A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands (Scottish Highlands #6)

Chapter 10

10

ALEX

A storm outside rattled the windows of Pinecone Manor as Alex stood in the large hallway. He watched Ella zip up a sparkly white coat and pull a pink hat over her multicoloured hair without looking at him. Then watched as she opened the front door and proceeded onto the porch, leaning forward when a gust of wind blew into her face.

‘Unless you want to end up flat on your face and covered in snow, try not to let either of them get under your feet,’ Ella advised as she stood back and let both dogs leap out front. The terrier stopped as soon as he got to the edge of the porch, obviously preferring to stay close. Then he let out a happy bark and rubbed himself against Alex’s leg.

‘What is wrong with him?’ Alex growled, leaning down to scratch Sprout’s head, and was taken aback when the creature immediately began to lick the back of his glove. Did his clothes smell of food? Perhaps that would explain all the continuing adoration? He pressed the glove to his nose and sniffed, catching the scent of fabric conditioner and fresh air but nothing edible.

‘I think he just likes you,’ Ella said, her tone signalling exactly how misguided she thought the dog was.

‘I’ve no idea why,’ Alex muttered.

‘Oh, believe me, we’re on the same page there,’ Ella said dryly as she walked onto the driveway. Alex had to swallow his smile. He wasn’t used to people expressing their feelings so openly – duplicity and repression were more common in his circles. But he liked that she said what she thought. If he was going to have to spend time with Ella, at least it meant he’d know exactly what made her tick.

‘Do we need leads for the dogs?’ he asked as their charges suddenly ran onto the driveway and began to frolic together in the snow.

‘It’s not necessary. They can’t get far and the only car we need to worry about is parked over there,’ Ella said, pointing to Alex’s Volvo, making him want to laugh all over again.

‘Wyatt!’ Ella yelled as the large dog suddenly stopped playing and dropped his nose into the snow before changing direction. A couple of seconds later, Alex realised the bloodhound was heading for his car. ‘Wyatt, come here!’ Ella tried again, her voice a little panicky. But the dog either couldn’t hear – or wasn’t interested in following orders.

Alex frowned as Wyatt reached his destination and began to sniff excitedly at one of the wheels. ‘What’s he doing?’ he asked. Perhaps the animal had a strange fascination with high-performance tyres?

‘You don’t want to know,’ Ella said grimly, and she broke into a run and began to wave frantically when Wyatt slowly cocked one of his hind legs. She reached him just before he did the deed, managing to drag him away, all the while admonishing him.

‘Was he really going to—?’ Alex asked as he caught up. The dog turned its head and offered a toothy grin, confirming Alex’s suspicions. ‘Seriously?’ he muttered, glaring.

‘He’s still upset about the other day,’ Ella explained as she pulled a sparkly red lead from her pocket and clipped it onto Wyatt’s collar.

‘He’s got a long memory,’ Alex said. In some ways the dog reminded him of his father. He never forgot either, and had been known to hold grudges for years.

‘You’ve no idea,’ Ella said. She gave her dog a thoughtful look. ‘Shall we head into the hills? Wyatt will be able to do a lot less damage there.’

‘As long as you’re not planning on losing me somewhere,’ he joked.

‘No promises there.’ Ella shrugged nonchalantly, making Alex’s lips almost quirk again. Damn she was funny. He watched her march right, in the direction of a narrow pathway. Then she suddenly stopped and frowned. ‘Dammit!’ she groaned.

‘What is it?’ Alex asked, watching Ella head towards a white van parked under a tree at the far end of the circular driveway.

The vehicle had a pink logo adorning the side panel that read, Magic Mops – it looked old and a little battered. The front tyre on the driver’s side was flat, and the van dipped low at the front.

‘That tyre was fine earlier,’ Ella hissed as Alex caught up and she dropped to her haunches to get a better look. The bloodhound began to sniff at the flat tyre. Was he planning to pee on this one too?

‘I need to put the spare on now or I won’t make it home. I don’t want to wait until later because it’ll be dark by then,’ she said wearily. ‘I’ve got a cleaning job at six am tomorrow, so I can’t leave it and I don’t want to arrive late.’

