Page 5 of Landry (Bayou Brotherhood Protectors #7)

Camille’s gaze followed theirs to the two men entering.

A man with sandy-blond hair and green eyes entered.

She’d seen him on several occasions but had never had a conversation with him, nor had she been formally introduced.

He hadn’t been at the Crawdad Hole last night, or she’d have asked to be introduced.

He turned and held the door for Remy Montagne, the leader of their band of brothers.

Remy carried a baby boy in the crook of one arm. As he passed over the threshold, the child dove forward.

With the glass display case between her and the baby, the most Camille could do was gasp. Her breath caught in her throat, sure she was about to find out if babies truly bounced.

With the grace of a now seasoned parent, Remy caught his son with his other arm before the baby could pitch headfirst onto the stained concrete floor.

“Hey, little man,” Remy raised the boy up and stared into his eyes, “you’re going to be the death of me, yet.

No wonder Shelby looks forward to going to work.

Being a sheriff’s deputy is a lot less stressful than keeping up with you.

” He hugged his son to his chest, pressed a kiss to his forehead and stared across the room.

“Hey, Camille, I need a dozen of Shelby’s favorites. I can’t go home without them.”

She smiled at Remy. “Are you in the doghouse and need a peace offering?”

Remy shook his head. “Nothing that dramatic. It’s just that she pulled an all-nighter with this little demon and is working all day today.”

“What Remy’s saying,” Valentin said, “is that he slept right through Jean-Luc’s cries.”

The leader of the protectors glared at Valentin.

“I did not sleep right through. I got up, lifted him out of his crib and attempted to get him to go back to sleep.” Remy sighed.

“He wanted nothing to do with me. He wanted his mother and wouldn’t stop crying until she showed up and took him in her arms.”

“Shelby needs a nap, not a box of chocolates,” Gerard said.

Remy nodded and shifted Jean-Luc to his other arm. “She’s not off work for another three hours. The least I can do is let her know I care by giving her some of your magical chocolate, caramel and pecan nuggets.”

“Sounds like what she really needs is something with coffee or caffeine in it,” Lucas offered.

Remy met Camille’s gaze with a hopeful rise of his brow. “Do you have anything like that?”

Camille shook her head. “Coffee-flavored chocolates won’t win her heart.

Caffeine this late in the day will only destroy her chances of getting sleep tonight.

Your original assumption is the right idea.

Get what she likes. Then take care of the baby this evening while she soaks in the tub and goes to bed early to sleep before Jean-Luc decides he needs her in the middle of the night again. ”

“That was my plan,” Remy said and tightened his grip on Jean-Luc again, as the baby boy wiggled and flung himself toward the glass display case.

“I’ve got a package of her favorites already prepared.” Camille reached beneath the counter and pulled out a white box with the store logo scrolled across the top, Sweet Temptations.

“How do you want to pay for these?” she asked. “Do you want me to hold Jean-Luc?” Camille held out her hands.

The baby boy shook his head and buried his face against Remy’s shoulder.

Remy snorted softly. “I’d let you hold him, but he’s tired and a little cranky, which makes him a bit unpredictable.”

Camille smiled at the little guy. “I swear he’s the spitting image of you, Remy.” It was true. The baby had his father’s blue eyes and black hair, not Shelby’s sandy-blond hair. He’d be a heartbreaker like his father when he grew up.

Remy dug his wallet out of his back pocket and tossed it on the counter. “Use the credit card inside.”

“While I take care of Remy’s mercy purchase, the rest of you can sample my special batch of Bayou Bark.

It’s layers of chocolate, caramel, pecans, more chocolate and caramel sprinkled with chunks of salt and a dash of peppermint.

” She pulled a tray out of the display cabinet filled with bits and pieces of the tasty chocolate treat and laid it on the countertop.

The men all took a small piece while Camille rang up Remy’s purchase and ran his credit card. She placed the card back in his wallet and passed it to Remy.

She handed over the box of chocolates and worked on filling the orders of the other men. It wasn’t until she’d finished the final request that she noticed that the one man who’d come in with Remy stood near the door, not at all interested in her candies.

As far as Camille was concerned... Challenge accepted .

She took a piece of the chocolate, caramel and peppermint bark and slipped around to the other side of the counter. “Don’t be shy. I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like my Bayou Bark. My customers say it’s so good, it’s like magic in their mouths.”

He held up both hands. “I’m not a big fan of sweets.”

