Page 4 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
He heard his mobile buzz in the pocket of his salopettes. It happened like that sometimes. The wind blew in the right direction and the mobile towers that controlled the signal benevolently delivered a barrage of messages.
Jed stayed lying on his back and fumbled to take off his gloves so he could unzip his pocket and check who was trying to contact him just in case it was his aunt Effie. Things had been challenging for her at Holly Berry Lodge recently, but he tried to help out as much as he could in between his mega busy teaching schedule and coming here to gaze into the abyss.
You sorted yourself out yet, kid? Exactly how long does it take to get over a bump and a couple of bruises? Remember, we’ve got people waiting for your glorious comeback and they’re not going to wait forever…
Jed swallowed, staring at the screen. ‘Not yet, Da. I’m trying.’ He cleared his throat and stuffed the phone back into his pocket as his insides twisted. He hadn’t heard from Boyd Murray for a few days now. Every time he did, his father was pushing, asking how long it would be before Jed was back in the news, winning trophies, and more importantly – in his words, ‘making the big bucks again’.
He knew why it was important and he’d had sleepless nights over it. His dad had lost a fortune when he’d bet on him winning the competition in Nevada in February. The one where he’d crashed and burned. It had left Boyd with a debt he couldn’t pay and despite Jed sending him large chunks of his teaching wage each month, the deficit hadn’t shifted. The interest was multiplying, and it wouldn’t be long before his father was facing more than bankruptcy in the shape of broken bones…Not just that, anyone connected to him was going to be in the firing line too. Even Mairi, if anyone found out about her.
And it was all Jed’s fault. If he hadn’t had the accident, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
He shook his head as he braced himself to shift into a sitting position so he could gaze over the mountains in the far distance. At the undulating scenery, and thick forests of Scots pine all heavy with layers of fresh snow.
The air was crisp and frigid, and he sucked in a deep breath, forcing himself to climb back onto his feet so he could clip his foot back into the ski.
He considered attempting the run again, but the sun was starting to lower in the sky, getting ready to put itself to bed and with it the light. The wind was picking up too, blowing golf ball-sized flakes into his face and he knew trying the slope now wouldn’t be a good idea. Even if he could bring himself to do it.
His mobile buzzed again and he cursed, before pulling it back out of his pocket. This time he grinned when he picked up.
‘Turbo.’ Quinn Fraser – Jed’s best friend since forever – still used the nickname that had been assigned to Jed when he’d been skiing professionally. Jed didn’t have the heart to ask him to stop.
‘Yep,’ Jed muttered, swallowing a mouthful of ice as he turned away from the wind so he could hear.
‘I just wondered if you’d heard from my sister?’ his friend asked, making something in Jed’s stomach turn over.
‘Mairi? Nae, why would I?’ he mumbled, stopping where he was for a moment trying to calm his breathing. Quinn didn’t know they were married, and he had to keep it that way. ‘She okay?’ The question came out gruffer than he’d intended and he had to suck in a few more snowflakes to get himself under control.
‘I dunno. I haven’t heard from her for a couple of days and she’s not returning my messages. She switched off family sharing on her mobile about eleven months ago, so now I can’t track her.’
Quinn paused and Jed winced when he registered the timing. That had been just about the time she’d flown to see him in Las Vegas. Just before they’d married and…well, he wasn’t going to think about what a total mess he’d made of both of their lives after that.
‘She’s been seeing more of that guy I told you about. You know the one at her publisher?’ Quinn said.
‘Yep.’ Jed knew all aboutthatguy. He ignored the sharp surge of jealousy. ‘I remember. Big job, small brain, can’t trust him as far as you can throw a snowplough.’
He knew Mairi had started seeing the man two months, three days and five hours ago. Apparently, she’d only been accompanying him to work events. According to Quinn, it was purely professional, no doubt because she looked incredible on his arm and was amazing company. The eejit had behavedimpeccably to date – at least that’s what Mairi had told Quinn and his friend had shared with him – but Jed still had an uncomfortable feeling.
‘That’s him,’ Quinn chuckled. ‘Last time we spoke she said he’d asked her if she’d consider dating him for real.’
This time the punch from Quinn’s words made Jed wonder if his ribcage had splintered. ‘She did,’ he said, his voice strained. ‘And she’s going to do it?’ Jed shook his head. Was she actually going to cheat on him? And did he have the right to think that? ‘No way,’ he said roughly as his insides shrivelled like ash in a spent fire.
‘She’s considering it, apparently. This whole situation reminds me of the eejit she married.’ He sighed.
Jed’s heart thumped hard. He knew Quinn wasn’t talking about him. How could he? He still didn’t know about Vegas – but the words still jarred. ‘That happened a long time ago,’ Jed said quietly.
Mairi had been twenty-two and the boy she’d met at university, Mike Poppy, had swept her off her feet. They’d married and Quinn and Jed had attended the wedding. Jed had loved her even then and the day had ripped him in half.
But after less than a year Mike had had an affair, leaving Mairi devastated. Quinn still hadn’t got over it – and he’d been desperate to save his sister from every man she’d met since.If he knew about them…Jed shut his eyes, absorbing the surge of dread. It would be the end of their friendship.
‘I don’t think I’m going to be ready for her to date again until she’s at least sixty,’ Quinn grumbled.
‘I’m not sure your sister will wait until then. She’s barely thirty – it makes sense that she’s going to want to see people,’ Jed croaked, understanding that friendship rules dictated that he had to discuss this, even if he’d rather be pulling his own teeth out about now.
He should have expected this, though. A woman like Mairi would have men queuing up. But she deserved better than some pretty Chief Financial Officer with no soul. She deserved a husband. She deserved…
Nope. Not going there.
‘He’s not good enough for her,’ Quinn said sourly.
