Chapter 1

Lisa packed her bags and looked around the room, trying to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. It was the last day of her vacation, and it was time to start the drive home. This trip to the mountains had been just what she needed. It was her chance to forget the disaster that had been her engagement party. The society papers had a field day when her fiancee had shown up at the party drunk with another woman, proclaiming to everyone that he had been forced to find another woman to fulfill his needs because she was a cold fish who refused to sleep with him before they were married. Lisa thought she would die from embarrassment. Everyone who knew the 27 year old knew she wasn't the typical party girl, she enjoyed going out like the rest of her friends and dating, but her parents had instilled in her a strict moral code. She had stay out of the gossip columns because they could find nothing to report on her. The worst they had found was that she was at the same club one night when a friend of hers had gotten into a fight, getting herself thrown out. If she started a relationship with a man, she made it clear she wasn't going to sleep with them until she was married. It led to her not having many long term relationships, but she stuck to her morals. Lisa had thought Ben was different. All through their two year relationship, he had reassured her of his respect for her beliefs. It turned out he was just saying that so he could marry into her family's money. It had come out after the party that he was practically broke, and his parents had cut him off, so he needed to keep her happy and get into some money. All this had been spread out for the world to see in every gossip column in the country. After two weeks of everyone trying to hide everything from her, and some crazy stalker letters offering to teach her how to not be an ice queen, as the press called her, she decided enough was enough and headed for a small but nice mountain retreat. The advertisements promised a quiet, out of the way vacation, and this was not the kind of place anyone in her group would go, so she knew it was perfect. It was the off season, so there had been very few guests at the small resort, and either the staff really didn't read the papers, or they were just discreet enough not to mention it. No one had bothered her for the entire two weeks she was here. Lisa made a note to be sure to add the place to her regular vacation destinations. One she would visit alone. Everything was packed, so she grabbed her bags and set off for the front desk. Sitting at the desk was Renee. She was such a sweet woman, in her early forties with long straight dark brown hair that she kept pulled into a ponytail. She had been there everyday for the last two weeks. She was the manager and had her own apartment at the resort. "Hello, sweetie, is it time to go already?" Renee asked as she saw Lisa's bags. "Yes, but I will be back. I love this place. Maybe I will come back during the spring to see the flowers, and maybe the summer when it is just too hot in the city. Of course, if I come back then, I will have to visit for winter, too, just to see the snow and ice." Lisa told her laughing. "You are always welcome, give me a call a week in advance and I will set you up with the perfect area to see the best scenes for each season. Here, I also have this. It is a coupon for 10% off your

next stay. You have been an absolute delight. I will miss you for breakfast every morning." Renee handed her the receipt and the coupon. Lisa had started her second day by sitting down with Renee in the mornings over a cup of coffee and a muffin. It had become a part of the day she looked forward to. Lisa had learned about Renee's two sons and her marriage that had failed when her husband had cheated. Lisa had told Renee about h er disastrous party, and Renee had been sympathetic, but instead of treating her like she was going to break, she had joked about how they should get revenge on the men that had betrayed them. Lisa was really going to miss having her there to talk to. "I am going to miss you, too. You have my number on file if you want to call sometime, like if you need bail money in case you run into your ex again." Lisa laughed. "I may take you up on that. You have mine also. I can get you out of jail and give you a job to show you are a productive member of the community and didn't mean for him to fall under the wheels of your car as you drove down the sidewalk." Renee joked back. "Oh, that would be a good one, I have to add that to my list." Lisa said. Suddenly on impulse she reached over and hugged the woman who had become more of a friend to her in two weeks that most of the people she had been around most of her life. With a last wave goodbye, she walked out to her car. Putting her suitcase into the small area behind the seat, she gunned the engine of the small two-seater and headed off down the road.

