Page 22 of Her Grumpy Lumberjack

“Hey,” I say, raising a hand in greeting.

Ronan pets Moose before turning to look at Sienna’s cabin, frowning in confusion.

“You been fixing up the old shack?” he asks.

“Long story.” I smile wryly. “The owner turned up.”

“Owner?” Ronan raises an eyebrow. “Damn. I assumed this place was forgotten about a long time ago. Who owns it?”

“A girl named Sienna. She’s from Denver.”

“And you’ve been helping her fix the place up?” Ronan asks, nodding at the hammer in my hand.

“We’ve been doing it together, working our asses off.”

He nods. “It looks good. Looks more like a cabin than a shack now. What’s the owner going to do with it?”

“Vacation cabin. That was the plan anyway. I’m hoping I can convince her to stick around though.”

Ronan stares at me in disbelief. “You mean you want her to live here? You want a neighbor?” He shakes his head. “Who are you and what have you done with Chase?”

“I don’t want just any neighbor. It’s this girl,” I say with a sigh. “I’m fucking crazy about her.”

I don’t know why I’m telling Ronan this. He’s a good friend, but I’m not usually so open about my feelings. Right now though, I don’t think I could hide it even if I wanted to. Sienna is the only thing on my mind. She’s all I can think about.

“Shit,” Ronan mutters, raising an eyebrow. “Have you told her?”

“No. She’s got a life back in the city.”

He grunts. “You should still tell her.”

“It’s complicated.”

I run a hand through my hair, leaning back against a sturdy oak as I try to sort out my muddled thoughts.

“Sienna doesn’t belong here with me,” I say eventually.

“Why not?”

I think about my words for a few moments, trying to block out Moose’s yapping as he bounds through the trees, no doubt chasing after birds.

“She deserves the world, and I’m worried I can’t give it to her out here in the middle of the woods. She’s a city girl, used to city life. I’d feel selfish asking her to stay.”

Ronan shrugs. “That’s why you’ve got to tell her, so she can make that decision for herself. You never know. Maybe she’s praying you’ll ask her to stay.”

“Fuck, I hope so.”

“Where is she right now?”

“Back at my cabin.”

“Then what are you still talking to me for? Go tell her how you feel.”

He’s right. I can’t just wait for my time with Sienna to run out. I need to talk to her. I need to tell her straight up how I feel. If she still wants to go back to Denver, then shit, I’ll go with her if she’ll have me. Sienna makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. She makes me happy. All these years in the forest, I’ve felt peaceful, sure. Calm. But never truly happy. Not until this pretty little city girl walked into my life with her pink hair and sweet smile. I can’t let her go.

I nod at Ronan, renewed determination pulsing through me. “Thanks, buddy.”

He waves me off and disappears into the trees as I hurry back to my cabin, desperate to see the woman who has turned my life upside down.

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