Page 69 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

Blake handed it to me. I snatched off my beret and plonked it at a jaunty angle on Jock’s bald dome, before tugging the Santa hat onto my own head. ‘There. Better?’

Blake folded his muscular arms. A small smile played on his lips. ‘Just when I think you can’t surprise me anymore, you go and do something else.’

We stared at one another. He seemed self-conscious all of a sudden and straightened his shoulders. ‘So, Ms Grant, what’s the plan?’

I gave the Santa hat a final adjustment on top of my head. ‘The plan is to offer the public something that they don’t have to worry about themselves. They’ve got enough on their plates at this time of year, without worrying about how to keep demanding relatives and visiting friends happy and occupied.’

Blake frowned. ‘But what?’

My lips moulded into a hopeful little smile. ‘You’ll see.’ I took a couple of steps. ‘I just hope this angle works.’

I moved a bit further away from the stall and set my shoulders. The smell of chestnuts and the sound of ringing Christmas songs was everywhere.

I gathered myself. I could end up looking like a class tit if this didn’t work, but we had to do something.

I cleared my throat and raised my voice in the middle of the buzzing market. ‘Book a beautiful festive walk with Rock Solid Ramblings,’ I shouted out into the frosty air. My breath coiled out like a ghost. Emboldened, I carried on. ‘Now is the time! Treat your visiting friends and relatives this Christmas to a wonderful guided walk, enjoying the best Craig Brae has to offer.’

A couple of passing market visitors paused to listen to me. I offered them a bright smile. I didn’t dare turn around to look at Blake. I was worried he would put me off my stride or look appalled.

‘Book now to avoid disappointment and take advantage of a ten percent early bird discount!’ I paced backwards and forwards in front of Blake’s stall. ‘Come on, ladies and gentlemen. Book a walk with Rock Solid Ramblings. Keep your relatives and friends busy and happy when they come to visit.’ I raised my voice higher. ‘Walk off those Christmas calories and prevent those tense family arguments over Brexit!’

I paused and risked a look back at Blake. He was gawping at me with a look of disbelief. Then his mouth twitched. ‘Ten percent?’ he mouthed.

‘You have to speculate to accumulate,’ I hissed back.

His lips broke into a shadow of a smile. ‘True.’

I picked up a couple of the leaflets and repeated my sales pitch again.

A middle-aged couple, their arms linked, came wandering over from where the woman had been admiring the handbags.

‘My mother-in-law is able to walk only short distances,’ said the man to me, his eyes glinting behind a pair of polished spectacles. ‘I don’t suppose you would be able to accommodate us on a gentler walk at all?’

‘Good morning, sir,’ said Blake, striding over. ‘We would certainly be able to do that. What I can do is take you, your wife and your mother-in-law on one of the more sedate woodland walks here in Craig Brae.’ Blake warmed to his theme. ‘It’s a lovely walk, set out by the Woodland Trust, which incorporates views of Ben Linn, but it’s all proper paths and has disabled access.’ He went on to describe that the walk he was talking about also possessed an abundance of wildlife and some glorious heather.

He dropped his voice. ‘I also know where there are a couple of roe deer and a family of foxes. We may not see them, but we might be lucky.’ Blake smiled at the couple. ‘I’ve been walking with a couple of other groups and they caught fleeting glimpses of two of the juvenile fox cubs last week.’

I stared at him as he talked. He really could be very charming when he put his mind to it.

The fine-featured lady smiled hopefully up at her husband from underneath her cream knitted hat. ‘Mum would love something like this. It sounds like a great idea and you know how much she loves watching all her nature programmes.’

I turned to Blake, who surprised me with a wink.

My stomach performed an excited little squiggle. I jerked my attention back to the interested couple and focused on them.

‘Thank you,’ Blake mouthed to me, after the couple asked if they could make the ramble reservation with him now. He offered me a full-blown grin. It lit up his eyes and made them crinkle like tissue paper at the corners. My breath caught in my throat.

I could see how white and even his teeth were and he had nice, full lips…

Oh, bloody hell! I was off again! I had to get a grip of myself.

This had to stop. These increasingly frequent, random thoughts about Blake had to stop. I had to keep things friendly but professional. We had started off on very, very shaky ground, but at least now our relationship had defrosted. All I needed right now, after starting a new job, was getting involved with a work colleague and making a monumental car crash of everything.

Nope. No way. I would not allow that to happen. I was enjoying working with the Styleses and they seemed very impressed with how I had been getting the cabins knocked into shape.

I couldn’t afford to throw it all away… even if it was for someone with eyes like melting Cadbury’s chocolate…

I reached into my bag, which I had stashed under Blake’s stall. I had to do something. I realised I had been staring at him for much longer than I should have and was ignoring this very pleasant couple.