Chapter 7 #2
He tried not to think about Quinn’s reaction if he knew Jed had taken Mairi out in a blizzard.
Her brother would definitely lay all the blame at his door.
He couldn’t disagree, but he couldn’t go back to the lodge without his dog either and Mairi was right, they needed to do this before the weather got worse.
She frowned. ‘We should message Effie so she knows where we are. I don’t want her worrying if I’m late back from the lesson.
I’m supposed to be helping her this afternoon.
There’s a new guest coming and she wants to be properly prepared.
’ She tugged off her gloves, got her mobile from a pocket and tapped a quick message.
‘Also, she’ll worry if you’re late for your next lesson. ’
Jed grimaced and checked his watch. He had another starting in half an hour, but chances were the classes for the rest of the day would be cancelled. ‘You’ll be lucky to get a signal,’ he said, nodding at the phone.
‘It’s worth a try,’ she murmured, still texting.
When she’d finished, she looked up. ‘Is your knee going to be okay for the walk?’ She pointed into the distance.
Even with the snow, the path was an uneven mess of spikey shrubs and small trees.
‘Because you could head back while I find Bear for you?’
‘My knee is fine. I’ve never felt better,’ he said stiffy. No one had checked if he’d be okay to do anything in the snow before the accident. The idea that anyone – especially Mairi – would think he wasn’t capable now affected him far more deeply than he wanted to admit.
‘Okay.’ She nodded. ‘Then let’s go and find your dog.’
They didn’t talk for the first ten minutes, but both of them took turns calling for Bear. Jed couldn’t hear much above the wind, which was now a howling squall – and despite the protection of the trees, spiky snowflakes the size of Christmas baubles rained down on them.
‘Do you think he’s still out here?’ Mairi shouted over the noise. ‘Because if he’s got any sense, he’ll have gone back to Holly Berry Lodge.’
‘I hope he did.’ Jed winced, wishing they could too.
‘Feck!’ he exclaimed suddenly, drawing his mobile from his pocket.
‘I forgot about this, I got it last month.’ He tapped his fingers across his mobile which reacted slowly.
It often got sluggish in the cold weather, and he held his breath waiting for the app to launch.
‘I put a tracker on his collar for when he wanders off on his own. Not that it happens often, he’s usually too lazy to walk,’ he admitted, sighing with relief when he saw a dot indicating Bear was somewhere in the trees.
‘I’ve got a signal too. Looks like he’s over there.
’ He checked the ground, but any prints that had been left had already been blanketed by snow.
He pointed right, then watched as Mairi overtook him and began to half run, half trot in the direction he’d pointed. ‘Bear!’ she cried.
‘Slow down,’ he shouted. ‘There’s stuff buried in the snow.’
Either she wasn’t listening or she’d forgotten because after ten steps she caught her foot and tumbled, falling heavily onto her front.
Jed could barely feel his heartbeat as he sprinted to where she was lying.
‘Mairi?’ He dropped to his haunches, ignoring the fresh wave of pain in his knee because now there was an even bigger one in his chest. His breath came in quick pants and he had to slow it so he didn’t panic. ‘Are you okay?’
He thought he might have heard Bear bark and wondered if the dog knew she’d fallen. ‘Mairi,’ he said again, gently patting her back.
She groaned and he slumped in relief when he saw her chest rise and fall. Could he move her? She was still lying on her front, her forehead and chin squashed in ice. He was about to shake her arm when she moaned again.
Then she wriggled and put her hands on the ground. ‘Ouch.’
‘Stay still,’ Jed ordered. ‘How hurt are you?’ he rasped, trying to keep himself calm. Dammit. If he needed any confirmation that his feelings for Mairi hadn’t faded, this was the equivalent of a twelve-foot neon sign.
‘I’m okay, just embarrassed,’ she croaked and tried to move again. Jed gently helped her turn over before checking her eyes. ‘You don’t look concussed,’ he said, helping her sit as relief washed through him.
‘It’s cold,’ she muttered as her narrow shoulders began to shake. She glanced around. ‘Did you see Bear?’
‘Not yet. I’m more worried about you,’ Jed said huskily, fighting the urge to take her into his arms.
‘I feel like an idiot.’ She swiped a hand across her face. ‘We have to find Bear.’ She looked around and started to reach for a nearby branch.
‘I’ll help.’ He took her hand so he could pull her up, then held on.
‘Thank you.’ Mairi winced as soon as she was on her feet. ‘I might have twisted my ankle. Of course I did…’ She sighed. She kept one foot higher and leaned on him heavily.
