Page 24 of A Very Grumpy Mountain Man

“Door’s in. Sanded, stained, sealed. I even managed not to throw it across the yard when the hinges fought back.” He crosses the room and leans down to kiss the top of Wren’s head, then mine. “You?”

“We survived glitter-mageddon.”

“Brave woman.”

He holds out his hand. I slide Wren into his arms—she’s already snoring—and he cradles her like she weighs nothing. That image never gets old: this massive, broody man who once preferred solitude carrying his tiny daughter like she’s his whole world. Because she is. They both are.

“She’s out,” he says quietly, kissing her forehead.

“Think she’ll nap long enough for us to sneak a minute alone?” I ask, arching a brow.

Kye smirks. “I like how you think.”

“Gross,” Finn mutters, still painting the flower chair with determined concentration.

“Also,” Kye says as he gently sets Wren on the old daybed we keep in the corner of the workshop for moments like this, “guess who got another custom order request?”

I perk up. “Who?”

“The Bed & Bark Inn.”

My jaw drops. “The fancy dog hotel with the spa?”

“Yep. They want three elevated pet beds, a matching food station, and possibly a boutique shelving unit to display their ‘luxury canine products.’”

Finn perks up. “Can I come with you when you drop it off? I want to meet the bulldog from their commercials!”

Kye ruffles his hair. “Deal. But only if you promise not to tell the owner she looks like her dog again.”

“That wasone time,” Finn says defensively.

I laugh, standing and stretching my legs. “That’s amazing. They found us online?”

Kye nods, quiet pride in his eyes. “Through the website. The photos you took of the cherrywood dresser got a ton of traction.”

We startedSunlight & Timbersmall—just the two of us working out of the garage and studio space behind the cabin. But now? We’ve got a small storefront in downtown Wolf Valley, a growing waitlist of clients, and enough projects to keep us busy full-time. And the best part? We’re doing it together.

I walk over to the window, looking out over the valley below. The view never gets old—miles of trees, endless sky, and the wraparound porch where we eat popsicles with the kids in summer and cuddle under blankets in the winter. This house,this life… it’s everything I ever wanted. Everything I didn’t think I’d find.

Kye comes up behind me, sliding his arms around my waist and pressing a kiss to the curve of my neck.

“You thinking about something?” he murmurs.

“Just… everything,” I whisper. “How far we’ve come.”

He holds me tighter. “You built this with me, Sunshine. Every bit of it.”

I tilt my head back to look up at him. “Remember when you made up an entire business to keep me around?”

He grins. “Best impulsive lie I ever told.”

“Well, it worked,” I say, turning in his arms to face him fully. “I’m pretty attached.”

He leans down to kiss me, slow and lingering. I melt into it. I always do.

Behind us, Finn yells, “Ew! Again?”

We laugh and break apart as Wren stirs on the couch with a sleepy little whimper. Kye checks on her while I set a timer on my phone for clean-up.

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