Chapter 8 #2
She heard a faint bark and followed the sound, hoping to see Jed. But instead of a man, the dog was pacing beside a bush growing up the bothy wall. Mairi bent so she could look at what he was guarding, ignoring the pain in her ankle, and saw a tiny face peering out of the shrubbery.
‘It’s a puppy,’ she gasped, leaning closer so she could try to stroke it, but the dog flinched.
The wind howled, blowing ice around them and it whined.
‘Cutie, you’re not going to survive if you stay out here,’ she soothed, glancing back at Bear.
‘Have you been taking care of him?’ she asked. He barked.
‘Are you one of the lost puppies Effie mentioned?’ Mairi glanced round, but visibility was poor.
Bear barked again and patted her leg with his paw.
She reached for the puppy, but it wailed and burrowed deeper.
It was shivering. ‘I don’t know what to do.
’ She glanced at Bear again. ‘Can you help?’ The mongrel yapped and nuzzled closer to the gap, then he nudged his way inside.
He somehow grabbed the puppy by its neck and pulled him out.
As soon as he had, Mairi hugged it to her chest, wrapping the pup inside her coat before doing it up.
Wind whistled above them dumping yet more snow. ‘We need to go back,’ she shouted. Bear barked and sprinted around the building. Mairi followed limping, then she spotted Jed in the distance carrying an armful of wood.
‘What were you doing?’ he yelled as he approached, looking worried. Then his gaze dropped to Bear and his face lit. He indicated the entrance of the bothy and Mairi nodded. Once they were inside, he shut the door and strode to the fireplace to put the armful of wood on the ground.
‘Bear found a friend,’ Mairi said, opening her coat. ‘We need to get him warm.’
Jed’s eyes widened. ‘Where was he?’
‘In some shrubbery on the other side of the house. Bear saved him.’
‘Good boy,’ Jed murmured, going to stroke his dog as Mairi limped across the room so she could grab the makeshift blankets and wrap the puppy up. Then she sat, rocking it in her arms. ‘He’s shivering. There’s no way of knowing how long he’s been out there. He must be starving.’
Jed looked around. ‘I haven’t got food, well nothing much.’ He tugged a small container from his pocket. ‘Just dog treats.’ Bear barked as Jed offered Mairi a handful. She broke one up and fed it to the puppy. It gobbled it down, as she gave one to Bear.
Mairi continued to feed the dogs the treats as Jed put the pieces into the wood burner.
‘Where did you get the wood?’ she asked.
‘I remembered there was a shed near here where the previous owners kept their firewood. There wasn’t much, but it’s dry and hopefully it’ll see us through,’ Jed said.
She watched, admiring the way he efficiently built the fire. He’d always had strong hands – they were large and calloused. She’d loved holding them; hers had felt so tiny inside his.
When Jed finished, he rose and headed for the bedroom before returning with a large piece of cardboard.
He ripped some off and placed it with the wood, before using the lighter he’d found in the drawer to start the fire.
Then they waited and Mairi let out a silent cheer when flames began to flicker.
‘I’ll keep an eye on this.’ Jed leaned on his haunches and nodded when the flames began to take. It would be a while before they felt the benefit, but at least they’d be able to get warm. Bear patted Mairi’s thigh and whined.
‘I’m sure he’s going to be okay, lad,’ Jed said, rising so he could kneel in front of her too. He peered into the blanket and smiled.
‘He’s stopped shivering,’ she commented as her stomach grumbled.
‘I’m sorry I’ve got no snacks for us,’ he said. ‘I’ll go and see if I can find us something to eat outside.’
‘I’d rather you stayed here,’ she replied as the wind battered against the door. ‘Unless you think you might be able to track down a chocolate bar?’
His eyes lit. ‘Quinn and I once buried a tin of them out in the woods, but I’m not sure I’d remember where now. Do you still have signal, maybe we can try calling for help?’
