Page 135 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

He nips at my ear, then pulls back, and I instantly miss the press of his body against mine. His hand closes around mine again, and he tugs, leading me farther down the path that’s become so familiar over the years.

“Are we going to the meadow?”

Dalton peers over his shoulder, fighting a grin, but the way his green eyes dance with mischief might as well be confirmation. “Maybe.”

It’s a long walk. At least forty-five minutes. If I had known this was where we were heading when he led me away from the lake, I might have warned the old man.

“Should we have left the kids with Pops?”

He scoffs at my concern. “You know they’ll be fine. Now that Pops has his little ATV to get around the property, if he really wants to leave with them and head back to the cabin, he easily can.” His gaze meets mine over his shoulder. “Weren’t you the one who always used to tell me to stop worrying about them and not to ‘helicopter’ so much?”

Shit, he got me there.

And he’s become such an incredible father to them.

A natural.

Patient.

Kind.

Protective.

Loving.

Exactly who I knew he was once I let him onto my property that fateful day.

I don’t bother pushing the issue anymore, just allow him to lead me through the trees, stepping over several fallen logs on the familiar hike—though, I have no idea why we’re going to the meadownow.

It’s too early in the spring for it to be anything but an empty green space.

Or…itshouldbe.

When the trees finally start to thin, Dalton pulls me up next to him and presses a hand at my lower back, urging me through them ahead of him.

We step out of the tree line, and my breath catches.

Thousands of wildflowers cover the clearing, swaying gently in the warm breeze.

Reds…

Yellows…

Pale blues…

Indigos…

Violets…

An entire rainbow spread out before me.

“Oh, my God, they bloomed early.”

He rests his chin on my shoulder and nods, wrapping his arms around me and tugging me back against him fully. “Yep. The unseasonably warm weather the last couple of weeks did the job.”

“How did you know?”

Dalton grins against my neck. “There’s nothing that happens on this mountain that I don’t know about, Camille.”

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