Alex ignored the irony and watched Ella rise and turn, which gave him a full view of her expression. There were dark shadows under her eyes, and she looked shattered. Perhaps she’d been telling the truth about her work? For the first time, Alex began to feel a flicker of sympathy – a softening towards her, which he fought to ignore. He wasn’t looking to make friends with her.

‘If you call your car rescue service now, there’ll be plenty of time for them to sort it before you’re ready to leave,’ he advised.

After the walk, Alex knew they’d have at least a couple of hours with Henry – and from what Ella had told him earlier, she still had cleaning to finish before she left. He glanced at the rolling white hills in the far distance. He was sure they’d be beautiful to walk across, but he was looking forward to getting back to their class. Ella had to get the van fixed now so they could get on.

‘I’m not a member of a breakdown service,’ she said dully, dipping her hand into her pocket and drawing out a set of keys before tramping to the back of the van. ‘My membership expired and I…’ She shook her head as if trying to dislodge the reason from her memory. ‘It’s a long story.’

‘Surely you have someone who can help?’ he asked.

She glanced back at him, her expression tight. ‘There’s no one to call. My family are unavailable.’

She sounded so sure, Alex decided it was best not to argue. Besides, he didn’t want her life story. He needed to stay focused on why he was here.

‘What about a garage?’ It was a simple problem with dozens of solutions.

Ella’s cheeks flushed, but she didn’t drop her gaze. ‘I can’t afford one. It’s okay, I can do this myself,’ she said brightly. She frowned as she glanced into the distance. ‘Why don’t you take the dogs for a walk and we can catch up again in say, half an hour?’ She ignored Wyatt’s growl.

‘I don’t think your animal is happy with that idea,’ Alex said warily as he watched Ella unlock the large doors at the back of the van. Then she tugged out a long pink canvas bag which matched the company logo and dropped it on the ground.

‘Ough, that’s heavy,’ she muttered.

Wyatt went to sniff the bag and Alex decided to move it before he or Sprout got any ideas. He heaved it into his arms and put it beside the flat tyre – then decided to stand guard.

‘I’m sorry, I know we’re supposed to be getting to know each other, but I have to do this before it gets dark,’ Ella said, her tone edgy.

‘Then why don’t I change the tyre and you can tell me about yourself while I do?’ he suggested, unzipping his coat and shrugging it off, ignoring her protests. ‘That seems like the most efficient use of our time,’ he insisted.

Alex shivered when a sudden gust of wind seeped through his jumper – and considered putting the coat back on. It was cold, but he didn’t want his jacket to get covered in dirt or oil. It was the only one he’d brought with him, and as his father always said, appearances mattered. ‘Will you hold it?’ He offered the coat to Ella and she stared, the groove in her forehead deepening. ‘It won’t bite.’

‘You want to change my tyre? Why does this feel like a trick?’ She glanced around, perhaps hoping someone else would magically appear. When they didn’t, her gaze returned to him.

‘Are you wondering where your fairy godmother is?’ he asked dryly.

Ella grimaced.

‘Look, I’m all about getting this done and I’m your best bet.’ He watched her qualms transform into annoyance.

‘I’m perfectly capable of?—’

‘I’m not saying you can’t change a tyre. I’m sure you can.’ Alex wasn’t sure of anything – but he wasn’t going to say that to her. ‘But—’ He hesitated, glancing at the flat. ‘I’ve done this more times than I can count, and I’ll be quicker than you. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s minus zero degrees out here. I’m purely thinking of myself because I’m not going to leave you. I don’t think Henry would be very impressed if I did.’ Nor would the rest of the village – and after the incident with Wyatt, Alex knew news here travelled fast. ‘He’s waiting for us, and as I mentioned earlier, I’d like to get started with our lesson. I’ve got a lot of work to do.’

He made a point of checking his watch. ‘We should have started our lesson over an hour and a half ago.’ Alex was expecting Ella to object, but instead, the groove in her forehead deepened. ‘Do you have a spare?’ he asked, detecting she might be softening to the idea of letting him help.

‘Of course I do.’ She jerked her chin, still looking unsure. ‘It’s under the van, I’ve got some of my work clothes in the back, if you can just give me a second, I’ll change and get it for you.’

