Chapter 10
10
IVY
The ride across the fields to the place where the mountain hares roamed was stunning. Ivy held on tight as Ross carefully navigated the ground, travelling more slowly, perhaps because she’d chosen not to hold on to him this time. She didn’t feel comfortable wrapping her arms around his chest again. After what he’d just shared, she needed to regroup and digest. She did take time to admire the landscape, smiling and cooing when they slid past three metal reindeer ornaments shimmering prettily on a hill. The snow was still heavy and everywhere Ivy looked, she saw mounds of it, covering fences, gates, shrubs, trees. Even the large wooden barns they slid past were enveloped in white.
Ross pulled the snowmobile to a stop beside the bottom of a large hill. He waited while she climbed off too, watching his pets explore the ground in between the rocks. ‘There’s a heath just up from here but be careful please, the path is gravelly,’ Ross instructed, taking the helmet from her and placing it beside his. ‘I’ll bring the picnic Bonnibell made – there’s somewhere close by where we can shelter while we wait.’ He hesitated as he took a closer look at her face. ‘Are you okay? You look a little pale.’
‘I’m okay,’ Ivy insisted, clearing her throat. She didn’t want to tell him how much his story had affected her, suspected he might decide she was trying to manipulate him. ‘Let’s go, these mountain hares aren’t going to find themselves.’
Ross studied her for a beat, his mouth twitching at the corner as if he were trying to appreciate her weak attempt at humour. ‘Fine, but after we see them, we’re going to go back to the lodge. The weather’s definitely worse and it’s a long journey – we’re as far north of the grounds as we can get.’ He whistled and his pets thundered towards them and then overtook, following a narrow pathway along the edge of the bottom of the hill, clearly well-versed with where they were headed.
‘They love it here,’ Ivy remarked.
He grunted, then perhaps thought better of his answer because he added, ‘Yes.’
‘I didn’t realise wild boars could be pets,’ Ivy said, speeding up when the path opened out again so she could walk with Ross side by side. ‘How did you train it?’
‘Him,’ Ross filled in. ‘And that wasn’t me, it was Moose. He found Snowball when he was a piglet, just a few weeks old. He’d been abandoned by his mother for some reason and was close to my cabin, out in the woods. Moose brought him home.’ He chuckled. ‘I had no idea what to do at first, but they bonded. Snowball thinks of Moose as his mam, da, brother, and everything in between. They sleep, eat, play together and Snowball does whatever Moose says. Snowball is housetrained, although I’ve built him his own den near my house. He’s really affectionate and fairly obedient. When he doesn’t listen to me, Moose steps in.’ The smile he gifted her was open and quite stunning.
‘You love them,’ she said, her insides warming.
‘I suppose you could say they’re my family. I’m it for them, I don’t have to question my place,’ he said as his smile fell, and he glanced ahead. ‘It’s not far now, there’s a small cave where we can shelter and sit.’
He tracked upfront and Ivy followed. All the while her mind was whirring. She knew she wasn’t going to try to persuade Ross to speak to Miriam again, but the thought of returning to Hawthorn Castle empty-handed was making her anxious. She swallowed, imagining Miriam’s reaction and her mother’s disappointment when the promised new career didn’t materialise. She’d fail her mum again, condemn her to a life spent worrying about her…She had no idea how to come to terms with that.
Pausing for a moment, Ivy breathed in, relishing the icy freshness of the air, feeling herself calm, as if she was being anchored. Then she nodded – she’d just have to figure out something else.
Ross pointed to a cave and guided Ivy inside, before indicating a series of tree stumps on the floor. He stroked Moose and then Snowball before taking a seat.
‘Do you want something to eat?’ Ross asked. He opened up the backpack again and drew out the picnic Bonnibell had made.
Ivy could smell mince pies and her stomach grumbled. ‘Sounds lovely,’ she said and watched as he put a mince pie on a plate and poured out more hot chocolate, before handing the food and drink to her. Snowball got up and wandered closer, his brown nose catching the tempting scents.
‘Moose, why don’t you two take a walk?’ Ross suggested firmly and the golden retriever got up and immediately trotted out of the cave. Snowball took one last yearning look at Ivy’s plate before following. ‘Keep your eyes on the meadow,’ Ross advised as he bit into a mince pie and swallowed. ‘If you look carefully you’ll be able to see the mountain hare from their long black ears. They tend to bury themselves in the snow so you’ll have to look carefully. I’ve got binoculars, if you’d like to use them?’
