Page 30 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

“Oh”—his eyes widen slightly—“well, food’s probably getting cold. Get your ass in here.”

Camille fights a smirk as he steps back into the kitchen. “I hate to say it, but I kind of like the old man.”

“Yeah, me too.”

And he’s all I have left.

“Thank you again for all your help.”

She offers a soft smile. “You’re the one helping me.”

I push off the wall and grit my teeth at the sharp jolt across my lower back. My right leg almost gives out under me, but Camille’s hand whips out against my side and steadies me.

Blue eyes search mine. “Are you all right?”

Managing a tight smile, I lock my knees, keeping myself upright. “Yeah, just overworked it a little today.”

She narrows her gaze on me, and I can see the wheels churning in her head as she conducts her medical analysis. “I don’t want you burning yourself out trying to help us. Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe Davey and I should just go—”

An iciness slides across my chest, freezing my lungs. “Leave the property?”

Camille chews on her lower lip again, peeking back at her son. “I’ve considered it.”

“Where would you go?”

Her eyes dart up to meet mine. “I don’t have any family left, and Dave was never close with his. There are a few friends from before we got married, but I haven’t stayed in touch with them since we moved up here. I would have to renew my nurse’s license, try to find somewhere for us to stay…”

I can see the panic starting to well inside of her as she shifts nervously, and without even thinking about it, I reach up and slide my hands to her shoulders, squeezing gently. “Camille, you don’t have to go anywhere. Do you want to stay on the property?”

Tears shimmer in her eyes. “Yes. It’s the only place I’ve ever really felt at home.”

I sympathize with that so deeply that it might as well bemesaying those words. “The mountain has that pull, doesn’t it?”

“I want Davey to grow up there, the way Dave and I intended.” She finally pulls her hand away from my side and rests it across her stomach. “And I want that forthisbaby.”

My gaze drops to her hand. “When are you due?”

She swallows thickly. “End of October.”

While it’s not the dead of winter, it isn’t the ideal time to be giving birth, especially when you’re living alone in a place like this with another child to take care of.

But I’m not about to get into that with her now.

That’s a problem to address months down the road.

“I know you can’t pay the rent, Camille, and I understand it seems bleak right now, but I’m not going to abandon you and Davey. Pops won’t, either. We’ll make it work.”

She gives me a nod, swiping away at the tears that trickle from the corners of her eyes with shaky hands. “Okay. Just please don’t hurt yourself trying to help us.”

“Trust me. The damage was done long before you came around.”

ChapterFive

ONE WEEK LATER

DALTON

The bell above the door on the building housing the James Creek Medical Clinic and pharmacy jingles, and Ted lifts his head from where it’s buried in a book next to the register and smiles. “Dalton, it’s good to see you.”

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