Mix-Up under the Mistletoe (Glenbriar #11)

Chapter Nineteen

Rafe

‘ L ook what I found in the shed,’ Geoff held out two bright orange snow shovels.

‘Knock yourself out, Dad,’ Rafe said.

Geoff chuckled. ‘Shame I didn’t find them quicker or we could have attempted to get your mum out for the nativity. It’s too late now.’

‘We could still clear some of it,’ Finlay said. ‘Then at least we could get out in an emergency.’

No doubt they could with a lot of effort, but that would also be cutting a path for Tilly to escape. And Rafe didn’t want that. But he wasn’t her jailor. She was free to leave whenever it was safe.

‘Come on.’ Finlay took the shovels from Geoff and tossed one to Rafe. ‘Let’s do this.’

With a groan, he raised his eyebrow at the shovel. He’d much rather go back to Tilly.

His breath plumed in the chilly air as he puffed his dissent. The driveway sloped uphill; this would need some serious exertion.

‘Not exactly a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon,’ Rafe said.

‘Ready to eat my dust?’ Finlay said with a smirk. His appetite for sports was well known and Rafe wasn’t sure he could beat him if it came to a competition, but he wasn’t going to lie down without a fight.

‘You wish. I’ll have this driveway cleared before you even break a sweat.’

‘Such fighting talk. Come on then, show me.’

As a P.E. teacher, endurance cyclist, member of the tug-of-war team, and rugby coach, Finlay had winning credentials. But Rafe loved the outdoors, hiking, cycling, and skiing, so they were well-matched in terms of fitness, though Rafe didn’t have quite the same level of motivation – not for this anyway.

He plunged his shovel into the snow, his boots crunching on the frozen ground with each step. The scraping sound echoed through the silence, punctuated by the occasional grunt of effort as they forged upward. Trees swayed gently in the breeze, occasionally dropping clumps of snow silently to the ground. Snow crystals spritzed in the chill air from the shovels too, swirling around them like a flurry of confetti.

As they ascended the driveway, the incline grew steeper, and the snow seemed to fight back. Each shovelful became heavier, each step more laborious. If this had done one thing, it had stopped him thinking about Tilly. All he could think about was getting to the top so this could stop.

‘I need a breather.’ He leaned on his shovel, letting out a long, slow breath.

‘Yeah.’ Finlay stopped shovelling and frowned at what they still had left to do. ‘Whose bright idea was this?’

‘Some crazy punter.’

Finlay laughed. ‘I can almost see the road. Looks like the plough has been down.’ He stood on his tiptoes. ‘There’s definitely black on there.’

Cold air nipped at Rafe’s cheeks and icy daggers made their way to his insides as he nodded. With the driveway clear and the main road open, how could he keep Tilly here any longer? If she wanted, she could call a taxi and leave straight away. Even if the trains weren’t running from Glenbriar, they might be from Perth and definitely would be from Edinburgh or Glasgow. The snow wasn’t widespread. Only rural areas had been badly affected. But now he’d pushed open the door and Tilly could go through whenever she wanted.

He and Finlay continued their uphill battle until they got to the main gate. Despite the physical exertion, there was a sense of achievement as they looked back at their handiwork. The road had indeed been ploughed and getting the Raptor out now would be no problem. His excuses had run out. If he wanted Tilly to stay, he’d have to ask her… Tell her he wanted her to.

But to what end?

What if Tilly’s concerns were right? Was she just desperate for someone to attach herself to? Was he enabling her? She was just so easy to love. Love ?

Do I love Tilly?

Could you love someone after such a short period? Christ. He’d been down this road before. He’d fallen in love with his ex-wife about ten seconds after he met her. But that had gone south almost as quickly after their wedding. He’d got it wrong then, and who was to say he wouldn’t do it again? Was he doing the same thing now? He needed to slow down and consider things carefully.

Was Tilly worth taking a risk? His gut reaction was yes, but he wasn’t sure he trusted his gut.

He and Finlay made their way back to the shed, nursing sore arms and achy legs. ‘I need a long soak.’ Finlay rolled his shoulders.

‘Sounds like a good idea. Let’s get back inside.’