Mairi pulled her mobile from her pocket, trying not to disturb the puppy. ‘I’ve got nothing.’ She glanced up. ‘Sorry.’
Jed shrugged. ‘We might get one later if the wind dies down.’
‘What are we going to do? Your aunt’s going to be frantic when I don’t come back.’
Jed shook his head. ‘You’ve sent a message, Aunt Effie will know you’re with me and that I’ll keep you safe.’
‘Aye,’ Mairi said quietly. But who would keep her heart safe? Just being around Jed again was making her feel things. Things she was trying to let go of.
‘How’s the ankle?’ he asked after a few moments of charged silence.
Mairi glanced down. She’d almost forgotten about it. ‘I need to take off my boot, but I’ll have to put the puppy down first.’
‘Let’s put it in front of the fire,’ Jed said, carefully transferring the snoring bundle to a warm spot where Bear joined it.
‘Can I help?’ Jed asked as Mairi started to undo her boot.
‘It’s okay.’
‘If it’s swollen, we should pack it in ice.’ He jerked his chin towards the door and gave her a shy smile. ‘There’s definitely no shortage of it outside.’
‘True.’ She watched Jed edge closer, felt her stomach curl when he knelt again and took hold of her foot, then finished unthreading the straps. She forced herself not to cry out as he tugged it off. Then he gently eased her trouser leg up.
The instant Jed touched Mairi’s skin, her insides quivered. She swallowed and directed her gaze towards the fire so he couldn’t see how much he affected her. It was blazing, the dogs were both sleeping and the room was starting to warm.
‘Can I take off your sock?’ Jed whispered and Mairi nodded without looking at him.
She felt the slow slide of the material as it came off, the heat from his hands as he began to explore her skin with the rough pads of his fingertips. She bit her lip.
She’d craved Jed’s touch for months – but had hoped that time and distance would have muted her reaction to him. It was clear now it hadn’t.
Heat flooded through her, starting at her toes and ending at her scalp – and all the nerve endings in between began to sing, a chorus of need.
Jed cleared his throat as Mairi let out a gasp. ‘It hurts,’ she croaked, hoping Jed would believe her. She’d humiliated herself enough over him – he didn’t need to know her whole body was begging him to continue.
‘It’s swollen.’ His voice was rumbly like he’d just got out of bed. She jerked her chin around so she could stare into his eyes and her stomach fluttered, because they were as dark as the clouds outside and twin flames of pink had flooded his cheeks.
Was he affected by her? Was that even possible?
She shifted on the chair as his fingers continued to move, rhythmically stroking their way up her calf.
‘Um, so is there any hope for me?’ she asked lightly, caught midway between wanting to challenge him on what he was doing and wanting to beg him to continue.
‘Aye, it’ll probably be fine by tomorrow,’ he rasped.
Mairi nodded as Jed continued to stroke her skin.
She couldn’t bring herself to ask what the hell was going on.
Why he seemed to be affected by her. He didn’t want her.
She had to remember that. Jed blamed her for the accident and just because he didn’t want a divorce right now – that didn’t mean he had feelings for her.
She had to keep her hopes under control, had to stop herself from wishing for something she couldn’t have.
She had to remember Harry. He wanted her.
She itched to draw out her mobile so she could read one of his messages and remind herself of that, but her brain wouldn’t cooperate.
Instead, she let out a soft hum as Jed continued to explore.
She couldn’t pretend this was all about her ankle because now he was stroking his way upwards, and even someone with a basic knowledge of anatomy would know they’d strayed off track.
‘What about Bonnie?’ She forced the words out. She didn’t really care about the chef, but she had to find a way to make Jed stop. She didn’t have the strength to push his hands away and didn’t that just prove what an idiot she was?
Life wasn’t a romance novel. If it was, she and Jed would be lying on blankets in front of the fire while it roared and threw pretty shadows over their naked limbs. She swallowed and shook her head, trying to shake away the image of him kissing her, of them peeling each other’s clothes off.
