Snowbound With An Heiress

Oh, no!

“Who do I look like?” The words were out before she could stop them. She wanted to kick herself for indulging in this conversation that had a distinct possibility of blowing up in her face.

He continued to study her. “Hmm... I’ll have to give that some thought.”

There was a large rock nearby. She brushed off some of the freshly fallen snow. “Sit here and wait. I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?”

Gizmo’s name clogged in her throat. She’d never be able to get the words out. She swallowed hard. “I... I have to check on something.”

“It’s too late to save the car.”

She turned to find fire engulfing the hood. If Gizmo was there—if he was trapped—she had to help him. Serena quickly set off for the car, before she could talk herself out of her plan.

Jackson was shouting at her to stop, but she kept going. She would be careful—as careful as she could be. She could feel Jackson’s gaze following her. She didn’t care what he thought. If Gizmo was hurt and needed her, she had to help him.

Serena rushed through the thickening snow to the car. She carefully made her way down over the small embankment. All the while, she kept an eye out for any sign of her buddy. Between the snow and the wind, there was no sign of his little footprints.

With great trepidation, she turned toward the place where the car was smashed against the trees. Could he be in there?

She rushed over and bent down. She reached out to sweep away the snow from around the front tire, but for the briefest moment, she hesitated. Her whole body tensed as she imagined the ghastly scene awaiting her.

She gave herself a mental shake. With trembling hands, she set to work. And then at last, most of the snow had been swept away. There was no Gizmo. She took her first full breath. It didn’t mean he was safe, but it was a good sign. And right about now, she’d take any positive sign possible.

She turned in a full circle, searching for him. She even ventured the rest of the way down the embankment. There was no sign of him. The crash must have spooked him. How far had he run? And how long would he last in the extreme conditions? She repeatedly called his name.

Between the thickening clouds and the heavy snow, visibility wasn’t great. With the deepest, most painful regret, she realized she couldn’t help Gizmo. A sob caught in her throat. The backs of her eyes stung. She couldn’t fall apart—not yet. She had to get Jackson to safety and then she’d return to continue her search for Gizmo. The car continued to smoke and smolder, so she scooped up some armfuls of snow and heaped them on the hood, hoping to douse the flames. She then moved to the side of the car and, catching sight of a bag in the back seat, she retrieved the large duffel bag.

She returned to the rock where the man was still sitting. “I need to get you out of this weather.”

“What were you doing?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just now. You were searching for something.” And then his eyes widened. “That dog. He’s yours.”

Once more her eyesight blurred with unshed tears. She blinked repeatedly. She nodded.

“It almost killed me.” The man’s deep voice rumbled.

Serena’s chin lifted and her gaze narrowed in on him. “And you might have very well killed him.”

As though her pointed words had deflated him, the man had the decency to glance away. His anger immediately dissipated as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I tried to miss him.”

“I called him and I searched around, but I didn’t find any sign of him.”

“And just now, when you returned to the car, were you looking under it for your dog?”

She struggled to keep her emotions in check. She nodded. It was the best she could do.

“I’m sorry.” His tone softened. “I’d never intentionally hurt an animal.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I let him off his leash. I should have known better.”

“Maybe he’s okay. Maybe he got lost.”

She shook her head, wishing Jackson would be quiet. He was attempting to comfort her, but it wasn’t working. Aside from seeing Gizmo alive and healthy, nothing would soothe her pain and guilt.

She couldn’t let herself think about Gizmo any longer. She had to take care of Jackson. And the way he was favoring his leg, there was no way she would be able to get him back to her cabin without a little help. Her cabin was a ways from here. And it was situated in a secluded area. That was why she’d chosen it. It was far from prying eyes and, most important, the press.

But now, well, the location wasn’t ideal to obtain medical aid. But she was certain that once she got ahold of the rescue services, they’d send someone to get Jackson medical treatment.

With her thoughts focused on getting help, she turned to Jackson. “I have a place. But I think you’re going to need some help getting there.”

