Mix-Up under the Mistletoe (Glenbriar #11)

Chapter Thirteen

Tilly

Saturday, December 21 st

Morning and Afternoon

S now crunched under the fur-lined walking boots Tilly had borrowed from Hilary. What was it about ruining virgin snow with big clumpy footprints that was so satisfying? Defiling the pristine landscape should be a crime, but it didn’t take away the fun of being the first to make a trail across it. Finlay and Rafe had strayed onto a different path, examining animal tracks and trying to work out what they belonged to. Tiny little bird tracks made swirling circles around the leafless bushes and bird tables.

Tilly clapped her arms around Hilary’s bright pink snow jacket. Even with that, a warm fleece scarf and insulated gloves, there was still a bite in the air Tilly wasn’t used to. Crisp winter air filled her lungs, taking the cold inside her, but far from being painful it cleansed her deep. Squinting towards the bright but cold sun, she shielded her eyes, trying to see as far as she could. This landscape was unfamiliar to her, but she couldn’t imagine it being anything other than a winter wonderland.

‘Tilly,’ Rafe called, and she glanced over her shoulder.

‘Yes.’

‘Watch this.’ A mischievous grin played on his lips. He lifted a thick wad of snow and lobbed it at Finlay, who was in front of him on the path.

‘What the?’ Finlay turned around, shaking his hood. ‘Right, that’s it.’ He scooped up a ball of snow from the top of a tall stone planter and pelted it back at Rafe.

‘Oh, for god’s sake. Take cover.’ Genevieve grabbed Tilly’s arm and pulled her behind another planter. ‘This will be carnage.’

Tilly ducked down behind the planter, peeking out to watch, unable to stop smiling.

Rafe and Finlay tossed more snowballs at each other, laughing and pretending to be deadly serious in their aim… or maybe they were deadly serious. They were definitely very competitive and using a lot of effort.

‘Boys will be boys,’ Genevieve said with a smirk. ‘I’m not getting involved in this.’

‘Me neither.’ Tilly chuckled at them. They looked like a pair of big kids. She didn’t remember doing anything that silly even when she was a child, let alone now.

‘If we run, we can catch Cress and Tina,’ Genevieve said.

They’d walked on ahead with Alexander toddling in between them.

‘Should we?’

‘Yeah.’ Covering her head, Genevieve ran down the path and Tilly did the same, expecting a snowball to hit her at any second.

Cressida looked behind and rolled her eyes. ‘They’re worse than Alexander.’

‘Don’t I know it?’ Genevieve looked over her shoulder at her husband and her brother. ‘And Finlay’s so competitive.’

‘So’s Rafe.’ Cressida rolled her eyes. ‘This could go on for a long time.’

Laughter and shouts echoed through the air as the snowball fight continued.

Tilly turned around and saw Rafe behind her, facing the other way and tucked into the edge of the house like he was waiting to ambush Finlay. She scooped up a handful of snow, her gloved fingers tingling. ‘Here you go,’ she laughed, sending a snowball flying towards him.

‘Oi.’ He jumped back as the snow hit him and Tilly turned away, giggling with the others. ‘Which one of you did that?’ he shouted, pulling out the high collar of his snow jacket and shaking it.

‘Alexander,’ Cressida said.

Genevieve put her arm around Tilly’s shoulder, laughing so hard she looked like she might double over. ‘That was hilarious. Nice shot. Went right down the back of his jacket by the looks of things.’

‘Thanks.’ Tilly glanced back at Rafe, who dodged another incoming projectile from Finlay.

‘You’ve got a good aim,’ Tina said.

‘That was my first ever snowball.’

‘Beginner’s luck, maybe.’

‘I’ve always wondered what it would be like in the snow.’

‘I guess there isn’t a lot of it in London.’

‘Hardly any. We have had it occasionally, but never a lot, and… well, I don’t really know anyone who would want a snowball fight.’

‘Shall we build a snowman?’ Genevieve said. ‘You won’t have done that before either.’

‘Definitely haven’t.’ Tilly said.

‘Let’s do it then.’ Genevieve turned to Finlay and Rafe, who were still charging about behind them like they were on a combat mission. ‘Hey guys. Do you wanna build a snowman ?’ She sang the iconic line from Frozen .

