Page 6 of Her Bossy Lumberjack

I wave as she heads outside, still thinking over what she said about Kane.

Bossy lumberjack.

Sexy giant.

Cherry pie champion.

I giggle to myself, but the sound dies in my throat when the door opens a few moments later and Kane steps into the bakery. He has to duck to get through the threshold, his broad shoulders brushing the doorway. The bakery is big and airy, with high ceilings and exposed wooden beams, but somehow, with Kane inside, everything seems tiny.

My heart flutters as he meets my gaze across the room, striding up to the counter in three steps. It would probably take me ten.

“Cherry pie?” I ask, my throat dry.

“You bet, Ginger Snap.”

His eyes pierce mine, making my skin tingle beneath his gaze as I start to box up a pie for him.

“I’m surprised you don’t just make your own,” I say, my face heating beneath the intensity of his gaze. “Since you always win the contest at the Cherry Festival.”

Kane flashes me a barely there smile. “Did Diane tell you that?”

“Yep.” I slide his pie across the counter. “I’ve never been to the festival before.”

“Guess that means you’re not from around here?”

I will myself not to blush as I say, “I’m from Winterdale. No Cherry Festivals there.”

The lie sits heavy on my tongue, but Kane seems to buy it.

“You coming this year?” he asks, his eyes pinning me to the spot.

“Yep. And I’m going to enter the cherry pie contest.”

“That so, Ginger Snap?” Kane leans against the counter toward me. “You know it’s never been won by somebody who’s not from Cherry Hollow.”

I stare at him. “Seriously? Never?”

“Never.”

“Well…I guess I’ll have to be the first,” I say defiantly.

“You’re coming for my crown, huh?” His smirk is infuriatingly sexy.

“You bet. I’m gonna bake a cherry pie so delicious it’ll make you cry.”

He chuckles, a deep, rumbling sound in his throat that makes my heart flutter.

“Bring it on, Ginger Snap.”

My competitive streak flares at his words. I’m going to beat Kane in this pie contest and wipe that stupid sexy smirk off his stupid handsome face once and for all.

Diane gives me a ride home after we close up, and I bombard her with questions about cherry pie baking all the way. I’m pretty sure she’s relieved when I finally get out and head into my apartment.

The place is still pretty bare. I left most of my stuff back in Silvercrest and only brought what I needed, but it’s cozy, and there’s a beautiful view of the sprawling forest and mountains from the living room window.

I get to work googling cherry pie recipes, looking up every possible tip and trick that I can use to beat Kane. I’m so engrossed in my research that the sound of knocking on the door almost makes me drop my laptop. Nobody has ever visited my apartment before besides Diane.

Tentatively, I get up from the couch and unlock the front door. My heart plummets. Andrea Ryan is standing outside. She’s in her early forties, with glossy black hair and a wide mouth that immediately twitches into a triumphant smile at the sight of me. I see her reach for her phone, no doubt opening up her voice recorder as she asks, “Hannah, do you have anything to say to the people of Silvercre?—”

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