Page 7 of Her Bossy Lumberjack

I slam the door shut and lock it, backing away until I’m on the other side of the room. My heart is pounding as I listen to Andrea call my name, shouting more questions through the door.

“Our readers want to know if you were involved, Hannah! This is a chance to tell your side of the story.”

I close my eyes and press my hands over my ears, blocking out her voice. I don’t know how long I stand there, but eventually, I let my hands drop to my sides and listen.

There’s silence from the other side of the door.

Scurrying to the window, I peer out from behind the curtains just in time to see Andrea getting into her car. I let out a sigh of relief as she drives away, but it doesn’t stop the uneasiness gnawing at my chest.

It was only a matter of time before Andrea found me. Cherry Hollow is a small town, and she knows I live here, so it can’t have been too hard to find my address. But it still sucks. My apartment feels tainted now that Andrea can find me here, and I slump on the couch with a sigh, grabbing the remote control and turning on the TV to distract me.

My mom’s face fills the screen.

A news anchor is talking, and I catch the words, “Mayor O’Neill’s wife, Michelle O’Neill, was in on it from the beginning?—”

I turn off the TV and toss the remote aside, sucking in a breath. Tears burn behind my eyes, but I force them back.

I could go. I could leave right now and find another small town. I’d be more careful this time and make sure Andrea has no way to trace me. But Cherry Hollow has already captured my heart. This place is special. It feels more like home than Silvercrest ever did, and I’m not ready to let it go. I won’t let myself be driven away.

With a deep, determined breath, I grab my laptop again and return to my cherry pie research. But even though I’d never admit it to anybody, there’s another big reason I don’t want to leave Cherry Hollow.

A big, bossy, lumberjack-shaped reason.

4

KANE

I park my truck outside Stirling’s Lumber and Hardware and grab the cherry pie box, carrying it into the store.

“Duke?” I call out, striding through the aisles of tools and stacked wood.

My fellow lumberjack is in the warehouse out back, several planks of wood slung over his shoulder. He owns the store and has a few employees, but he still does a lot of shit himself.

“Hey, Kane.” He swivels around, nearly knocking my head off with one of the planks. “Shit, sorry. What you got there?”

“Brought you a cherry pie.”

Duke frowns, bemused. “Another one? Is it my birthday or something?”

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Just take it.”

I hand him the pie and he shakes his head but thanks me anyway.

Truth is, I’m overrun with baked goods: cakes, pastries, you name it. I’ve been visiting Buttercup Bakery every chance I get. Buying pies is my excuse, but all I really want is to see Hannah. It’s been a few days since we met in the forest, and my need for her is only getting stronger. Her luscious curves are on my mind twenty-four-seven, and my hard-on is fucking permanent at this point. But it’s not just physical. This sassy little smart mouth is the brightest part of my day, and I can’t get enough of her.

“Have you been keeping up with the shit happening in Silvercrest?” Duke asks as he stacks the planks.

“Heard a few rumors around town.”

Silvercrest is the only big city in Crave County, and people around here like to know what’s happening there. Cherry Hollow isn’t exactly full of breaking news stories, so people often turn to Silvercrest for their gossip.

“That Mayor O’Neill…real piece of work.” Duke scowls. “His wife’s just as bad.”

“She was definitely involved then?”

“You bet.” He shakes his head. “Rotten to the core, both of them.”

I nod in agreement. Usually, I’d stick around to shoot the shit with Duke, but the bakery will be closing any minute and I want to try to get there in time to see Hannah again.

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