Page 5 of Craved By the Lumberjack

The thought of this beautiful woman picking up strangers and driving them around bothered me. I had no right to be bothered by it, but I was anyway.

The surge of protectiveness startled me. I’d never been the possessive type, and I certainly wasn’t controlling, but had I ever really cared about a woman? No. Maybe this was a taste of what it was like to let my guard down and allow someone in.

“So what about you?” she asked. “We’ve talked enough about me.”

My immediate reaction was to slam a wall into place between us and hide over on this side of it. I didn’t like to let people get to know me—even in small ways. I kept to myself and watched the world move around me.

But I couldn’t do that this time. Not with the feelings I was having for this woman.

“Well, you already know I have a sweet tooth,” I said. “And I love a good taco.”

She gestured toward the TV. “And you’re pretty good at trivia. Especially history.”

I nodded. “My time in the military gave me an appreciation for our country’s history. The wars we fought. The best and worst of mankind.”

I was getting a little too deep here. Maybe a little dark too. But what I was really doing was shoving the attention off myself. If I talked about the military, I could make it about something besides me.

“I grew up in Detroit,” I said. “My dad worked in the factories there. When his plant shut down, we struggled. Going into the military was a way to help out a little. I’d send money back home, and they didn’t have to worry about paying for my college. In fact, I could have easily gotten a government job as soon as I returned, but there’s much more money to be made here. And I get to live in the mountains.”

“Yeah, I guess most government jobs don’t have views like you get here.”

“And I can’t work indoors. Well, I guess I could, but it wouldn’t be Seduction Summit. I love this place and the fact that it’s a town full of fellow servicemen. Even the lack of amenities is charming.”

“You’ve lived here a couple of years?” she asked.

I nodded. “You didn’t say what broughtyouhere.”

There. I’d turned it back around on her. It was a trick I’d perfected over the years. People normally loved to talk about themselves, but something about Delta told me that wasn’t the case with her. She’d draw out all my deep, dark secrets, no matter how much I tried to keep her out.

But I didn’t want to keep her out. Looking at her now, I realized that, for the first time in my life, I wanted to let someone in. I was just so out of practice with it, I wasn’t sure I could. It would be a fight every step of the way.

“I grew up in Adairsville,” she said. “We’d come up to the mountains for fun when I was a teenager. I always loved this place. And now that it’s growing, I get to come up here and deliver bear claws to you. And live in the cabin next door.”

I smiled. She returned my smile. Our eyes met and held, and I felt something stir in me. It was more of a shift. And this was far more than physical attraction. I’d known that from the second I saw her.

This was different. This was the kind of connection that could last the rest of my life.

“The desserts.” She jumped up. “I almost forgot.”

She rushed to the kitchen. We’d cleaned up after dinner—her taking the dishes to the sink and me putting away the TV trays. But she hadn’t mentioned that there was another course.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said. “I should have brought dessert.”

“Well, I know you have your sweet tooth.” She shrugged. “Plus, this is nothing special. I thought about getting you more bear claws since you love them so much, but the bakery makes these delicious apple puff pastries.”

I pushed myself to my feet, feeling awkward. Should I go help? Stay here? She was rushing around the kitchen, grabbing bowls, silverware, and something out of the freezer.

“Do you need help?” I finally called out.

She shook her head. “No, you just have a seat. I’m about to indulge your sweet tooth.”

“Yeah, about that,” I said, sitting down as she crossed the room to where I sat.

Her smile fell. Her bright expression darkened slightly, and the frown that crossed her face was clearly one of worry.

“I don’t really have a sweet tooth,” I blurted.

Her footsteps faltered completely. She was now at a dead stop, looking from one bowl to the other.

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