Page 20 of Her Bossy Lumberjack

His lips twitch into a small smile, eyes glittering. “I like everything about you too, Ginger Snap.”

“Including my inability to read signs?”

“Are you kidding? That’s my favorite thing about you.”

I laugh. “And you’ve forgiven me for winning the cherry pie contest?”

“Not yet.”

“Still too raw to talk about?”

“Watch yourself, princess,” he grunts. “That smart mouth is gonna get you into trouble like it did yesterday.”

I grin at him, and he kisses me hard on my open mouth, teeth clashing, tongues sliding together.

“I’m just teasing you,” he murmurs against my lips. “I’m proud as hell that you won. I’m always rooting for you. Always.”

My heart flutters at his words.

“Me too, Kane.” I lean in for another kiss, but he grabs my chin and stops me in my tracks, forcing me to look at him.

“I love you, Hannah,” he says, his deep voice sending shivers through me. “You’re my girl now, no matter what happens. I’m going to take care of you—you know that, right?”

The world stands still. I can’t hear the birds or the swaying branches, can’t see the trees or the sunshine. All my attention is fixed on this incredible man.

My man.

My dream come true.

“I love you too,” I whisper, heart in my throat as Kane’s eyes stare into mine. “You feel like home.”

He lets out a deep breath. “I’ll always be your home, princess. And so will this place, if you want it to be.” He gestures to his cabin. “I want you here with me. I want to keep you safe.”

My eyes are filling with tears again. But this time, it’s pure joy streaming down my cheeks.

“I’d like that, Kane,” I say. “I’d like that more than anything.”

He gives me the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. It looks like a light has turned on inside him, and he’s radiating sunshine as he takes my face in his hands and kisses me. I feel like I could start floating any second, dancing in the sky, bouncing over the treetops. In my heart, I know I’ve found my person. The love of my life. And with him by my side, I know everything will be okay. There’s nothing that Andrea or anybody else can do to hurt me with my protective lumberjack in my life. My past in Silvercrest has never felt further away, and as Kane lifts me up from his lap and carries me inside my new home, I know the future will be better than I can even imagine.

EPILOGUE

KANE

“Diane must be sick of seeing us,” Hannah says as we walk together down Main Street, each holding a cherry pie.

“Nah. She loves us really.”

It’s a warm afternoon in Cherry Hollow. People are milling around eating ice cream and enjoying the sunshine, and fliers for this year’s Cherry Festival are already starting to appear on streetlamps.

Nearly a year has passed since the day I met Hannah in the forest, and since then, things have only gotten better. Like all news stories, people stopped talking about what happened in Silvercrest a long time ago. Journalists like Andrea Ryan moved on to new victims, and now Hannah can walk around freely without fear of being harassed.

My girl was terrified of how people in Cherry Hollow would react, but when word leaked out about her real identity, nobody gave a damn. Everyone believed she wasn’t involved, and the town has welcomed her with open arms ever since. This place always gives second chances, and now that time has passed, most people don’t even remember that Hannah used to pretend she was from Winterdale and call herself Hannah Martin.

But these days she’s not Hannah Martin or Hannah O’Neill. I put a ring on her finger as soon as possible, and now she’s Hannah Donovan, my beautiful wife.

“Oh no, not again!” Diane exclaims as Hannah and I enter Buttercup Bakery.

Hannah laughs. “Sorry, but we need an impartial judge.”

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