Page 41 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
Mairi watched as Douglas hefted the final box of decorations into the dining room along with a small bucket of freshly cut mistletoe. ‘Are you sure you don’t need any more help, lassie?’ he asked, glancing around the room. It was the only part of the lodge they hadn’t decorated yet and she needed something to take her mind off Jed, who still hadn’t returned from his morning ski session. But he couldn’t avoid her forever…
She sighed. ‘I’ll be fine. How was Effie when you checked on her?’
The older man’s cheeks flushed bright pink. ‘Grand. I think she’s looking even more bonnie than usual which means she’s on the mend. She’s recovering quickly and I’d like to think my soup can take some credit for that.’ He grinned. ‘But I told her to stay in bed. She asked if I’d hang some lights around the outside of the lodge.’ He pointed to the window. ‘Said we had to keep the Abernathy woman happy.’ His smile dimmed. ‘Rhona normally does it, but I’ve got some ideas.’ His grin returned, his green eyes sparkling mischievously. ‘It’s going to put Disneyland to shame.’
Mairi cleared her throat. ‘Maybe simpler is best?’ Another Douglas disaster was the last thing they needed.
‘It’ll be fine, lassie, I used to do this at home all the time. Just make sure—’ He tapped the edge of his nose and dropped his voice. ‘That you don’t tell Effie. I want it to be a surprise.’
‘Your secret’s safe with me,’ Mairi promised, miming zipping her lips and pushing down the stress, because she had enough of that frothing inside her already.
‘What secret?’ Scott asked, coming bounding into the dining room with Jed, Midnight and Bear. The dogs had been hanging around the sitting room all morning so they must have met them on the way in. ‘Sorry we were so long – Jed made me run up and down the mountain about a zillion times.’ He frowned. ‘Is there anything to eat?’ He sniffed the air as Bear and Midnight yipped and ran around his legs, clearly excited by the mention of food.
‘I baked some Christmas cupcakes this morning,’ Mairi told him and the teenager started to head towards the kitchen.
‘Don’t forget you promised to do some hoovering,’ Jed warned.
‘Aye.’ The boy stopped and rolled his eyes. ‘I won’t. But I need to eat or I’m going to pass out. You’ve no idea how tired I am.’ He marched out of the room with both dogs and when Mairi glanced at Jed, he was chuckling. It was a good look on him and she took a moment to drink in the rare sight of her happy husband.
‘I’m off to create the big surprise now,’ Douglas said dramatically, hitching up the toolbelt he’d just clipped on. ‘I’ll be back at dinner to help out. Jed perhaps you can help the lassie with the decorations?’ He nodded at the sparkly containers. ‘She’s going to need someone to hold the ladder.’
When Douglas had gone, Jed turned. ‘Do youwanthelp?’ he asked roughly. He was wearing one of his tight long-sleeved T-shirts again. The material hugged his frame and made Mairi think of how his skin had felt when she’d touched it. Her insides warmed.
She nodded. ‘As long as your knee is up to it?’ She was nothing if not a thoughtful wife.
‘I think the frozen peas did the trick,’ he said, turning away.
‘I thought you were avoiding me again,’ she said quietly.
He turned back and flushed. ‘I’m sorry.’ He swallowed. ‘I’m not going to say it wasn’t partly that. I needed time to think about what happened. To work out what to do next.’
‘Have you?’ Her heart thumped hard. ‘Worked out what you want to do?’ She held her breath.
He stared at her, his eyes dark.
‘Because I want to kiss you again,’ she said recklessly before he could respond, clocking the way his shoulders tensed. She frowned and looked around, suddenly feeling guilty for putting Jed on the spot. ‘Failing that, I want to put the lights up.’ She backtracked afraid of scaring him away. ‘And there are some sparkly twirly things I want to hang from the ceiling.’ She watched the muscled wings of his shoulders bunch before he went to get the ladder.
Then he silently propped it in the centre of the room without looking at her. ‘I’m not going to lie and say I don’t want to kiss you again, or that I haven’t been thinking about doing that,’ he admitted, making her insides go zap. ‘But there are still things…’ He let out an unsteady breath. ‘I’m not going to leap in again, Mairi. There are things that need sorting out first?—’
‘What things – telling Quinn?’ She moved around to face him, almost tripping over Midnight who’d returned from the kitchen carrying a bone in his mouth.
Jed sighed and leaned down to scratch the dog’s head. ‘I just want to get it right this time. Be – and I know I’ve said it before and you think it’s stupid – worthy of you,’ he finished, his forehead creasing. Midnight let out a low yip and went to sit under one of the tables.
‘Who gets to decide if you are?’ She folded her arms, feeling the first stirrings of temper. ‘Because from where I’m standing, you’re more than enough. I’ve told you that – and I made it perfectly clear when I was kissing you.’ It was hardly news.
His forehead crunched and his mouth pinched and she couldn’t help herself, she wanted to lean in and kiss him again. To soothe the ache she could see arcing through his body. She’d been passive for so long, it was almost her nature now. But she had to change if she wanted something new. She eased closer, her heart pounding, her blood pumping so fast she felt dizzy. She wanted to kiss him, if she didn’t, she was probably going to combust.
Jed cleared his throat and abruptly took a step away. ‘About these lights.’
Mairi sucked in a breath as the surge of bravery sizzled and evaporated. ‘Aye.’ She went to pick up a multicoloured string and climbed a couple of steps on the ladder.
‘I can do it if you give them to me,’ Jed said roughly, pressing a warm palm to the back of her shin, making her insides melt like marshmallows on a warm flame.
‘It’s okay. I’m not going to risk you getting injured again just before the championships,’ she said. ‘Besides, I know where everything goes.’ She’d often helped Rhona hang the decorations when she was visiting the lodge. She went up another step and hooked the strings as far as she could reach, then moved up a couple more so she could lean over to her right.
‘Careful,’ Jed rumbled as he kept his hand pressed against her leg and moved it up to her thigh, making the sticky marshmallows go up in flames.
The ladder wobbled as her body reacted and she felt Jed right it just as she hooked on the end of the string. ‘We’ll need to move the ladder so I can plug the lights in,’ she said, climbing down the steps and stopping on a lower rung when they were eye to eye. He was gazing at her now and she could see the dark fire in the depths of his irises. ‘I dreamed of doing this,’ she said impulsively, letting her gaze roam across his face. She felt that spark of bravery again.
