Page 89 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

My attention fell on the blue and white painted hallway table just visible through the open door. There was one of our new brochures lying on it, which contained all the information and prices. So why get me to come over here, when they were in possession of the details anyway?

I was right. This was some sort of ruse. They had got me to come to the cabin on a pretext.

I whipped my attention back to the two men and forced a tight smile.

Jason Driscoll searched my face. ‘I really would prefer it if you could come in for a few moments, Ms Grant.’

As he continued to appraise me, an odd sensation took over. Wait. He seemed familiar. Hadn’t I seen him somewhere before?

I tried not to peer at his long, proud nose and the sharpness to his chin. Hang on. I did recognise him. But where from?

Louder alarm bells started clanging at full volume inside my head. Then he dropped his chin as he looked at me and an image of the man outside Christmas Crackers from yesterday zipped through my mind. The glimpse of greying hair, the angle to his face and his sharp profile underneath his trilby; it was him. He was the same man who had been watching me through the shop window.

Why had he been watching me like that at the shop and why had he reserved one of the cabins? What was he doing here in Craig Brae?

I took a step backwards, my suspicion on full alert now. I had to try and stay focused and calm. If he was a reporter and here in the area for an ulterior motive connected to Blake, I would be far better not letting him know I recognised him from yesterday. He might try to trick me into saying or doing something that might betray Blake and that was the last thing I wanted.

My mobile phone was in my bag. I could lay my hands on it quickly if I needed to. I squared my shoulders. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Driscoll, but as I have already explained, I do have a great deal of work on today and with Christmas just a few days away, I’m sure you can appreciate how busy we are.’

A short, sharp, surprised breath shot out of the base of my throat when Jason Driscoll stepped out of the cabin doorway and started to make a move towards me.

‘Ms Grant, I do need to speak with you.’ His unwavering amber gaze raked me from head to toe.

‘Jason,’ muttered Rob from behind him. He followed up the rear and shot out one hand, placing it on his partner’s shoulder. ‘I don’t think you should. Not here. Not like this.’

Was he trying to calm Driscoll down? To make him see that he was being unreasonable, or taking a risk? If he was, it didn’t work. My mind pinged back to when Driscoll was watching me through the shop window. He had been alone. The blond man had not been with him then.

Driscoll shook off Rob’s hand. ‘Ms Grant, I didn’t come all this way for nothing.’

I struggled to marshal my resolve. His tone was becoming more insistent. Growing fear rattled my chest. What did he want?

I found myself lurching backwards with another couple of clumsy steps. ‘Mr Driscoll, what’s going on?’

He and the other man watched me and said nothing.

I glanced around myself. The stillness was almost suffocating. At any other time, I would have relished it. ‘You got me here under a false pretence, didn’t you, Mr Driscoll?’

Jason Driscoll pushed both of his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans and flicked me a guilty look that confirmed I was right.

My heart drummed louder in my ears. I felt as if I were trapped under water and struggling for help. Pity the other three cabins weren’t occupied already. Out here, it was secluded at the moment. At least I still had a couple of bars of reception on my mobile and Kim was under strict instructions to call me, if I hadn’t reappeared in fifteen minutes.

I edged backwards again from Driscoll. Bloody Archibald Strang Ltd! If the landlords hadn’t cheated me out of Christmas Crackers, I wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of quiet woodland with two suspicious characters!

‘We need to talk, Ms Grant.’

I grabbed at my bag, swinging it around in front of me like a shield and located my mobile. I brandished it at them. ‘I’ve got nothing to say to you.’

I pointed to my phone. ‘This thing is switched on, you know. I told Kim, my work colleague, to call me if I didn’t return in fifteen minutes.’

Jason Driscoll’s attention flew from me to my glowing phone.

‘I know why you’re both here,’ I blurted, before I could think about what I was saying. Shit! Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say. Perhaps I should have pleaded ignorance. Now that I had revealed that, they might think they could persuade me to start talking about Blake.

Rob’s boyish expression reddened behind Driscoll. ‘You do?’

I folded my arms. ‘Of course, I do! I’m not stupid!’

Adrenalin was racing through me; it was like all my building irritation and apprehension of the last couple of days was unleashing itself. ‘I saw you yesterday, Mr Driscoll. You were hanging about outside the shop, watching me. When you saw me looking at you, you took off.’