Page 13 of Her Grumpy Lumberjack

“Thanks.” I cock my head, considering her. “What about you, city girl? What’s life like in Denver?”

“If you’re back to calling me city girl then I’m going to start calling you Grumpy Forest Man again.”

My lips twitch into a smile. “Grumpy Forest Man is pretty accurate.”

“It definitely is.” Sienna grins at me teasingly, but her smile falters a little as she starts to answer my question. “I’m an editorial assistant for a publishing company.”

“Damn. Sounds impressive.”

She shrugs. “Not really. It’s an entry-level job. My older sister Megan is editor-in-chief—now that is impressive.”

“Do you want to be editor-in-chief one day?”

Sienna sighs. “I think that’s what my sister wants me to be.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She looks at me, her eyes wide and vulnerable. It reminds me of how damn young she is.

“I’m not sure I want to work in publishing at all,” Sienna says quietly, almost like she thinks her sister might be able to overhear us. “But Megan wants me to be a big success like her. She made sure I got this job, and honestly, she cares about it more than I do.”

“You don’t like the job?”

“No.” She sighs. “I really wish I did, for my sister’s sake, but I just don’t. It’s so demanding. The hours are crazy, and there’s just so much to do. I’m at the bottom of the ladder so I get handed all the work nobody else wants.” She runs a hand through her soft pink hair, frowning with agitation. “I’m grateful to Megan for getting me the job, and I know she only pushed me into it because she cares about me, but I just had to get away. That’s why I came out here. I had to escape, even if only for a few days. So when I found out my aunt left me the cabin in her will, I figured it would be a great place to clear my head.”

Damn.

I had no idea Sienna was under so much stress back in the city. I hate the idea of her being stuck in a job she doesn’t like, working all hours just to please her sister.

“What do you want to do?” I ask her. “If your sister wasn’t a factor and you could pick any job in the world, what would it be?”

Something flashes across her face, and I can see I’ve touched a nerve. She looks embarrassed. “I don’t know,” she says. “I guess that’s something I’ll have to figure out.”

But I can tell she’s lying. She has something in mind, something she wants to do, but she doesn’t want to open up about it. I’m curious as hell—I want to know everything about Sienna—but I don’t want to push her too hard and risk her closing up completely.

“I think I’m going to take a shower and head to bed,” she says, still looking flustered as she gets up from the table. “Thank you for buying dinner, Chase. And for letting me stay. And…well, thank you for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” I push myself out of my chair. “I’ll show you where the guestroom is.”

“It’s okay, I know where it is.” Her eyes widen the second the words are out of her mouth. “I mean, uh…”

I smirk. Something tells me Sienna did a little exploring while I was out getting pizza.

“You know where it is, huh?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“You got me.” She looks adorably bashful, not meeting my gaze. “I’m sorry. I may have had a little snoop around while you were gone. Actually, it was a big snoop.”

I chuckle. “It’s fine. I told you to make yourself at home, Sienna. You can go wherever you want.”

She bites her lip and smiles at me sheepishly. “Thanks, Chase.”

As she passes the fireplace, she leans down to pet Moose before saying goodnight and disappearing into the guestroom. Once she’s gone, I sit on the couch and Moose jumps up beside me, curling up on the cushion next to mine. I stare at the fireplace, watching the flickering flames, heaving a deep sigh as I think about Sienna.

“We’re gonna miss her when she leaves,” I mutter as I stroke Moose’s soft fur. “Aren’t we, boy?”

7

SIENNA

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