Page 95 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

Not in this fucking lifetime or any other that might come.

Butshehas every reason to—first and foremost because she still loves Dave with all her heart and probably always will.

Every word of what I said to her last night was true, though.

I could never be jealous of him. Being with Dave is part of what made Camille into the woman I’ve fallen in love with. His love for her helped make her strong and resilient and all the things I find so fascinating about her. And he’s Davey’s and that little girl’s father. He’s the reason they’re allhere.The reason I might have a chance for something I never imagined could ever be possible.

If there were a way, I would thank him for this tremendous gift and beg him to find me worthy of it.

Things may feel very uncertain right now—both when it comes to the mountain and what’s happening between Camille and me—but just like with the pain that’s become my old friend, it’s temporary.

My feelings for her aren’t.

If she still needs time, I’m not going anywhere.

I’ll be right here when she’s ready for what I can give her. I just wish I didn’t have to ride off so early this morning when talking to her about it might have helped ease some of her insecurities and worries.

She’ll be there when you get home.

That’s the only thing that keeps pushing me forward through the thick forest to the lake.

Seeing its smooth, glassy surface, undisturbed and completely peaceful the way God intended it, all I want is to turn around and head back to her.

So I can assure her it will all be okay.

So I can hold her in my arms again.

So I can wipe away that uncertainty furrowing her brow.

So I can tell Camille that she and Davey and her unborn daughter are safe with me and always will be—no matter what happens between us.

But I can’t makethatpromise until I do what I came here to accomplish.

I push Apollo into a gallop and let him race along the shore until he reaches the spot Pop said he saw the two men—on the far western side of the glacial lake near where two large boulders jut out into the water from the natural beach entrance.

What the hell were they doing here?

If they were taking water samples or doing a survey of the clearing the lake sits in, then my first inclination to believe it was that asshole lawyer and his “interested party” is probably true.

There wouldn’t be any other reason to be messing around up here and to run. They were either looking to make plans for the land that doesn’t belong to them or for a way to force us to sell.

Either possibility makes me twist the reins hard enough for the leather to bite into my palms.

I welcome the pain, though.

It reminds me of my purpose and to move quickly to get back to the woman who can erase it.

What should be throbbing through my back after almost collapsing yesterday barely registers anymore. All because of Camille’s touch and what she has done for my body and my soul. Offering me the kind of acceptance and affection I never thought I’d find from another person.

“Whoa, boy.”

I slow Apollo and finally pull him to a stop, then slide off and make my way down the pebbled beach, letting him graze in the long grass in the clearing that won’t be accessible in only a few short weeks once the snow comes.

The entire ride here, I imagined finding some glaring evidence of the intrusion. But there isn’t any sign of anyone having been here. Only the pristine shoreline and crystal-clear water. The birds flying overhead in the breeze. The smell of the fire from the cabin drifting in the same wind.

Nothing out of place.

Not even a single footprint or track in the mud at the edge of the bank.

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