Chapter 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 to feel 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 what dunderheid heroines in horror movies do,’ she grumbled as she sucked 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 a God on 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.
Mairi had watched alongside rows of anonymous spectators with her heart in her throat as his faultless start had turned into a twisted mess. Suddenly, instead of precision and speed, there’d been bedlam.
People had started to shout and gasp, and Mairi had watched paralysed as Jed had twisted in the air, clearly attempting to put himself right. But it hadn’t worked. He’d hit the ground with a loud whack, the sound sharp and piercing, like rocks being pummelled to dust.
Then he’d plummeted, helplessly turning over and over, bumping on the ice.
The surface he’d adored and built his life around seemed to have turned on him – pushing, clawing and trying to rip him apart.
He was going so fast that his head seemed to blur into one with his skis, a tangle of metal and flesh.
Mairi had begged fate to intervene, had wished she could somehow rescue him with the power of thought.
But no one could save Jed; once the fall had begun, there really was only one ending.
So the horrifying descent had continued, and Jed had mercifully been knocked out.
When he’d finally come to a stop at the bottom of the slope, medics had rushed to his inert body.
Mairi had sat watching, unable to move as her heart had stopped.
He hadn’t stirred and someone had screamed at the TV cameras to stop filming.
They hadn’t – which meant they’d all got to relive those awful moments over and over.
Afterwards, sports journalists had reported that it was a miracle Jed hadn’t been killed.
But for the longest moment, Mairi had stared at his limp body and thought she’d lost him forever – that her husband of less than a week had perished before they’d even told their families – and now they never would.
Which as it turned out, was what had happened.
Bear turned right and Mairi forced her mind to focus on the present. She followed the edge of the bothy, ignoring the wind as it blasted into her eyes making them tear up. They’d been wet anyway.
She continued to follow Bear, recalling the aftermath of the accident, when she’d rushed to be by Jed’s side. He’d been transported to the closest hospital by ambulance, and she’d had to take the bus because no one had known who she was.
She’d frantically tried to call his mobile over and over as the bus had crept across the city, but Jed hadn’t answered – neither had anyone else.
In the end, she’d scrolled through social media desperate for news.
She’d found out he was still alive when one of the sports commentators had announced it.
She could still remember the way her body had wilted in the seat, almost boneless with relief.
Mairi shadowed Bear as he turned left at the edge of the building. She could barely see anything and had to trust that if she went wrong, the dog would find her and guide her back.
Her ankle ached and she stopped as her mind turned to the moment she’d got to the hospital and asked to see Jed.
His father had intercepted, his expression grim.
He’d known they were married; apparently, Jed had confessed all in the ambulance.
His dad had then proceeded to tell Mairi that it was her fault – that the career his son had spent a lifetime building had been ruined because of an infatuation that had distracted him from his true calling.
He’d told her if she really loved Jed, she’d leave.
So she’d gone back to the hotel, devastated and riddled with guilt.
The following day she’d visited the hospital again.
She’d wanted to see Jed so she could ask if he blamed her too.
But a pretty, young nurse had turned her away.
She’d been kind, but firm. When Mairi had explained she was Jed’s wife, it was clear the nurse already knew.
It was then she discovered she’d been barred from visiting on Jed’s instructions – and their whirlwind romance and marriage were done. It wasn’t just Jed’s dad who blamed her for the accident – her new husband did too.
After that, Mairi knew Jed didn’t want or love her. So she’d flown back to Edinburgh and had waited eleven months for him to change his mind. Her eyes filled as the memory overwhelmed her, and she blinked away tears.
‘Bear?’ she shouted into the darkness, her voice barely audible above the howl of the wind. ‘Where are you?’