A Highland Christmas (The Shadows Series Book 5)

by Juliette Duncan

  Dillon headed straight for the window and stared out at the skiers weaving down the mountain. James, Clare and Quinn joined him.

  When Andrew pulled a chair out for her, Brianna’s mouth curved into a smile before she lowered her gaze. It was nice having a handsome Scotsman look after her.

  The adults ordered coffees, and the children, hot chocolates. Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam were ordered all round. They’d just finished eating when the skiers returned.

  “How was it?” Andrew asked, when they all traipsed in and pulled up chairs to join the group.

  “Great,” Danny replied, shrugging off his jacket before he sat. “How was the boy?” He nodded towards Dillon.

  “We just built snowmen.” Dillon leaned on Daniel, his bottom lip protruding in a pout.

  Daniel picked him up and plopped him on his lap. “That must have been fun.”

  “Not as much fun as skiing.”

  “It was my fault. I wanted to make a snowman,” Andrew confessed.

  Daniel held in a chuckle.

  Brianna picked at her nails to avoid looking at him. Danny would easily figure out why Andrew chose to make a snowman over skiing. She hoped he wouldn’t joke about it in front of everyone.

  A child screamed at the next table and everyone turned to see what had happened. A toddler had fallen off his chair and landed heavily on the floor. By the time he stopped crying, the previous conversation had been forgotten, and Brianna relaxed when everyone started chatting amongst themselves.

  A little later, when Andrew leaned close and whispered in her ear inviting her to ski one of the runs with him, she agreed without a second thought.

  Chapter 8

  After Brianna quickly organised a set of skis, she and Andrew hurried to the chairlift where Grace, Ryan, Caleb, Shawn, Joel and Aislin stood in a group chatting.

  Ryan looked up as they approached. “About time! We were just about to go without you.”

  “Sorry we held you up,” Andrew said, his voice low and humourless.

  Grace nudged Ryan in the ribs. “We weren’t about to go. Ryan was just trying to be funny.”

  He clapped Andrew on the back and chuckled. “Like Grace said, I was just being silly. It’s all good. Thought we’d do the blue run this time. Sound all right?”

  “Is it an easy one?” Brianna asked.

  “You worried, Bi?”

  Straightening, she lifted her chin. “No…” But if it hadn’t been for Andrew inviting her, she most definitely would not be standing there about to ski down a mountain, no matter how easy the run might be.

  “Okay, let’s go.” Ryan led the way and they all skied to the line. Within a matter of minutes, Brianna was sitting beside Andrew, being swept upwards over the dazzling white snow, skis swinging in the air below the seat.

  “Are you okay?” He turned his head and searched her eyes.

  She felt a ripple of excitement. Was Andrew about to hold her hand? Kiss her? How romantic would that be? How had this happened? White snowy peaks, brilliant against the pale blue sky, fresh mountain air brushing her face and heightening her senses, a gorgeous, caring man seated beside her, gazing into her eyes… Was she okay? She was more than okay. She surprised herself and smiled easily. “Yes, but I have to confess I’m not good at skiing.”

  “That’s okay. I’ve done a bit of skiing. I can help.”

  Brianna let out a happy sigh. Warmth flooded her body, and she pulled her gaze away to look at the scenery. Minutes later they disembarked and joined the others, but as she stood beside them, a lump grew in the pit of her stomach as the reality of what she’d committed herself to hit home. Why had she thought she could do this?

  Grace adjusted her goggles, nodded to Ryan, and together they took off down the mountain, looking like pros. Caleb and Shawn went next, followed by Joel and Aislin. When just the two of them were left, Andrew looked at Brianna and tilted his head. “Ready?”

  She steeled herself but her insides quivered. “I… I guess so.” She lowered her goggles and eased forward. Her heart pounded. The hill was so steep. Why was she doing this? As her speed increased, she tried to remember how to snow plough, but she panicked and angled her skis to the side, coming to an abrupt stop and landing headfirst in the snow.

  Lifting her head, she brushed snow off her face as tears pricked her eyes. She shouldn’t have come.

  Andrew stopped beside her and bent down, his face etched with worry. “What happened, Brianna? Are you hurt?”

  “No, but I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry.” She tried to sit, but her skis were so long and she couldn’t get them into the right position. She flopped back into the snow, close to tears.

  Andrew reached out his hand. “Let me help you up. I didn’t realise you couldn’t ski at all. But it’s okay, I can show you.”

  Brianna shook her head. “No… I’ll climb back to the top and go down on the chair lift.”

  “They won’t let you. Here, take my hand—I’ll help you.” His voice was so kind and sincere, and he didn’t sound annoyed.

