The Virgin and the Lumberjacks

By Sophie Stern

I didn't want to go to the family reunion.

I didn't want to drive home through the mountains.

I didn't want to get stuck in a snowstorm.

But that's exactly what happened.

When the lumberjacks find me trapped in my car, they do more than just save me. Eli and Keagan offer me a place to stay. They give me food. They keep me safe. 

But they can't protect my heart.

Not from this.

**The Virgin and the Lumberjacks is a standalone romance with a HEA. Originally published in 2017, this story was called Take Your Time. Although the original story remains the same, this book has been updated and expanded by the author.**

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophie Stern
• Release date: Jul 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386196211

Book preview

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

THE VIRGIN AND THE LUMBERJACKS

First edition. July 1, 2019.

Copyright © 2019 Sophie Stern.

ISBN: 978-1386196211

Written by Sophie Stern.

Also by Sophie Stern

Alien Chaos

Destroyed

Guarded

Saved

Christmas on Chaos

Alien Chaos: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Bundle

Aliens of Malum

Deceived: An Alien Brides Romance

Betrayed: An Alien Brides Romance

Fallen: An Alien Brides Romance

Captured: An Alien Brides Romance

Regret

Crazed

For Keeps

Rotten: An Alien Brides Romance

Anchored

Starboard

Battleship

All Aboard

Abandon Ship

Below Deck

Crossing the Line

Anchored: Books 1-3

Anchored: Books 4-6

Ashton Sweets

Christmas Sugar Rush

Valentine's Sugar Rush

St. Patty's Sugar Rush

Halloween Sugar Rush

Bullies of Crescent Academy

You Suck

Troublemaker

Jaded

Club Kitten Dancers

Move

Pose

Climb

Dragon Enchanted

Hidden Mage

Hidden Captive

Hidden Curse

Fate High School

You Wish: A High School Reverse Harem Romance

Freak: A Reverse Harem High School Romance

Get Lost: A Reverse Harem Romance

Good Boys and Millionaires

Good Boys and Millionaires 1

Good Boys and Millionaires 2

Grimalkin Beasts

Alien Indulgence

Grimalkin Needs Brides

Ekpen (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

Torao (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

Leo (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

Honeypot Babies

The Polar Bear's Baby

The Jaguar's Baby

The Tiger's Baby

Honeypot Darlings

The Bear's Virgin Darling

The Bear's Virgin Mate

The Bear's Virgin Bride

Office Gentlemen

Ben From Accounting

Owls of Rawr County

Bound to the Owl

Polar Bears of the Air Force

Staff Sergeant Polar Bear

Master Sergeant Polar Bear

Airman Polar Bear

Senior Airman Polar Bear

Return to Dragon Isle

Dragons Are Forever

Dragon Crushed: An Enemies-to-Lovers Paranormal Romance

Dragon's Hex

Dragon's Gain

Dragon's Rush

Rose Valley Vampires

Vampire Librarian

Vampire Doctor

Shifters at Law

Wolf Case

Bearly Legal

Tiger Clause

Sergeant Bear

Dragon Law

Shifters of Rawr County

The Polar Bear's Fake Mate

The Lion's Fake Wife

The Tiger's Fake Date

The Wolf's Pretend Mate

The Tiger's Pretend Husband

The Dragon's Fake Fiancée

The Red Panda's Fake Mate

Stormy Mountain Bears

The Lumberjack's Baby Bear

The Writer's Baby Bear

The Mountain Man's Baby Bears

Sweet Nightmares

Sweet Nightmares: The Vampire's Melody

Sweet Nightmares 2: The Sound of Roses

Sweet Nightmares 3: Bittersweet Vampires

Sweet Nightmares 4: The Vampire King

Team Shifter

Bears VS Wolves

No Fox Given

The Fablestone Clan

Dragon's Oath

Dragon's Breath

Dragon's Darling

Dragon's Whisper

Dragon's Magic

The Feisty Dragons

Untamed Dragon

Naughty Dragon

Monster Dragon

The Hidden Planet

Vanquished

Outlaw

Conquered

The Wolfe City Pack

The Wolf's Darling

The Wolf's Mate

The Wolf's Bride

Standalone

Saucy Devil

Billionaire on Top

Jurassic Submissive

The Editor

Alien Beast

Snow White and the Wolves

Kissing the Billionaire

Wild

Alien Dragon

The Royal Her

Be My Tiger

Alien Monster

The Luck of the Wolves

Honeypot Babies Omnibus Edition

Honeypot Darlings: Omnibus Edition

The Swan's Mate

The Feisty Librarian

Polar Bears of the Air Force

Wild Goose Chase

Star Princess

The Virgin and the Lumberjacks

Resting Bear Face

By Hook or by Wolf

I Dare You, King

Shifters at Law

Pretty Little Fairies

Seized by the Dragon

The Fablestone Clan: A Paranormal Dragon-Shifter Romance Collection

Star Kissed

Big Bad Academy

Club Kitten Omnibus

Stormy Mountain Bears: The Complete Collection

Bitten by the Vampires

Beautiful Villain

Dark Favors

Savored

Vampire Kiss

Chaotic Wild: A Vampire Romance

Bitten

Heartless

The Dragon's Christmas Treasure

Out of the Woods

Bullies of Crescent Academy

Craving You: A Contemporary Romance Collection

Chasing Whiskey

The Hidden Planet Trilogy

The Bratty Dom

Tokyo Wolf

The Single Dad Who Stole My Heart

Free For Him

The Feline Gaze

Fate High School

