Page 111 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

I push myself up on one elbow and glance to the side of the bed where Dalton should have slept last night, but his pillow looks unused, the sheets cold.

Not that they’d still be warm if the sun’s this far up.

He’s usually out on the property long before dawn, taking care of his livestock and anything else that needs to happen before he goes to work on our place.

Chances are good that he’s out in the barn with Apollo.

A smile pulls up my lips as I think about yesterday and that small room I will never be able to set foot into again without my body and cheeks heating.

Every look he gave me after. Each fleeting touch or brush of his hand sparked that light deep inside me that I thought would never glow again.

It warms me even now, and I dread having to move.

But the world beyond this bed won’t wait.

I toss back the covers and carefully climb from the mattress, snagging a hair tie from the nightstand. My fingers catch in tangles as I pull my hair up into a bun and pad toward the door.

Tugging it open, I still and listen, but the house is silent even at this late hour.

I nudge open the cracked door to Dalton’s old room where we put Davey to sleep last night, but the bed is empty, the sheets pushed aside haphazardly. For the briefest second, a knot of worry forms in my stomach, but the door to Pops’ room also stands open, so even if Dalton is out on the property, Davey isn’t alone.

One of them may even have taken Davey back to our place to check on the livestock—Rocky especially, since the best part of my little man’s day is getting to see his best friend.

Making my way down the stairs, a slight chill rolls over me as the cooler air raises goosebumps on my skin.

The flames typically roaring in the fireplace have dwindled down to only embers, explaining why the usual warmth of the room has dissipated. Given the way the temperatures have been dropping, it feels like an early snow may be coming sooner than we anticipated.

I shiver as the living room fully comes into view, and my heart stops.

Dalton sits in Pops’ leather chair, head tilted back to the side, sound asleep with Davey in his arms, curled tightly against him.

I don’t bother trying to fight the tears that well at the image.

They’re so peaceful.

Content.

Comfortable.

And it looks soright.

I press my hand over my mouth to keep myself from releasing a sob that might wake them. Old wood creaks to my left, and I rip my gaze from them to find Pops coming out of his office.

He presses a finger over his lips to tell me to be quiet and moves over to the bottom of the staircase near me. “I didn’t want to wake them.”

I clear my throat and swipe at my eyes. “No. Don’t. They both need as much sleep as they can get right now.”

Pops offers me a sympathetic look and places his weathered hand over mine on my stomach. “So do you. How are you feeling?”

“Tired, but…” I give him a slight shrug.

He nods his understanding without me having to offer any further explanation.

Even if I didn’t feel as big as Winny before she gave birth to Rocky, the events of the past few days would exhaust anyone—as is clearly evidenced by the fact that Dalton didn’t even make it up to bed last night.

I start to move off the steps, but the sound of a heavy-duty engine and tires crunching over gravel whips my head toward the front of the cabin.

Pops scowls. “Who the hell could that be?”

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