Chapter 2
Lisa had driven for an hour down the winding mountain roads, she was not encountering very much traffic, and had a straight road, so she decided to try gunning the car. It was a sports car after all so why not drive it like one. She picked up speed quickly as the engine seemed to purr its approval. All the sudden, the engine gave a little jerking cough, and the car slowed to a stop and died. Lisa knew nothing about cars, all she knew was how to pump gas, and the dates to take the car in for maintenance checks she couldn't believe this, she was in the middle of nowhere, no houses for the last twenty minutes, no cars driving through, and all the sudden, this had to happen. She grabbed her cell phone out of her purse. "No signal, of course," she said, tossing it into the other seat, "so much for more coverage than any other company." Lisa out of the car and began the walk back the way she came. Maybe she could find a driveway that she had missed on the drive through. The weather was starting to feel colder, and the sky was darkening. Lisa hoped she would not have to deal with a rainstorm as well. It was late fall, and the weather in the mountains could become nasty quick. If there was a storm, she hoped it would be just a rain and not snow and ice. This was not how she wanted to go, freezing to death on a deserted mountain road because her car broke down. She could just imagine how much fun the press would have with that. They would say she had let herself die because she couldn't live with a broken heart. That was the odd part though, she suddenly realized as she walked. She was upset that Ben had cheated on her. She was angry that he had made such a public spectacle of himself. She was embarrassed by the publicity, but she really couldn't say she had gotten her heart broken. Lisa was beginning to realize she had never been in love with Ben, she just had done what everyone had told her was the right thing to do. Maybe she should call Ben when she got home and tell him thanks for stopping the engagement before it turned into a messy divorce, with both of them realizing they didn't love each other. If she survived this, it was getting colder and she could feel in the change in the atmosphere signaling that it was going to start raining or snowing soon. After walking for almost an hour, Lisa was ready to give up. Still no cell phone service and it was beginning to snow. Lisa was glad that she had worn comfortable sneakers with her jeans and sweater. She had decided to go for comfort rather than style, deciding she could change into something more fashionable right before she got back to her house. She had to decide whether to keep going or head back to her car, hoping someone would come along and be able to help. Lisa decided she might as well keep walking, as she hadn't seen even one car in the hour she had been walking, she doubted if any would be coming out now, especially since the weather was getting so bad. After another thirty minutes Lisa finally saw a driveway. She almost missed it because there was no mailbox, but she saw tracks in the mud indicating that someone had pulled in or out since it started snowing. Lisa walked up the driveway, which seemed to go on forever now that she thought she had found safety at last. Apparently, the owner of the house that came into view liked their privacy. The house was large and it had a high stone fence encircling it. Lisa didn't care what she had to do, she

needed to get into this house or she was going to freeze to death. She walked up to the gate and rang the bell. "Yes, may I help you?" came the man's voice from the speaker. "I am sorry to bother you, my car broke down on the road about an hour or two's walk from here. I am freezing and I can't get any cell phone service. I was hoping to be able to use a phone to call for help. Please, it is really cold." Lisa said into the intercom. "Hang on" came the terse response. The gate opened and Lisa made her way in. A door opened in the small guard house next to the fence and a man came out. "Come in here for a moment while I call the main house and make sure it is okay for you to go on up there. It is warm in here, so you will be able defrost a little until I find out. May I have your name please." "Thank you so much. My name is Lisa Stevens. I can't tell you how grateful I am for you letting me warm up." She told him as the warmth of the room hit her. "Hey, no problem. You looked like you were going to die of exposure or shake yourself off the the planet, you were shivering so much. Here, my wife sent some coffee with me tonight, please share a cup with me." The man was huge, obviously a bodyguard. He had more muscles than some of the bodybuilders Lisa had seen on Venice beach. He defiantly would scare away any but the most diehard attackers with just a look, but his voice when he spoke told a different story. He had a kind voice, and the way he was looking at her was like he was genuinely worried. "I would love some coffee." Lisa said as she took off her wet coat. She had not realized how cold she was until she had a chance to stop. Now she felt like she was chilled to the bone. She heard the man on the phone. "Hey, boss, this is Jason at the front gate. I got a woman down here named Lisa Stevens, her car broke down and she seems to have been walking a while. Her phone isn't working and needs a place to warm up and dry off. I was wondering if I could bring her up there and try to see if there is anyone who will come out here in this weather to help her." Lisa listened to the one sided conversation. "Yes,sir, she is young, around 25 I'd say. Sure she is pretty. She is also a little blue from the cold." Jason was smiling at her. "Okay, I will send her right up. Thanks." Jason hung up the phone. "I think he is looking at the video from the front gate and knows you were listening so decided to try to embarrass me. He is a great guy, don't let him mess with you too much. I have worked for him for a long time he seems like a horrible monster, but he is a teddy bear at heart." Jason said, seeming to be talking a little loudly. "You aren't supposed to be telling my secrets. I am a horrible monster, Lisa, don't believe him." Lisa could hear the laughter in the melodic voice that came out of nowhere. Jason was laughing. "Sorry, sir, were you listening, I didn't realize." He said. "Yeah, I am sure. Please send the young lady up. I believe we can get her some dry clothes. I have Greta calling around to the garages, but no one will come out because of the snow. Apparently, we are in for a nice little ice storm. Please be careful that you don't get lost on you way up after your

