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.”
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for my keys.” She pulled off her glove and reached in her coat pocket. Her fingers wrapped around the keys. “Okay. Let’s get you seated.” She brushed some of the snow from around the door. When she pulled it open, the man sent her a puzzled look. “Come on. We have to get going before the snow gets worse.”
His gaze narrowed. “You know how to drive in this much snow?”
Not really. A few times, she’d driven when she was in Tahoe, but it hadn’t been in a snowstorm. Still, these weren’t normal circumstances.
“I... I’ve done it before.”
He looked at her, then the vehicle and finally at the rise up to the road. He shook his head. “No way. I’ll wait here until the authorities can get me.”
“But—”
“Arff! Arff!”
Gizmo started to wiggle in her arm. “Okay, boy.”
“I think he agrees with me. We should go inside.”
“We can’t.” When the man’s eyebrows rose, she added, “I mean, you need medical attention.”
“I’ll be fine. Unless we get in the vehicle and end up in another accident.”
She worried her lip. She was out of reasons not to take this journalist into her home. She quickly inventoried the cabin’s contents to make sure there wasn’t anything lying about that would give away her true identity. There were the contents of her wallet, but he wouldn’t see that unless she gave him reason to be suspicious of her—like standing here in the snow, making him wonder why she didn’t just take him straight inside.
Serena inwardly groaned.
Stubborn man.
“I know I’m a stranger,” he said. “But I promise you no harm.”
She wasn’t afraid of him. At least, not in the manner that he thought. But at this point, he was either an excellent actor or he hadn’t figured out her true identity. Perhaps the hair dye, Strawberry Temptation, and lack of makeup worked as well as her housekeeper had said.
“Arff! Arff!”
She couldn’t fight them both. “Well, don’t just stand there. Let’s go inside.”
Serena again let Jackson lean on her shoulder. Trying to get him up the snowy, icy steps was quite a challenge. She wasn’t sure her shoulders would ever be the same again. But at last, they made it.
She helped him into the warm cabin and shut the door on the cold. She normally loved snow. But not this much, this fast. And not when it left her snowbound with a member of the press.
She helped him take off his gloves and wool dress coat. He was totally soaked. And ice-cold. His teeth chattered. The only way to warm him up was to strip him down. She started to loosen his tie.
His hand covered hers. “I... I think you’re pretty and all, but...but I don’t move this fast.”
He thought she was coming on to him? She lifted her chin to set him straight when beyond his bluish lips and chattering teeth, she noticed a glint of merriment in his eyes. He was teasing her. That had to be a good sign, right?
“I’m glad to see your sense of humor is still intact, but if you don’t get out of these wet clothes, you’re going to get severe hypothermia.” She attempted to move his hand, but he wouldn’t budge.
“I know how to undress myself.”
“Fine. Take everything off. I’ll get you some blankets.” Seeing him standing there leaning all of his weight on his good leg, she knew he was close to falling over from pain and exhaustion. “Let’s move you closer to the fire.”
She once again lent him her shoulder. Lucky for both of them, the couch was close by. Once he was seated and loosening his tie, she worked on getting a fire started.
A few minutes later, she returned to the great room with her arms piled high with blankets. Jackson sat on the couch in nothing but his blue boxers and socks. Heat immediately rushed to her cheeks. She was being silly. This was an emergency and it wasn’t like she was a virgin.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
She knew she was blushing and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She averted her gaze. “Here you
