Page 1 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
PROLOGUE
MAIRI
11 months ago
‘I’m so happy, but I’m worried about what my brother will say,’ Mairi whispered to Jed as they stood outside The White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, staring at the entrance.
‘He’ll come around,’ Jed promised, squeezing her hand. ‘This isn’t like your first marriage; we’ll prove that to him. Besides, Quinn and I have been best friends since we were teenagers. He knows I’ve always had feelings for you.’
‘I wish he was here now,’ Mairi said wistfully. Her brother was the only family she had – marrying Jed without him here felt wrong, but she didn’t want to wait. It felt like her whole life had been leading to this moment and she didn’t want anything to stop it.
‘He’ll know in five days,’ Jed said softly, reading her mind. ‘After I’ve competed in the ski championships, we’ll fly to Scotland together and I’ll tell my aunt too.’
‘Aye, I know.’ Mairi turned so she could gaze into Jed’s blue eyes, taking in his strong jawline and generous lips, wanting to pinch herself. She still couldn’t believe she was about to marrythe love of her life. Her stomach fluttered. Quinn would come around. He had to. He’d see how happy Jed made her; how perfect they were for each other.
‘You look gorgeous,’ Jed said gruffly and Mairi glanced down at the lacy white wedding gown she’d hired less than an hour ago. She’d bought the glittering golden shoes today – she wriggled one of them, revelling in the sparkles they threw across Jed’s navy-blue suit.
‘So do you,’ she croaked, before going onto her tiptoes so she could press her mouth to his, feeling her insides tailspin when he looped an arm around her waist and deepened the kiss.
An Elvis song began to play inside the chapel and Jed reluctantly let her go. ‘We should head in.’ He sounded excited and he grabbed her hand again. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t got you a ring, there wasn’t time. But I’ll buy one soon.’
She nodded. ‘We’ll have a party to celebrate our marriage – and everyone will come.’
The door suddenly swung open, and a man dressed in a sparkly purple Elvis suit grinned at them. Then Mairi took the first step towards her perfect new life. All the planets in the universe were aligning and she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Suddenly nothing else mattered.
Because whatever happened from this moment onwards, Mairi knew Jed would be by her side and nothing and no one was ever going to change that…
1
MAIRI
16 December
Mairi reached the top of the hill that would lead her towards Holly Berry Lodge and took a moment to look over the Scottish mountains surrounding her. They’d had a blizzard recently, which meant the peaks were fairy-tale white, and frosty snowflakes twirled around her face like mini ballerinas – their intricate skirts glittering in the wind. She inhaled the pine-scented air and blew out a long breath, watching the steamy mist swirl around her face.
God she loved it here.
Then Mairi froze and her suitcase thumped onto the ground as her fingers inadvertently let go of the handle. Suddenly she swore she could feel Jed’s presence – as if the visceral pull she’d always felt around him had rebooted itself after eleven dormant months, leaving her feeling boneless and overwhelmed.
It wasn’t something that Mairi could explain, but she recognised the sensation. Her hormones had taken on a life of their own and were now fizzing and popping across the surface of her skin, scraping against her fragile nerves and giving herbody false hope. Which made her want to call the taxi that had just dropped her off so she could beg them to return. But she was done with keeping her distance from Jed. She had to be brave and finally face the unthinkable. That he didn’t want her in his life. It was time for her to accept it and move on.
She took in another long breath, forcing herself to calm down. ‘You’re not going anywhere, not this time,’ she murmured. ‘Not until you’ve got what you came for.’ She thought about the envelope filled with papers in her suitcase and grimaced.
Steeling herself, Mairi turned and squinted at the gentle ski run – which was about twenty metres to her right – and searched through a flurry of snowflakes, trying to spot Jed amongst the figures in the far distance.
Dozens of people dressed in multicoloured ski gear were zipping and – in some cases – bumping their way down the stunning bright white hills. She knew he’d either be skiing or teaching a class out there somewhere: being on the slopes was as vital to Jed Murray as oxygen. Nothing had ever mattered to him as much.
Definitely not her.
Mairi’s stomach knotted and then unfurled as her eyes instinctively found and glued themselves to a tall man dressed in black as he expertly slid across the ice to help a fallen skier climb back onto their feet.Jed. Even from here Mairi could tell he looked just the same, despite the accident. All the long months hadn’t changed much, and her eyes gobbled him up. He was still slim and long-limbed with broad shoulders that had always carried far more than their fair share.
Would his eyes be the same icy blue too – and would they still have the power to heat her from the inside out? And what about his mouth and that dark stubble that always framed it, whichhad made her whole body tremble whenever he peppered soft kisses down her neck before dipping lower to her?—
Mairi shook her head regretfully, forcing her wayward brain to stop right there.Daingit. She clenched her gloved hands into fists. She wasnothere to reminisce. And she definitely wasn’t going to have any more sexy thoughts about that man. He was in her past. At least he was going to be soon.
Jed stiffened suddenly like he’d just caught a scent – and Mairi watched as he threw a startled glance over his left shoulder. A glint of sunshine bounced off his visor as he stared in her direction, making her stomach bounce into her throat and then drop like a plane hitting turbulence.
Hypnotised, Mairi took a sudden step forward and immediately lost her footing, slipping on the ice. She windmilled her arms trying to stay upright, her stomach roiling before gravity got its way and she tipped backwards, landing with a hard thump on her behind. ‘Ouch!’ Shehatedbeing on the ice; she always seemed to slip or fall – and now she’d made a total eejit of herself. How typical.
