Page 42 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

His black eyes challenged mine. ‘I happened to unfortunately have to walk through the main street on Saturday afternoon very briefly, but I had a rambling tour booked in.’

‘So that was you I saw, looking up at the Christmas lights. Or should I say, aiming thunderbolts at them from your eyeballs?’

Blair didn’t answer my question.

‘You looked right across the street at me.’

He ground his jaw. ‘You must have been mistaken. I didn’t hang around with all that going on.’

‘You must have a twin brother then, because I saw you standing on the opposite side of the street.’

Blake dismissed what I was saying. ‘Well, they say everyone has a doppelganger somewhere in the world, don’t they?’

Bloody hell, I simmered to myself. One Blake Dempster was hard enough to deal with, without the nightmare scenario of two,

He flicked the conversation back to emailing Max. ‘Look, Ms Grant, if I have an idea that I think can benefit a business, I’m not just going to sit on it. And I happen to think that your apparent obsession with Christmas and all things Disney isn’t going to benefit the cabins in the long run.’

I made a snorting sound. My anger was taking off. ‘All things Disney? Well, I would rather have an obsession with Christmas than be a muscle-bound Ebeneezer Scrooge with a beard that looks like it could nest a flock of birds!’

Blake looked momentarily stunned. Then his gaze challenged mine. ‘Muscle-bound?’ His eyes, which had been hard and uncompromising, raked over me now. I felt my cheeks scorch and swallowed. Suddenly, I felt rather vulnerable under his relentless gaze. ‘So, you have noticed then?’

My mouth dropped open at his sheer audacity. How confident was this man? How sure of himself was he? Pathetic! I gripped the strap of my bag tighter. ‘Unfortunately, I can’t choose who I work with, but what I can do is try my utmost to make Magical Occasions Cabins a success.’

I whirled away in my riding boots and then spun round again. ‘You might like to know that Max is intending on calling you to tell you that your idea to turn the cabins into some wild west arena is a no. He is also going to suggest you don’t send an email like that again. It’s most unprofessional.’

I could feel Blake’s gaze searing into me. ‘All these airy-fairy ideas of yours won’t work, Ms Grant. The hearts and flowers and happily-ever-afters. People will see it for what it really is. A sham.’ His dark, penetrating gaze hardened. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

I drew up at the double doors on the way out. ‘Do you know what? I almost feel sorry for you. You really don’t have any Christmas spirit at all, do you?’

There was a chilly silence. A concoction of emotions raced across his features. Then without saying anything, he stalked back into his storeroom, granite-faced, and slammed the door shut behind him.

I left, got into my car and drove away.

Wow! I’d pricked a nerve there.

Blake’s reaction when I asked him why he didn’t like Christmas echoed around my head. And what was he going on about, when he mentioned happily-ever-after being a sham? He’d looked very irritated when I pointed out I had seen him at the local lights switch-on. God, he really was a piece of work.

I headed back towards the cabins. Now would be a good time to return there and have a look at how things were progressing. I had intended to do that earlier today, but I was so furious at Blake, I knew I had to confront him about it.

The way he had commented on me noticing his muscles as well! My face flooded with colour. What a bloody big-head! Dear me, he had a high opinion of himself.

I drove back through Craig Brae, still burning with anger as I played over our argument. His furious face when I accused him of not having a fun bone in his body. He looked like he’d been burned when I said that. What was going on with him? He was such a prize grump. Talk about being able to rub people up the wrong way!

I negotiated past the trees, stippled with the faintest chinks of sunlight slithering through the bank of clouds.

Well, I’d show Mr ‘I’ve climbed Mount Everest with my hands tied behind my back’ that I could make the cabins work! Sod thinking I wasn’t up to it or that this role was too big for me. I was even more determined now.

* * *

The log cabin front doors were flung open and light sparkled against their windows when I arrived back.

The smell of paint mingled with the scent of pine needles and damp moss.

Three decorators had been allotted by Andrew and Dominic to each cabin, delivering coats with wide brushes and rollers, overlaid with the odd, happy whistle and the thrum of radios.

Licks of powder-blue and white, hot ambers and cranberry were already transforming the interiors into something warm and welcoming. Each cabin was beginning to show its own character and personality. I couldn’t wait until the furnishings and decorations were in!

I exchanged pleasantries with each of the decorating teams as I moved from cabin to cabin.