Page 31 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
When Jed stopped sliding, he lay on his back staring at the sky. He watched something fly overhead and wished he could be somewhere else too. He shut his eyes and tried thinking about beaches, but his mind drifted to Mairi.
‘Are you okay?’ Scott asked seconds later, and when he opened them, the boy was standing over him, looking worried.
‘I’m good,’ he growled, shifting his body and wincing when his knee yowled. He hadn’t broken it – he knew that. Butdamnit hurt. The pain shot him back eleven months and misery engulfed him.
‘That was incredible!’ Scott exclaimed, punching the air. ‘I knew you could do it.’ He practically levitated on his skis as Jed levered himself into a sitting position. ‘It was the perfect start, I don’t know what happened after but—’ Scott shook his head,clearly too awestruck to articulate his thoughts on what had gone wrong.
Jed knew, though. He knew he couldn’t do it anymore. His head was messed up and he had no clue how to put it right. No idea how he was ever going to get back what he’d lost. Or pay off his da’s crippling debt. Worry clawed at his throat, chipping away at any confidence he’d nurtured, concern that no matter how many days went by, he’d never be able to find his way back to who he once was.
‘You need to get up.’ The boy looked up as snow began to flutter around them. ‘The storm is almost here. We shouldn’t stay much longer. I promised dad I’d meet him back at the lodge for afternoon tea. He might worry.’
Had his da ever worried about him? Jed grunted, dismissing the thought. He had to move soon, he’d promised Douglas. He just wasn’t sure if he’d be able to walk. ‘You go ahead.’ He wasn’t going to put himself through the humiliation of trying to get up with an audience. At least when he’d had the accident, he’d been unconscious.
‘I’m not leaving you,’ Scott insisted. ‘We both need to go.’ He looked up again and this time excitement had been replaced by concern. ‘I’m not going to learn anything from you if you freeze to death.’
‘Aye, well, I think I just want to sit here for a moment longer,’ Jed told him. ‘It’s pretty.’ He cleared his throat.
‘You can’t get up, can you?’ Scott cocked his head looking worried. ‘You’ve hurt your knee.’
Jed’s lips pinched and he flushed. ‘I’m fine,’ he growled. Why wouldn’t everyone just leave him alone? He glanced around searching for his poles.
‘They’re over there,’ Scott said, reading his mind. ‘I’ll get them.’ He skied into a small copse of trees and returned moments later holding them. Then he stared at Jed, hisexpression intense. ‘You once said, “you’re not a failure if you admit you need help,”’ he said quietly.
‘No, I didn’t,’ Jed shot back. ‘Did I?’ That definitely didn’t sound like him – and even if he had said it, it wasn’t true.
The boy grinned, his teeth as bright as snow. ‘Aye, you’re right, you didn’t. But you’re not going to get off this mountain without my help.’ He handed him the poles and held out an arm – Jed frowned at it. ‘Go on,’ Scott coaxed. ‘In return you can coach me to go faster. Just tell me everything Ishouldn’tdo. That way, I might get it right.’ He snorted.
Jed let out a reluctant laugh, the kid was cocky alright. But he couldn’t remember the last time he’d cracked a genuine smile after bailing so spectacularly. Considering he was doing it while sitting on his bum with fire leaping through his knee was insane. But perhaps it was the first step to recovery? If you couldn’t laugh, you were dead inside, right?
And he’d been dead inside for way too long. At least he had until Mairi had arrived at Holly Berry Lodge and revived him.
‘Fine,’ he said, grabbing the boy’s arm and planting one of the poles in the snow to help him stand.
Scott was right. He wasn’t going to get off the slope on his own and for the first time in a long time, he decided it might not be better for everyone – including himself – if he lay there and froze.
14
MAIRI
Mairi filled a second silver urn with peppermint mocha in preparation for afternoon tea and screwed on the lid before putting the kettle on again.
‘Everything okay?’ Douglas asked as he wandered into the kitchen carrying an empty soup bowl.
‘Great, fine. I’m getting things ready,’ Mairi said, darting a look at the back door again. ‘I’m just wondering where Jed is.’ He hadn’t returned since their conversation in the bedroom earlier. Even Bear was worried. The dog was currently sitting beside Midnight in the reception area, looking out for him. But Mairi was concerned he might not come back. He didn’t seem inclined to deal with what was happening between them.
‘He promised he’d be here,’ Douglas told her, sniffing the air. ‘Those cakes smell amazing.’ His face lit up like a small boy’s. ‘I didn’t realise authors could cook up more than clever plots.’
‘Effie taught me.’ Mairi felt a burst of pride. She’d always enjoyed being in the kitchen with the older woman – being at the lodge had offered a dose of normality she’d needed after her parents had died. It was only now she was realising how important that had been – and how much she’d missed it. Hadit provided the security – the sense of place – she’d kept seeking from her disastrous relationships? ‘How is Effie?’ She nodded at the bowl.
‘Eating. I think my special soup might have done the trick. But she still has a temperature.’ His eyebrows knitted. ‘The lassie keeps insisting she has to get up and help, but I told her we’ve got everything under control.’
Mairi nodded. ‘I’ll check in on her when the guests have finished afternoon tea,’ she promised. Hopefully, Greer wouldn’t delay her by asking for an interview again, or because she’d found something new to complain about. The woman seemed to dislike everything about the lodge, which didn’t bode well, but Mairi wasn’t going to give up. Greer Abernathy was going to give them a glowing review. Even if it was over Mairi’s dead body.
She heard the sound of the back door opening, then the inside door swung wide and Scott walked into the kitchen supporting Jed with one arm. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she sprinted across the kitchen. ‘What happened?’ she asked anxiously, as the boy assisted Jed into a chair.
‘Nothing, I’m fine,’ Jed growled as he pulled off his helmet and hat and she saw his skin was pale under the mussed hair. ‘The boy is making a fuss.’ He flapped a hand. ‘Stop hovering.’
Scott tugged off his helmet and unzipped his coat. ‘He’s just grumpy because his jump went wrong,’ he said cheerfully, ignoring Jed when he let out a low growling sound. ‘He might be hangry too.’ He grinned sniffing the air until he spotted the piles of cakes. ‘Result!’ He punched the air.
