Lumberjacked (A Holiday Lumberjack Mountain Man Romance) - K.C. Crowne Page 0,17
home.”
“You don’t want to be here.” I didn’t want her to go, but I wouldn’t admit it.
She shook her head. “It’s not like that. I just… well, a fresh change of clothes might be nice. And a toothbrush.”
“We’ll take care of it in town,” I said.
I was a fool. I hadn’t thought about what she might need. Truth be told, I loved looking at her in my shirt and nothing else. It made my cock hard and I had to control myself so I didn’t think too much about fucking her, but I still liked it. But she was probably uncomfortable. I would get her whatever she needed. Then she could stay with me for a while longer. I tried to convince myself it was for my safety, not because I enjoyed having her around. If I admitted to the latter, I would have to admit that I liked her. And that was a bad idea.
I couldn’t have her. She didn’t want someone like me in her life. And that only meant that I was going to fall short. My fucking heart would get broken, and she would walk away without a scratch.
I tried to clear my mind and think of something else.
I needed to get some wood chopped now that the rain had stopped. I glanced at my axe on the porch. The blade was getting not just blunt, but chipped, and I’d been meaning to drop by at Axel’s for a new blade.
Axel was one of my few acquaintances on the mountain.
His past was just as dark as mine. We each had our reasons to live beneath the shadows, and the forests of the mountains gave us just that.
I’d managed to tuck myself into the woods so far away no one but Axel knew where to find me. He was my neighbor – a couple miles away – though he knew well to stay the hell away from my place. And I didn’t go near his without warning. Axel and I were not comrades, though he’d offered me work.
He made his living as a lumberjack, had noticed I was good with an axe, and asked if I wanted steady income. I wanted to keep my hands busy, so twice a week I went into the forest and found the best trees, chopped them down, and made quick work of cutting the large trees into lumber that could be used at the mill or when Axel was in the mood to build some furniture.
One thing I appreciated about Axel was his need to replace what he’d taken, and though I thought it a waste of time at first, I’d learned the value. At least one day a week, alone as usual, I planted trees, replacing what I’d taken. I didn’t believe in karma or any of that bullshit, but planting the trees was a good start.
Axel and I were both up here for a reason – to get away. We might do the same work, separately, so dropping in for casual visits defeated the purpose.
Besides, I had enough on my mind with Angela on my hands. And a woman like her was a whole lot to handle.
Angela
“We’re leaving,” Viktor said gruffly.
“I’m almost ready,” I said, looking under the bed. Where the hell was my phone? I must have misplaced it since I wasn’t using it. This cabin was so small, though, surely it would take just a moment to find it.
“Let’s go,” he said from the door.
“I can’t find my phone,” I told him, glancing at him. “Have you seen it?”
“No.”
I sighed and nodded. Since it had taken some effort to convince him to see a doctor, I wasn’t going to let him wriggle out of it again. I didn’t know him well, but I certainly didn’t want him sick with infection after saving me.
“Come, Malen kiy,” Viktor said. He used the same pet name he always did, but there was an irritated tone to his voice.
I gave up the search for my phone. I wanted to call my mom as soon as we got to town, explain what had happened, where I was. That I wasn’t dead in a ditch or something. I was merely stranded and would be back in a few days, hopefully. Hopefully, I could find a payphone in town.
“Can I get to Grizzly Falls from Snowmass?” I asked as we walked through the door.
Viktor eyed me skeptically. “I suppose you could.”
“You seem unhappy about the idea,” I commented curiously.