Page 3 of Bad Boy Lumberjack

Her whole look seems about to crumble. She stammers. “Oh well. I mean, I do, I don’t, well, you know, who has the time?”

She is a puzzle, one minute hiding, the next confident and now she looks like a lost little girl. I get a flash back to high school, we had all been hanging out in the carpark of a local diner like we did back then. Allison had been walking across the car park when one of the boys had thrown a milkshake at her. I remember I had told the guy to go to hell and had given Allisona ride home on my motorbike. She hadn’t said much but she had a similar look in her eyes.

I reach out and tuck a curl of her hair behind her ear. “Maybe this weekend you can make some time. Some people find a weekend in the woods to be a life changing experience.”

For a moment I am caught, staring into her beautiful eyes. Green with a touch of hazel.

And then all of a sudden she pulls away and runs back to her cabin. Oh well, we have a whole weekend ahead of us. And I am determined to get to the bottom of the puzzle that is Allison Goodall.

Chapter 3

Allison

What in the world made me tell Sawyer that my life is great?

Maybe the fact he had embarrassed me in front of my co-workers. Maybe the fact that standing so close to him had me flustered. No longer the kid in a leather jacket on his motorbike, Sawyer is now very much the sexy Lumberjack the girls were describing. Broad chest, muscled arms, a flat stomach under his threadbare t-shirt and even a flannel shirt that he wore open to show off his broad frame.

His face has changed, now sporting a three day old beard growth that does nothing to hide his sharp jawline and only enhances his deep green eyes. He is all man now, grown up and apparently loving life in the outdoors running this adventure camp.

Or maybe it was when he told me he had a crush on me in high school and looked at me as though I should be someone great. Whatever it was, it made me want to be something more than I am.

Senior Customer Success Manager?

What a laugh. I answer phone calls and take complaints. I’m nothing. The lowest of the low.

It’s crazy, I studied hard in school. I never went out, I got good grades. Aren’t I meant to be a successful, happy adult? Isn’t that how it goes in the movies. How did it happen that themotorbike riding, smoking, school skipping bad boy has a better life than I do?

What ever made me lie to Sawyer about my life being great, is now pushing me to try the obstacle course. Normally I would try and get out of doing something like this but what the heck. And when I see Sawyer watching me I am determined to show him that I can do this.

Deciding to do something and actually doing it is two totally different things. I’ve always been scared to try new things. Even the wobble bridge has me wanting to crap myself. I’m not great with heights and I’ve never done anything remotely athletic in my life. But I take the first few steps and it’s not nearly as bad as I thought. The wobble beneath my feet feels strange but it’s not too bad. Actually it is kind of fun even as I urge myself to move faster to get to the other side. And then, having done it, I feel proud of myself and eager for the next challenge.

As I work my way through the obstacles I stop wondering what Sawyer or anybody else thinks of me and I just enjoy the challenge.

I’m eyeing off the next challenge. Logs are stood up at all different heights and the goal is to step from one to the other, balancing on top of one log while choosing the next step.

“Need a hand?”

I look down from my little platform into Sawyer’s handsome face and my heart does that same skipping thing it did when I was sixteen. Damn, the man is too handsome for words and it’s all wrapped up in memories from the past of watching him as he sat on his motorbike in his leather jacket, laughing with his friends.

“I don’t need any help. I’m just…just calculating the best path to take.”

“You always were a thinker.”

I glance at Sawyer. Surprised that he had formed any opinion of me at all in high school. I didn’t even think he knew I existed.

“Here, let me help you.”

I look at his outstretched hand, remembering how it felt when he touched me earlier. How Pinkie had set her sights on him and how he didn’t seem to mind.

“I don’t need any help, thank you. Not from you.” Sawyer takes a step back and crosses his arms, watching me. Probably waiting for me to fail. I take a step onto the first log, wobble, and regain my balance.

I’m on the third log when Sawyer speaks again. “So you’re some big, fancy, corporate boss now?”

I make him wait while I think about my next step. The higher log is the quickest path but if I lost my balance I’d be sure to fall. But if I take the little logs I will look like a fool in front of Sawyer. A slight breeze plays with my hair and I take the leap. Hold my balance and smile. I’m not about to diminish this feeling of elation by admitting that my life sucks.

“Yes. That’s right. Unlike you, I actually attended classes in school and now I have an awesome job that I love.”

“The good, little, girl next door gets it all? I’m not at all surprised.”

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