Page 55 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

I also wanted to drop in on Kim to get details about the families and couples who had reserved the cabins over Christmas.

But my journey up there was preoccupied by Blake and what he had done for that little girl and her father. Maybe there was a heart buried underneath that surly exterior after all.

* * *

I was just pulling up in my car outside Rowan Moore House when I caught sight of Blake striding past. He was throwing a bulky backpack on.

I jumped out of my car and locked it. ‘Blake? Hold on a second. Can I have a quick word please?’

He squinted over at me in the morning light.

I hurried towards him. ‘Sarah Turner just called me. She tried to ring you.’

‘Who?’

‘Sarah Turner? Natalie’s teacher from Craig Brae Primary School?’

Blake scratched his beard. ‘Oh. Right. Yes.’

‘Someone left a gorgeous Christmas present for that little girl and her father at the school office this morning.’

Blake continued to look down at me, his expression unreadable. ‘Did they?’

‘Yep. It’s a reindeer sleigh ride around Loch Strathe and then lunch at a gorgeous new restaurant in town.’

Blake continued with his poker face. ‘Ok. Sounds like a nice gift.’

‘It was signed “from Santa”.’

‘That makes sense, I suppose,’ he said, his expression impassive. ‘It is coming up to Christmas, as you know, and as you take great delight in reminding us all.’

I angled my head to one side. ‘Stop pretending. It was you, wasn’t it? You arranged all that for Natalie.’

Blake broke eye contact with me and gazed off past my shoulder.

‘What a wonderful thing to do.’

‘I didn’t say it was me.’

‘You didn’t have to.’

He gazed down at me with those penetrating, dark chocolate-brown eyes of his. Then he gathered himself. ‘Yes, well, it’s no biggie,’ he insisted, adjusting his backpack.

‘I disagree. I think it is. I’ve been thinking about her a lot too.’ I paused. ‘She got to you, didn’t she? Natalie, I mean.’

The wind ruffled through his dark hair. I blinked up at him. He looked like he was on the brink of saying something, but then snatched it back. ‘I felt a bit sorry for the kid, ok? That’s it. It’s almost Christmas, perish the thought. I just thought I would do something for her and her father. End of. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to the office to arrange another tourist walk.’

Then he strode back to his car, threw his backpack on the back seat and shot off down the winding drive and away from Rowan Moore House.

Chapter Fifteen

It was only ten days now until Christmas and Craig Brae was buzzing.

Christmas Crackers looked like it had been ransacked during a daring raid. A lot of the shelves were bare, or emptying at a rapid rate. Mum and Orla were doing all they could to sell off as much of the stock as they could before the 31st.

I thought of how the shop had looked only a month or so ago: like a spangly, glittery craft box that had been upended. It was starting to look like a shell of its former self.

Vivian had informed us that her detached cottage had been sold to an affluent young couple from the London area, who were planning on using it as a holiday home, so she could get on with final arrangements for heading to the States with Ridley. ‘At least that’s one less thing to worry about,’ she’d sighed during her afternoon visit. ‘And now that I know the house sale is going through, please don’t hesitate to let me know what else needs doing.’