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.
“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
