by Roz Marshall
"We were at The Rowan this evening after the race, celebrating — as you do," said Callum, with a roguish lift of an eyebrow, "and guess who came in, done up to the nines like a drag queen at Mardi Gras?"
Ben nodded. "Mike was there, but so was Jude, so she made for the only free seat—"
"Which wasn't beside me, fortunately!" interrupted Callum.
"Next thing, she was all over Marty like a rash."
"And he was lapping it up, even though she must be, like, twice his age — a real-life 'Mrs Robinson'!" As Callum spoke, Debbie thought she noticed Ben stiffen briefly, but when she looked again, he was smiling at her as normal. I must've imagined it.
"So that's when we decided to bail, and come visit you," Callum continued.
"D'you think it'll be towels on door-handles tonight?" Debbie asked Ben, with mischievous glance at Callum.
Ben just rolled his eyes.
"She goes home on Saturday," said Callum, then looked sideways at Ben. "Marty might need the weekend to recover!"
"Aye, he probably will!"
Debbie looked thoughtful. "I suppose you could use my bed, Ben, if you want, rather than sleeping on the couch." She raised her hands to indicate the hospital ward. "It's not like I'm going to need it tonight." She frowned. "As long as Zoë doesn't mind?"
Callum shrugged. "She can swap with me if she does."
"Och, she might not need her bed tonight," Ben said with raised eyebrows, "she was looking pretty chummy with Ollie from Snowbound at the pub."
-::-
From the door of the ward, Jude could see that Debbie already had visitors. "Oh, that's good, she's not been alone then," she said to Mike, who'd come with her this time. He was staying in their spare room, so it would've seemed strange if he'd stayed in the house alone whilst Lucy was at her drama rehearsal.
They reached the bed, exchanged greetings, and started to organise chairs, but just as they sat down, Mike's phone started ringing and he stood up quickly, looking embarrassed.
"Sorry, I should've switched it off." He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen, then his face blanched. "Excuse me, I've got to take this," he muttered, and headed off down the ward so he could take the call outside.
"I assume you heard about the race?" Jude asked Debbie, wondering as she did so who could be phoning Mike? He never gets personal calls, she realised.
"Yes!" said Debbie. "It sounds like it was a real nail-biter!"
Jude nodded, and then fished in her pocket. "These are for you." She handed Debbie some slips of paper.
Debbie glanced down at the gift, and her jaw dropped. "Vouchers? But I didn't win. I mean," she was turning pink, "I didn't race. How could I?" she gestured at the hospital bed.
"The others agreed that you should get your share of the vouchers, since you were part of the original team. What will you buy with them?"
"Oh, I don't know…" Debbie looked up at the ceiling as she pondered this windfall, but before she had time to reply, Mike reappeared, and Jude was surprised to see him looking rather anxious. She'd hardly ever seen him look anything except calm, and it worried her.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
MIKE PAUSED BEFORE answering, collecting his thoughts. "That was my sister on the phone. My dad's seriously ill, and they're not sure if he'll make it past the weekend." He ran a hand through his hair. "I need to go back to New Zealand, as soon as." He sat down heavily in his chair, and looked across at Jude. "If that's okay?"
"Oh, of course you have to go home, don't worry about it," said Jude.
There were murmurs of sympathy from the others, but Mike didn't really hear them; he was only aware of the thundering in his brain, and his thoughts spinning out of control. He circled his fingers on his temple to try and dissipate the threatening headache.
"D'you need any help with anything?" asked Callum.
Mike snapped out of his introspection. "Sorry guys." He shook his head briefly, trying to clear it. "Jude — d'you think you can manage without me for a week or so?"
"Don't you worry about us, Mike. You just worry about getting home for your family. The ski school will still be here when you get back." Her face was a picture of concern.
Mike looked across at Callum. "Perhaps Callum could cover as acting Chief Instructor while I'm away?"
"But won't we still be two instructors short," interjected Debbie, "with me off and Mike away?"
"I suppose I could start instructing again," Jude bit her lip, "but that would leave the office empty." Then her face brightened. "Unless you're well enough to cover the office, Debbie, once you get out of hospital?"
Debbie's eyebrows raised as she thought about that suggestion, then her face fell. "I don't think I could get the bus — I'm still pretty sore, though the painkillers help."
"I'm sure we could organise a lift for you." Jude looked round at them all, then gave Mike a sympathetic look. "We'll be alright, Mike. Now, let's get you home so you can start booking your flights."
-::-
Mike put the phone down and went down the hall to the lounge. He put his head round the door and said, "That's my tickets booked."