Rafe settled for a hot shower. He let the water revive his limbs, tossing back his head and running his hands through his hair. Visions of Tilly popped up in his mind. If she was here… Oh, the things they could do. But where was she? He hadn’t seen her when he came in. He wanted to, needed to. His body and soul ached without her. Not the reaction he needed right now. Focus on letting her go… But the opposite was happening. He couldn’t get her out of his mind.

He got out of the shower and towelled himself dry before pulling on a pair of soft grey lounge pants. If he couldn’t wear these at Christmas, when could he? He added a plain white t-shirt and headed out of the room. As he passed Tilly’s door, he heard a soft sound. Was she in there?

He knocked. ‘Tilly? Are you there?’

After a moment, the door opened, and she stood before him, her eyes glistening and a little puffy. It cut him to the core to see her so upset.

‘What’s happened?’

‘Work.’ She let out a shuddery breath.

‘What about it?’

‘My boss is furious. You should read his email.’

‘I’d like to.’

She stood back from the door, and he came in.

‘Oh, Tilly, Tilly,’ he said with a sigh, clamping his hands on her upper arms, then leaning his forehead on hers. How he’d missed her. She stayed still, but he sensed she was forcing it. Her surrounding energy seemed to shake. Or maybe it was the powerful force inside him that was buzzing with the desire to hold her close. ‘Let’s see this email,’ he said after a moment, keeping his tone measured and sticking to the subject.

She lifted her phone from the bed, scrolled, then handed it to him.

He read it with a raised eyebrow.

Dear Tilly

I understand from Mitchell that you travelled from Glasgow to Perthshire on Friday on an unauthorised task that involved visiting the private residence of one of our competitors. This was unadvised and undertaken on your own back. The company accepts no liability for this visit, and you won’t be reimbursed for it.

As the matter stands, you are expected in the office on Monday morning. If you are unable to be here, disciplinary measures will be taken. I need not add how this will affect your future career prospects.

We are calling a meeting for first thing tomorrow morning, where we will be discussing restructuring. Your attendance is expected.

Arnie Wilcox

‘Wow. He sounds an absolute pleasure to work with,’ Rafe said with a dollop of sarcasm.

‘What can I do?’ Tilly’s eyes were wide and helpless.

‘Let me think about how to reply,’ Rafe said. ‘I’d like you to throw Mitchell under the bus and quit, but it’s better if you keep everything professional, then he won’t have a leg to stand on if he dismisses you.’ He glanced back at the email and shook his head, then placed the phone on the dresser. Tilly stood alone at the end of the bed with her arms wrapped tight around herself. ‘Here,’ he whispered. So what if it made more sense to keep his distance? How could he abandon her when she looked so sad? He opened his arms to her. She looked like she might shake her head and turn away, but she yielded and fell into him. He drew her close, and all the muddled thoughts and ideas aligned in a brief moment of peace. ‘Try not to worry. I’ll help you as much as I can.’ He kissed the side of her head, loving the way she closed her eyes like this was a dream. It kind of was. And, all things considered, a rather good one. Just a pity it might only be a short one.

She glanced up at him and smiled gently, her pupils dilating. Then she pushed up on her toes, pressing a kiss on his lips. ‘I can’t thank you enough,’ she murmured.

‘You don’t have to thank me for anything.’

She kissed him again, slipping her hand around his jaw. He pulled her flat against him, splaying his fingers on her back. His blood rushed south again. Damn these trousers. Soft as they may be, they were also too flimsy to act as a barrier. She’d know just what she did to him.

A knocking sound made them freeze. It wasn’t loud enough to have been on Tilly’s door… Was it someone looking for him and knocking on his bedroom door? There wasn’t anyone in the bedroom on the other side of Tilly.

‘Where did that come from?’ Tilly asked.

He gave a little shrug as another thud sounded louder than the one before.

‘Rafe, are you in there?’ Genevieve’s voice said, like she was talking into his room and sounding weirdly panicky. Something told him this wasn’t the time to be coy about getting caught in Tilly’s room.

He let go of Tilly, crossed the room, and opened the door. ‘I’m in here, helping Tilly with an email. What’s wrong?’

‘Alexander slipped when they were outside. He banged his head and has a really big cut. He should go to the hospital, but Cress is worried about driving in the snow. Their car isn’t great in it.’

‘I’ll take him in the Raptor. Just let me grab some clothes.’

