Page 14 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bride

He nods.

Who the hell would live an hour outside ofhere?

Who the fuck is this guy?

I scan out the windows all around us. Nothing but towering mountains and a stunning vista filled with impenetrable trees for 360 degrees around us.

We start up a narrow gravel road that winds along the side of the mountain, a giant drop-off to our right that makes me clutch the handle on the door, as if it could actually be of any help if we slide on these tiny rocks and go careening off the side.

It gets more rugged, more bumpy, less of an actual road the higher we climb. I grit my teeth, holding my breath in anticipation. The last few weeks have been nothing short of soul-crushing, but if this works, it would be a step in the right direction.

You’ll make it work.

After what feels like an eternity, the driver finally slows and turns into a narrow opening protected by bushes.

“This is it?”

He nods. “I confirmed how to get here before we left.”

Holy shit. What have I gotten myself into?

The towering fir, maple, and birch trees create a dark canopy above us, making our drive increasingly ominous. My driver flips on the headlights to illuminate the unpaved path that looks more like the game trails I’ve seen in movies and on television than an actualroadto somewhere a human being might live.

I lean forward to watch out the windshield. Almost ten agonizing minutes later, the trees open up to a small clearing where a black sedan sits in front of a tiny A-frame cabin with a porch attached to the front.

This can’t be right.

Carly said he wouldn’t have any problem paying the gift.

This can’t be right.

I shake my head. “No. No, no, no, no, no, no. I need to call Carly.”

The driver parks and turns back to me, giving me an apologetic look. “Ma’am, there’s no phone service up here.”

Shit.

I pull out my cell phone—zero bars and that damn “no network” warning sits where my coverage indicator should be.

Fuck.

The nerves I’ve been trying to tamp down on the drive up here have turned into full-blown panic, tightening my chest, making it impossible to bring air into my lungs. “Turn around. Let’s go.”

He raises his brows. “You sure you want to do that, ma’am?”

“Yes…” I shake my head. “No.”

Do I?

This is likely my only hope of getting the retainer money. But this isn’t at all what I expected. Not what Carly suggested it would be.

I can find another way.

I always do.

“Yes, I do. Go.”

He shifts the car back into drive as the front door to the cabin opens, and a silver-haired man in an immaculate suit steps out.

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