shift. I would hate to have to explain your mysterious disappearance to Greta. For some reason, she seems to like you a little." They heard a click as the intercom shut off. The giant of a man laughed loudly. "Greta is his secretary and my wife. He is always telling her she should dump me. We grew up together, so I never take him seriously. Here, you can wear my coat. It may be a bit big, but you will be warmer. I will have one of the guys bring it back after my shift ends." Jason helped her to shrug into his coat and opened the door for her. "Thank you again" She said as she began walking toward the house. It was a beautifully styled house with a large front porch and columns along the front. There was a porch swing hanging from the roof and some rocking chairs set along the wall. It seemed to welcome visitors, even with the fence an the guard at the door. Suddenly, the double doors opened and she could see the silhouette of a tall well built man standing in the doorway. He was not as large as Jason, but he was still no scrawny person either. His long dark hair fell over his shoulder, and he stood in the shadows so she could not see his face. Lisa decided this had to be another security guard. She walked up to the front door and was shocked to see a face she knew. There was no way she had actually made her way to the house of rock star Michael Joyce.

Chapter 3
"Lisa, I presume." He said as she walked up the steps an across the porch. "Yes, thank you for opening your home to me. Am I right in assuming you are Michael Joyce?" Lisa asked as she extended her hand. "So you have heard of me?" He laughed. "Is there anyone on the planet who hasn't?" Lisa said. "I think at the last check there was one old man in the Himalayas with no electricity who only came out of the mountains once a year an couldn't read that didn't know who I was. If I am not mistaken, you have had a little bit of celebrity yourself lately. Don't get all defensive, I don't believe half of what I read. According to those rags, I have slept with more women than there are in the world. Come in here and we can get you some warm dry clothes and see what we can arrange for the night. It looks like you may be stuck here. We are going to have an ice storm, and none of the garages want to take the chance on coming out." Michael helped her out of the coat and took her arm to show her where she could change. "Thank you, maybe if I could use your phone I could get my family to get someone out here. I need to at least let them know I am safe. " Lisa told him. "Yes, but first, I have some clothes in here for you, so please feel free to change then I will hand the phone over to you. There is also a hair dryer in there, so if you would like you can dry your hair. I also have some fresh coffee waiting, so don't be to long." Michael closed the door on the large bathroom. Lisa saw the clothes lying on a stool along with the hair drier. How many times do you get to be in the home of one of the most famous rockers in the world. Lisa thought as she changed clothes and then dried her hair. She hadn't brought her makeup with her from her car, so she just washed what remained off her face and used a rubber band to tie up her hair. She looked at herself in the full length mirror. She was a good looking woman, she did carry a little extra weight, but she was not fat. Her body was filled out, with a large chest and a full backside. Lisa had decided years ago to let her friends worry about who could lose the most weight and have the smallest size pants. She was going to be happy with being comfortable with herself. She had had some problems with being called fat, but she had decided that she didn't have to look like everyone else to be happy. As her mother loved to point out, Marilyn Monroe was a size 14, and there wasn't anyone calling her fat. She had long dark hair that was always styled perfectly when she was going out into the public eye where she could be photographed, but when she was spending an evening at home, she normally kept it in a ponytail or just brushed out. She liked to be at home where she could walk around with no make and just an -up old pair of jeans with a t-shirt, instead of having to be dressed just right. She missed the days of not having to worry about all that just because her parents had money.

