight for her.โ
โGood to know.โ He glanced around and sure enough, every eye was on him. โWell, I donโt suppose you would show me around. Maybe if you showed me around, people would stop offering up their daughters. I noticed no one has asked me if their sons could show me the town. Do the men of Papillon not know their way around?โ
โWell, you could say that about a lot of them. But no, itโs because there arenโt many available men and when a new one comes to town itโs like a medieval parade of who has the best dowry. You need to remember that whatever my momma tells you, Iโve got no dowry whatsoever. I come with a lot of baggage. Tons of baggage.โ She gasped as though sheโd just had a thought. โUnless you would rather have a nice man show you around our town. I hadnโt considered that and it was awfully backward thinking of me. I know a great guy. His name is Michael Hendricks and heโs such a doll. You would get along so well.โ
Whoa. That had taken a turn. She was smiling, and that smile took her from beautiful to gorgeous. That smile kind of lit up his world, but she was working under a big misconception. โIโm comfortable with women showing me the sights. Did you get excited about setting me up with your friend?โ
A hand cupped her hip, and the sass factor went sky high. โIs there a reason you wouldnโt like my friend?โ
He had to chuckle. This one was obviously a fierce warrior. โIโm sure I would like him but I would only like him, not like like him because I like women. Like like them.โ
The cutest frown came over her face. โYouโre a confusing man.โ
โSo Iโve been told.โ Oh, he liked her. A lot. She would be a ton of fun, and not in the way Cal meant it. He would very much enjoy getting to know this woman. โHow about tomorrow? Itโs Sunday. I can take the afternoon off.โ
Her eyes widened. โAre you hitting on me at my great-auntโs funeral?โ
He had probably gone a nice shade of red. He hadnโt thought this through, and he definitely hadnโt realized she was related to the deceased. He thought she was one of those people whoโd come for the gumbo. โWell, that would be rude of me so no, I am not.โ
She looked him up and down. โIt would be rude, and I was only coming over to warn you that my mom will likely try to trick you into dating me. Donโt fall for it.โ
She turned on her heels and started to walk away.
โHey, you didnโt even tell me your name. How will I know who to avoid if you donโt tell me your name?โ
She glanced back, that blonde hair swaying. โSeraphina Guidry. Remember it so we donโt have to go through all of this again. Welcome to Papillon, Mr. Jefferys. I hope you enjoy your stay.โ
About Lexi Blake
New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, sheโs sold over three million copies of her books. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasnโt until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.
Connect with Lexi
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Website: https://www.lexiblake.net
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