offer of assistance. “Okay,” she said and pulled out plastic wrap to cover the food and put it in the refrigerator.
“Bring that plate with you?” he asked over his shoulder as he walked toward the room where he was staying.
“I can’t eat and drive,” she called after him, but he didn’t appear to be listening.
Less than a minute later, he appeared in the hallway dressed for the outdoors. “I’ll drive. You can navigate in between bites.”
“That truck has a stick shift and an ornery clutch.”
“I can handle it,” he said with a level gaze that let her know he could handle a lot more than she’d suspected he could. He moved his athletic body with a sensual confidence that went deeper than skin, leaving no doubt that he could take care of a woman in every possible way.
Looking at him reminded her that it had been eons since she’d been held by a man, even longer since she’d made love. She’d told herself she didn’t miss having a man in her life. She didn’t miss having someone take her breath away with just a look, someone who could make her heart stop and start just by saying her name. She sure as heck didn’t miss the pain that followed when she made herself vulnerable.
She suspected he was a master seducer and lover, the kind of man to leave a woman begging for more. Gwen resolved not to be that woman.
Two
Within minutes of when Gwen and Luc had arrived at the rescue site, Gwen knew she’d underestimated Luc Hudson. Standing at the edge of the pond with freezing water rising to the tops of his boots, he used a chainsaw to break up the ice that covered most of the pond.
Gwen’s apprehension rose with each passing second. As soon as the chill overtook the mare, the horse would lose a lot of her fight and the job of rescuing her would grow more difficult than ever. Colored chestnut-brown, with a white star on her forehead, the horse was drenched, her eyes wide with fear and distress. She wanted out, but she was afraid of the men.
The men looped a rope over the mare’s head. She fought the rope for a couple of minutes. Since she was wild, she didn’t understand that they were trying to help her. Luc helped spread a tarp over the ice he had pulverized.
When one of the men waded into the water wearing an orange suit and carrying another rope for the horse’s hindquarters, Gwen rushed to grab one of the ropes from the shore.
Luc shook his head. “You don’t need to be out here. Get the trailer ready.”
“The trailer’s ready,” she retorted.
“He has a point,” said Dan, the fireman holding the rope next to her. “This is a job for someone with more upper-body strength.”
Frustration twisted inside her, and she passed the rope to one of the other firemen. “I’ll back the trailer a few feet closer.”
“Good idea,” Dan said. “We’re going to need to get her inside as soon as possible.”
The wind sliced like a vicious whip, and sleet pelted her down jacket like tiny needles of ice. Gwen climbed into the truck and started the engine, then backed up a few feet until she heard one of the men yell. She exited the truck and checked the trailer again.
Luc waved for her to come to him. “Here,” he said, taking a digital camera from his pocket.
“What?” she asked in dismay. “You want me to take pictures?”
“No, I want you to shoot video,” he said. “Stand over there,” he said. “The light will be better.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“No,” he said. “Trust me. You’ll thank me later. Shoot the video. Press this button when I tell you to start.”
“This is ridiculous. I need to be helping that horse the second she gets out of the pond.”
“We’re going to take her straight into the trailer. There’s nothing else you can do. This will be great PR for your cause.”
She tasted the bitter flavor of cynicism in the back of her throat. “PR,” she said in disgust. “I should have known. You have a one-track mind.”
His eyes turned cold as the ice surrounding them. “PR is what will bring in the donations you need if you’re going to continue to rescue these horses.” He shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Hoo,” the man in the water called. “She’s on the move. This could be it.”
Conflicted by Luc’s comments, Gwen stepped aside, watching the mare thrash toward shore.
“Now,” Luc called and Gwen pushed the button for recording video. With her heart pounding at the mare’s distress, it took everything inside her to focus on the drama unfolding before her.
The mare stumbled and the men struggled to get her back on her feet. Her mouth dipped into the freezing water, and Gwen’s heart stopped.
Luc gently tugged the rope and spoke to the mare in a deep coaxing voice. “C’mon, baby, you can do it. Just a little more. We’re gonna take care of you.”
The mare dipped her mouth into the water again, then lifted it and shook her head. With a surge of energy and a synergy that was nearly mystical, the horse moved forward, Luc pulled and the fireman in the water pushed.
The mare stumbled up the tarp onto land, and Luc and the others immediately led her into the trailer. “You can stop now,” he yelled to Gwen.
Gwen blinked, automatically following his command. She’d been so tense she could barely move. She forced her feet to move toward the trailer. Luc snapped the back of the trailer closed and looked up at her.
His gaze met hers, and she felt a click that reverberated all the way down to her feet. In that instant, she understood what Luc Hudson was about. He would go to the wall for what he considered important. As far as the press was concerned, he would play them like a concert pianist to produce exactly the music he wanted. Power and passion emanated from him.
She fought a breathtaking combination of attraction and terror. Gwen realized she’d never met a man quite like him before.
“Ready?” he said.
Gwen nodded, hoping her strange feelings were like lightning, here for one second and gone the next.
Luc pulled the truck to a stop outside a large barn. Two men rushed outside to greet them.
“Good,” Gwen murmured and glanced at him. “The vet and ranch manager.”
Nodding, Luc got out of the car. Gwen exited from her side at the same time. “Carl, Dennis, this is Luc Hudson. He’s visiting and he helped with the rescue.”
Luc extended his hand to the two men. “I hope you have access to some warmers,” he said.
“Already set up,” Carl said. “I talked to the fire department while you two were in transit. They said you were a big help.”
“Glad