She grabbed her wet clothes and left the bathroom to find her host sitting on a bench in the hallway with a pair of socks in his hands. "I forgot to give you these. I figured your shoes would be soaked too, and you feet might get cold. Does everything fit okay?" "Yes, and it is very comfortable, too. I believed you promised me some coffee. Where can I dry my clothes at. I didn't want to just leave them laying on the floor." She said. "Here, hand them to me, I'll wash and dry them for you. I doubt if you are going to be rescued anytime soon. I just got reports that the roads are being shut down due to icing. We have the generators ready just in case, and I happen to have one of the best fireplaces in the state right this way. Sit down and warm up while I take care of this. Coffee is on the cart, along with sugar and cream. Please help yourself." Michael was very helpful, not at all like the articles she had read about his partying and drinking. He seemed so at ease here. Lisa made her way over to the cart with the coffee and poured herself a drink. She noticed there were also some sandwiches on the cart and realized she had not eaten since breakfast. She grabbed a sandwich that appeared to be ham and cheese and sat down on the couch facing the fireplace. There was a nice fire in the fireplace and the furniture in the room seemed to lean more toward comfort rather than style. The couch seemed to invite the sitter to curl up in the cushions and relax, so that was what Lisa did. Micheal found her that way ten minutes later, the sandwich on a plate with the coffee beside it on the stand while Lisa lay there sleeping. He grabbed a throw and draped it across her. "She seems nice, but a bit quiet, doesn't she?" Greta said walking up behind Michael. Just then Lisa let out a loud snore, causing the two of them to chuckle. "Well, maybe not too quiet." "Let her sleep. She walked a long way and has to be cold and tired. I will wake her at supper time so she can eat and call her parents." Michael said. "Aren't you afraid of ruining your reputation by having the so called Ice Queen in your house? What if people find out you are really a nice guy who takes in damsels in distress?" Greta teased him. "I will make her sign a non-disclosure contract before I let her leave. God forbid anyone finds out how nice I really am. I am such a kindhearted guy, just the most giving person in the world." Michael tried to affect a sweet expression. "Hey Michael, wake up, this is reality, not some dreamland." Greta said shaking him. "Why I keep you and your husband on my payroll I will never know." Michael said. "Because you know without us, you couldn't even go grocery shopping and would sit up here in your fortress and starve to death, or have photographers and fans screaming at your front door and at every window so you would have no peace at all. Plus, you know you love us, and would miss us horribly if we ever left." Greta told him as she walked him out the door of the room. "You are right as always, Greta. How would like to share a sandwich with me while we wait for supper?" Michael walked beside his secretary to the kitchen.

"Lisa, Lisa, wake up dear, it is suppertime." Lisa heard the voice, but didn't want to move from her comfortable position where she was so warm. "Dad, can I sleep just a little longer? Mom won't mind if I eat late, will she?" Lisa said without opening her eyes. "I don't know about your mom, but I know when I cook a lady supper, I like for her to eat it with me." The voice said. Lisa popped her eyes opened as she realized it was not her father waking her up. She sat up suddenly, remembering where she was. She looked and saw Michael standing there with a tray of food. "I am sorry, I must have fallen asleep on you. You don't have to wait on me." "No problem at all. You looked so peaceful sleeping there, I just had to let you sleep. You should really talk to a doctor about that snoring though. At times I thought the whole house was going to shake down." Michael said setting the tray on the cart that had held the coffee and rolling it over to the couch. "I don't snore!" Lisa said, horrified at the thought. "I thought about recording it a couple of times and putting on my next album as some creepy background noise, but thought it might be to loud and would overpower my magnificent vocals." He told her laying out two plates. "Oh,God, please tell me you are kidding." Lisa said, blushing from the thought. "Of course I am," he said spooning food out on the plates, Lisa blew out a breath, "my vocals aren't that magnificent." He calmly handed the plate to Lisa. "You big meanie. I know I don't snore. You are just being mean." Lisa took her plate and tore into it. It was actually very good. He had given her a simple meal of baked chicken with rice and green beans. "I thought a jet setter star such as you would eat a little more fancy." Lisa said, still a little upset with him over the snoring remarks. "Actually, you should know not to trust everything you hear. I actually like to come out here and just relax. I really am not into the parties and all the crap that I am supposed to be doing all the time. I enjoy being out here so I have my privacy, unfortunately, some people have to have car problems and come knocking on my door and interrupt my me time." Michael said smiling at Lisa. "I do apologize for being so inconsiderate as to break down near your retreat. I will be sure if it happens again, I will just sit in my car and freeze to death, then I won't make the mistake of putting you out. Is that more acceptable?" Lisa asked. "Now there you go, see would it have been so hard to show a little consideration like that? But no, come to think of it, that wouldn't have worked either. Your car would have been found too close to my house. The police would have to investigate and I would have to give a statement, thereby my name would be linked to this property and I wouldn't be able to hide out here anymore. I guess it was a good thing you got here okay. I would hate to have screaming fans and the press finding out where I live." Michael said, seeming to think it over.

