A Christmas Wish on Arran (Scottish Romances #4)

Chapter Forty-Two

When Beth woke up, she opened her eyes and looked around. She could see pale grey walls and a painting of sunflowers on the wall opposite. She was lying in an unfamiliar bed in a room that she didn’t recognise, completely disorientated. Yet she felt comfortable and warm. She knew she should get up, but she had no energy — her body was heavy and lethargic. The thought of even trying to throw off the fleecy blanket that covered her was too much of an effort. There was a gentle knock at the door and it opened, squeaking on its hinges. Callum tentatively walked in, followed closely by Ruby.

‘Good afternoon.’ He hovered beside her. ‘How are you feeling?’ His eyes were full of concern.

Beth was aware of Ruby resting her chin next to her on the bed. But when she tried to sit herself up, she found she couldn’t. She collapsed back into the pillows.

‘It’s okay Beth,’ he said. ‘You don’t need to rush to get up. You’ve obviously caught the bug that’s doing the rounds.’

‘But why am I here?’ She felt so confused.

‘Do you remember last night and the storm?’

She nodded as she thought back, the details starting to trickle back into her mind. It felt like days ago that she had driven to Callum’s cottage to drop things off for Daisy.

‘You looked quite pale last night and were shivering when I went off to check on Maisie. You sat down on the sofa and have been out for the count since then.’

She vaguely remembered him going to see if his neighbour was okay. ‘But what time is it now?’

‘It’s after two . . .’

Beth was horrified. ‘I really do need to get up.’ She tried again to prop herself up. ‘I never sleep in, and I have to get to work. Especially with Jim off too. We can’t both be out of action. The storm is a big news story for the island. It needs to be covered.’

‘It’s okay.’ Callum perched at the foot of the bed.

Beth couldn’t help but feel reassured by his genuine warmth as he smiled kindly at her.

‘The road is still shut, nobody can get in or out. It sounds like it will be like that for at least another day. Daisy is still with Freya and Jim. I managed to get reception earlier and rang them to check in. Jim is feeling much better and said under no circumstances are you to move or even try to get to work. He said people have already shared loads of pictures from last night and he’s on it in terms of coverage so you’ve not to worry. His words.’

Beth managed a weak smile. ‘And Daisy? How is she?’

‘Daisy is feeling a bit better, I spoke to her too, and she said Freya is doing a great job of looking after her. She also said they’ve got Sky Movies which we don’t have, so she’s making the most of that. Let’s just say she’s not in a rush to come home. She seems to be okay being collected tomorrow.’

Beth’s eyes widened. ‘But I can’t stay here. I need to get back to the flat.’

‘Look, why don’t I make you some tea and toast? You must be famished. Then you can see how you feel.’

Beth shrugged, trying to work out how on earth she could have been so out for the count that she had slept that long. ‘But how did I get to bed? I don’t understand. I’ve never slept right through like that before.’

Callum blushed. ‘I carried you through. It’s what I used to do with Daisy when she was young, if she fell asleep in front of the television. I did try to wake you but you were dead to the world.’ He paused and looked at her curiously. ‘Maybe you needed to rest, Beth. Sometimes the body tells us when we need to stop.’

‘Well,’ she mumbled, ‘sometimes you just have to get on with things.’ She was aware of the searching way Callum was looking at her, almost like he was waiting for her to share more information. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, she blushed.

‘I’ll go and make that tea for you.’ He stood up to leave. Just then Ruby jumped onto the bed, curling up in the crook of Beth’s knees. He laughed. ‘Looks like you’ve got yourself your very own nurse there.’

Beth reached her hand out and patted the dog. ‘I don’t mind. She’s very sweet.’

‘I’ll be back soon.’ He rubbed his hand over his chin. ‘Do you still take it with a splash of milk and half a teaspoon of sugar?’

As he smiled, Beth couldn’t help but notice how much it lit up his face. Even in her fevered state she was still checking him out. This is so surreal , she said to herself. ‘Gosh, I can’t believe you remember that. But just the milk please. I gave the sugar up a while ago.’

A look flitted across his face and he gave her a slight nod. As she waited for him to return, Beth couldn’t help thinking how much things had changed over the years, but also how much had remained the same. Most of all she felt comfortable with Callum. Which was just as well — she was in a completely dishevelled state. She hated to think what she looked like. But then she sighed and closed her eyes again, realising she was too tired to be all that bothered, and relieved that she had grown out of the need to impress a man.