Jed’s heart sank. This was a mess. He should have listened to instinct and taken Mairi back to the lodge. Now they were stuck in the middle of the woods and the storm was growing worse. He had to focus. He gritted his teeth. ‘You can’t walk like that. I’ll have to call mountain rescue.’
A fall like hers wouldn’t normally be an emergency, but the weather was bad. He’d known people freeze in the sub-zero temperatures, and there was no way of knowing how long they’d be stuck. Jed made to pull his mobile from his pocket.
‘Absolutely not!’ Mairi yelled, shoving a gloved hand over his.
‘You can’t. You know that. Quinn might come.
I know he’s on call at the moment and he covers the Cairngorms.’ Her eyes flashed.
‘He can’t find me here. Especially not with you.
’ She sounded panicked. ‘How would we explain it? He doesn’t know where I am. I’ve been avoiding his calls.’
Jed sighed. Mairi was right, his friend wouldn’t be happy – and he’d want to know why no one had mentioned his sister’s visit. What a mess.
‘I thought I’d just come, get the divorce and go.’ Mairi’s full mouth wobbled. ‘It was supposed to be easy. You don’t want me – all you had to do was sign.’ She sniffed.
Jed stared at her, his heart in his throat. ‘I—’ he started.
‘You’ve got a new girlfriend,’ she continued, gulping when she turned to look at him, her expression earnest. ‘Bonnie is beautiful and she’s obviously into you.’ Her voice cracked. ‘So, what’s going on, do you need more than one woman in your life?’ Her eyes glittered.
‘Mairi—’ Jed warned, his guts twisting. He could hear grief in her voice and knew it was his fault. Everything about this situation was his doing.
Mairi gulped. ‘Am I just a back-up in case your new girlfriend doesn’t work out? Because you know that’s not fair.’ She blinked as icy snowballs spun into her face.
Jed couldn’t form the right words, couldn’t explain without giving too much away, so he glanced around. ‘I can’t talk about this now,’ he croaked. ‘If we can’t call mountain rescue, then we need to find shelter and wait this out.’
‘What about Bear?’ Mairi gripped his arm.
‘He must be out here,’ he said. ‘I definitely heard a bark earlier. We’ll find somewhere for you to rest that ankle and I’ll track him.
’ His words were punctuated by a yowl of wind that whipped through the trees, bringing with it a barrage of snow.
The tips of the fir trees dipped as they were pummelled and dumped a heap of fresh snow on their heads.
Mairi swiped ice from the tip of her nose. ‘Is this wind normal?’ she asked, sounding afraid.
‘Not really,’ Jed said as the tension across his shoulders grew worse.
‘There’s an abandoned bothy around here somewhere.
Quinn and I used to sneak into it when we were kids.
I can’t remember where it is, exactly.’ He glanced around, but the wind was swirling so hard he could barely see beyond his own feet.
He knew the weather could change on the mountain in moments.
Why had he allowed Mairi to walk into this?
‘We need to find shelter. I’m sorry, but it’ll be quicker if you let me carry you. ’
‘I don’t think—’
Jed didn’t wait to hear what Mairi had to say, he simply bent and scooped her up, trying not to react to having her so close. He tried not to remember the last time he’d held her like this. Back in Las Vegas, just after they’d married…
She let out a soft ‘Umph’ and looped her arms around his neck as he tramped right, letting instinct guide him. He hadn’t been to the old bothy in years but knew the mountains and had always trusted his sixth sense in the past. At least until the accident.
‘Bear!’ Mairi shouted as he walked, scouring the landscape, trying to catch sight of his pet. It was then he spotted something large and grey through the storm.
‘Is that shelter?’ Mairi shouted just as they heard another bark.
‘Aye. I think we’ve found Bear too,’ he rasped, watching as the dog came bounding from their right, almost tripping him up. ‘Where have you been, boy? You need to stay,’ he ordered as the dog barked again and then scampered away.
‘Come back!’ Mairi yelled as Jed stumbled towards the small grey stone building. He was out of breath but didn’t want to put Mairi down. He could feel her shivering, could feel the answering shudders in his own limbs.
‘How are we going to get in?’ Mairi asked anxiously as he reluctantly put her down so she could lean against the wall of the building. There was a door with a large padlock securing it. When Jed had come with Quinn, the place had always been unlocked.
‘Looks like someone might have bought the place. I’m going to have to break in,’ he said, searching for a rock in the snow and using it to smash the lock.
‘I’ll find out who the owners are and apologise, I’m sure they’ll understand – especially if I offer free skiing lessons and fix whatever I break,’ he told her.
He bashed the padlock and was relieved when it fractured.
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 knew exactly 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…