Page 60 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bride

“Fine.”

I slam the door, and Whiskey stares at me through the window with sad eyes, begging me to bring him along. Pointing at him, I shake my head. “Don’t give me that look. You know you can’t come with me.”

Silas hates me enough without me stealing his best friend, who seems to be so much more than a dog to him.

God knows the last thing I need is that man more wound up and grumpier.

I stalk away, down the perfectly manicured sidewalk, smiling at the strangers who stare at me with wide eyes—who hopefully didn’t witness my little exchange with Silas.

In small towns like this, it’s impossible to keep a secret. No doubt our wedding has already become a source of gossip. We don’t need to give them more to talk about—like how our marriage is already on the rocks.

It would only draw more attention to us, which neither of us needs.

I don’t know how the hell Silas managed to prevent everyone from finding out who he is, but something tells me that won’t last long, not with a marriage certificate on file with his full name on it.

And mine.

My stomach churns, imagining what might happen if anyone does a deep dive. It could make things worse with Silas, and I’m not sure I’d survive that.

In the meantime, all I can do is manage one day at a time until the mysterious board meeting. That will be a lot easier with some of the supplies I put on the list for Silas…and somerealcoffee.

I make it to the bakery, and the wide windows in the front display all sorts of cookies and cakes, along with fresh baguettes and bread. My stomach rumbles, and my mouth waters.

This is exactly what I needed.

It’s been bare-bones cooking up at the cabin since I got here, making use of what I can find in his fridge. But Silas lives like a bachelor. Aside from meat that he apparently either goes out and kills himself or buys in town and the vegetables he grows in the small greenhouse, the man doesn’t have much in the way of making anything extravagant or special, like the massive cupcake with the pink frosting that’s calling my name.

I tug open the door, and a bell above it jingles.

A blonde with bright-green eyes looks up at me from a book on her lap, perched on a stool behind the small register. “Oh, hi. Welcome in!”

Her unexpected perkiness takes me aback for a moment. “Um, hi, and thank you.”

I’ve spent so much time with nothing but an icy, stoic “roommate” that the genuine warmth in the reception seems like coming home. I make my way toward her with what I hope is a genuine smile because I’ve forgotten what they feel like these days.

“I could really use one of those cupcakes with the pink frosting in your window.”

She grins. “No problem. Do you want a cup of coffee or hot cocoa to go with that?”

“Coffee would be great.”

Hopefully, it’s better than the bitter junk Silas has.

She slides off a stool behind the counter and disappears into the back through a swinging door. A few minutes later, she returns with a steaming mug and a cupcake on a plate. “Here you go.”

“How much is it?”

I reach into my purse for my wallet, but she shakes her head, grinning almost conspiratorially.

“I’ll tell you what. It’s on the house…as long as you tell me everything about Silas.”

It takes me a moment to process her words. “What?”

She laughs and motions toward the street with the plate. “You’re the talk of the town. Are you really hiswife?”

The word is still so foreign that it sounds wrong to my ears.

I chew on the inside of my cheek and consider my options. Since this is a permanent situation, and I’ll likely be coming into town with him again and again, there’s no use in lying. But I have to be careful about what I say.

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