‘Bonnie?’ Jed sounded surprised. ‘What about her?’
‘You’re dating.’ Mairi stiffened.
He immediately dropped his hands, and she wanted to curse herself, even though she knew it was for the best.
A flurry of emotions swept across Jed’s face and his lips stretched. She couldn’t read his expressions anymore. He was a master at hiding how he felt, but even she knew there was something he wanted to say.
‘What?’ Was he going to tell her they were serious? She felt sick.
Jed sighed and reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out the small silver hip flask she’d given him for his twentieth birthday. Mairi frowned. She hadn’t expected him to still have it.
He offered it to her. ‘Brandy. Medicinal.’
She paused, then took the flask and sipped. If Jed was going to give her bad news, she needed to numb herself. The liquid burned her throat, but her limbs immediately felt looser. Perhaps if he said it quickly enough, nothing inside her would break?
‘Tell me. But say it fast. Please.’
Jed sighed and swigged so much of the brandy Mairi wondered if he’d emptied the flask.
He stared at her, his eyes glittering as he licked his lips and she followed the movement, trying not to think about how good he tasted.
His mouth tightened. ‘I’m not seeing Bonnie or anyone,’ he said roughly. ‘I never have been.’
‘What?’ Mairi shifted back in her seat. ‘But Quinn told me you were.’ She hadn’t misunderstood. So had her brother been lying, and if he had, why? ‘When I saw you earlier, she was talking as if…’
She paused. Bonnie hadn’t said much, had she?
She’d mentioned Jed had been to the hotel and hadn’t gone into the kitchen to see her.
She’d offered to put food aside for him, but he hadn’t seemed particularly enthusiastic.
Mairi screwed up her nose. She’d been so triggered by the idea of the two of them that she hadn’t really listened to the words.
Looked at through another lens, the chef was besotted with Jed, but perhaps he didn’t feel the same way…
She leaned forward trying to look into Jed’s face, wincing when the movement made her ankle hurt.
He swiped a hand across his mouth. ‘I told Quinn I was seeing her because…’ Wind rattled the door, making him flinch and Jed glanced towards the exit, then he shook his head.
‘Please finish that sentence,’ Mairi said when the silence stretched.
He grimaced. The intimacy, the connection she thought she’d imagined just now had vanished.
‘I don’t think that’s a good decision, I’m not sure what I was thinking.
’ Jed rose to his feet and strode away. Then he began to pace the room, sidestepping the sleeping dogs, before dropping to his knees and adding wood to the fading fire.
‘We’re going to need more kindling,’ he said hoarsely. ‘I think we might have to stay the night.’ He frowned. ‘I need to go outside.’
‘I’ll come with you.’ She began to stand.
‘You need to rest that ankle. It’s swollen, so you’ve got to keep it elevated and I can get ice while I’m out.’ He glanced at the door. The unanswered question hung between them making the air feel thick and heavy.
‘I know there are things you want to say,’ Mairi whispered.
Jed sucked in a breath. ‘If you don’t want to call mountain rescue because of Quinn, then we’re going to have to walk our way out of this once the storm’s cleared. If you injure yourself again and can’t walk, I’ll have to call for help.’
‘Fine. I’ll wait here,’ she said, dropping back down.
Jed looked relieved, then he made his way to the door, before disappearing.
Mairi gazed around the room when she was alone. What had just happened? Had Jed been telling the truth? Hadn’t he dated Bonnie or anyone else? If not, why had he lied?
Did he still have feelings for her? It seemed unlikely, but that didn’t stop the surge of hope in Mairi’s chest. He might blame her for the accident, but he wasn’t dating and didn’t want a divorce.
It could mean a lot of things. But for the first time since she’d arrived in Holly Berry Lodge, Mairi wondered if perhaps there was hope for them, after all.
And if there was, she was going to have to push and push until he opened up.