Ivy nodded and Ross handed them to her. They fell silent. She wanted to ask him more about Miriam and what had happened, but it didn’t seem fair. She concentrated on her search but couldn’t see much through the lenses aside from snow – and somehow, she didn’t want to spot a hare yet because it would mean Ross would want to take her back to Christmas Lodge. She wasn’t ready to be parted from him yet.
Then she heard a high-pitched yelp and Ross shot to his feet. ‘That’s Moose!’ he said urgently, sprinting out of the cave.
Ivy put the mug and plate on the ground and followed. Ross had already reached the dog as she ran to catch up. The retriever was licking his right paw.
‘He’s hurt, I think he cut himself on something,’ Ross said, crouching so he could see better. ‘It’s bleeding.’ Scarlet droplets bloomed across the snow. ‘I think I can treat it but I need to get him back to the cabin so I can bandage it.’ He glanced over his shoulder and his forehead bunched when his eyes met Ivy’s. ‘You’re going to have to come with me. It’s too far back to the lodge and my place is only a few minutes from here. I don’t want to leave this wound open for longer than necessary.’ The dog whined again and Ross pulled a face. ‘He’s going to need to ride on the snowmobile with us – are you okay with him sitting on your lap? I’ll need you to hold onto him. I’ll go slowly,’ he added quickly, worry in his voice.
‘Of course,’ Ivy said. ‘If it’s easier, I could walk?’
Surprise flickered across Ross’s face. ‘That’s not necessary,’ he murmured, rising to his feet and scooping Moose into his arms before nodding back up the track that would lead them to the snowmobile.
It took all of ten minutes on the snowmobile to reach Ross’s cabin from where they were parked. He’d carried the dog to the vehicle and then driven slowly as Ivy had kept one hand on the handlebar and the other wrapped around Moose. The dog had whimpered a few times and kept checking over his shoulder to make sure Snowball was still in sight. When they’d travelled a few metres inside some dense woodland and drew up in front of Ross’s house, she felt him expel all the pent-up anxiety he’d been holding.
Ross’s cabin was beautiful outside and Ivy could see the building consisted of two floors with enormous windows that would probably offer stunning views of the surrounding wildlife and trees when it wasn’t snowing. There was a shed to the right of the structure and a small clearing in front, where Ross obviously chopped firewood.
‘Let’s get inside,’ Ross said, hopping off the vehicle and lifting Moose from Ivy’s lap, dodging Snowball as the wild boar trotted ahead, zigzagging between his legs, clearly stressed. Ross opened the front door and strode inside, leaving it ajar so Ivy could follow him.
The hallway was large, with black coat hooks set across the right wall and rows of wooden racks laid out underneath where shoes, wellingtons and various footwear had been arranged. Ivy quickly pulled off her snow boots and put them beside a pair of large walking boots, before hanging up the snowsuit too. Then she turned and stopped when she noticed the multiple framed pictures which had been hung on the opposite wall. There were a series of black and white photos of the facade and grounds of Hawthorn Castle; a couple of relaxed shots of Miriam by herself, one where she was reading a book; a small picture of a couple Ivy presumed were Ross’s parents; one photo of Simon and a painting of the Ballentine coat of arms.
Did this mean Ross wasn’t as immune to his family as he’d said? If the man really didn’t care about reconnecting with Miriam and Simon, surely he wouldn’t want the constant reminders of them? The fact that these pictures were hanging in his house made Ivy pause. Did he miss them? Was his desire to walk away more about fear of rejection? Should she reconsider and have another shot at convincing Ross to speak with his grandmother? She knew Miriam could be cold and unsympathetic, but surely she must have missed her grandson to have sent Ivy here. She didn’t believe her boss was entirely without feelings, or that this whole errand to find Ross was simply born from a desire to tick an etiquette box.
Ivy wandered through the hallway into what was obviously the main room. It was open plan, with high ceilings, a huge brick fireplace at the far end framed with a long sofa and mismatched chairs, some of which had been turned to face the view. A jumble of cushions and blankets in sunny oranges, reds and yellows had been spread across the furniture, and multiple mismatched lamps were dotted on random tables, which she could imagine throwing a cosy glow across the room when it grew dark.
The kitchen was situated at the opposite end of the large room to where Ivy was standing, with grey cabinets under a long black granite counter. There was a breakfast bar set to the side with a scatter of cooking implements on it: knives, chopping boards and a large saucepan which looked like it needed washing up. Ivy wandered to the counter, contemplating filling a bowl with soapy water, and spotted a bottle of whisky on the sideboard, realising it was the same brand as the one Miriam drank.
