The pup paused to look at her as though to ask why in the world he would want to be quiet when there was obviously an intruder on the premises. Immediately he went to his growl-bark, growl-bark stance.
“Who is it?” Jackson asked from behind her.
“I’m just about to find out—if I can get Gizmo to settle down.” She bent down and picked up the dog.
The pup gave her a wide-eyed stare but at least he quieted down. With him securely in one arm, she opened the door. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was another stranded person. “Can I help you?”
It was a man in a red snowsuit with a white cross on the left side. “I stopped to make sure you are okay.” He spoke English with a heavy German accent.
“We are.” She noticed how Jackson limped over to stand behind her. “Are you with the leasing company?”
“I’m not. I’m with the emergency crew working on clearing the avalanche, but they let us know that an American woman was staying here, and that you are by yourself, which I see you’re not.”
Jackson cleared his throat. “They must have cleared the road.”
Serena peered past the man, looking for his vehicle in the freshly shoveled driveway. There was no vehicle. Maybe he left it on the road, but she didn’t see it there, either. Surely the man didn’t walk here. This cabin was in the middle of nowhere and this wasn’t the weather for walking.
The man lifted his sunglasses and rested them on the top of his head. “Actually, I’m getting around on my snowmobile.”
As the wind kicked up, Serena said, “Why don’t you come inside?”
They moved back and let the man in the door. The man stepped forward just enough to close the door against the cold air. He was shorter than Jackson and had a much more stocky build. His face was tan, as though he spent a lot of time outside, and his eyes were kind.
The man cleared his throat. “The avalanche was bad. It has a stretch of road shut down until we can get equipment in to clear it.” The man glanced around. “I see they got the power fixed.”
“Not yet,” Serena said. “It’s a generator.”
The man nodded in understanding. “They are hoping to get the power restored to this area sometime today.”
Since this man seemed quite knowledgeable about their situation, she asked, “Do you know how long it will be until the road is open?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea.”
“The thing is, Mr. Bennett here was in a car accident and I need to get him to the doctor—”
“I’m fine,” Jackson interjected.
A concerned look came over the emergency worker’s face as he turned to Jackson. His gaze scanned him. “I’m trained in first aid. Why don’t you sit down on the couch and let me look at you. We can call in an emergency helicopter if we need to. It’ll be tricky under these conditions but not impossible.”
Jackson frowned. “I told you I’m fine.”
“And I would like to see this for myself.” The emergency worker gave him a pointed look.
They continued to stare at each other in that stubborn male fashion. It was really quite ridiculous. Why did Jackson have to be so stubborn?
Serena stepped forward. “Jackson.” When he didn’t look at her, she tried again. “Jackson, let him look at you. I’d feel much better if he did.”
At last, Jackson turned to her. “I told you not to worry.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she did worry about him, but she stopped herself just in time. What in the world had gotten into her? She barely even knew this man. He might be amazingly handsome and she might be able to listen to his rich, deep voice for hours on end, but she had sworn off men. So she would be fine admiring Mr. Jackson Bennett via her television because that was as close as she planned to get to him once they could get away from this cabin.
Serena could feel both men staring at her. Heat swirled in her chest, but she refused to let that stop her from being honest—or at least partially honest. “I’d feel a lot better if someone who knew something about medicine would have a look at you. That was a bad accident. You have a lot of bruising. And your ankle doesn’t look good.”
Jackson sighed. “All right. If it’s really that important to you.”
“It is.”
Jackson limped toward the couch.
“I’ll be right back,” the emergency worker said. “I have medical supplies on my snowmobile.”
Serena followed Jackson. He sat on the couch and put his injured leg up on the coffee table. She knelt down on the floor and set Gizmo next to her. Finally, the pup had settled down. She didn’t know what had gotten into him. He was usually friendlier. After all, he’d taken to Jackson.
She reached for the makeshift bandage.
“What are you doing?” Jackson asked.
“Taking off the bandage so he can have a look at you.”
“I can do it.”
She’d already started undoing the knot that she’d made to hold everything in place. “Just relax.” She continued to struggle with the bandage. “I almost have it.”
“It might be easier if you use scissors.”
She didn’t respond. The truth was that he was right, but when she was around him, her thoughts became jumbled. And when she touched him, her heart raced. What was it about this man that had her reacting like she was once again a schoolgirl with a crush on Jeremy Jones, the school’s up-and-coming rock band singer?
She’d never felt this rush of emotions when she had been with Shawn. Sure, she’d enjoyed their time together, but she hadn’t felt like it was anything special. Maybe she should have realized it was a sign that things weren’t right. But she’d never been in love before, so she didn’t know how it should feel. And now she never would know, because she was avoiding men—unless they unexpectedly crashed into her life.
Finally, the knot gave way. She made quick work of undoing the bandage. As much as she’d wished his ankle had healed quickly, it remained a kaleidoscope of colors from purplish black to red and some pink. What a mess.