‘Take the coat, Ella,’ Alex said, offering it to her again. ‘Please,’ he added when she didn’t move. ‘This isn’t a slight on your independence, I simply want this done.’ He waited patiently while she stared – then her mouth bunched and she took the coat, clumping it between her gloves.

‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’ she asked gruffly, as Alex took the cufflinks off of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. Ella held out a hand for the jewellery and he handed them to her. Then he went to grab a waterproof mat and dropped to his knees, leaning to look underneath the van so he could locate the wheel. Once he had, it didn’t take him long to unhitch it from the undercarriage.

‘I’m sure,’ he said blandly, rolling the tyre to where Ella was standing and tugging off his gloves so he could easily search in the pink bag for the right tool. Wind whipped around them and Alex shivered, working hard to stop his teeth from chattering. It might sound stupid, but he didn’t want Ella to think of him as vulnerable – she might use the information to get the better of him.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked, and Sprout barked again and came to hover by Alex’s legs, unnerving him. What did the strange creature want ?

‘I’m fine,’ he said roughly, pulling on the gloves again because it was too cold to keep them off. ‘Tell me something about yourself.’ He positioned the jack and began to ease the van upwards, putting his back into it because it was heavy.

Ella sighed. ‘Are you sure I can’t help?’

‘I’m sure,’ Alex said tightly. ‘But I’d appreciate it if you’d talk to me – Henry set us a task,’ he reminded her. Once the driver’s side of the van was off the floor, he repositioned the mat on the snow so he could kneel on it. Then he began to unscrew the first bolt, stopping to swipe snowflakes from his eyes as they hammered into them. The storm was definitely getting worse.

‘What do you want to know?’ Ella finally relented, brushing a wisp of green hair as it escaped from her hat.

‘Tell me about your family.’ As Alex talked, his breath created smoky curls, making him think of dragons and damsels in distress, unnerving him further because his head was usually filled with assets, financial markets and bonds.

‘There’s not much to tell,’ Ella said.

‘I know you have two stepbrothers, what about your parents?’ he pressed, gritting his teeth as he fought with the first bolt which was rusty and difficult to turn.

Ella took a moment to respond, and Alex looked up and stared. When he did, she nodded. ‘Fine.’ She blinked and he noticed for the first time that her eyes were the same colour as the sea he’d painted in Skye. He’d never seen irises that colour. His fingers tingled as he imagined mixing watercolours to create an exact match. Ella flushed and looked away and Alex realised he’d been staring. ‘I suppose I could tell you that my mam died when I was a bairn, and my da followed her a year ago,’ she said roughly. ‘My da remarried, though.’

‘So you’ve got a wicked stepmother for real?’ he asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘Nae, not really,’ she said, flushing. ‘Lucinda, his new wife, is…well, she’s a dedicated mam and…well, she loves my stepbrothers.’ Something passed across Ella’s face, and Alex wondered what she hadn’t said.

‘Clyde and Dane,’ Alex confirmed as the first bolt finally relented and he put it on the mat and began to work on the second. ‘The unreliable twins.’

Ella grunted. ‘They’re not that bad.’

‘Tell me something else,’ he said, realising he wanted to know more.

Why was he pushing her? Then again, it was what Henry had tasked. Alex knew he was beginning to warm to Ella. Learning that her lateness was due to work was something he could relate to, and it was difficult not to be impressed with a good work ethic. Plus, she’d lost both of her parents – even he could have sympathy with that.

‘There’s not much to tell.’ Ella frowned. ‘I’ve lived in Mistletoe my whole life. Aside from when I was at art college for two years.’ Her expression dimmed. ‘I run Magic Mops, which is the family business. I spend most of my time cleaning, or when I can, painting and drawing – and I’m playing Cinderella in the village pantomime, which you know.’ She sighed. ‘I’m always in the show because Mae – my godmother – is usually the director. She was my mother’s best friend—’ She paused, her voice softening. ‘And now she’s mine.’

Ella’s genuine candidness surprised Alex, and he let her talk. He forced his attention away from her to the second bolt which was proving just as difficult to take off as the first.

