2. Kane
2
KANE
I watch the last tree topple to the ground with a shuddering creak and toss my axe aside, stretching my aching limbs. It’s been a long morning—lots of diseased trees to fell and twice as many to replant. Usually, I can lose myself in my work for hours, relishing the quiet of the forest, the sound of the river and the birds. But today, all I can think about is the pretty little firecracker I met this morning.
Hannah.
I can’t get her out of my head. She was so fucking sexy with her thick curves and glossy red hair, like something out of a damn painting. And those eyes…bright forest green, mesmerizing. I didn’t know how to react when I saw her. I couldn’t let her see the effect she was having on me—she’s way too young for a middle-aged man to be lusting after. So instead, I acted like an ass. Called her Ginger Snap to rile her up. It worked, but I didn’t count on her being even sexier when pissed off. Watching her pale freckled cheeks turn pink and her eyes flash with irritation only made me want her more. Guess it serves me right.
I turn my back on the felled tree and kneel by the stream, cupping the clear water in my hands and splashing my face with it. It’s warm out, and red-hot desire has been pumping through my veins ever since I saw Hannah. I’m hot and bothered as hell and haven’t eaten since breakfast, so I set off through the trees toward Cherry Hollow, crossing the bridge over the river and heading for Buttercup Bakery. I’m craving something sweet after meeting that curvy little redhead. Cherry pie, that’s what I need, and Diane at Buttercup Bakery makes some of the best.
My mind races with questions as I head up Main Street. Where is Hannah right now? Part of me wishes I’d abandoned my work and followed her out of the forest. At least then I could have figured out if she lives in Cherry Hollow. She didn’t look like a typical hiking tourist, not in that cute little summer dress she was wearing, but I don’t recognize her from around town either. No way would I have forgotten seeing Hannah before.
Absent-mindedly, I shoulder open the door to the bakery, my eyes flickering to the counter. There’s nobody there. I approach the glass, looking at the cherry pies as I wait for somebody to come, when I hear a shuffle from nearby. It sounds like something is crawling around the other side of the counter. Frowning, I lean forward, my heart thudding as I see a flash of red hair and a pair of pretty green eyes looking up at me from the floor. I can’t stop my jaw from dropping open. It’s Hannah. She’s crouching behind the counter, blinking up at me.
“Hannah?”
“Uh—no, that’s not me.”
I stare at her. “What are you doing on the floor?”
“I…dropped something.” She slowly pushes herself up, that adorable blush creeping up her cheeks again. My stomach somersaults as I look at her, and part of me is convinced she’s a figment of my imagination.
“I’m guessing you work here?” I ask.
“I…yep.”
“I’m also guessing that bear didn’t eat you?”
She frowns. “What?”
“Last time I saw you, you said you saw a bear and ran away. Remember?”
“Oh. Right.” She bites her lip, looking like she wants the ground to swallow her up. “Well, I…I was confused. It wasn’t a bear. It was a squirrel.”
I nod. “Easy mistake to make, Ginger Snap.”
She groans, running a hand through her auburn locks as she says, “Okay, so there was no squirrel. I wasn’t expecting to meet a bossy lumberjack in the middle of the forest. I panicked.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Bossy?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not bossy.”
Hannah makes a noise of disbelief before standing on her tiptoes, scowling hard, and putting on a deep, throaty voice. “Get out of here! You can’t be here! Leave now or get flattened by my falling trees.”
It’s an annoyingly good impression of me.
“I don’t sound like that,” I say.
“You do.”
“Agree to disagree.”
She lets out a huff of frustration, looking adorably pouty as she asks, “Why are you here, anyway?”
“To get a cherry pie.” I lean against the counter. “You gonna serve me or not, Ginger Snap?”
Her eyes are full of fire as she points to her chest. My gaze follows her finger, and I’m so distracted by her plump cleavage that it takes me a second to notice the name badge pinned to her front.
“Hannah, see?” she says. “H-A-N-N-A-H. It’s written on my badge so you can remember it easily.”
With a fierce look, she busies herself with getting my cherry pie, and I take the opportunity to stare at her. She’s still frowning in annoyance, biting on the soft pink flesh of her bottom lip as she boxes up my dessert with more force than necessary. She’s so fucking sexy when she’s all riled up. The counter hides her bottom half, but I can see her soft, rounded tits swelling against her dress, the pale column of her throat begging to be kissed. My cock throbs inside my boxers, already stiffening. I’ve never had this kind of reaction to a woman before. Hell, I’m a solitary guy, and I usually avoid talking to people altogether. But there’s something about Hannah. This pretty young redhead makes my heart race and my skin tighten with longing, but I don’t know what the hell I’m meant to do about it. She’s half my age and thinks I’m a bossy asshole.
“Your pie,” she says, setting it down on the counter in front of me.
I hand her the cash, our skin brushing for a fraction of a second before she pulls away to put it in the till.
“Thanks, Ginger Snap.”
“You just wait.” She crosses her arms as I take the pie. “I’ll figure out an annoying nickname for you too, and I’ll make sure everybody in town knows what it is.”
“Fighting talk.” I stifle a smile as I point at the wall behind her. “Shit, is that a tarantula?”
She whips around with a squeak, and the second she turns her back, I head for the door.
“Oh very funny!” she calls after me, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Ha! Ha!”
“Sorry,” I say over my shoulder. “It was definitely either a tarantula or a squirrel.”
I can’t resist a look back at her before I leave, and I swear a smile flashes across her face, but she quickly hides it when our eyes meet.
“Haven’t you got other strangers to boss around?” she asks.
“No. Only you.”
The words sound more intense than light-hearted, and I swear I see another flicker of a smile on Hannah’s pretty face. It’s nearly impossible to wrench my gaze from her, but I grit my teeth and suck in a breath as I say, “See you tomorrow, Ginger Snap.”
She blinks at me. “Tomorrow?”
“Yep.” I gesture to the box in my hands. “I get through cherry pie real fast. Gonna need a daily top-up from you.”
Hannah sighs dramatically. “Lucky me.”
But I don’t miss the way her green eyes twinkle as she says it.
I turn away from her, heart pounding as I leave the bakery. Electricity is thrumming through my veins, filling me with a restless energy I’ve never felt before. This curvy beauty is shaking my whole world up, and I’m going to find a reason to visit Buttercup Bakery every damn day if it means I get to see her.
Fuck, I must be losing my mind.
It’s crazy. We only just met, and she’s at least twenty years my junior, but Hannah is doing something to me…something I never thought could happen to a bossy old loner. I feel like a fucking teenager again as I cross the bridge and head back into the forest, my pulse racing the whole way.