Wild Ice by Rachelle Vaughn

from his chest seeping through his shirt. She just helplessly sat there as he carried her down the trail.
     
    * * *
    The big yellow dog trotted behind them and Lauren took small comfort in him being nearby. She didn’t know what the dog’s relationship was with the man, but she was grateful he’d found him and brought him to her. Even if the guy did seem bent out of shape about it.
    When the man turned into the clearing, Buddy darted around them and ran full speed ahead to the mansion. The man followed in his wake and paused at the back sliding glass door to fumble for the latch.
    “You live here?” she asked, unable to hide her surprise.
    He sighed as if answering the asinine question would be too much of an inconvenience for him.
    Lauren started to tell him she’d be fine on the nearby patio chair , but before she could form the words, he whisked her inside.
    It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dark interior. When they did, she was surprised at the elegant furnishings. Well, not surprised because they matched the house, but surprised because they didn’t match him in the slightest.
    “You’ll have to wait out side,” she craned her neck to tell Buddy.
    The yellow dog pushed by them and barreled into the house.
    Oh no. The man probably didn’t want dusty dog prints all over his beautiful home. As it was, he probably didn’t even want her inside his home, but in Lauren’s defense, he was the one who carried her inside.
    “I’m sorry,” Lauren sputtered. “He’s not mine. I don’t know who he belongs to.”
    “He’s mine,” the man told her.
    “Oh. Well that explains a lot,” she said. “He’s a great dog,” she added, happy to find some common ground.
    The man grunted and slid the door shut behind them. Thanks to that great dog, he was playing “rescue the damsel in distress” and he didn’t like it one bit.
    “ Your dog is very smart,” Lauren commented. “I’d probably still be out there hobbling along if it wasn’t for him. What’s his name?”
    “Mel.”
    It seemed like a particularly ordinary name for a perfectly extraordinary animal.
    “Just Mel, huh?”
    “It’s short for Mellow.”
    She smiled. “I’ve been calling him Buddy. Real original, I know.” If not creative, it was an accurate name.
    The man carried her into a massive living room and deposited her onto a plush overstuffed sofa next to a beautiful credenza.
    The first thing Lauren noticed about the room was that the heavy drapes were pulled shut. What a pity to hide such a spectacular view! The only light came from the TV flickering in the corner. A portable putting green sat off to the side. The TV was switched on to a golf tournament, the lush greens stretched across the high definition screen. So, the guy liked golf.
    Buddy, er, Mel rested his chin on Lauren’s knee and looked up at her with concerned brown eyes. No wonder Mel was always so happy to see her on the trail. He lived with a cold fish in a dark house.
    The man cast one last scowl at Mel before bending down and examining Lauren’s foot. Using more tenderness than she expected from the man, he slid off her shoe and gently rolled off her sock. The action sent shivers up and down her spine. She’d just met this man and already he was on his knees in front of her. She chided herself for thinking such an inappropriate thing. Her overactive imagination must have been the product of spending so much alone time in the cottage.
    It had been a long time since a man had undressed her. And her ex was usually too busy worried about what was behind his zipper to pay much attention to her feet.
    Once again, the man’s big hands were warm on her skin. Lauren watched his hands move over her ankle and noticed the shiny gold wedding band on his left hand. Of course he was married. No single man in his right mind, of his age and level of attractiveness would live alone out in the middle of nowhere on purpose .
    Mel sniffed at his owner’s hand, obviously