Page 12 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
He watched, fascinated, as she slowly eased the envelope back into her pocket and zipped it before making a point of checking her watch. ‘Can we start our lesson now please?’ Jed felt a flutter of something that could have been admiration and was definitely desire.
‘Right,’ he said. Mairi wasn’t going to last five minutes anyway. He knew the moment she clipped on the skis that she’d probably slip over before deciding that calling his bluff was a bad idea. He’d just have to stay close enough to catch her so she didn’t get hurt.
‘Jed!’ another female voice suddenly called out, and when Jed turned, his stomach sank lower. He let out a long breath. Could today get any worse?
‘Bonnie…’ He watched as the chef who worked in the hotel situated about half a mile from Holly Berry Lodge came bounding up to join them, beaming.
‘Sorry I’m late. I called ahead and your aunt told me you wouldn’t mind.’ She sounded out of breath, but she gave him her brightest smile and Jed knew hers at least was genuine. ‘Sometimes I struggle to get out of bed.’ She blinked, her cheeks flushing a little. ‘It was a late night in the restaurant. I heard you were in the bar for a while?’ She cocked her head, her expression intense as she stared at him.
He had gone for one quick drink. He’d had to clear his head after his run-in with Mairi. He’d hoped a slug of whisky would help him sleep – but that hadn’t worked either. ‘You should have popped into the kitchen to say hello, I’d have sneaked you some haggis or something even better,’ she said huskily.
Jed heard Mairi let out a sharp breath and wondered if Quinn had mentioned Bonnie to her. They weren’t dating and never had. But he’d dropped her name into conversation a couple of times making sure his best friend thought they were seeing each other. That she mattered to him.
He might have been lying, but he’d wanted to make sure Mairi thought he’d moved on; that she wouldn’t get it into her head to come looking for him again. She’d called and visited the hospital after the accident, but he hadn’t wanted to see her. He’d had to cut her loose – she didn’t deserve to be tied to a lame duck, especially one with so many problems. He could only imagine what might happen if the men his father owed money to discovered that his son was married to a bestselling author. He’d never forgive himself if she got caught in something that was entirely his fault. After her parents died and Mike had cheated on her, Mairi deserved untarnished joy, and he couldn’t offer her that.
Which meant it definitely wouldn’t do either of them any good if his wife found out he hadn’t so much as looked at another woman in eleven months.Talk about mixed messages.
‘You really must pop by again tonight,’ Bonnie continued. ‘I’ll make sure to keep some of the special aside. I know you’re a steak man. I’m guessing rare?’ She flashed him another sunny smile and winked when he shrugged awkwardly.
‘Uh, grand,’ he said gruffly, trying to play the part, even though his spine felt like it was being filleted from his torso.
He tried to focus on Bonnie instead. The chef was gorgeous with a capital G – long-limbed, with curly red hair that she’d put up in a ponytail ready for their lesson today. She wore blue salopettes which hugged her slim frame, and was almost a foot taller than Mairi, closer to Jed’s height. He should have found her attractive – she was beautiful and good company – but he couldn’t seem to make himself feel anything.
‘Right, well, thanks,’ he said, clapping his hands, feeling his cheeks go up in twin flames when he darted a look in Mairi’s direction and saw she was now studying them, her cheeks pale. He couldn’t tell if she’d heard their conversation, but hopefully the wind had masked their words. ‘Shall we get this lesson started?’ he asked.
Mairi cleared her throat, and when Jed turned to look at her, he thought he could see a hint of tears in her eyes. His body went cold.
‘Great!’ Bonnie sang, oblivious.
Jed shook off the desire to come clean and pointed to a grey shelter where the lodge stored their skis, poles and helmets ready for lessons. It was piled up with equipment, enough for all levels of skier. ‘We need to start by choosing the right gear and making sure it fits properly,’ he told them. ‘Making sure you’re correctly equipped is the best way to keep yourself safe.’
Unless you were hurling yourself over a drop that was so steep you couldn’t even see where you were landing. In that case even industrial strength bubble wrap wouldn’t save you. He swallowed, nudging the thought away.
‘Have you worn skis before?’ He turned to Bonnie.
He knew Mairi’s last encounter with a pair had landed her in Accident & Emergency and wasn’t looking to make her relive the memory.
‘I’ve got a bit of experience. I’m probably notexactlywhat you’d call a novice.’ Bonnie said, looking embarrassed. ‘But this was the only one of your lessons with any spaces left today and I thought it would be nice to catch up.’ She winked again. ‘If you like, I’ll wait for my turn while you help—’ She darted a look in Mairi’s direction and nodded. ‘I can probably figure out what I need by myself. I mean, I do have my own skis.’ Her cheeks pinked.
‘Ah, okay,’ he said. He was going to have to tell Bonnie he wasn’t interested, or someone was going to get hurt. ‘You’d better wait for me to pick the equipment out – so I know it’s right,’ Jed said, turning his back on both of them and making his way towards the shelter.
He quickly selected a set of short, narrow skis that he knew would fit Mairi best and walked towards her. They were the clumpiest pair the lodge owned and even a pro wouldn’t be able to get up much speed in them. In skiing terms, they were the closest thing to a set of bicycle stabilisers. ‘You don’t have to do this,’ he said kindly as he approached.
Mairi’s mouth pinched, and a wave of auburn hair blew into her face before she swiped it away. ‘What and miss all the flirting?’
‘That wasn’t flirting,’ he said huskily. ‘You know exactly what that looks like.’ He forced his eyes to meet hers and immediately regretted it when Mairi’s widened and darkened at the sametime. He guided his gaze away and placed the skis on the ground in front of her, carefully lining them up as his insides bunched and released.
‘Your girlfriend’s attractive,’ Mairi said, her voice betraying a hint of distress.
He shook his head, fighting the urge to tell her he’d made the whole thing up.
Instinct was making him want to grab his skis, shove them on, find Bear and disappear with him down a slope – but he wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to walk away from Mairi again. Besides, he wasn’t about to ruin the lodge’s reputation.
He worked hard teaching and had always enjoyed the feedback for a job well done. Disappearing mid-way through the morning would get around the village quickly before spreading to the tourists too. He’d already trashed a marriage and career; he wasn’t looking to add to the bonfire he’d made of his life. He didn’t want to do this for the rest of his life, but he didn’t want to do himself out of a job either. Especially since his father relied on his monthly payments.
‘You need to step into them,’ he coaxed Mairi, aware Bonnie was probably watching. He knelt, trying not to wince when the movement made his knee joint twinge, and looked up. ‘Here,’ he repeated, indicating the correct spot when Mairi didn’t move. ‘Then I’ll clip your boots into the skis.’
Mairi didn’t speak, but she did as she was told. Then she stood frozen in place as he retraced his steps to the equipment so he could select a couple of short poles. When he returned, he showed her how to hold them. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked when she almost crushed the handles.
