Page 8 of My Lumberjack Valentine

None of this is real.

The door opens to reveal an old man with piercing blue eyes, the same color as Boone’s. The family resemblance is easy to see. They’re both tall and commanding—though the old man is thin and wiry while Boone is thick and muscular—with matching grumpy expressions and heavy brows.

“Hi, Grandpa. Come on in.”

The old man strides inside—he must be in his eighties, but he moves with the energy of a much younger man. His keen eyes land on me, and I see a flicker of surprise cross his face. My throat constricts as Boone closes the door and moves to stand beside me, taking my hand. His calloused palm swallows mine, the contact making it even harder for me to breathe.

“Grandpa, this is Rosalie,” Boone says. “My girlfriend.”

The old man shakes his head, and for a moment, I’m convinced he can see right through us.

He knows. Somehow, he knows we’re lying.

But then his face splits into a smile.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” He reaches out to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you, Rosalie.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Mercer,” I say, trying to keep the tremor from my voice.

“Call me Lloyd.” He must sense my nervousness because his face softens as he looks at me. “Don’t worry, I’m not as scary as I look. All bark and no bite.”

I chuckle politely, and as Boone’s arm loops around my shoulders, I relax against him. His presence is comforting—safe and solid—and I breathe in his woodsy scent, feeling calmer.

I just need to believe he’s my boyfriend for a couple of hours.

If I truly believe it, then it won’t feel like pretending at all.

Boone ushers me to the couch where we sit side by side, our thighs pressing together. His grandpa takes a chair by the fire, facing us, his curiosity palpable.

“So, how long have you two been dating?” he asks.

“Since just before Christmas,” Boone says, launching into the fake meet-cute that we came up with earlier. He tells the story so convincingly that I almost believe it myself.

“…then once I got the jar open, I asked her out for coffee. It was love at first sight.”

His voice is filled with tenderness, and he squeezes me tight, like he’s losing himself in the memory of our meeting. I follow his lead, ignoring the strange pang in my stomach.

“It really was,” I say, forcing a smile. “We had our first date at Perfect Brews—you know, the coffee shop in town?”

Lloyd nods. “I know it well.”

“We stayed until closing time,” Boone says. “They had to ask us to leave.”

I giggle like I’m reliving the memory. I can almost see it in my mind’s eye—our meet-cute, our first date. Part of me wishes it had really happened that way.

Nope. Don’t think like that.

You’re doing this for Peak Sweets.

That’s all that matters.

“Well, I have to say, I’m surprised,” Lloyd says, pulling me from my thoughts. “When Boone told me he had a girlfriend, I didn’t believe him for a second. He’s always been a lone wolf. And a grumpy one at that.”

This time, my giggle isn’t fake. “You can say that again.”

Boone grunts from beside me, meeting my eye with an exaggerated scowl that makes me laugh even harder.

“Well, I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong,” Lloyd says, nodding at us. “Clearly you’re in a relationship after all.”

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