“I’ll make it.” He stood upright. He’d barely touched the ground with his injured leg when his face creased with obvious pain.

“Are you ready to concede now?”

His gaze didn’t meet hers. “What do you have in mind?”

“I’m going to look for a tree branch that you can use as a cane. Between my shoulder and the tree branch, hopefully we’ll be able to limp you back to the cabin.”

“Cabin?”

“Uh-huh. Is that a problem?”

“Um. No. I won’t be there long.”

A smile pulled at her lips at Jackson Bennett’s obvious disapproval of staying in a cabin. He had absolutely no idea that it was a two-story log home with just about every creature comfort you could imagine. But Jackson was right about one thing: he wouldn’t be staying with her for long. Once she had phone service, he’d be on his way to the hospital and out of her life.

CHAPTER THREE

“ARFF!”

Jackson Bennett glanced around. Was it possible that the dog the woman was so worried about had been unharmed? He hoped so.

He squinted through the heavy falling snow. Where was the dog? Maybe if he caught it, he’d be able to pay the woman back. They could part on even terms. He hated feeling indebted to anyone. If only he could locate the source of the barking.

“Arff! Arff!”

He glanced around for some sign of Mae. Maybe she could find the dog. But it appeared she was still off in search of a makeshift cane for him.

Jackson got to his feet. With difficulty, he turned around. There beneath a tree, where the snow wasn’t so deep, stood a little gray-and-white dog. It looked cold and scared. Jackson could sympathize.

“Come here,” he said in his most congenial tone. “I won’t hurt you.”

There was another bark, but it didn’t move. The dog continued to stare at Jackson as though trying to decide if Jackson could be trusted or not. Jackson kept calling to the dog, but the little thing wouldn’t come near him. Jackson smothered a frustrated sigh. How did he gain the dog’s trust?

He again glanced around for Mae. How far had she gone for the walking stick? A town on the other side of the Alps? Italy perhaps?

He considered shouting for her, but then he changed his mind. If he frightened the dog, they’d never catch it. And it wasn’t fit for man or beast in this snowstorm.

Jackson turned back to the dog. If only he had a way to coax him over, but he didn’t have any dog treats. And then he thought of something. He’d missed his lunch and had grabbed a pack of crackers to eat in the car. Would a dog eat a cracker?

Jackson had no idea. His experience with a dog consisted of exactly seven days. And it hadn’t gone well at all.

Once the dog had made a mess on the floor, chewed one of his mother’s favorite shoes and howled when his mother put him in the backyard for the night, she’d taken the dog back to the shelter. Jackson remembered how crushed he’d been. He’d begged and pleaded for his mother to change her mind. His mother had told him that it was for the best and sent Jackson to his room.

He banished the memories to the back of his mind. Those days were best forgotten. His life was so much different now—so much better. He didn’t have a dog and, for all intents and purposes, he didn’t have a mother, either. It was for the best.

He pulled the crackers from his dress shirt pocket. He undid the cellophane and removed one. It consisted of two crackers with cheese spread between them. He hoped this would work.

“Here, boy.”

The dog’s ears perked up. That had to be a good sign. The pup took a few steps forward. His nose wiggled. Then his tail started to wag.

“That’s it. Come on.”

The dog’s hesitant gaze met his and then returned to the cracker. The pup took a few more steps. He was almost to Jackson.

Jackson lowered his voice. “That’s a good boy.” He laid the cracker flat on his hand and took a wobbly step forward. The dog watched his every move but held his ground. Jackson stretched out his arm as far as it’d go.

And then the dog came closer. After a few seconds of hesitation, he grabbed the cracker. Jackson caught sight of the blue sparkly collar on the dog’s neck. Something told him that this was most definitely the woman’s dog. The flashy collar was in line with the woman’s rhinestone encrusted cell phone and her perfectly manicured nails.

As the dog devoured the cracker, Jackson knew this was his moment to make his move. Balancing his weight on one foot, he bent down. He lunged forward to wrap his hands around the little dog.