  She took his hand. Finally getting her skis facing the right direction, she slipped when she tried to stand and collapsed back onto the snow. This time, instead of crying, she laughed as her skis went in opposite directions. “I’m sorry. I really am useless.”

  Andrew laughed with her. “No, you’re not. Use your poles and I’ll steady you. Bend your knees and keep your weight low. It’s all about your centre of gravity.”

  “Okay… I’ll try again.” She sat, then slowly eased herself up with Andrew’s help until she was upright and stable. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” He grinned at her. “Now, tell me what you know.”

  “Not much, I’m afraid.”

  “Okay, we’ll take it really slowly. We’ll need to keep out of the way of the faster skiers, but it’ll be fine. We’ll just do short runs, and we can take a break whenever you want.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Andrew gave her a smile that made her knees even weaker, if that was possible. “I don’t mind. We can take as long as you need. Ready?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay, we’ll just go a few metres, then we’ll stop, turn, and go another few metres until you get the hang of it. I’ll go first and I can help you stop if needed.” He lowered his goggles and effortlessly skied a short distance before stopping and turning, and waited for her to reach him.

  Brianna inched forward, trying to keep the skis angled in a little as she steadied herself with her poles. Going sideways was much less frightening than going straight down. As she approached Andrew, she slowed and then stopped.

  “How was that?”

  She smiled. “Better.”

  “Good. Now we need to change directions. It’s easier to do when you’re moving, so we’ll keep going in this direction, then when you’re ready, turn your left ski first, bend your leg, then bring your right ski around until they’re parallel again. We won’t go fast, so it’ll be okay. I’ll go first.”

  Andrew made it look so easy. Brianna squared her shoulders and steeled herself. Surely she could do it. She inhaled slowly then eased forward. Her heart ricocheted in her chest as she began turning her left ski. What if she couldn’t bring it around and she ended up going straight down? She could kill herself. No… don’t think like that… concentrate. Bend your knees. Bring the skis around. The tension in her body eased a little when she was facing the opposite direction.

  Andrew rested one arm on his pole and gave her a high five as she pulled up next to him.

  “I did it.” Her gentle laugh rippled through the air.

  “You did.” His eyes sparkled and her heart skipped a beat. “Ready to do another one?”

  “Yes,” she replied, feeling a lot more confident.

  “Let’s go.”

  She followed him down a slightly longer run, but her ski got stuck and she tumbled, landing at his feet, face first in the snow once again. She lifted her head slowly, wipin
g snow off her face.

  Andrew bent down and helped her sit. “Are you okay? Nothing broken?”

  Brianna felt her ankle. It was a little tender, but not broken. “I’m fine. Just embarrassed.”

  “It was a very elegant fall.”

  “No, it wasn’t! How can a face-plant be elegant?” She broke into an involuntary giggle.

  “Depends on who’s doing it.” His eyes sparkled with merriment.

  Brianna’s breath caught as their eyes met. The magnetism between them was growing, and it scared and excited her at the same time. “You’re… you’re such a good skier. Where did you learn?”

  “Italy, mainly. It’s great over there. Bigger ski fields than here. Lots of runs.” He reached out and flicked some snow off her hair. “You should check it out.”

  Brianna giggled. “Bigger runs wouldn’t be any good for me, but I’d love to go to Italy. It must be lovely.”

  “It would be even lovelier when sharing it with someone special.”

  Her heart beat faster. Was he just flirting, or was he for real? He’d have the pick of any number of girls in his line of work. Maybe he wasn’t serious at all and he was just amusing himself with her. Filling in time. He seemed genuine, but really, what did she know about him? Zilch.

  She jumped when a spray of snow hit her in the face. Grace and Ryan pulled up in front of them, looking anxious. “Bibi, we’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  Brianna angled her head. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “A storm’s coming—didn’t you notice?” Grace’s annoyed glance darted between her and Andrew.

  “No.” But a quick look at the sky confirmed Grace was right. A thick band of cloud hovered threateningly over Ben Nevis and was heading their way. How had they missed it? “Thanks for letting us know. I got stuck, and Andrew’s been helping me. We’ll follow you down.”

  “Good. Don’t waste any time. We’re off to find Aislin and Joel and we’ll be right down.”

  “We won’t—we’ll come straight away.” Brianna grabbed her poles.

  “See you there.” Grace lifted her hand in a wave and propelled herself forward. Ryan followed, and within moments, they were out of sight.

  Brianna looked at Andrew. “How did we miss those angry-looking clouds?” But she knew… they’d been so distracted with each other they hadn’t noticed it.

  Andrew shrugged and looked apologetic. “I should have paid more attention. We’d better get moving.” He sounded worried. Quickly standing, he offered her his gloved hand.