‘Sure,’ Rafe chuckled, his breath creating a cloud in the frigid air.

‘A proper one?’ Finlay said. ‘Like a sculpture.’

‘Oh, sure, it’s an art form. Shall I demo?’ He packed up a little ball in his hand, then rolled it along a low wall. The snowball grew as he pushed it, the flakes clinging to his gloves.

‘Don’t throw that.’ Genevieve shielded her face.

‘I’m not sure I can even lift it, never mind throw it.’ He rolled it off the wall and onto the ground to collect more snow. Finlay was doing another one on the grass beside them, exposing a long and rather out-of-place green stripe. ‘But if I find out who threw that snowball before, I’d give it a go.’

‘It was me,’ Tilly said. ‘So, let’s see you try?’

He drew back a little and narrowed his eyes, clearly not expecting that. He’d obviously thought one of his sisters had done it. ‘I’ll think up a better punishment for you.’

‘Oooh,’ Genevieve said in a sing-song voice. ‘Sounds a bit kinky to me. Remember the safe word.’ She winked at Tilly.

‘Not funny.’ He raised his eyebrow at her and dumped the snowball on the ground. Finlay picked his up, barely getting it off the ground, and staggered towards them.

‘This weighs a tonne.’ He heaved it on top of the original snowball.

‘Let’s do some shaping,’ Genevieve said. ‘So much for your fancy sculpture. This doesn’t look like anything.’

Tilly joined in, moulding the snow, running her gloved palms over it. ‘Like this?’ Her eyes caught Rafe’s. Why had that come out so suggestive? Kind of like she was smoothing her palms over the contours of his body.

‘Looks perfect,’ he said.

‘Aw, you two,’ Genevieve said, ‘are too cute.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Rafe frowned at her, but his lips were curled up at the corners, implying his innocence.

Tilly’s cheeks were overly warm considering the temperature. As her hands moved over the snow curves, her mind carried on racing down a different path completely. It wasn’t a snowman in her thoughts anymore, but a very hot man. The one she’d imagined showering that morning. The one just metres away from her.

‘Good for you, Tilly.’ Genevieve clapped her hands together to knock the snow off them. ‘I love the way you’re embracing Christmas with the crazy Harringtons. It’s all about making memories.’

‘Snow isn’t Christmas,’ Rafe said. ‘It’s statistically more likely to snow at Easter in Scotland than it is at Christmas.’

‘Oh whatever.’ Genevieve rolled her eyes. ‘We have snow now, and we’re all here together enjoying it, so that’s definitely Christmassy.’

She had a point. For the first time in the midst of snowflakes and laughter, Tilly had a sense of what the magic of Christmas really meant. It wasn’t about snow or ‘stuff’ but being part of something bigger. Despite the cold, warmth seeped into the chambers of her heart in a way she’d never anticipated. She’d made her first happy Christmas memories.

She smiled at Genevieve, then Rafe and the corners of her lips sagged. Already a sharp edge had formed around the memories. Because that was all they would ever be. Short and sweet glimpses of a brief moment she’d once spent with a lovely family.

After taking numerous photos of the snowman and some of Alexander knocking him down, everyone moved on. Rafe fell into step with Tilly.

‘I apologise for my family’s none-too-subtle attempts to set us up. This is the reason for my lying about my relationship status in the first place.’

‘It’s ok,’ Tilly said. ‘They mean well.’

‘I know, but if it starts to irritate you, just tell me. I can’t promise I can make them stop but I’ll try.’

‘I’m flattered they would even think it’s a possibility.’ She huffed out a puff of air as he held her gaze.

He tilted his head and a slight frown flickered across his brow. Had she said something she shouldn’t?

‘I don’t see why not,’ he said with a little shrug. ‘Single guy, single girl and all that. It doesn’t seem that impossible to me.’

Tilly smiled, not voicing the list of objections that had already started rolling like film credits in her mind. It was nice thinking for a moment that being a couple with him wasn’t an impossible idea. All the inappropriate thoughts she’d had earlier returned, only this time he wasn’t someone she fancied just for his hot body. He was so much more. Like a sped-up film, a whole stream of possibilities rushed before her, life events she hadn’t considered for herself before now. A house with a garden, a wedding, babies, children, family holidays, love, belonging. Quickly, she shut them all down. Daydreams like that were fed by limerence and led nowhere but heartache.

