Page 7 of Her Grumpy Lumberjack

I snort. “Thanks. That’s very gracious of you. I really am sorry, though. I feel awful for putting you in danger.”

“I don’t care about that.” Chase frowns at me. “I care that you put yourself in danger. You nearly gave me a damn heart attack when I heard you scream like that.”

“I’m sorry.”

I swallow hard and look down at my feet, feeling Chase’s eyes on me.

“You don’t need to keep apologizing,” he says firmly. “Just don’t take any more risks like that.”

I look up at my giant rescuer. His face is pinched with worry, not unlike the expression on Megan’s face when I left Denver this morning.

I really need to stop giving people reasons to worry about me.

“Okay, I promise I won’t take any more stupid risks,” I tell him.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

I take a step forward, itching to throw my arms around him, but I hold myself back as I say, “Thank you for catching me, Chase.”

“You’re welcome.”

A thought strikes me as I look back toward my cabin, where a cloud of dust is still swirling around the open front door.

“You got here really fast,” I say, thinking back to the moment I screamed and how quickly Chase arrived.

“I was near the cabin chopping up firewood.”

Something flickers in his eyes when he says it, and I’m almost certain he’s lying.

Was he watching me? Keeping an eye on me while I was in the cabin?

The thought makes me tingle with warmth. There’s something protective about Chase buried beneath his hot, grumpy exterior, and I feel a rush of affection for him.

“Well, I’m glad you were close,” I tell him. “I owe you, Grumpy Forest Man.”

Beneath that thick beard, I swear I can see the faintest hint of a smile. Those green eyes crinkle slightly at the edges, glinting down at me. My chest somersaults, and I suck in a breath, breaking eye contact before Chase can see me blush.

“I better head into Cherry Hollow and find somebody to help,” I say.

“That’s not necessary. I’m going to help you.”

I stare at him. “I…I’m not going to ask you to help me after all this! I owe you, remember? Not the other way around.”

“I’m not offering, Sienna, I’m telling you that I’m going to help. Your cabin’s in bad shape—worse than I thought. I’m not trusting the job to anybody else.”

“But—”

He shakes his head, cutting me off. “You’re not the only one who can be stubborn, city girl. If you really want this cabin fixed, I’m gonna be the one to fix the damn thing.”

I gawk at him, my heart pounding in my eardrums as I look up at his ruggedly handsome face. His jaw is set, brow furrowed with determination.

He’s obviously made up his mind.

4

CHASE

This sure as hell wasn’t the plan.

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