"Well, I would hate to inconvenience you with my death. Who cooked this meal? It tastes great." Lisa had slowed down and was tasting the food now that she wasn't thoroughly embarrassed. "I told you I cooked it, didn't I? I am not just a pretty face you know. I cook, I clean, I can even iron clothes." Michael was in a playful mood. "Wow, you are going to make a wonderful homemaker if this little singing thing doesn't work out. I think Mom told me the other day that our neighbor needed a new maid. I can put a word in for you." Lisa decided she could tease as well. "Oh, I will keep that in mind. So, what do you do, besides going to parties and living off your parents money?" Michael asked. "Oh you know, the usual. I go to charity events, try to see how much money I can spend, and I also have started my own company. I own it under a corporation name, so it can't be traced directly back to me easily. I make enough money from my own company and my investments that I no longer rely on my parents for any financial needs. But please keep that quiet, I am sure you understand how important it is to have a little privacy in your life." Lisa told him. "That is really great. I am pleasantly surprised. I had pegged you for just one more heiress that loved her parties and drinking, you just didn't get caught like some of the others in your group." Michael said. "I am used to people assuming that. I really am not into the party scene. I go out at times, but for me I would rather be at home dressed like this, relaxing with a book. I have gotten into charity work, especially SIDS research. There has been some progress made, but we still are not sure what the cause is." She loved to talk about her work to help families affected by the tragedy "I have heard a bit about that, but I confess I am not an expert on it. What got you interested in this?" Michael seemed to be interested. "It is going to sound cheesy, but the woman we had working for us was pregnant when she started. I sort of became attached to her, and when she had the baby, I fell in love with him. Then when he was seven months old, he died in his sleep. The doctors could find nothing wrong with him, and so it was listed as SIDS. I couldn't believe the little boy I had held earlier that day had just died for no reason, so I started to do research. I was appealed at the number of children who died each year of this. Otherwise healthy infants just stop breathing in their sleep. I felt this was unacceptable and decided if I had any pull in this life, I was going to do whatever I could to help with the research." Lisa said "I am really impressed. Not many people would care about an employee's child, much less to the point you have gone to. I couldn't imagine having a child and losing them in such a way." Michael said. "I think the worst part is not really having a definitive answer as to the cause. I found out that some families have lost multiple children due to this. What about you? When you are not on tour or out drinking or romancing some young woman, what do you do?" Lisa asked. "I like to come out here where I can relax and be left alone. I don't drink anymore. I haven't drank in three months. I had that one time where I got a little intoxicated and suddenly I am an alcoholic.

Honestly though, I only drink about once every six or seven months, and I usually do it at home, but I let some of the band talk me into drinking a few with them at a bar, and I got out of hand. As for all the women I had been linked with, most of them were just friends, but I admit that I do enjoy the company of women, but most of the stories are exaggerated. As far as anything else, besides touring and writing music, I like to just hang out around here." Michael said. "I love your cooking. I hate to bother you about it, but may I use your phone to call my parents? They worry, and I want to make sure they don't think I fell off the side off the mountain." Lisa asked. "Of course, I have the cordless right here. Please don't mention me when you call them. Like I said, the fewer people who know about this place, the quieter it is." He handed her the phone and left her alone to make her calls. Michael watched her as she talked to her parents. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he was fascinated by this creature that had found her way to him. He found her to be a sexy, beautiful woman. He was attracted to not only her body, but also her mind. It really touch him that she had put not only her money, but also her time into a charity because of a situation that had happened to her household help. He wondered if what the papers said was true. Was she really an Ice Queen, or was it just the fact that no man had been able to stir her passions as well as her heart. He might enjoy having her stuck with him for a few days.