‘I live on my own– but I spend a fair amount of time at home, helping my stepmother and stepbrothers,’ Ella said, hesitating suddenly, perhaps realising how much she’d shared.

‘You were at art college?’

She shrugged. ‘I dropped out when Da got sick. I nursed him for a while, and when he died, I…’ She took in a deep breath. ‘Stayed on to help with the business. My stepmother was very upset. She needed my help. Still does…’

There was a lot to unpick, but Alex didn’t get a chance to ask more.

‘Now tell me something about you,’ Ella said. She leaned down so she could watch Alex work. He caught a whiff of eucalyptus and wondered if it was her perfume or a leftover from when she’d been cleaning. He liked the scent; it was crisp and fresh and reminded him of long walks outside. He puffed out a breath, suddenly frustrated – he was beginning to sound like Stan.

‘There must be something you can share,’ Ella pressed, jerking Alex back to her question. ‘Tell me what the drawing on your cufflinks means?’ She held them up. Inside a white enamel circle, three dogs faced each other: a German Shepherd, a Great Dane and a husky. ‘Is there some special meaning here?’

Alex shrugged. ‘It’s the logo for Charming Capital Management. Dogs symbolise prosperity and the breeds are all known to be powerful and resilient.’

‘In that case I’m surprised you haven’t taken to Sprout yet,’ Ella joked as she continued to stare at the cufflinks before looking back at him. ‘Tell me something else.’

Alex’s mind went blank and after a long moment of silence, she made an irritated huffing sound.

‘Okay,’ he relented just as the second bolt moved and he spun it until it came off. ‘It’s just me and Da – Mam died when I was two, so I suppose that means we have one thing in common.’ He didn’t look at her.

‘I suspect that might be the only thing, unless you count our love of art,’ Ella said. Alex might have been offended, but there had been humour in her tone. ‘I’m sorry about your mam. I know it was a long time ago, but it’s still tough.’ She swallowed and Alex felt a hit of pure emotion in his chest, fought to contain it. He didn’t think about his mother much. His father had often told him he was like her – but he didn’t mean it as a compliment. She’d been an artist. Talented apparently, but too emotional and too concerned with other people’s feelings. She’d smiled too often and had lacked the killer instinct for success.

Alex had spent his life trying to supress any hints of her. The only thing that had leaked through was his love of art. His father only tolerated that because he saw Alex’s talent as a potential income stream.

‘Where did you grow up?’ Ella asked, studying his face.

Alex paused, considering what he wanted to share. ‘I lived at home with Da in our main house in Edinburgh until I went to boarding school.’ He began to work on bolt three, which was as rusty as the last.

‘How old were you?’ Ella asked.

The question was unexpected, and Alex found himself telling the truth. ‘Six.’

‘That’s young.’ He could hear the frown in Ella’s voice but decided not to react to it. This nut was looser, and he made quick work of undoing it.

‘Not for me. I loved it there, and I was self-sufficient and mature for my age,’ he said flatly. The school had been a lot homier than any of the family houses – which he still considered cold and austere.

He’d enjoyed the consistency of waking in the same place every day, of having the same people to talk to at breakfast and dinner, of meeting Stan. ‘I made some good friends and got an excellent education.’

Alex was pleased when Ella remained silent. He wasn’t sure what else he’d want to share about his childhood. Most of the time he didn’t think about it. Life was all about looking forward and moving up. Making your name and impressing people. He unscrewed the fourth nut, which was loose too, and placed it on the mat.

‘Tell me how you know how to change a tyre,’ Ella asked, perhaps sensing his reluctance to pursue the subject of his family. ‘I’ll admit, I’d have expected you to be clueless. Don’t you normally have people for jobs like this?’ Ella injected her voice with warmth, perhaps in an attempt not to offend him.

Alex stopped so he could gaze up at her. People often underestimated him, especially when it came to doing anything practical. Probably because he’d been raised with servants and people to see to his every physical need. His father had once told him that he should use those low expectations as a weapon. ‘If they’re not expecting you to knife them in the back, they won’t see it coming’ was another of Michael Charming’s rules of success.