‘You know what you were saying earlier about the bosses at 1-Quick letting me down?’ she asked. If she talked about work, it might stop her thinking about all these other things. Remembering why she was really here might also keep her mind on the straight and narrow.

‘Yeah.’

‘Well, the more I think about it, the more I realise they have done. A few months ago, I came up with an idea for how we could improve things. They listened to it and said it was something to think about in the future. Then it was never mentioned again until the other day when Arnie said it was good and he wanted to carry it forward. I wonder if he only said it to butter me up for coming here.’

‘Very possibly.’

‘You also wondered why I was so loyal to them.’

‘I do. I mean, it’s a great quality, but I can’t condone their methods, so I find it hard to understand your loyalty.’

‘I’ve worked there since I left school. Maybe it’s a case of not knowing any better. It’s a stable job, and the qualifications I’ve done have all been work based. It feels risky giving that up for something new.’ Would she get anything else? After finding a place that accepted her, she wasn’t in a hurry to start looking for somewhere that might reject her.

‘Sounds like a better-the-devil-you-know situation, but I really think you’re up against it at 1-Quick. I can’t speak for all other businesses everywhere, but I’m one hundred per cent certain you could get a new job somewhere else where you’d be treated better, and you’d probably be a lot happier.’

She drew in a breath as she considered. He was probably right. Maybe this was the wake-up call she needed. Would a magical day in the snow be her epiphany moment? When better for it to happen than at Christmas?

‘What was the idea you suggested?’ he asked. ‘You don’t have to tell me, of course. Or if you like, you can officially pitch it to me, and I might consider backing it at Innova. You could turn the tables and feed me information about 1-Quick instead of the other way around.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Why not? I’m always on the lookout for good ideas. But if you think it’s unethical, I completely understand.’

‘I would like to tell you, but…’

‘If this isn’t the right time or place, then I’ll happily set up a proper meeting to discuss it in the new year, though you might have left 1-Quick before that.’ He gave her a little wink, leaving her in no doubt that was exactly what he thought she should do.

‘Yeah. Not sure how that’ll go. But I don’t mind telling you informally. I trust you.’

‘I’m glad.’ He tilted his head a little. ‘Because I trust you too.’

She smiled. ‘Even with my dodgy connections.’

‘Even with them.’

‘Ok, well, the idea…’ She fiddled with the fingers of her wet gloves.

‘You can give me the gist of it. I’ll be able to tell you straight away if it’s something we’d be interested in.’

But what if he hated it? The pain of his rejection might be too hard to bear. His expression was gentle though, and his pupils were wide in his icy-blue irises; they seemed to be inviting her to talk. ‘Well, it was an idea to add a series of eco-friendly budget packages aimed at attracting environmentally conscious travellers. It’s not only a popular area, but it’s important for the planet. The packages could include stays at eco-certified hotels, sustainable transportation options, and activities that focus on nature conservation and cultural preservation.’

He gave her an encouraging nod.

‘We could partner with local businesses and communities to ensure that every aspect of the trip is sustainable, from organic dining options to community-based tourism projects. The goal would be to make responsible travel accessible and affordable without compromising on quality.’

He smiled and gave her a gentle nudge. ‘It sounds great. And look around you.’ He pointed towards the house. ‘You’re at the home of an eco-warrior. I’m actually shocked with myself for not thinking about something like this myself. I’ve been thinking about how to crack into the budget market, and this could be the edge I’m looking for. They should have listened to you.’

‘You like it?’ She could hardly believe it.

‘Yeah, I really do.’

Behind them was a scurrying sound, and Tilly swung around to see the three dogs bounding through the snow. Geoff followed at a half run. ‘Guess what?’ he said.

‘What?’ Rafe asked.

‘I’ve found the old sledges. How about we have a go this afternoon?’

‘Aw brilliant.’ Rafe rubbed his gloved hands together. ‘Will this be another first for you?’ he asked Tilly.

‘It would… But I’m not sure I can go on one.’

‘Why not?’

‘Well… Aren’t they a bit scary?’

