Page 91 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

‘Then why are you so interested in Blake?’ I asked. ‘You’re talking in riddles.’ I rubbed my forehead.

‘It’s delicate,’ explained Jason, with desperation in his voice. ‘But yes, this is all about Blake.’

‘Jason, take it steady,’ warned Rob. ‘This isn’t perhaps the best way to go about all of this.’

‘Go about what?’ I pushed.

‘Lottie! Lottie? Are you ok?’

I whirled around to see Blake striding towards me. His glowering dark-brown eyes flashed up at the two men on the porch of the Winter Wonderland cabin.

‘Blake? What are you doing here?’

He came and towered over me. ‘I dropped by Rowan Moore House and bumped into Kim. She was concerned about you and told me where you were.’ Blake paused and studied me from under his black brows. ‘She wasn’t the only one.’ He turned his attention back to Jason Driscoll and Rob. ‘What’s going on here? Everything ok?’

l managed a confused smile and a nod. Everything was ok. At least in a sense it was. I was still so bewildered though about what was going on. I’d read the situation all wrong. Or had I?

Driscoll and his partner were maintaining that they weren’t journalists, but had admitted Blake was the reason for their visit. So why were they here? My head was fuzzy and churning.

I looked back up at Jason Driscoll and saw that he had paled when he saw Blake approaching and that he couldn’t drag his eyes away from him.

I flicked a look up at Blake to see if he had noticed too, but he appeared oblivious.

‘Did they do anything to you?’ whispered Blake, gazing down into my eyes. ‘Did they threaten you?’ The wind ruffled up his dark hair, as he turned to glower up at the two men standing there.

‘No, I’m fine. Thank you.’

‘When Kim told me you’d come over here to one of the cabins to see two guys on your own and that you had seemed a bit spooked by it all, I insisted I check you were ok.’ Blake rubbed at his beard. ‘I would have come over here with you.’

Memories of Blake shutting me down after our heart-to-heart, of him backing off and refusing to confide in me, rocketed back through my head.

My smile wobbled and faded. ‘I told you. I’m fine, thank you. There was no need for you to come riding up here on your white steed to rescue me.’

Blake’s mouth hardened through his dark beard. ‘Oh, I’m sorry I was worried about you.’

‘Blake.’ Jason Driscoll’s voice sounded odd.

We stopped our frustrated exchanges and snapped our heads round to look back at him.

He took a few more steps towards us.

‘Jason, don’t you think you ought to think this through a bit longer? Is it really the best time and place to do this?’ Rob was moving from foot to foot in his winter boots.

Jason didn’t seem to hear his concerned partner. He just continued to stare past me at Blake, who eyed him back with suspicion. Blake’s confused gaze swept over the man. ‘Can I help you?’

Jason hesitated. ‘I didn’t mean for it all to happen like this. I’m sorry.’

Blake stared him down. ‘Who are you? What is all this?’

Rob let out a long, low and frustrated breath from the cabin porch.

Jason hauled a hand through his thatch of silver hair that was furling up around his collar. ‘Blake…’ He faltered, his chest rising and falling under his chunky-knit cream jumper. ‘I had all these plans about how I was going to talk to you when I saw you again – how I would tell you and explain everything.’

Blake looked at the older man as though he had taken leave of his senses. ‘Look, I don’t mean to be rude but I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.’

From the cabin porch, Rob leant against the doorway with a look of awkwardness shooting across his features. ‘I’m not surprised,’ he muttered.

Blake gave him an odd look and turned back to Jason Driscoll. ‘Tell me what?’