Page 24 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

Dalton gives me a tight smile, then steps back, giving me room to get out. He opens the rear door and reaches in for Davey. “Hey, buddy.” After unbuckling him, he easily lifts him and settles him on his hip. “You want to meet my grandpa?”

Davey enthusiastically bobs his dark head, the morning sun glinting off the amber undertones the same way it does mine.

I give Dalton a wary look. “Are you sure your grandfather is going to be okay with him?”

Dalton offers a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I told him you were coming by because you needed a little social interaction after being alone for so long. It’s the only excuse I could think of for why you’d be here today. If he’s not okay with this little guy being around, Davey can help me on the property today while you deal with Pops. It’ll be all right.”

That isn’t the most comforting statement.

Edison James is well known for his isolation on the mountain, and I’m about to bring a tiny bull into his proverbial china shop.

I close my door, grab my bag from the passenger seat, and follow them up the steps.

Dalton pushes open the door, ushering me in before he closes the door and sets Davey on his feet on beautiful hand-hewn oak floors. “Hey, Pops?”

His voice carries across the lofted living room.

“Wow…” I scan the place, my eyes trying to take in everything at once, which is nearly impossible given the size of the cabin.

A two-story fireplace occupies the center of the main wall of the living room, towering up beside a second-floor landing that must house the bedrooms. The kitchen lies just beyond the stone hearth through a large opening that allows me to see partially in, and two other doors stand closed on either side of the large room.

The door on the left opens, and an old man appears, with hair as white as the snow that will be falling in a few short months, eyebrows to match. They rise over a pair of reading glasses, and he takes an unsteady step forward, grabbing the doorjamb to keep himself upright. “Who is this?”

Dalton approaches him while Davey clings to my leg, peering around at yet another stranger who has popped into his life so unexpectedly. “Pops, remember I told you this morning that Camille and her son Davey were going to come over for a bit today.”

He narrows his wise gaze on us, and I immediately squirm under his perusal.

Davey apparently doesn’t have the same discomfort with him as he steps out and waves and smiles. “Hi.”

Edison’s gaze lowers to him, but instead of an irritated scowl I expect to come, his lips curl into a bright smile, and he squats slowly, a motion that shows how unsteady he really is. “Well, hello there, little man. Come here so I can have a look at you.”

I toss Dalton a questioning look, but he just gives me a half grin. Like this is exactly what he expected to happen, despite what he said outside.

Davey rushes over to Pops and stares at him with wide eyes.

“How old are you, son?”

“Four…and ahalf.”

The added detail makes me hide a laugh.

Pops grins and pats him on the head with a shaky, weathered hand. “I bet you’re causing a lot of trouble for your mama, aren’t you?” He glances over at me with a smirk as he pushes upright, gripping the jamb again to get to his feet. Once he’s steady, he motions for us to come in farther. “I was just about to make some coffee.”

Dalton starts to follow him toward the kitchen. “I already did that, Pops.”

“Oh”—Edison stops and looks over at his grandson—“I guess you did, didn’t you?”

“And you had a cup.”

“Oh…” His brow furrows deeply. “Well, I guess I’ll have another one, then. Would you like one, Camille?”

I nod and move to join him as I mentally catalog the symptoms I’m observing. “Sure.”

Unsteady on his feet, just like Dalton said.

Clear memory issues, even about something that just happened this morning.

Davey trails Pops into the kitchen, and Dalton pauses and grabs my elbow, stopping me from following them. A little shock trickles through my arm at the contact, and his warm, rough palm encircles me carefully, easing me away from the opening more.

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