‘Come on.’ Luc dragged her to her feet. ‘Before we both freeze. Heat. Clothes. Then back to work.’
They talked as they worked, giving her hope that Luc might finally open up. He didn’t. Instead he directed a barrage of questions her way, so she told him about her life and friends in London, and the fact that she missed the farm. ‘I miss the horses terribly,’ she admitted. ‘And I miss Niahl, but he’s so busy these days.’ She stopped as a shadow crossed Luc’s face.Lucwas so busy these days. This snowbound interlude was a rare break for him.Thatwas what he’d been trying to tell her, that she shouldn’t expect anything beyond this, because he didn’t have the time. That was okay. On the personal front, she could deal with it. She’d have to. But where Luc was concerned, if she could unlock even just a little bit of his angst, her job was done, and so she asked the question: ‘How about you, Lucas?’
‘Me?’ His lips pressed down as he shrugged. ‘You can learn anything you want to know about me from the press.’
‘Can I?’ she said disbelievingly. ‘I can only learn what sensational journalism wants me to know, and I’d rather hear it from you.’
‘Hear what from me?’
Okay. She got the message. This was going nowhere. If she pressed him he’d clam up even more. Why spoil the short time they had together?
‘No.’ Planting her shovel, she admitted, ‘Whatever I read in the press, I see you as amazing. Always have.’ She huffed a laugh. ‘Pity me.’
‘No faults?’ Luc enquired, spreading his arms wide.
Stacey hummed as she pretended to consider this, but she was thinking,This is my chance to let Luc know I’m there for him.
‘You’re a little controlling, but only because responsibility came along in such a tragic way. However wild you were, there was no option but to rein in fast. Perhaps you overcompensated. Your parents’ death happened when others your age were free to do as they pleased, so I think it’s amazing that you not only built a business empire, but mended a family that had been so badly fractured.’
What she didn’t add was her deeply held belief that Luc could have done with someone to mend him.
He hummed and raised a brow. ‘I’m not sure I deserve that level of praise. You make me sound far more impressive than I am.’
‘Do I?’ She held his gaze steadily. ‘Or do I say these things because they’re true?’
‘You haven’t done too badly yourself,’ he said, shifting the spotlight with effortless ease. ‘You were also bound by duty, but you found an opportunity to try something new and forge your own path, which you’ve done very successfully, it seems to me.’
Disappointment welled inside her. She should have known better than to expect Luc to open up after so many years for no better reason than because she’d asked a question. Deciding to keep things light and try another time, she smiled. ‘So you’ve finally accepted I’ve changed in five years.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ he growled, pretending to be fierce.
‘Just a little?’ she suggested.
He dragged her close. ‘Quite a lot. Seems to me you’ve grown up in a very short time.’
‘Are you surprised?’ she said softly, smiling happily against his mouth. ‘One night with you is enough to make anyone grow up. My initiation ceremony was spectacular. I can’t recommend it enough.’
‘I suggest you keep it to yourself.’
‘Oh, I will,’ she promised fervently. ‘And please don’t let this be the last time,’ she whispered before she could stop herself.
‘Let’s finish the dig,’ he said, easing out of their embrace.
‘We’ll feel much better for completing the task,’ she said, packing away her feelings.
‘Time will tell,’ Luc agreed.
‘And when time has done its job?’
He shrugged. ‘We’ll know.’
She didn’t ask him what they’d know. The answer was clear to both of them. Time would push them apart, but there was no point in thinking about that now.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THEYMETUPin the great room, having taken a shower after their marathon snow-shovelling endeavours. ‘You look great,’ Luc told her with a wicked smile. ‘Exercise suits you.’
‘You too,’ she said a little distractedly, though Luc had never looked better than he did right now. Barefoot in a pair of old jeans, unshaven with his thick, wavy hair damp and clinging to his stubble, powerful torso clad in a faded tee shirt that had definitely seen better days, he could play the role of gypsy king to perfection. A very handsome, rugged, and extremely virile gypsy king, she amended as their stares clashed and locked.
