Page 17 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
As soon as the door swung open, Jed helped Mairi into the small room. He glanced back outside, but Bear hadn’t followed. ‘Dammit, eejit dog,’ he cursed. ‘I’m going to have to find him once we warm up. He won’t survive outside for long.’ He grimaced.
‘I’m not sure I can come with you.’ Mairi limped across the room towards a couple of wooden chairs. ‘I need to sit down,’ she murmured as she sank into one.
Jed turned and took in the large stone fireplace which he remembered from when he’d come with Quinn. There was a wood burner inside it now, which looked like it had never been used. ‘Someone’s been doing work in here,’ he said, pacing to the firewood box beside the hearth and checking inside. It was empty. ‘I’ll bet Aunt Effie knows who.’ He hadn’t paid much attention to the goings-on in Aberlinnie village, too caught up in his quest to compete in the Winter Wonder Ski Championships. They were just over a week away and he was no closer to being able to win. He sighed. ‘Doesn’t look like anyone’s stayed yet, though. It’s not quite ready.’
He took off his gloves and rubbed his hands before going to explore the small kitchen on their right. It looked new too; there was a shiny cooker, dusty worktops and a wide gap large enough for a fridge. He turned on the tap and held his breath before pacing to one of the switches on the wall.
‘We’ve got no water or electricity.’ He pulled a face. ‘There used to be a bathroom outside. Hopefully, that’s still there.’ He turned to open the cupboards underneath the kitchen counter. There were a couple of mugs and a saucepan, but nothing else. In the drawers above he found a hammer, a couple of elastic bands and – he almost cheered – a lighter along with a packet of cigarettes. ‘We could start a fire, if we had any wood.’ He winced as he scoured the small room, there was nothing they could use. He wasn’t going to break up the chairs – they looked new.
Mairi gave him a half smile and wrapped her arms around herself. ‘There’s plenty outside.’ Her teeth chattered.
‘There’s another room to check first.’ He paced to open a door on the far side and saw a bed with a mattress. There was a pile of dust sheets on the floor, along with some large pieces of cardboard. Probably packaging from the bed, or kitchen.
He returned to Mairi and handed her the dust sheets. They were covered in paint, but dry. ‘Wrap yourself in these. I’ve got cardboard and a lighter which will help get a fire started at least.’ He grimaced. ‘But we’ve got no wood to keep it going. I’m going to have to find some dry stuff outside.’
‘Dry?’ Mairi echoed. Wind whistled through the chimney as if laughing at the idea.
‘I won’t be long.’ Jed pulled the door open, and a gust of wind howled into the room.
‘I can’t believe we’re going to be snowed in,’ Mairi whispered as she wrapped the dust sheets around her shoulders and began to examine her damaged ankle. ‘If this was a movie, we’d end up fighting before making…’ She trailed off, flushing, and Jed knewexactly what she’d been thinking. ‘Don’t be long,’ she added, hiding her face.
‘Aye.’ Jed shut the door behind him as he headed out into the storm. He knew exactly what they’d be doing, and he had to make sure that no matter how long they were stuck alone in the storm – or how much he ached for Mairi – that he wouldn’t be putting his hands on her ever again. Because if he did, Jed suspected he’d never let go…
8
MAIRI
Mairi’s ankle was killing her. She unstrapped the boot and let it drop to the flagstone floor, trying not to think about Jed being out in the whistling storm. He’d been gone ten minutes, and every second had felt like torture. What if he got knocked out by a flying branch, or strayed too far trying to find Bear…What if he didn’t return? She wasn’t ready to lose him, even if she was looking to get a divorce.
She grimaced, reaching into her coat pocket and fiddling with the envelope – trying to remind herself of all the reasons why she needed Jed to sign the papers. There was Harry – she’d been dating him for over two months. He was handsome, clever, kind and so attentive sometimes it was almost too much.
She didn’t fancy him exactly. But that was because she still found it difficult not to think about Jed when she was with Harry. She closed her eyes trying to conjure up the blonde-haired man who wore navy suits and sombre ties. He had blue eyes – like Jed – only his were a more subtle colour and when he looked at her, she felt like smiling. The feeling was warm, but she didn’t get that slow roll in the pit of her stomach, or the tingles dancing across her skin which Jed always set off. She’d tried tofeel that with Harry – and knew if she kept trying, she’d get there – eventually. But getting a divorce, being able to date him properly, would surely speed that up?
On paper, Harry was perfect for her. He represented security and constancy. He was kind, knew the best restaurants and had a nose for good wine. He talked about current affairs, travel, books – not romance novels but you couldn’t have everything. He thought she was talented and had never had a problem telling her so.
He loathed skiing – which was a huge plus in his favour. But mostly, he wanted to date her, wanted to be with her and to take their relationship to the next level. If she called, he always answered, or called back within an hour. She didn’t have to chase him – and she didn’t have to lie about dating him to anyone, including Quinn.
Most importantly, Harry wasn’t angry with her for destroying his career, he didn’t make her feel like a dirty secret that he had to keep hidden. If she visited him in the hospital, she’d get the red-carpet treatment. He wouldn’t refuse to see her or ask that she be barred from entering the ward.
Grief swept through her and she shoved it away. She’d cried enough tears over Jed Murray; it was way past time to move on.
A gust of wind suddenly battered the door of the bothy making it rattle on its hinges. Mairi held her breath, waiting for the storm to gust again, but instead she heard a quiet scraping sound. ‘What’s that?’ she whispered into the darkness. The scratch came again, and she got up and limped across the room so she could press her ear to the door. The scratching noise was insistent and eerie. Was it Jed, a branch – or something more sinister?
She grasped the door handle. ‘This is exactly whatdunderheidheroines in horror movies do,’ she grumbled as shesucked in a breath and yanked the door open, gasping as frigid air whistled into the bothy along with Bear.
‘Good boy!’ she exclaimed as the dog scampered across the room and began to bark. Mairi bent carefully so she could scratch behind his ears. He was soggy from the snow, and she swiped at it. ‘Are you okay? What’s wrong?’ she asked when Bear barked again. ‘Is it Jed?’ She glanced back, worried, at the open doorway as a fresh squall swept in a billow of icy blizzard. He hadn’t returned with the dog, which meant he could be lost or hurt.
Bear whined and scampered towards the exit. ‘You want me to come?’ she asked, limping back to the chair to grab the boot she’d removed so she could tug it back on.
‘Ouch.’ Her ankle was definitely swollen. ‘Show me where he is, boy,’ Mairi said as Bear glanced at her, then disappeared through the open doorway. She followed, feeling numb.
She’d been here before – watching Jed get injured. Not knowing if he’d survive or ever be the same. Her mind swirled as she took a step into the cold snow reliving the nightmare before she turned and shut the door – leaning against it for a beat so she could calm herself.
She still remembered every second of the accident. Had watched it over and over in her dreams. Being here, walking into the storm to search for Jed – not knowing if he was hurt – brought it all back.
He’d been at the start of the ski run and the crowd had fallen silent, waiting for him to move. You could almost taste the anticipation in the air and Mairi had found it difficult to suck oxygen into her lungs. She’d been so proud of him, swelled to bursting with excitement. Her new husband was aGodon the slopes – and he was about to prove it to the world. After he had, they were going to announce that they were married, starting with her brother, and she couldn’t wait.
It had started so well, Jed’s form was perfect, and he’d reached an almost superhuman speed within seconds whooshing back and forth, executing every turn perfectly. But then he’d somehow misjudged the angle as he’d gone over the first precipice. Either he’d lost his nerve, got distracted, or it could have been plain bad luck.