The dog jumped back and Jackson lost his balance. He reached out to regain his balance, but he’d moved too far from the large rock. He instinctively put his weight on his injured leg. Wrong move. He swore under his breath.

“What in the world!” came the beautiful stranger’s voice.

It was too late. She couldn’t help him. His injured leg couldn’t take the pressure of his weight. It gave way. He fell face-first into the snow.

Jackson sat up with snow coating him from head to toe. He blew the snow from his mouth and nose. Then he ran a hand over his face. At that moment, he felt something wet on his cheek. He opened his eyes to find the dog licking him. Ugh!

“Aww...you found him.” A big smile bloomed on the woman’s face. If he thought that she was beautiful before, she was even more of a knockout when she smiled. “You’re such a naughty boy for running off. Come here, Gizmo.”

“Gizmo? What kind of name is that?” Jackson attempted to get to his feet. He failed.

The woman’s brows drew together, but she didn’t move to help him. “What’s wrong with his name?”

Jackson sighed. “It’s a bit cutesy for a boy, don’t you think?”

“Cutesy?” Her green eyes darkened to a shade of deep jade.

“Never mind.” What did he care what she named her dog? If his head wasn’t pounding, he would have kept his thoughts to himself. He would have to make a mental note to tread carefully going forward. Without Mae’s help, he hefted himself to his feet.

In the meantime, she picked up the dog and brushed snow from Gizmo. “We need to get you home and in front of a fire. You poor baby.”

As Jackson brushed himself off, he couldn’t help but watch how the woman oohed and aahed over the dog. What amazed him the most was how the dog was eating up the attention as though it knew exactly what she was saying.

Mae turned to Jackson as though an afterthought, holding out a stick. “Here you go.”

He accepted the sturdy-looking branch. Somehow it made him feel like some sort of Paul Bunyan figure. Although his suit and dress shoes would definitely suggest otherwise.

“How in the world did you find Gizmo?” she asked.

Jackson couldn’t actually admit to having done much of anything, but if she wanted to give him partial credit, who was he to reject it. After all, if he hadn’t thought of the crackers in his pocket, the dog might have run off again.

“We sort of found each other. And he likes the same crackers as I do.”

“Crackers?”

“Yes. I have some in my pocket. They were supposed to replace my lunch, but I got distracted when I turned on the wrong road and my GPS wouldn’t work out here. Anyway, I forgot about them.”

She nodded as though she understood, but there were still unspoken questions in her eyes. “I hate to say it, but the snow’s not letting up. If anything, it’s getting heavier.” She frowned as she glanced upward. “I threw a bunch of snow on the fire when I was looking for Gizmo. I think it doused it. If not, this heavy snow should take care of it.” She turned to him. “Are you ready to hike out of here?”

“I don’t see where I have a choice.”

“I’ve got to carry Gizmo because the snow is starting to get too deep for his short legs. And I’ll take your bag as you’ll need all your energy to move on your good leg. But you can put your arm over my shoulder to balance yourself. Hopefully between that and the cane, you’ll be able to make it back to the cabin.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He got a firm grip on the stick and placed an arm over her shoulders, trying not to put too much pressure on her. He felt guilty that he couldn’t even relieve her of his bag, but she was right, anything more would unbalance him. His ankle was really starting to throb now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

She glanced over at him. “Thank you for finding Gizmo.”

“You’re welcome.”

Were those unshed tears shimmering in her eyes? But in a blink, they were gone. And he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined them after all.

At least, they were now even. He glanced over at his snow angel. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid his eyes on. It was hard to miss her stunning green eyes. They were unforgettable and strangely familiar. But that was impossible, right? After all, she was here in Austria and he was from New York City.

But the more he thought about it, he realized that she spoke with an American accent. Now, that he found interesting. What was an American woman doing in Austria at Christmastime? Did she have family here? Or was it something else? Perhaps it was the journalist in him, but he was curious about her story. And then he wondered if she might have an interesting story—something to humanize the holiday segment that he’d flown here to film.