Jude looked up from her sketchbook and motioned him in. "How lucky that you got something at such short notice!"
He leaned on the back of the couch and made a face. "Cost me an arm and a leg to do it. Better hope the seats are gold-plated, at that price!"
The corners of her mouth raised, but her eyes looked troubled. "When d'you head off?"
He looked at his watch. "I managed to get a ticket for the London sleeper, but it leaves in about an hour. I'll get the tube to the airport once we get there, and then I fly out for Auckland tomorrow morning."
Her forehead creased. "So when do you get to New Zealand? The time difference always confuses me."
"Around midnight on Friday, their time."
She nodded slowly. "That's a lot of travelling. You'll be exhausted by the time you get there."
"Yeah. D'you mind if I take a quick shower before I go?"
"Of course! There are clean towels in the cupboard in the bathroom."
"Thanks." He moved towards the door. "I'd better rattle me dags or I'll miss the train."
-::-
Jude heard footsteps on the stairs, and put her sketchbook aside. That must be him ready to go. She went out to the hall, and was surprised to see both his rucksack and his ski bag sitting on the polished wood floor, alongside his small daypack. She felt a small knot of anxiety form in her stomach. Is he not planning to come back?
"Did you book your return flights as well?" she asked.
"No." he frowned. "I don't know how long Dad will last, and how long it will take to—" he paused, "sort stuff out, so I just booked one-way."
She let out a long breath, thinking through the implications of this. And then she remembered something she'd been deliberating earlier. "Are you going anywhere near Coronet Peak that you might bump into Allan?"
He shook his head. "No, home's in the North Island, so I'm afraid not." Stooping, he picked up his rucksack and slung it over a shoulder. "I'd better get going. Don't want to miss the train."
She put a hand on his arm, and looked up into his face. "Don't forget to come back. We need you here." The hall light was reflecting off the mirror and highlighting the startling blue of his eyes. Somehow, that reminded her of their kiss earlier, and she felt her cheeks flush at the thought.
"I won't. I like it here." His voice was husky. "I'm only going because I have to."
She nodded, not breaking eye contact. "Goodbye, then," she said, and leaned up to kiss his cheek. But his arms came round her and his mouth found hers, and suddenly she was swept away, feeling the softness of his lips, the solid warmth of his body, the catch of his breath against her cheek. Her body started to tingle and to melt, and her thoughts receded as sensation overtook reason.
"Oh, Lord," he said, finally breaking away, "I really have to go now." He touched her cheek. "Though I'm not sure I wan
t to."
She didn't trust herself to speak. Her body felt like it was on fire, but as her mind wound back to reality, she started to feel mortified by what had happened. I'm a married lady. I shouldn't be kissing men I hardly know. I shouldn't be kissing anyone, except Allan! "We shouldn't have done that, Mike," she said, "it was wrong." She bit her lip. "Sorry."
He looked at her for a long moment, then picked up his other bags. "Good luck with the Ski Development Trust contract, Jude. And," his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, "thanks for giving me the job. It's been good here."
That sounds very final! Her voice came out in a rush. "I meant what I said, Mike. We need you here." She paused. "I need you here. Please don't forget to come back."
His eyes searched her face, and he gave her a sad smile. "She'll be right," he said, and then he was gone, out of the door and into the star-spangled blackness of the night.
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the stories. Do you have a moment to leave a review?
-::-
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-::-
The story continues in Episode 4, 'The Racer Trials'.
Sometimes what you want isn't what you really need…
An extract from:
The Racer Trials
White Cairns Ski School, Episode 4
-::-
BEN LOOKED AT the Valentine card in his hand. For the first time ever, he had no idea who'd sent it.
In the past it had been obvious — someone he was seeing, or a girl at school with an obvious crush on him, or else a signature which removed all of the mystery and intrigue.
But this one was different.
Nothing written on it, except a large X in nondescript blue biro. Nothing exceptional about the pre-printed sentiment in the card: 'Be my valentine'. Nothing non-standard about the hearts and flowers in the illustration. Perhaps a more feminine choice, but unremarkable, so hard to tell.
He turned the envelope over. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary about the printed address, except that it was done on a printer, which meant the person — she? — had a computer, or access to one, and an inkjet. Nothing unusual about the label, although he'd been addressed as 'B. Dalton', which meant they knew his surname, and ruled out most of his skiing pupils — except the few who recognised him from his ski-racing days and occasional appearances on Ski Sunday. Nothing special or foreign about the stamp — just a bog-standard first-class Queen's head on a coloured background, over-stamped by an unreadable postmark.