‘It’s up to you, but I wouldn’t want you to miss out. You could try a short run. There’s a field beside the house that’s on a slope. It’s not too steep, but it’s quite long and has some bumpy places. I remember sledging down it as a kid right through a gap in the fence at the bottom and ending up in a stream. Not my finest hour and it was bloody freezing.’

‘Not exactly selling this, are you?’ Tilly laughed as they made their way around the back of the house. She would be glad to get inside and warm up again, especially if they were going out later.

Back at the house, they hung their damp coats and gloves in a warm utility room with an extractor fan that Geoff explained to Tilly was working on banked energy saved from solar panels in a special battery.

Hilary had put on another amazing spread for lunch and Tilly was almost able to forget what had brought her here and just enjoy herself. Should she let Arnie know where she was? The thought had barely entered her mind when she pushed it away again. She still had a whole day to figure out how to get home. Sunday train services weren’t as frequent, but as long as they were up and running again, she’d be fine.

She didn’t hold back on filling her plate with sausage rolls and delicious little filo pastry tarts. The cold had given her an appetite, and she needed to build up her energy for the afternoon.

Rafe sat opposite her at lunch, eating his selection of finger foods with more than half an eye on Tilly. She knew it because she couldn’t stop looking back. Perhaps he was sizing her up. Was it because he liked her idea? She couldn’t exactly stop him from stealing it or using a variation of it. Ideas couldn’t be copyrighted after all. But was that the only thing on his mind? His gaze dropped more than once to her lips, and she returned the favour. God, he really was handsome.

‘No sledging for me,’ Grandma said. ‘Those days have long gone. Thankfully,’ she added to Tilly with a wink. ‘I get to stay indoors where it’s lovely and warm.’

‘I’m happy to stay here too,’ Hilary said. ‘I don’t have a burning desire to get cold and wet. You can borrow my jacket and boots again, Tilly. I’m sure the fans in the utility room will have dried them out.’

They had, and Tilly pulled them back on after lunch and stepped back into the snow with the others. She put her hand over her shoulder, reaching for the hood that was stuck down her back, wriggling her neck as she tried to free it.

‘Allow me.’ Rafe stepped up behind her and gently tugged it out. Goosebumps prickled up her spine. His proximity was warm, and kind of alarming, not because she was scared of him, but because the sensations he elicited in her were confusing at best. Her skin tingled beneath the layers of clothing, and she wanted to close her eyes and slip into a dream where his soft touch didn’t stop there. But it did, and he stepped away, running his fingers through his hair.

‘Thanks.’ Tilly adjusted the hood on her shoulders.

Rafe gave her a brief smile, and they fell into step with the others.

‘This field doesn’t belong to us,’ Geoff said as they crunched through the snow towards the top of a rolling plain of snow. The edge of what was presumably the fence stuck up around the perimeter. ‘But we know the farmer and he’s always been happy for us to use it.’

Rafe had said it wasn’t steep, but it wasn’t exactly flat. Thick woodland flanked it at the top, the tree branches weighed down by snow. At the bottom end was a more obvious fence, presumably the one Rafe had ploughed through as a child. In some places, winter bushes grew around it and in other parts, it was wide open.

Tilly’s pulse quickened as she tried to imagine rushing down at breakneck speed. The cold air bit at her cheeks, and she tugged the collar of Hilary’s jacket. A few snowflakes seemed to fall, though it could have been from the overhanging trees. A gloomy grey had covered the blue skies of the morning.

‘Looks like more snow is coming,’ Geoff said. He, Rafe, Cressida and Genevieve all had large plastic sledges in either pillar box red or royal blue.

‘It’s amazing these things have lasted,’ Genevieve said.

‘That’s plastic for you,’ Geoff said. ‘If you want durability, there’s nothing better, though of course that isn’t always good.’

Genevieve dumped her sledge on the ground, then smirked at Finlay. ‘You first, then I’ll hop on top.’

‘There’s an offer I can’t refuse,’ he said with a smirk, climbing onto the sledge. Genevieve clambered on top, leaning back so he got a mouthful of hair. Tilly barely had a chance to laugh before they were off, whizzing down, towards the open section of fence away in the distance.

