Page 99 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

Blake’s hot gaze blazed down at me. ‘He did that to her. He did it to me too. My so-called father.’

I gazed up at his handsome profile. ‘I know your mum never celebrated it after she and your dad parted and that must have been so awful…’

Blake turned to me. ‘It isn’t just my mum who ruined Christmas for me after she and Dad split.’

I frowned. ‘What is it? What are you talking about?’

‘Oh, Christmas and I have previous form.’ A sweep of emotions crossed his face. ‘I was married,’ he answered after a charged pause. ‘Happily – or so I thought.’

I blinked up at him. surprised. Wait. Blake’s comments about his pessimism over romance reared up in my head from before. That must have been what he was referring to, but didn’t want to divulge. ‘You were married? What happened?’

Blake gave me a fleeting, wry smile. ‘Christmas chose to kick me up the arse once again.’

‘What do you mean?’

He stared at me levelly. ‘My wife had an affair with one of my best friends. I discovered them together three days before Christmas.’

Chapter Twenty-Five

Blake took a breath before he spoke. ‘It was three years ago today, when I lived in Edinburgh.

‘I had been Christmas shopping and bought a lot of things I thought Amy would like. I remember staggering through the door with everything from her favourite Chanel perfume, to a vanilla and coconut scented Jo Malone candle and a Kate Spade handbag in baby pink that she had been dropping endless hints about.’

My chest throbbed for him. ‘Lucky girl. Go on.’

‘Our last two Christmases as a married couple hadn’t been what either of us had planned. I had been away on location the last two Christmases, recording my two specials for Netflix about spectacular walks in Canada and the States.’ Blake paused for a moment. ‘Amy was a successful hairdresser and make-up artist who I had met while filming a mountaineering documentary at the BBC. Because I had been away filming, she had spent both previous Christmases with her parents.’

Blake gave a small smile as he continued to talk. ‘I had it all planned out: warm croissants and Bucks Fizz in bed on Christmas morning, before present-opening, a lazy Christmas lunch and then a romantic walk in Holyrood Park. I was determined it was going to be a Christmas to remember. And it was – for all the wrong reasons.’

Blake shot me a look before he carried on talking. ‘I heard a clatter and noise coming from the bedroom and I was surprised as she had told me she would be late home that day, as she was working on a new Glasgow-based TV office drama and it was going to be a lengthy shift for her on set.’

He frowned as he continued. ‘So I made us a snowball each and took the drinks down the hall to the bedroom, opened the door and she was in bed with one of my climbing buddies, Tyron Lang.’

I let out a shocked gasp. ‘Bloody hell! I’m so sorry, Blake. She must have been crazy to do that to you.’

Blake offered me a small smile as the loch shimmered and sloshed ahead of us.

‘What did she say?’

‘They both apologised and said they didn’t mean for it to happen. She tried to say it was Tyron who instigated it, and that what she had done wasn’t really her.’

Blake pulled a face. ‘Turned out they had been having an affair behind my back for a few months, but she attempted to also blame me, saying she felt neglected and that I was always away filming.’ Blake paused as he remembered. ‘Funny thing is, I kept insisting she join me on the trips, but she kept saying she was too busy with work.’ He let out a snort. ‘As it turns out, she was very busy – bedding Tyron over being with her husband.’

Blake bent down, picked up a random stone and skimmed it across the mirrored surface of Loch Strathe. ‘I called him Edinburgh’s answer to Mr Potato Head and that really irritated her, because she knew it was true. The rock we’re sitting on has a higher IQ.’

His dark, brooding face was stormy. ‘Then she had the cheek to say she wouldn’t have anything more to do with him and that she knew she had been stupid.’

‘And were you tempted to give her another chance?’

Blake shook his head and watched the milky clouds scud overhead. ‘No. Especially when she started going on about our posh flat and the standard of living we had and that we shouldn’t throw it all away over someone like Tyron. That was all she cared about, not me.’

Blake stared at me as he sat there, all long legs, dark hair and beard. ‘I told her she hadn’t been the stupid one. That had been me. All along.’

Blake squinted across at the loch.

The water sloshed onto the stones and shingle, almost licking the tops of his chunky walking boots. ‘So that’s why I’m not keen on Christmas,’ he explained. ‘I suppose I associate it with some not very happy times in my life.’ He shrugged. ‘I much prefer climbing a Munro. There’s less chance of hassle up there. You climb up, you get down.’

‘You make it sound so easy!’ I smiled. ‘Although I guess it depends on the way you look at it.’ I was struggling to comprehend why Amy could even contemplate cheating on Blake. He was so intelligent, handsome, brave… I pulled myself together. ‘I mean, you could find yourself stranded.’