Nothing extraordinary at all, really.
The only unusual thing about this particular valentine card? It hadn't arrived on Valentine's Day.
-::-
If you liked this extract, you can buy the full novella on Amazon:
Buy 'The Racer Trials' from Amazon
A note from the author
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed this instalment of the Secrets in the Snow series.
The next time you visit your favourite online eBook seller, I'd really appreciate it if you could write a simple review of the book, even if it's only a line or two — you don't need to use your real name, and you don't need to write a lot — it's enough to say whether you enjoyed the book, and if you'd recommend it to others. Most people don't realise how important word-of-mouth is, especially for a new author, and such a small percentage of readers take the time to leave a review that every single one I get is extremely special.
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About the author
Roz lives in Scotland with her husband and the obligatory dog and cat. Her writing experience includes screenwriting, songwriting, web pages and even sentiments for greeting cards!
The Secrets in the Snow series is written from experiences she had whilst working as a ski instructor in various Scottish ski resorts and slopes — they do say you should 'write what you know'!
Website: www.rozmarshall.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rozmarshallauthor
In this series:
The Secrets in the Snow books, in chronological order:
Episode 1, "Winter Arrives"
Short Story 1, "Skiing with Santa"
Short Story 2, "A Dream for Hogmanay"
Episode 2, "Fear of Falling"
Episode 3, "My Snowy Valentine"
"Secrets in the Snow", Volume 1, is a collection containing Episodes 1-3. It is available in both eBook and trade Paperback formats.
Episode 4, "The Racer Trials"
Short Story 3, "The Snow Patrol"
Episodes 5 and 6 will be published in 2014, and will complete the series.
Characters
Allan (Winters)
Jude's husband
Amanda
Ski pupil
Ben Dalton
White Cairns ski instructor
Callum Johnstone
White Cairns ski instructor
Colin
Ski-Easy snowboard instructor
Davie
Ski lift operator (liftie)
Debbie McNeill
White Cairns ski instructor
Ed Griffiths
Ski-Easy manager
Fiona Easton
White Cairns ski instructor
Forbes Sinclair
Ski area operations manager
Geoff Easton
Ski patroller. Fiona's husband
James Paton
Head of PE, Beechfields School
Jean Potter
Sandy's wife. Runs North Lodge B&B
Johnny
Ski pupil
Jude Winters
Acting manager, White Cairns Ski School
Lachie
White Cairns village postman
Linda
Ski area administrator
Lucy (Winters)
Jude and Allan's daughter
Marty Ferguson
White Cairns snowboard instructor
Mike Cole
White Cairns chief instructor
Monique
Ski pupil
Mr Talbot
Manager, Regal Hotel
Natalie
Ski pupil
Ollie
Snowbound ski instructor
Pamela
Ski instructor candidate
Sandy Potter (Santa)
White Cairns ski instructor
Simon Jones (Spock)
White Cairns ski/snowboard instructor
Zoe Agnew
White Cairns snowboard instructor
Glossary
Apparate
Appear magically. See teleport
Basic swing
An intermediate skiing movement
Bindings
The quick-release mechanism that attaches a boot to a ski or snowboard
Button tow
A type of ski lift where skiers are pulled up the hill, straddling a plastic ‘button’ at the bottom of a short metal pole suspended from an ascending tow line
Chips
French fries
Cornice
An unsupported overhang of wind-blown snow
Drag tow
See button tow
Dual slalom
Two contestants race head-to-head on identical, parallel slalom courses
Falling leaf
Ski or snowboard exercise
Glaswegian
Person from Glasgow
Green cross code
Road-crossing advice for children
Hogmanay
The Scots name for New Year's Eve
Ikea
Scandinavian furniture and homewares store
Liftie
Ski lift operator
Loo
Toilet or bathroom
OAP
Old-age pensioner
Parallel (skiing)
Advanced skiing method
PJs
Pyjamas
Poma tow
See button tow
Ski Patrol
Organisation responsible for safety at a ski resort
Slalom
A type of ski race. Slalom races are usually the shortest and have the tightest turns around closely-packed control gates
Snowplough
Beginner ski movement
Stoater
Scottish expression for something outstanding or exceptional
T-bar
Like a button tow, but two skiers or snowboarders ascend together, resting on either side of a t-shaped device at the end of a flexible rope which connects to the tow line
Teleport
A fictional form of transport from the 'Star Trek' TV series, where people and objects are de-materialised and then re-materialised in a new location
UKASI
Fictional snowsports instructors organisation. Grade 3 is their lowest qualification, and Grade 1 the highest