‘I’m sorry if that’s rude, but…’

Alex gave Ella a tight smile. Her assumption shouldn’t have grated, and he wasn’t sure why it did. He didn’t care what she thought, she couldn’t matter to him. He let out a careful breath and began to pull the wheel off.

‘When I was nineteen, my father bought me a vintage sports car – it was beautiful.’ He’d named the car Ernestine and she’d been the first female love of his life. Perhaps the only one in retrospect, aside from his mother who he barely remembered. He’d had girlfriends, but no one he’d allowed himself to connect with – no one he’d ever wanted to let himself have feelings for. Or be vulnerable with.

‘Nice,’ Ella muttered, and Alex could hear something in her tone. He guessed she wasn’t impressed by the information. ‘But that doesn’t really answer my question.’

‘Aye, that’s true.’ Alex finished taking off the wheel. His fingers were stiff despite the gloves, probably because the rest of him was freezing. He fought to stop his teeth from chattering. He hated showing weakness and wasn’t going to let the weather get to him.

‘A few months after I got the car, I was driving and got a flat. I tried to call a recovery service, but I didn’t have a phone signal, and I was too impatient to wait for someone to drive by and help.’ He also suspected he wouldn’t have asked for help even if someone had offered. He’d been raised to solve his problems for himself. ‘I decided I could change the tyre myself. I thought it would be easy.’ He absently rubbed his palms on his jeans and then picked up the spare and easily slid it onto the van before picking up the wrench.

‘I was so sure I knew what I was doing, I just went ahead. I put the jack under the frame, but because it was in the wrong place, it ripped through the undercarriage.’ He swallowed. It had felt like a part of him had been ripped out with it.

‘My father threatened to take the car away.’ He’d threatened a lot more than that, but Alex didn’t share. He could feel his cheeks flush even now, because just talking about it made him relive the feelings of humiliation, the sense of failure. Michael hadn’t spoken to him directly for months. ‘I was embarrassed – but it also taught me a lesson about being helpless. It wasn’t a feeling I liked.’ He picked up one of the bolts and began to screw it back on.

‘What happened?’ Ella asked, edging closer.

Alex cleared his throat. ‘I went to our local garage and asked them if they’d teach me about car maintenance and what to do in emergencies. They laughed at first, but—’ He shrugged. ‘I can be persuasive, and I offered to work for free.’

‘Impressive,’ Ella said, and Alex felt something inside him flicker and immediately snuffed it out.

He jerked his chin. ‘They got me to clean up after them and to take money from customers and in return they let me watch them work. It took all summer, but I learned what I needed to keep a car on the road,’ he said flatly. ‘I still have the sports car, but it’s locked in a garage on my father’s estate.’

‘Because?’ Ella asked.

‘I prefer driving more practical cars.’ Cars he didn’t particularly like, Alex realised, thinking how much of that sentiment applied to the rest of his life. If you don’t allow yourself to care, you won’t get hurt. Alex frowned as the nut stuck again and he had to put more weight into it. ‘You need to go to a garage tomorrow and get yourself a new spare,’ he said as he finished attaching the wheel. He pumped the jack again, easing the vehicle to the ground before putting all the tools back into the pink bag. ‘Finished.’

Alex rose to his feet and swiped his gloves on his jeans. ‘Do you want to take that walk?’ He glanced back at the hills. The snow was thicker now, and he couldn’t see very far.

Ella shoved the cufflinks and his coat at him, and Alex gratefully put everything back on. This time when his teeth began to chatter, he couldn’t make them stop.

Ella watched him for a moment before pursing her lips. ‘How about we take a quick walk to the porch and go back inside? I think you’re cold enough and we’ve done what Henry asked.’ She looked reflective. ‘I feel like I know you better. Perhaps I might even like you – just a bit.’ She grinned as she indicated exactly how much with her thumb and index finger – and the gap was tiny.

Then Ella picked up the mat and pink bag and walked slowly to the back of the van, refusing help when Alex tried to take them from her.

He shook his head and followed, rolling the damaged wheel out in front. Wondering what Ella had meant about liking him – and whether he’d inadvertently given away something important about himself.