He assured himself that it was professional interest—nothing more. After all, he was off the market. Ever since his wife passed away, he’d kept to himself. No one could ever fill the empty spot in his heart and he had no desire to replace his wife, not now—not ever.

Their progress was slow but steady. He felt bad for holding her back. “Why don’t you go on ahead?” he suggested. “You’ve got to be cold.”

“No colder than you. And I’m not leaving you out here. You don’t even know where my cabin is.”

“I can follow your tracks—”

“No. We’re in this together.”

Boy, was she stubborn. Even though it irked him that Mae was out here in the frigid air on his account, a small part of him admired her assertiveness. She would certainly be a tough nut to crack during an interview. Those were the interviews he enjoyed the most. The ones where he had to work hard to get the interviewee to open up—to get to the heart of the matter.

A lot of his peers would disagree and say that an interview should flow smoothly. But he wasn’t afraid of confrontation—of setting matters straight. But being stuck on the morning news cycle, he didn’t get to do many meaty interviews—certainly not as many as he would like.

They continued on in silence. And that was quite all right with Jackson. His head hurt. No, it pounded. But that pain was nothing compared to his ankle. However, he refused to let any of that stop him.

He clenched his jaw as he forced himself to keep moving. It was very slow progress, but one step at a time, he was moving over the snow-laden ground. The snow had seeped into his dress shoes. At first, his feet had grown cold. Then they had begun to hurt. Now they were numb.

He sure hoped they got to their destination soon. Freezing to death might make a big news story—but he wasn’t that desperate for headlines.

He glanced once more at Mae, but she’d pulled up her hood with the fluffy white fur trim, blocking the view of her beautiful face. “Is it much farther?”

“It’s just over that rise.” She turned her head, sending him a concerned look. “Do you need to rest?”

“No.” If he stopped now, he doubted he’d be able to move again. “I can make it.”

“Are you sure?” There was a distinct note of doubt in her voice.

“I’m sure.” His teeth started to chatter, so he clenched his jaw together.

Attempting to keep his thoughts on anything but the unending cold, he glanced at the woman next to him. He was torn between being angry at her for causing the accident by letting her dog loose and being grateful that she was some sort of angel sent to rescue him.

Then guilt settled in. How could he be upset with someone who was so concerned for him? She may have been irresponsible with the dog, but she’d cared enough to help him. He couldn’t forget that. Perhaps this was the twist in the story he’d come to Austria to tell. Perhaps he could attribute her actions to the holiday spirit. Maybe that was stretching things, but he liked the sound of it. He knew that angle would tug on the heartstrings of his viewers. But it wouldn’t be enough to garner the attention of the television executives—the same people who had passed him over for the evening news anchor role.

He stared straight ahead. There indeed was a slight hill. In his condition, it seemed more like Mont Blanc. But between the thick tree limb that Mae had located for him and her slim shoulders, he would make it.

Hopefully this cabin came equipped with a landline. He had to get out of here. This wasn’t a vacation for him. He was on assignment and his film crew was due to arrive tomorrow. He’d arrived early to scout out some special settings for his Christmas-around-the-world series. This accident would definitely put a crimp in his plans, but by tomorrow he’d be back on track. He refused to let his ankle and various minor injuries hold him back—not when there was work to be done.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when the cabin at last came into sight. He paused for a moment, catching his breath. But only for a moment and then he was moving again—pushing through the pain. Between the snow and his injured leg, this walk was a bigger workout than he normally experienced at the gym.

His body was giving in to the cold and he stumbled. “We need to stop.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Are you quitting on me? Are you a quitter?”

“I’m not a quitter.” What was wrong with her? “Can’t you see that I’m injured?”

“I think you’re being a wimp.”

“Wimp?” He glared at her. Anger warmed his veins. He’d been wrong about her. This woman wasn’t an angel—not even close. She was rude and mean.

He’d show her.

He kept going.

One slow, agonizing step after the other.

CHAPTER FOUR

AT LAST.

