Page 18 of Her Bossy Lumberjack

9

HANNAH

I sit on the wooden rocking chair on Kane’s front porch, watching the clouds drift lazily up above. It’s a bright afternoon in the woods, and sunshine warms my bare legs as I roll up the sleeves of the flannel shirt I’m wearing. I found it in Kane’s closet. It smells like him, and I keep burying my face in the material, taking deep breaths as I wait for him to come back home.

There’s a raw soreness between my legs, a tenderness from yesterday with Kane. He pushed my body to the limit. I lost count of the number of orgasms he gave me, and my heart flutters at the memory. I lean back in the chair, rocking gently, listening to the swaying of trees and the chatter of birds in the sky above as I replay my day with Kane in my mind. It was like a dream. I’ve never felt so connected to another person before, and thanks to him, Cherry Hollow feels more like home than ever.

Wherever Kane is, that’s where I want to be.

I just wish I could tell him the truth about everything. There’s still a huge part of myself that I’m holding back, but I’m terrified that Kane won’t want me if he finds out. It’s the one thing stopping me from tearing all my walls down, and I don’t know how to get around it.

I’m still pondering it when the sound of a truck nearby makes my heart soar, and I beam as Kane pulls up in front of the cabin. Waving, I watch as he gets out of the driver’s seat and starts walking toward me, a strange expression on his face. My smile falters, uneasiness gnawing at my stomach.

Something is wrong. I can feel it.

“Hey…is everything okay?” I ask as he climbs up the porch steps.

“Hey.” Kane grabs a chair from the other end of the porch and places it beside me, sitting down with a sigh. “Sorry, I forgot the sandwiches. Something happened at the bakery.”

“What happened?”

Kane looks at me and says four words that make my stomach lurch painfully. “I met Andrea Ryan.”

Oh no.

Panic rises in my chest, making my heart thump in a sickening rhythm. This isn’t how I wanted him to find out. God knows what Andrea told him about me, but I’m sure it was nothing good. I suck in a breath and bury my face in my hands, tears stinging in my eyes. Everything is about to crumble around me. Whatever me and Kane have…it’s about to fall apart, all because of my lies.

“Hey,” Kane says, his hand reaching for mine. “Talk to me, Hannah.”

I lift my head and his face falls when he sees my tears.

“I’m s-sorry.” My voice is thick with emotion. Kane squeezes my hand, but it only makes me cry harder. “I lied to you.”

“Come here.” He pulls me out of the rocking chair and onto his lap, and I wrap my arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. “It’s okay,” he murmurs softly. “It will all be okay.”

I take several deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down as Kane rubs my back. Hiccupping, I dry my eyes and pull away from his chest, wiping fruitlessly at his shirt.

“Sorry, you’re all wet now.”

“I’ll live, Ginger Snap.” He smiles at me, pressing a quick kiss on my cheek.

There’s a flicker of hope in my chest as he holds me tight. He doesn’t seem disgusted or angry like I worried he’d be.

“Tell me everything,” he continues, running a hand through my hair. “Don’t hold back, okay?”

I nod, heaving a deep sigh. “I’m…I’m not from Winterdale. That was a lie. I was born and raised in Silvercrest, and my dad has been mayor there for as long as I can remember.”

Kane nods, looking unsurprised. Andrea obviously filled him in on my real identity.

“I know it sounds weird, but I didn’t spend much time with my parents growing up,” I say shakily. “They were always so obsessed with social climbing and wealth—appearances are everything to them. I’m pretty sure they only had me in the first place because they wanted a family-friendly image. I was sent off to boarding school as soon as possible, and at home, I was mostly raised by live-in nannies.”

Kane frowns, looking troubled, but he doesn’t interrupt me.

“People find it hard to believe,” I say, “but my parents felt more like strangers most of the time. I hardly ever saw them, unless they wanted me for a photo opportunity to promote their image as the ideal all-American family. I know I shouldn’t complain…we were wealthy, privileged?—”

“Of course you should complain,” Kane grunts. “Your parents didn’t act like parents. That’s something any kid has a right to complain about.”

I press my lips together and nod. “Well, what I didn’t know is that all our wealth was being paid for by dirty money. God, the stuff they were up to…” I shake my head. “They were stealing public funds, laundering the money, and keeping it for themselves. But that wasn’t enough for them. They wanted to be richer, so they started doing deals with criminals. Bribing police officers to turn a blind eye, using their power to help people traffic drugs into the state and taking a cut of the profits for playing their part.” Shame crawls up my throat as I speak. It’s hard to admit that the couple who brought me into the world are such crappy people.

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