“Oh, honey.” She stopped in front of him, her brow rising. “That’s because you haven’t had mine.”

When he opened his mouth to protest, she popped the piece of bark between his teeth, her fingers brushing against his lips.

A zing of electricity shot through her fingers and up her arm. Heat rose in her cheeks. She blinked and stepped back, her gaze connecting with his.

She’d never felt anything like it. The sheer magnitude of the jolt left her speechless.

The man’s jaw flexed as he chewed the morsel, his gaze holding her in place.

Movement at her knees made Camille tear her glance away from his.

Ava stood between her and the man, holding her bear close to her chest. She reached up and took the man’s hand in her little one. “Hey, mister, did you feel the magic?”

For a moment, he stared down at Camille’s daughter. Then his eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head slightly as if considering the girl’s words. “You know, I think I did.” He squatted down to get on eye level with Ava. “Do all your mother’s candies have magic?”

Ava nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir.”

“Then they must be very special,” he said.

Ava nodded.

“And who is this?” the man asked, pointing to the well-loved bear.

“Fuzzy Bear,” Ava said, her brow twisting. “Only he’s not very fuzzy anymore.”

“He’s a handsome bear,” the man said. “Does he like your mother’s candy?”

Ava nodded.

Camille smiled down at her child, happy to see her talking to an adult male when she usually ran and hid when grown men came into the shop. Then her daughter did something totally unexpected.

Ava threw her arms around the man’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Mmm. You smell like peppermint,” she whispered. As quickly as she’d flung herself at the man, she let go and ran.

The man rose to his feet, his gaze following Ava until she disappeared into the storeroom. He turned his gaze to Camille. “Is she yours?”

Camille nodded and then shook her head. “She’s never done that before.”

“Done what?”

“Hugged a man.” Camille stared up into his eyes. “I know I’ve seen you around town, but I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Camille Catoire.”

“Landry Laurent.” He took her hand in his, the warmth and strength of his fingers curling around hers, sending shockwaves and heat throughout her body, before pooling disturbingly low in her belly.

She wasn’t sure how long he held her hand. When the bell over the entrance rang again, she shook herself out of the trance and pulled her hand free.

With six hulking men in the shop at once, filling the small space, Camille found it difficult to see who had walked through the door.

“Don’t you men have real jobs?” Deputy Shelby Taylor, Remy’s wife and the mother of his child, edged her way through the men and held out her arms.

Jean-Luc launched himself toward his mother.

Shelby caught him and relieved Remy of his burden. “That box had better be for me,” she said and then kissed her son’s cheek and blew a raspberry into his pudgy belly.

Camille grinned at the rude sound followed by the baby’s giggles. “Hey, Shelby. How’s motherhood treating you?”

“Other than stretch marks, fifteen pounds that won’t go away and my little guy confused about days and nights, it’s great.” She gave Camille a wan smile. “Add to that my duties as a sheriff’s deputy, and it doesn’t get better than this.”

“Were you looking for us?” Remy leaned over and brushed a brief kiss across Shelby’s lips.

She sighed. “You weren’t hard to find, and I’m always glad to hold Jean-Luc, but I really came to talk with Camille.”

“Here, let me take the baby.” Remy traded the box of chocolates for his son. “Do you want us to stay?”

Shelby shrugged. “You can if you want.” She turned her attention to Camille. “I heard what happened last night. Was your car damaged much?”

Camille shook her head. “My bumper never was in very good shape. I got a good deal on it because of the dings.”

“I’m glad Clyburn was able to escort you home.”

“Me, too. I don’t know what that jerk had in mind, tailing me like he did.”

“It’s too bad you couldn’t get the make or model of his vehicle.

” Shelby shook her head. “As it is, there’ve been a number of reports of missing items like tools and groceries and strange noises in the night from residents who live along the bayou.

Have you had anything go missing, or heard any unusual sounds in the night? ”

A frown tugged at Camille’s brow. “Come to think of it, there have been a few things go missing—like my hammer. I thought maybe I’d misplaced it, though I always put it back in my toolkit after use.

Also, one of the sheets I’d hung on the line went missing while I was at work three days ago.

I thought maybe the wind that blew through town that day had blown it into the bayou. ”

Shelby nodded. “Others have reported similar items missing. Have you noticed anyone wandering through on foot or in a boat?”

Camille shook her head. “No, but I did have something happen last night after the tailing incident.”