Just then the door opened and Gizmo once more went into guard dog mode. Serena followed him to the doorway, where he had the emergency worker pinned to the door. Serena rushed over to pick up Gizmo.
The man had his hands full of medical supplies. If she were to go by looks, it appeared this man knew what he was doing. And that would be good for all of them because she was so far removed from a nurse that it wasn’t even funny.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “He’s not normally like this.” When Gizmo started barking again, she said firmly, “Gizmo, stop.” The dog didn’t even bother to look at her as he kept a close eye on the stranger. “I’ll just go put him in the bedroom.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jackson had been all checked out. The emergency worker said that he didn’t believe Jackson’s injuries were life-threatening, but he was certainly banged up. If Jackson wanted to be evacuated, he’d call in a chopper. Jackson adamantly declined, saying that with the avalanche there were others in more need than him. And Serena promised to keep a close eye on him.
With Jackson in a proper bandage, the emergency worker packed up his stuff and walked away. Just as he opened the door, the light bulbs brightened, signaling that the electricity had been restored.
“Thank goodness,” Serena said. “Things are starting to look up.”
“I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow.” And with that the man left.
Serena closed the door. “Sounds like I better let Gizmo out before he scratches the door. I don’t know what’s up with him.”
“He’s just protective of you.”
“Then how do you explain him taking to you?”
“Oh, that’s easy, I bribed him.” An easy smile pulled at Jackson’s lips.
Serena’s sto
mach dipped. Okay, it was official, he was much cuter in person than he was on television. And if she didn’t get him out of here soon, he might worm his way past her defenses. But would that be so bad?
After all, they were on two different coasts. Surely with all those states between them and their busy schedules, they’d never lay eyes on each other again.
She shook her head. Obviously she wasn’t used to the solitude. Everything would be fine. She would stick to her resolution of no men. Soon the plows would open up the road and Jackson would be on his way out of here.
“What?” Jackson’s eyes filled with confusion.
“Hmm...”
“You shook your head. Why?”
“Nothing.” She hunted for a legitimate answer to his question. “I should have figured that you would resort to bribing.”
“It wasn’t my idea.” Jackson said it as though it were the undeniable truth. “Gizmo stole my bread last night and well, I didn’t rat him out and we’ve been friends since.”
“And it only cost you a slice of bread?”
Jackson smiled and her stomach once again did that funny dipping thing. “Yeah, I guess it was worth sacrificing part of my dinner.”
“And that would explain why he wasn’t very interested in his.” She planted her hands on her hips. “I don’t want him eating human food so if you could refrain from feeding him in the future, I would appreciate it.”
“I’ll try, but no promises.” When she arched a brow, he added, “Hey, he’s sneaky.”
“Uh-huh.” Was it possible that this journalist was truly a big softy at heart?
The thought stuck with her as she went to turn off the generator. She really wanted to dislike Jackson. It would make this arrangement so much easier, but the more time she spent with him, the more she liked him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE DAY SLIPPED by very slowly.
Jackson didn’t know what to do with himself. He wasn’t good at sitting still and yet his ankle, though most likely not broken, was still severely bruised and swollen.
He picked up his cell phone from the coffee table. He put in his passcode only to find that there was still no signal. So much for them getting the cell tower fixed today...or whatever was causing the disruption in service. He knew he shouldn’t complain. With the avalanche, everyone had much larger concerns.
He tossed the phone back on the coffee table and sighed.
Mae glanced up from her laptop. “Do you need something?”
“Yes. I mean, no.”
“So which is it?”
He limped over to her desk. “I’m just bored, is all. I’m not used to having time on my hands. Usually I don’t have enough hours in the day to get things done. Today I don’t have enough things to do.”
“I understand. My life is usually very hectic. That’s one thing I love about being here. No one can bother me and I can make my own schedule.”
“So what has you so busy on the computer for hours on end?”
“This, oh, well...it’s nothing.”
Was it his imagination or did her cheeks take on a shade of pink? His curiosity grew. She closed the laptop and stood. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she stretched.
“You don’t strike me as a shy woman. So what has you blushing when I asked about what you were working on?”
Her fine brows drew together. “And you are not on the job. I’m not one of your stories. You don’t have to keep pushing until you get all of the answers.”
Realizing that he’d overstepped, he held up both hands. “Sorry. I guess this sitting around is really starting to get to me. I think I’ve read every magazine on the coffee table at least twice.”
“Then I can put you to work.” Her eyes lit up as though she’d come up with the perfect answer.
He was intrigued. He’d love to spend some productive time with Mae. Perhaps his abundance of enthusiasm should bother him, but he chose to ignore the telling sign. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll be right back.” She took off upstairs.