Geoff and Rafe got onto a sledge each and followed. Tina sat on with Alexander, and once she’d decided he liked it, Cressida pushed her off.

‘Don’t you fancy a go?’ Cressida asked after she’d filmed Tina and Alexander shooting off.

‘It looks a bit scary, but if Alexander can do it, I should, shouldn’t I?’

‘Only if you want to.’ Cressida patted her back. ‘No point in forcing yourself. There’s a shorter slope on the side here.’ She climbed a little further and pointed. Tilly followed to look. ‘It’s a bit messy at the bottom with all the dead bushes, but you should be able to stop before that.’

Tilly had no idea how to stop. At the sound of voices, she turned around. Geoff, Finlay and Rafe looked to be having a race back up, running with their sledges while Tina and Genevieve walked behind helping Alexander. When they got back to the top, Rafe grinned at Tilly. ‘Want a go?’ He was a little short of breath.

‘I’m not sure.’

‘I suggested the shorter run.’ Cressida pointed to the other side of the hill.

‘Um… It looked a bit better, but I don’t know how to stop.’

‘Come on with me if you want,’ Rafe said.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Together? With him? How close they’d be. He’d have to hold her, and she’d be at his mercy – which didn’t bother her one bit. She craved it.

‘Ok.’ Her voice was small, but he smiled and gently put his hand on her back. The touch sent a shiver through her, even with all these layers on.

‘Come on then.’ He placed the sledge at the top of the shorter run. ‘This one is actually steeper,’ he said. ‘It’ll be quite fast.’ He sat down, holding the sledge in position with his feet. With a deep breath, Tilly positioned herself in front of him. With his firm body behind her and strong arms around her, she felt like nothing could harm her. His hot breath landed on her neck, and she trembled, every nerve end tingling, but before she could fully enjoy the sensation, they were off, hurtling down the slope.

Wind whipped through her hair, and her screams and laughter rang out as they raced downhill. Rafe’s arms held her tight, his strong legs wedging her in.

‘Oh my god,’ she squealed, clinging to the rope. They approached the bottom of the hill, and panic surged through her veins. ‘Watch out!’

‘Fuck,’ he yelled.

With a sudden lurch, the sledge careened off course, veering close to a snow-covered bush. Tilly’s heart leaped into her throat as they crashed into it.

The sledge rolled over and Tilly found herself lying on her back in the snow, Rafe on top of her and a flurry of flakes dripping on them.

‘Christ, I’m sorry about that.’ Rafe pushed himself up to move away.

Breathless and exhilarated, Tilly pushed her glasses straight onto her nose, then put her hands up, and slipped them around his neck.

‘What are you doing?’ He looked her in the eye.

‘I just…’ She blinked. ‘This will sound really stupid, but I wish I had come here as your girlfriend and that all this was real. I haven’t had this much fun in years… maybe ever.’

‘I wish that too,’ he murmured, gently moving a strand of damp hair from her forehead. ‘I can’t stop thinking about you, and I don’t mean as anything to do with 1-Quick.’

‘Same.’ She tugged off her gloves and let them fall to the ground, pressing her cold fingers against his warm skin. ‘Will you kiss me?’

‘What?’ His eyes widened and Tilly’s cheeks scorched. Why had she said that? What kind of idiot was she? As if she hadn’t done enough stupid things in the past couple of days.

‘I, um, thought this bush was mistletoe.’ Her voice was barely a whimper.

He frowned. ‘I don’t think so. It doesn’t grow around here.’

‘Oh… Well, I didn’t know… I—’

‘How about we pretend it is?’

‘Could we?’

‘Yeah. In fact, I was wrong. It’s definitely mistletoe, and it’s demanding that we use it.’

She smiled, unable to draw her gaze from him. He tilted his head slightly and slowly slipped her glasses onto the top of her head. Then he dipped in and pressed the most sublime kiss onto her lips. The warm touch woke every frozen nerve end in her body. He slid his hand under her head, cradling her as he plied her with more gentle kisses. All soft and on the surface, but enough to wake her heart from a deep slumber. She was alive with need now, like she’d never been before. And hungry. Without thinking, she opened her mouth to him, and he responded. She held him close as he ravished her lips, willing this moment to last for a very long time.