Serena’s gaze zeroed in on the large log cabin. Any other time, she’d stop to admire how picturesque it looked with the snow-covered roof and the icicles hanging around the edges. But not this afternoon. With the thickening snow and the added weight from supporting Jackson, her back ached and her legs were exhausted. Still, her minor discomforts were nothing compared to Jackson’s injuries.

She felt bad for being so mean to him back there. But angering him enough for him to prove her wrong was the only way she knew how to keep him going—how to save his life.

If he’d stopped, she’d have never gotten him moving again. Pain and fatigue were deeply etched on his handsome face. And there was no way she was letting her favorite morning news show anchor become a human Popsicle.

Still, she had to temper her sympathy. If she let herself become too involved with this man, she’d end up paying a steep price. Her last romance had cost her dearly.

Her thoughts turned to Shawn McNolty—Hollywood’s rising star. He’d also costarred in Serena’s latest movie, which was set to release over the holidays. During the filming, their agents had contrived for them to be seen together to get the public buzzing about a potential romance. But as time went on, Shawn had convinced Serena that instead of putting on a show they could start a genuine romance. He had been so charming and attentive that she’d convinced herself that taking their romance from the big screen to real life could work.

And everything had been all right, or so she’d thought, until she overheard Shawn talking to one of his friends. They’d been out to dinner and she was just returning from the ladies’ room while they were standing in the waiting area. Shawn was telling his friend that his arrangement with Serena was working out much better than he’d planned. The longer he spent escorting Serena around town, the more promo he got. The more headlines he received, the more movie scripts came his way. And the best part was Serena didn’t even have a clue. He prided himself on being that good of an actor. The memory still stung.

He wasn’t the first man to date her in order to further his acting career, but she’d soon realized with those other men that the relationship was one-sided at best. But there was something about Shawn that had caught her off guard. Maybe it was his dark, mysterious eyes or his warm laugh that made her stomach quiver or the way he looked at her like she was the only woman in the world for him. Whatever it was, she’d convinced herself to let go of the past. She’d been sure Shawn was different—that he’d truly cared about her.

Maybe that was why she hadn’t suspected something was up when he continually demanded that they go out instead of chilling at her Beverly Hills mansion. He always insisted that they stop and pose for the paparazzi, saying that it was good publicity for their upcoming film. The list of suspicious activities went on—activities that at the time she’d refused to see, but later it had all made sense. The pieces had all fallen into place when she overheard his words at the restaurant. Shawn McNolty had used her for his personal gain.

But he wasn’t the only actor in this relationship. Not wanting a public confrontation, she swallowed her heated words and pretended that she hadn’t heard a word he’d said about her. Serena didn’t even remember what she’d ordered for dinner that last night or how she made it through the meal before she pleaded a headache and took a cab home. The rest of the evening was a blur.

Finding out that her romantic relationship was nothing but a sham was followed by a voice mail from her agent telling her that she’d been turned down for not one but two serious award-contending roles. At that point, she had nothing keeping her in California. She’d needed some downtime. A chance to unplug and regroup. That was the moment when her plan to go off the grid had been born.

With the aid of some temporary hair dye left over from Halloween, she’d switched her honey-blond hair to red. She’d been told by her housekeeper that she was practically unrecognizable without her distinctive eye makeup. Add a ball cap and nondescript jeans, and her disguise had been complete. She’d marched right out the door and jumped in a cab bound for the airport.

And now, even though she had the best of intentions, she knew taking this journalist into her home would end up decimating her serene escape from reality. Jackson may not be on the same level as the paparazzi who would climb the trees outside her Hollywood home, but as soon as he recovered, he’d want something from her—just like Shawn.

Unless she drove Jackson directly to the hospital. It would be what was best for all of them. And her rented all-terrain vehicle was sitting in the driveway. If she could make it to the road, the rest would be slow going, but she was confident she could make it, at least to the nearby village. It may not have a hospital, but there should at least be a doctor. Right?

When they reached the vehicle, she stopped. “Just give me a second.”