Had the man subconsciously filled his home with as many reminders of his life at the castle as he could?
It was then Ivy spotted three small picture frames on a round oak table to the left of the fireplace. One of them contained a family shot of Miriam, his parents, and two young boys who she presumed were Simon and Ross. Another was of the brothers hugging beside a large lake, and there was one of just Simon, standing outside of the castle. She stared at them before nodding. Whatever Ross had told her, it was obvious he hadn’t really put his family behind him. That they mattered to him more than he’d said.
‘I think Moose is going to be okay,’ Ross said, sounding relieved as he strode from a room connected to the kitchen. The dog hopped after him, putting all his weight on one leg, his right paw covered in gauze and bandages. Snowball followed too and they both went to slump on the fluffy rust-coloured rug in front of the fireplace.
‘We should get you back to the lodge,’ Ross said. He wandered to the window to peruse the view. ‘That weather doesn’t look good though.’ He pulled a face and put his hands on his hips.
The snow was so heavy now it was impossible to see more than a few metres ahead. Even the snowmobile, which had been parked for barely fifteen minutes, was buried under a few inches already.
Ross hissed as he turned to look at Ivy. ‘I think we might have to wait this out.’ He grimaced. ‘At least until the snowfall slows. I can leave Moose and Snowball here for a while, but I can’t risk dropping you back and getting stuck at the lodge – and I don’t want to take either of them out in this. Moose’s bandage needs to stay dry at least for tonight to give him the chance to heal.’
‘I’m happy to wait out the weather,’ Ivy said, slumping onto one of the chairs. Perhaps she could find some way of winding their conversation back to Miriam.
Feeling tired suddenly, she shut her eyes and leaned her head back on the sofa. She must have fallen asleep because when she woke, the fire was glowing and she had a blanket draped across her knees.
Mortified, she sat straighter and blinked herself awake. ‘Sorry,’ she said through a yawn, swiping her face.
‘You were obviously tired.’ Ross poked at the fire before squinting outside to where the sky was now an inky black. There was a long string of white lights shimmering in the darkness, bouncing in the wind. ‘The weather’s not let up at all. If anything, it’s got worse. I contacted Connell on my walkie-talkie while you were asleep and told him we’re both safe but stuck. I’m going to try to take you back to your cabin later if things get any better, but…’ He pulled a face. ‘In the meantime, I have to pop out. I’ve a friend…’ He cleared his throat, his cheeks reddening, and Ivy felt an odd sensation – as if there was a screw suddenly tightening in the middle of her ribs. ‘Someone I try to visit a couple of times a day. I need to check on him.’
Him . The screw loosened an inch. Ivy realised he was probably talking about his friend, Grizzle.
‘Will you be okay if I leave you here?’ Ross asked.
‘No!’ Ivy shot up from the sofa. ‘Sorry, but absolutely not, I’m going with you.’
‘I can’t take the snowmobile,’ Ross warned. ‘I’m planning to walk. It’s almost a mile – I’ll be leaving Moose and Snowball here,’ he said.
‘I’ve watched enough horror movies to know what happens to young women who get left alone in a strange house in the middle of nowhere. Besides, this could be some ploy to scare me into going back to the lodge on my own.’ Ivy shuddered.
‘I wouldn’t do that,’ Ross muttered.
‘Whatever, I’m not staying here by myself. If you won’t let me come, I’ll just follow you.’ Ivy didn’t want to be left here alone and if they stayed together, she might be able to find her way back to the conversation about Miriam.
Ross looked unhappy. ‘If that’s what you want.’ His eyes flickered down Ivy’s body, making the surface of her skin vibrate. ‘You’re going to have to dress up again. If anything, it’s colder than it was when we were outside earlier. I don’t want anything to happen to you.’ His lips pinched. ‘Also, you should know, my friend is…not always welcoming. You should probably be prepared. His bark is worse than his bite, but he’s got this dog…’ He hesitated then winced. ‘And his bite is definitely much worse.’
‘Are you trying to put me off joining you?’ Ivy asked, suspiciously. ‘Because you should know that’s not going to work.’
Ross studied her for a few moments before his shoulders slumped and he nodded. ‘Then stay close and don’t get lost.’ With that, he turned and headed towards the hallway, leaving Ivy feeling even more confused – because this was a man who wouldn’t speak to his own grandmother, but who’d brave bad weather to check on a friend.
Suddenly Ivy had no idea what kind of man Ross Ballentine was. She only knew that with every hour that passed, she liked him a little more.