Dragon Beast: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling

Boulder Bear

Megan Slays Vampires

Vampire Professor

Once Upon a Shift

The Feisty Dragons

The Vampire Who Saved Christmas

Dragon Enchanted (Books 1-3)

Grimalkin Needs Brides (Intergalactic Dating Agency): Books 1-3

Nerd Alert

Red: Into the Dark

Alien Darlings

Shifters of Rawr County: Books 1-3

Shifters of Rawr County: Books 4-7

Sugar Rush

Return to Dragon Isle: Omnibus Edition

Never Kiss an Alien

Scallywag

Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Epilogue

About the Author

Alien Beast

Chapter 1

The Virgin and the Lumberjacks

Sophie Stern

Melody wants to take the long way home so she can relax and unwind during a scenic mountain drive. She doesn't expect a boulder to fall and block the road. She doesn't expect a storm to brew. That's exactly what happens, though, and she's left with no choice but to make the journey on foot. She needs to find help or shelter, and fast. Winter storms aren't anything to mess with and Melody has had enough adventures to last her a lifetime. 

At least, that's what she thinks until she finds the cabin.

The two men who live there offer her shelter, a phone, and when the storm calms, their help with her car. 

But there's something special about Keagan and Eli, and Melody isn't sure if she'll make it out of the mountains with her heart still intact.

Copyright © 2018 by Sophie Stern

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Author’s Note: These characters originally appeared in a short story called Take Your Time. Due to reader requests, the story has been significantly changed, altered, and expanded.

1

Melody

Family reunions are the worst.

They’re literally, absolutely, completely the worst.

I didn’t even want to go to mine, but my mother offered me a free guilt-trip, and I accepted. That’s the problem with me: guilt wins me over. Every time. It’s like a sickness or a disease. I always say I’m going to stand up for myself, but in the end, I’m weak. In the end, I’d rather not rock the boat, especially when it comes to family. I don’t know why I still think this way, why I’m still stuck in this mode of thinking because they’ve never been there for me.

I’ve always been on my own and somehow, I’ve managed to do all right for myself. I have a decent job and I make decent money. I have an apartment and a car. My student loans are paid off. Somehow, none of that matters when you enter the world of a family reunion, though.

Somehow, what matters then is when I’m going to have a baby or when I’m going to get married or when I’m going to buy a house. Somehow, what matters is that I’m still a little overweight and not nearly as thin as my younger sister, Mandy. What matters at family reunions is that I have too many piercings and not enough modesty.

What matters is that I don’t fit in.

And I never have.

It’s not that I’m telling you to lose weight, my mother says, picking up a carrot and waving it around. It’s just that I think you’ll be happier. We’re sitting at picnic tables at a beautiful park. The sun is shining and the sky is bright. This should be a happy, wonderful day, but it’s not.

It’s unbearable.

I’m happy the way I am, Mom, I insist. She glares at me when I reach for the cookie on my plate, and I don’t pick it up. Instead, I act like I was reaching for a piece of celery, and she nods in approval as I start to munch on that, instead. Inside, I hate the way I’m giving in to her. I might talk a big game, but I’m avoiding things I want to eat because I don’t want her to complain or fuss at me.

She’ll never get a man looking like that, Uncle Henry says, walking by the picnic table where I’m sitting with my mother. He shakes his head as he makes his way over to Aunt Eloise, who is much too thin for her height. She looks almost skeletal, in fact, and I wonder why that type of obvious problem is somehow acceptable. She either has an eating disorder or some other physical condition that should probably be looked at. She doesn’t look healthy.

None of them do.

My entire family is much too thin, I’ve decided. I’m the only normal one. That must be it. They all have body issues and self-esteem issues and they definitely all have eating disorders. Why else would they all be so gangly and scrawny?

It’s not me.

There’s nothing wrong with me.

I repeat this silently to myself, over and over. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m fine the way I am. I don’t know if I really believe this anymore, though. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m starting to question whether I really

Reviews for The Virgin and the Lumberjacks

[Kate Nave · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story was too Short and not all that spicy

[Jennifer Saunders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What?!?! No I need MORE of this!! This was so hot and AMAZING.