Page 102 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

I gazed at him, my heart twisting in on itself. ‘Believe me, I’m not.’ Especially not where you’re concerned.

‘Well, you sound like you are, Lottie.’

‘So,’ I announced, hoping I sounded breezy. ‘What’s it to be then, Mr Dempster? Do you ignore what your heart is telling you and carry on being the stubborn sod that I know you are? Or do you go and listen to what Jason has to say for himself?’

Blake fiddled with the pebble he’d just picked up by his feet. He toyed with it between his fingers and then lobbed this one across the loch too.

Just like the last one, it spun its way across the surface of the shiny water, before vanishing.

‘Now you’re just showing off.’

Blake waggled one eyebrow.

I folded my arms and tilted my head to one side in a questioning gesture.

Blake turned to me. He let out a world-weary sigh. ‘Will you stop nagging me if I do?’

‘Yes. Ok. Well, probably.’

There were more rhythmical swishes coming from the Loch Strathe water.

‘I suppose that’s the best I can ask for under the circumstances and knowing you as I do, Ms Grant.’

I blushed up at him. ‘Is that a yes?’

Blake performed an eventual nodded. ‘All right. I will speak to him. But don’t expect me to come rushing back to tell you we’re playing a round of golf together next week.’

‘Of course not.’ I beamed with relief. ‘Jason will be delighted. Thank you.’ I tightened my coat around myself. ‘I’ll leave you both to it then.’

I started off up the shingle, my boots smashing and crashing against the buttery stones. No wonder Blake had no time for the festive season. Bad enough that his Mum had banned it, but then to be deceived and treated that way by his then wife in the run-up to Christmas. That would colour anyone’s view – even a Christmas fanatic like me.

I paused by the edge of the quiet country road and pulled up Jason’s number. He answered almost straight away. ‘Don’t worry. Blake is fine. He’s down by the shore at the loch.’

Jason let out a relieved rush of air. ‘Thank goodness for that. Is he all right?’

‘Yes. A bit preoccupied, as you can imagine, but he’s ok.’

‘Thank you, Lottie.’

‘No problem.’

Jason hesitated. ‘Have you told him that I would like to speak to him?’

‘Yes, I have, and he said he will, but let him come to you.’ I turned my attention back to Blake, who was watching me from the edge of the water. ‘I’ve told him you’re heading home tomorrow, so he knows that if he does want to talk to you, it has to be before then.’

‘I’ll wait for him to come to the cabin.’ I could hear the rush of relief in Jason’s voice. ‘Thank you so much.’

I hung up, stuffed my mobile back in my pocket and performed a quick salute to Blake, before starting to cross the road and head back to my car, parked up at Rowan Moore House.

‘Lottie. Wait.’

I turned around, brushing some loose hair away from my face. Blake was striding over the hillock of grass and rushes towards me. ‘Don’t go.’

‘Are you all right?’

He considered my question. ‘No. I mean, yes. Well, I think so.’

I offered him a kind smile. ‘You need some time on your own to get everything straight in your head.’