‘Will you get through?’ Tilly said.

‘Finlay and I cleared the driveway,’ he said. ‘And the road is open.’

‘It’s open? Then I should go too.’

Ice slipped into Rafe’s bloodstream. No. He didn’t want Tilly to go.

You’re not her guard. If she wants to go, you have to let her.

‘I’ll take you later if you want to go,’ he said. ‘But this is urgent.’

‘Yeah, I know. Go.’

He bolted to his room and dragged on some clothes, then hurtled down the stairs.

Cress and Tina were comforting the sobbing Alexander. His beautiful blond curls were now tinged with blood.

‘Oh dear,’ Hilary said. ‘Poor baby.’

‘I hope it’s a quick fix,’ Grandma said. ‘We don’t want the wee soul in hospital for Christmas.’

‘Let’s go,’ Rafe said. He pushed all thoughts of Tilly from his mind. He had to focus on getting Alexander safely to the hospital.

The Raptor’s engine roared to life, drowning out the soft murmurs of Cressida and Tina in the backseat. Rafe glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Cressida’s gaze as she held the tearful Alexander’s hand. Tina sat on the other side, pressing a bandage to his forehead.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll get him checked out.’ Rafe gripped the steering wheel and took off slowly up the track he and Finlay had cleared earlier. Thank goodness they had.

‘Thanks so much,’ Tina said as the little one sniffled.

‘No probs. Hang in there, little buddy,’ Rafe said. ‘We’ve got this.’ He reached the top of the drive and pulled away from the estate, the snowy landscape unfolding before them, looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen it.

‘Is it far?’ Tina asked.

‘There’s a small hospital in Glenbriar,’ Rafe replied, eyes pinned on the road. A track had been cleared but in some places drifts from overhanging branches had covered it again. ‘There’s always a doctor on call. We should be able to see someone.’

‘I can’t believe it,’ Cressida said. ‘He was so happy running about and then bang.’

‘It happens,’ Rafe said. ‘We’ll make sure he’s ok.’

‘Your mum said she had you at A the town was functioning, and buses would be running soon. If she wanted to leave, she could leave, with or without his help.

‘Are you ok to go in yourself?’ he said to Cressida and Tina. ‘I’d like to grab some stuff in town while I’m here. I’ll come back as soon as you’re ready.’

‘Sure. I’ll message you,’ Cressida said.

Rafe watched them go in, then jumped out of the Raptor and locked it. He wasn’t sure he was supposed to leave the car here, but parking in Glenbriar was bad at the best of times and at Christmas it was even worse. What he wanted was to find something he could give Tilly for Christmas. Even if she wasn’t with him, she’d have something. Or she might choose to stay, in which case, he wanted her to have presents to open on Christmas morning. Nice things he’d chosen for her.

Glenbriar was a shoppers’ haven if you liked boutique shops and family-run businesses. He could go up the street and get her something from everywhere. A perfect Glenbriar stocking, starting with some treats from the sweet shop, then some handmade soap. And there was the jewellery shop. He scanned the shelves and displays of pretty pieces. It didn’t sell diamonds and wasn’t comparable with Tiffany’s or even Oliver Bonas, but it was handmade and unique. Tilly would appreciate it… And he wanted to get her something special, because that was what she was to him.

Special.

No matter what happened, she’d always occupy a special place in his heart. Buying Christmas gifts had never been something Rafe enjoyed or even put much effort into. The last time he had was for his ex-wife before they were married, and he’d spent ages trying to find the perfect gift. He’d done that online as he usually did for everyone else, but this felt so much more personal, checking every shop for the perfect item.

Christ! Am I doing it again?

He didn’t even remember what he’d bought for his ex in the end. A few years down the line, would this experience be similarly shelved? Maybe he had a serious problem for falling too fast. His eyes roamed over a pretty display laid out on a white table like a mini snow scene. He lifted a silver and rose gold bracelet. A heart entwined with a star dangled from it. Understatedly pretty. Just like Tilly.

If he stopped to think, he’d give up on the whole idea. He shouldn’t be doing any of this. But it sparked joy inside him, and he smiled as he looked at the bracelet, imagining it on Tilly. This was what Christmas was all about, wasn’t it?

Joy… Love.

No matter which way he looked at it, he was properly done for.