Page 78 of Timber Ridge
Timber looks at me and sighs. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” I pull her into a tight embrace, the weight of her presence sinking in.
She lifts on tiptoes and whispers, “Eliza is taking Hailey home for the night. The price to get me alone and naked is chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast at May’s tomorrow morning.”
“Wait, we have the house to ourselves?” A grin spreads across my face.
“Just you and me,” she confirms.
I scoop her up and throw her over my shoulder, making her squeal with surprise and delight. As we walk toward the ATV, she giggles and tells me to put her down.
“I let you go once. I won’t make that mistake again.” My grip is firm but gentle.
May sticks her head outside the café door and grins. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Timber laughs. “Kane, all my things are in the storage closet on the dock! If I don’t get them, I won’t have anything to wear!”
“For the rest of the night, you’ll be wearing me,” I say, making her blush and laugh harder.
We drive toward the ridge, and Timber glances at something. “Go back, I want to see that sign,” she says.
I turn the ATV around, and we stop in front of the new sign I installed days ago. It reads “Timber Ridge.”
“You named it after me?” Her eyes are wide with surprise. “Didn’t you tell me sentimental names were unnecessary?”
I shrug. “Some things change. Baby, you needed signs, so I put them everywhere.” I pull her close for another kiss.
As we head back home, the excitement of being together fills the air. With Timber by my side, everything feels real, everything seems right. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d fall in love with a city girl who once was a stranger and quickly became my everything.
Chapter Thirty-Six
KANE - ONE YEAR LATER…
The pier is packed with friends and family, all here for our wedding. The decorations are perfect. The sky is clear. And everyone is present—except for Hank. I want to throttle the man, but I keep my cool. This is important to Timber. Hank delivered her safely to the port, and she wants him to deliver us into marriage.
I hear the drone of a plane engine and look up to see Hank’s floatplane descending toward the water. Finally. The plane skims across the surface, and I watch as Hank expertly maneuvers it to the dock.
He steps out, straightens his bowtie, and flashes an apologetic grin. “Sorry I’m late, folks!” He starts tossing fancy suitcases onto the dock, each one thudding heavily. “But I had to deal with this one.” He points to a woman teetering on her heels as she exits the plane.
She’s wearing a tight, black leather dress that barely covers anything and some kind of shiny wrap that looks more suited for a Hollywood gala than the Alaskan wilderness. She’s clearly struggling to keep her balance on the uneven dock. Her over-the-top wave and bright smile make it obvious she thinks all these people are here to see her.
“Hello, everyone!” she calls out, waving like a beauty queen on parade. “Thank you for the warm welcome!”
She turns to me. “Are you my driver?”
I shake my head. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”
Finn steps forward, already gathering the suitcases to clear the dock. “You’re two days late.”
“I had a medical procedure.”
“You mean Botox and a facial?” my brother asks.
She leans in and whispers, “How did you know?”
“Your agent called,” Finn says.
At the mention of her agent, I know exactly who this is. Business is slow for Finn, and when a Hollywood agent wanted to rent out Finn’s cabin and put Lena Kensington in the wild to up her ratings, Finn took the gig.