Chapter 3
3
ROSS
‘Ach, dammit to hell,’ Ross Ballentine cursed as his boss’s red tractor appeared over the sharp incline at the top of the hill, close to where Christmas Resort’s outdoor maze was located. He stood transfixed and watched the tractor glide downwards, making a beeline for him. For a nanosecond Ross considered climbing onto his snowmobile and making a run for it, but he guessed Connell Baker would just follow and track him down.
‘Moose, Snowball, stay close!’ Ross ordered, twisting to watch his boisterous golden retriever chase rings around the frisky wild boar the dog had adopted when it had been abandoned by its mother years before. He shook his head and patted his thick gloves on his coat, dislodging the snowflakes that had settled onto his chest while he’d been checking the water quality of the small lochan he was standing beside.
As both grounds manager and outdoor adventure specialist, his role at the resort was busy, varied, and meant he spent most of his time outside. Ross hadn’t meant to stay in this spot for so long, though. After Connell had called him on the walkie-talkie last night to inform him that someone who worked for his grandmother had made an appointment to see him at the lodge, he’d resolved to avoid meeting them at all costs. It might be rude, but he’d assumed if he went AWOL for a couple of hours, Miriam’s personal assistant would soon lose interest and go home.
He had no intention of speaking to anyone from Hawthorn Castle. He’d left the estate and parted ways with his family over five years ago. It had been swift and clinical, and while he’d dreaded losing touch, he’d found it easier and less painful the longer they were apart. He knew neither Miriam nor Simon wanted to see him again, they’d made it obvious how they felt when he’d lived at home. He was used to these infrequent attempts at contact – which he suspected were more a result of etiquette than any genuine desire to reconnect. Why would they want him in their lives after all this time? So he’d do them all a favour and steer clear.
It took almost five minutes for Connell’s tractor to reach Ross. The vehicle offered good traction in the snow, but was painfully slow. His boss usually only got it out from the barn to pull guests in the resort’s sleigh, but occasionally if the weather was particularly rough, he used it to visit Ross on the outer edges of the resort’s land.
‘I didn’t expect to see you out in this,’ Ross shouted into the wind as Connell parked and slowly dismounted.
The man was in his mid-fifties, with a white beard and round stomach that guaranteed he always played Santa to the visiting kids. Connell was always happy and quick to laugh, but the bulbous red cheeks and sparkling blue eyes hid a sharp and canny business mind.
‘Bonnibell asked me to find you,’ the older man said as he approached, just as a white husky scampered out of nowhere and immediately joined Moose and Snowball in their running game. ‘Ach, Claus, please make sure you don’t fall into the lochan. If you do Bonnibell will push me in too,’ Connell joked, shaking his head and chuckling when the animals stopped to greet each other before charging off again. ‘Did you forget our chat last night, lad? You were supposed to be at the lodge to meet your visitor almost an hour ago.’ He raised an eyebrow at Ross.
‘I lost track of time,’ Ross said, feeling uncomfortable. ‘Besides, I didn’t actually say I’d be there.’ He flushed, aware the excuse was below him.
‘It was implied,’ Connell said gruffly. ‘And Bonnibell baked extra mince pies for you to take back to your cabin after the meeting.’
‘Dammit.’ Ross’s shoulders sagged. ‘I’m sorry, I’ll find a way of making it up to her.’
The older man patted his shoulder. ‘She’s organising a feast up at the lodge this evening to welcome a journalist who’s come to write an article about what we offer at the resort. It’s a good way of advertising to potential new guests and she’s keen to interview everyone on staff over dinner tonight.’
‘Aye,’ Ross said reluctantly. Promoting the place was a part of his role, but that didn’t mean he had to like the idea.
‘Bonnibell asked me to persuade you to join the meal,’ Connell said, his voice loaded with meaning.
Ross sucked air between his teeth then brushed snowflakes from his cheeks when a gust of wind blew into his face. ‘I’m not?—’
‘Yep.’ The older man nodded. ‘Don’t worry, lad, I already told her you probably wouldn’t come.’ His expression turned serious. ‘But you can’t avoid humanity forever. Someday there’s going to be somebody you have to engage with. Humans aren’t meant to be islands – someone far cleverer than me once said that.’
‘It was John Donne,’ Ross murmured, thinking about the book of sermons in his grandmother’s office. He’d regularly sneaked into that room to borrow novels when Miriam wasn’t in there. He thought wistfully of the multiple shelves of books, most of which his mother had collected over the years. Did anyone touch them now? His chest ached at the memory. ‘I’m not sure I agree with him…’
‘Colour me surprised.’ Connell shook his head, looking disappointed. ‘I also wanted to talk to you about taking on someone else.’
Ross pulled a face.
‘Before you say no to that again, the adventures you run are popular and I think there could be a real opportunity to grow this side of the business. You’ve been working on your own for years now – and looking after the resort grounds is a two-person job.’ He wagged a finger. ‘It would free you up so you only had to focus on the adventures if that’s your preference. You’re spread too thin, Ross.’ He scratched his chin. ‘You need to give yourself time to enjoy life.’
Ross shuffled on his feet. ‘I’ll think about it…’ He tugged his scarf up from his neck so it covered the bottom of his face, which was starting to freeze. The material also prevented him from agreeing to anything on impulse when he already knew he was going to turn it down. He didn’t want to work with anyone else. There was nothing wrong with being an island – at least that way you couldn’t get hurt.
‘Think hard.’ Connell stared, his grey eyes penetrating. 'You don’t want to end up like your friend Grizzle McGregor,’ he murmured.
‘Aye.’ Ross’s shoulders hunched. This wasn’t the first time he’d been compared to the hermit he’d befriended years before, despite there being no similarities between them.
Connell nodded. ‘I’ll head back to the lodge now. What shall I say to Bonnibell about your visitor when she asks?’
‘That you couldn’t find me,’ Ross suggested hopefully. ‘That I’ll be hunkered down somewhere, unavailable, uncontactable – at least for now…’
Connell took in a deep breath of air before nodding. ‘You’ll owe me for that, lad.’ He glanced up at the sky and his expression softened. ‘Ach, I expect your visitor will be getting ready to leave soon anyway…Anyone with half a brain will be back at home, wrapped in a blanket beside a fire.’ He rubbed his stomach. ‘If they’re lucky, they’ll be eating mince pies.’
‘Sounds like a good plan for all of us,’ Ross muttered. ‘Let’s catch up later in the week. Moose, Snowball. Home!’ he barked and watched his pets snap to attention before he patted Connell on the back in lieu of a goodbye and tramped towards the snowmobile.
‘Ach, I almost forgot,’ Connell said, following so Ross could hear him above the wind. ‘There’s a tree with a branch that’s looking a wee bit wobbly out by the cabins to the north-west of the resort. It’s just across from Snowman Chalet if you need a better idea of location. When you get a moment, please can you check it out?’
Ross nodded and then winced as he glanced at the sky. If the forecast was correct, there was going to be a storm blowing in tonight. It might be safer if he looked it over before heading home. At least if he did it today, when the resort was effectively closed, he’d be unlikely to run into any stray guests.
‘Sure,’ he said, watching Connell start the tractor and slowly make his way up the hill. The white husky shook himself before breaking into a sprint and overtaking. Ross nodded at his pets. ‘We just need to make a quick detour, boys,’ he instructed, before climbing onto his snowmobile and starting it up. Hopefully the branch would only take a few minutes to deal with, then he’d head back to his cabin and stay out of the way of Bonnibell and his grandmother’s mystery employee.