Page 88 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

I could feel my heart quicken against my ribs. Was this an innocent request? Perhaps it was a legitimate case of them wishing to make an extended booking. But asking for me, arriving early, raving about the cabin when they had literally just arrived… It all seemed a bit too convenient.

I dived into my bag and pulled out my mobile. ‘I’ll head over to the cabin now. If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, I want you to ring me, ok?’

Kim squinted at me under the grey, frosty sky. ‘Er. Ok. Sure.’

I started to march down the path, away from Kim and the towering presence of Rowan Moore House. To anybody else spotting me striding along right now in my long burgundy winter coat and boots, I showed none of the apprehension that was clutching at my insides. Give them the benefit of the doubt, Lottie, murmured a calming voice in one corner of my mind.

But in the other dark recesses of my head, nagging doubts were taking over. This didn’t feel right at all. It felt contrived, too neat and perfect. Something wasn’t adding up.

I crunched over the woodland carpet of old twigs and discarded furled-up leaves, laced with crisp frost.

I remembered I had a personal alarm stashed at the bottom of my bag, should I need it. If they started to get pushy or insistent, I could give it a bloody great blast and hopefully deafen them for a bit.

Mum had insisted I buy one when I lived in town. Oh bugger! I hoped the batteries hadn’t gone flat!

The pinpricks of the carriage lights outside each of the cabin doorways played hide and seek through the trees as I approached.

The Winter Wonderland cabin was the first of the four, its electric-blue and white tree on the porch throwing out twinkling sparkles. Inside, I could make out two tall figures wandering backwards and forwards.

It looked cosy and inviting, standing outside in the bone-tingling middle of December.

I stopped and sucked in a long breath of air. I recalled having a can of hairspray rolling around inside my bag, as well as my personal alarm. That might disable someone, if I sprayed a cloud of that in their face. Either that, or I could style their hair for them.

I performed an inward eyeroll. I was allowing my imagination to become hysterical. These two men turning up like this might not have anything at all to do with gossip-laden newspapers.

I tightened the belt around my coat and gripped my phone in my other hand. Well, I wouldn’t know for sure, hovering here.

Chapter Twenty-Two

My fingers were wrapped, claw-like, around my phone, as I tapped up the porch steps of the Winter Wonderland cabin.

I raised my hand to the door and it lingered there, as though it wasn’t mine. I took a breath and gave a sharp knock.

A few seconds passed before a tall, regal-looking man with greying collar-length hair and hawkish features appeared at the door. He gave me a slight smile. ‘Ms Grant. I’m Jason Driscoll. Do please come in.’

My attention swept him from head to toe. I had to admit, he wasn’t what I was expecting. I had imagined someone uber confident and brash, not the suave figure in front of me. Still, appearances could be deceptive.

I shook my head. I hoped I was coming across far more confident than I was feeling. My insides were like water. ‘Thank you but I’ve got rather a lot on today,’ I answered with a crisp smile. ‘Kim tells me you’re interested in taking an extended rental on this cabin during Easter. Is that right?’

From behind Jason Driscoll appeared a second man. He was a shade shorter, with dark-blond hair swept to one side and a pair of piercing green eyes. He was attractive in a public-school boy kind of way and looked a number of years younger than his partner.

He studied me from over Jason Driscoll’s shoulder and gave him a gentle nudge, as if to ask what was going on.

If Driscoll was a journalist, was his companion a photographer?

Driscoll shot a brief glance back. ‘This is Ms Grant, Rob. Ms Grant, this is my partner, Rob. I asked her to come over and speak to us about renting this cabin for an extended time at Easter.’

Rob’s brow furrowed. ‘Sorry?’

‘You know,’ prompted Driscoll, widening his eyes in a theatrical fashion. ‘What we talked about after we arrived here.’

I caught sight of a confused-looking Rob.

After a few seconds, Rob corrected himself. ‘Oh yes. Of course. Sorry. Don’t think I’m quite with it yet after the journey here.’

I clutched my bag tighter to my side and narrowed my eyes at them. The trees echoed to the sounds of birds flitting and fizzing behind me.

The frost glittered through the woodland, like the remnants of a sparkly ballgown. ‘If you can give me your email address, Mr Driscoll, I can send you further details and a costing for how much it would be to have an extended spring rental.’