Gizmo got up from where he’d been napping on the couch. When he yawned, he let out a little squeak. Jackson found himself smiling. Gizmo walked over to him. Jackson petted him and scratched behind his ears.
“You’re not so bad. In fact, you’re kind of cute.”
“Arff!”
Jackson couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you knew what I was saying.”
“Arff! Arff!”
“Sounds like you two are having quite a conversation,” Mae said as she descended the stairs with her hands full of bags.
“And what is all of that?” He had a feeling he didn’t want to know, but the reporter in him needed the answer.
“This is what we’re going to do this evening. And if you do a good job, I’ll let you roast some marshmallows over the fire tonight.”
He couldn’t help but laugh again. He tried to remember the last time he’d laughed this much and failed. Was there such a time?
He didn’t think so, as June had been more reserved. She was quiet in public. She would say that it was the way she was raised, but he knew the truth—she was painfully shy. Still, she hadn’t let it stop her as a fashion model. Each day she did what was expected of her. And although it took a lot out of her to get in front of the cameras, she’d pasted on a smile and never missed a photo shoot.
But there had been times when she’d let her hair down and unwind when they were in bed. Then she’d been all his. And there had been nothing shy about her then. He could make her laugh, moan and make all sorts of unladylike sounds—
Jackson squelched the memories. He wanted to be present in this moment. He took in Mae’s smile. It lit up her face and made her eyes sparkle, but it was more than that. How did he say it? It was like when she smiled the world was brighter. It filled him with a warmth, and he never wanted to let that feeling go. It healed the cracks in his broken heart, making him feel whole again.
“Can you make your way over here?” she asked as she set the bags down in front of the Christmas tree.
And then he put it all together. He shook his head. “I don’t do Christmas trees.”
Her eyes widened. “You don’t celebrate Christmas?”
“No. Not that. I celebrate it—or I used to. But I never did the decorating.” The truth was, with busy work schedules that often conflicted, neither he nor June were home long enough to worry about it. Instead, June would hire professionals to come in and decorate their tree. It was always different each year. Different color. Different theme.
Mae stood there with a puzzled look on her face. “Why wouldn’t you decorate your tree? Doesn’t it look rather sad and pathetic without ornaments?”
“It had ornaments. I just didn’t put them on.”
“Why not?”
“There wasn’t enough time.” That seemed to be the theme of his life. There were so many things that had been skipped over or missed because there wasn’t enough time. And now time had run out for him and June.
“You have to make time for the important things in life. My father used to always put off things and then he died.” There was a slight pause, but before Jackson could say a word, she continued. “I don’t want to miss the good things in life because I’m too busy. Life is too short.”
It was as though she understood exactly what he’d been through, but that was impossible. He kept his private life private. “I’m glad you’re taking advantage of life. You’re right, it is too short.”
She reached into the bag and pulled out a box of ornaments. She proceeded to attach a hook and hang it on the tree. “See. Nothing to it. Come on. Decorate it with me. I already strung the lights the other night.”
But it was more than the fact that he
didn’t have experience at trimming a Christmas tree—everything about the season would remind him of June. It would be a painful reminder of all that he’d lost. Christmastime was the time of year June loved the most. It was when she was at her best—when they had been at their best.
“Jackson?” Mae’s voice jerked him from his thoughts.
He shook his head. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Sure, it is. After all, it’s almost Christmas.”
“But this is your tree, not mine.” He knew it was a lame excuse, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit the truth—he felt guilty celebrating without June.
“For as long as you’re here with me, it’s our tree. Yours, mine and Gizmo’s.” At that point, the dog’s ears perked up. Mae turned to her pup and said, “Isn’t that right, boy?”
As if on cue, Gizmo barked. Spontaneous laughter erupted in Jackson. These two seemed determined to cheer him up. And it was working.
He normally wasn’t that easily amused, but being around Mae and her dog was bringing out a whole new side in him. And he honestly didn’t know what to make of it—what to make of the way Mae made him feel.
* * *
This isn’t a good idea.
It’ll be fine.
The conflicting thoughts piled one on top of the other. But it came down to the fact that Serena felt sorry for Jackson. How could a man who appeared to have everything miss out on the spirit of Christmas?
To her, Christmastime was going beyond your normal comfort zone in order to lend others a helping hand. She tried to do it year-round, but filming schedules usually upended her best efforts to visit the soup kitchen during the rest of the year.
She’d been doing it for years now. At first, she’d done it in defiance of her father, who’d said that no Winston should be pandering to others. How she was related to that man was beyond her. They disagreed about most everything. When she was young, she used to wonder if they’d mixed up the babies in the hospital nursery. She’d even said it once to her father—he hadn’t taken it well, at all.
But the more time she spent at the soup kitchen, the more she liked the people there. She soon learned that her attendance wasn’t so much about what she could give them but rather what they gave her. They reminded her that there was so much more to life than money and contracts. Because in the end, it was about love and kindness.
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