  Brianna took it and tried hard not to get her skis tangled as he helped her up. “I hope we make it back in time. The sky looks menacing.” Her chest tightened.

  “We’ll be okay, but we’ll need to go faster.” A muscle in his jaw quivered.

  “I’ll do my best.” Taking some deep breaths, she tried to avoid looking too far down the hill.

  “You’ll be fine. I’ll be beside you the whole way.”

  “Thanks.” Brianna gave him a nervous smile and eased carefully forward. As her confidence grew, she took longer, steeper runs before changing direction, but was still unable to go straight down like the other skiers. Before reaching the half-way mark, wind gusts carrying icy bullets of snow and ice pummelled them, reducing visibility and sending the temperature plummeting. When the lights from the restaurant pierced the cloud, she released a huge sigh of relief. She thought she was never going to make it.

  Daniel waved frantically as they approached the gondola station, motioning them to hurry. “Quick, the last gondola’s about to leave.” His voice barely reached them.

  Brianna dipped her chin against the wind and skied the short distance to join him. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and then peered behind her, his forehead puckering. “Where are Grace and Ryan?”

  Brianna’s forehead creased. “They went looking for Aislin and Joel.”

  “Aislin and Joel are fine—they caught the last gondola with the others, but Grace and Ryan aren’t here.” Daniel’s voice was thick with emotion. He peered up the mountain as the gondola operator ushered them onto the landing. Turning around, he pushed against the man. “There’s two more to come… we have to wait.” Brianna had never seen Daniel so agitated.

  The short, chubby man shook his head. “We can’t wait, sorry. This is the last one going down. I’ll report them as missing and send a team out. Just give me the details.”

  Brianna’s eyes popped open. Missing? Grace and Ryan? The gondola lurched when she stepped into it, and without thinking, she grabbed Andrew’s arm.

  Daniel held his ground. “I want to stay. I’m sure they’ll be here any minute.” His usual kind voice was surprisingly curt.

  But even his charm didn’t work on the man. “Like I said, I’ll report them as missing. The Mountain Rescue Team will go looking for them and will bring them down. Where were they last seen?” He ushered Daniel into the gondola as he spoke.

  Daniel looked to Andrew.

  Andrew took the cue. “They were about three hundred metres from the start of the blue run when we saw them. They’re good skiers, so I don’t know what would have happened.”

  “We’ll find them, don’t you worry.” After the man closed the gate and pressed a button, the gondola lurched forward.

  Daniel ran his hand over his thick woollen beanie as they began to descend, his eyes wide and glassy. “I don’t believe this has happened.”

  Tears pricked Brianna’s eyes. It was all her fault. What if something happened to them? She’d never forgive herself. She brushed her tears away quickly, but too late, because Andrew had noticed. He took her hand and squeezed it. “They’ll be okay. Ryan seems resourceful and he knows these mountains, and your sister’s strong. They’ll be fine.”

  She nodded, wanting to believe him, but she couldn’t help but fear the worst as the wind gusts increased and visibility reduced to zero.

  Chapter 9

  With the wind buffeting the gondola, the ride down Aonach Mor was scarier than the rides at Alton Towers. Daniel, Brianna and Andrew held hands and prayed not only for their safety, but that of Grace and Ryan’s. Brianna could barely utter a word, but her heart pleaded with God to keep them safe. If only she hadn’t gone up there in the first place. What had she been thinking? She owed her life to Grace. A heavy weight settled in her stomach. How many times had Grace dragged her out of the gutter after she’d overdosed following the loss of her baby? Sat beside her in hospital when she should have been at work? Cared enough to bring her to Danny and Lizzy’s when neither of them believed in God’s power, but it was the only option left? Brianna squeezed her eyes shut and fought back tears. Surely God wouldn’t let anything happen to Grace now after all they’d been through?

  As they approached the bottom of the mountain, she inhaled deeply and tried to leave her worry with God. Bible verses she’d committed to memory challenged her to trust Him, but could she? Trusting God in small things was one matter, but now her sister’s life was in danger. That was a different story. She had no doubt God worked in people’s lives—He’d worked in hers, but would He answer their prayers and keep Grace and Ryan safe in this blizzard? Did he really answer prayers like that?

  The gondola came to a stop, and Daniel and Andrew both motioned for her to alight first. Snow swirled on a freezing wind, virtually blowing her off the step. When Andrew grabbed her arm and steadied her, Brianna looked up and gave him a weak, but grateful smile.

  Joel, Aislin, Shawn and Caleb stood huddled together and looked up expectantly as the three of them approached. The questions in their eyes quickly changed to alarm as Danny conveyed the news that Grace and Ryan were still on the mountain.

  “We need to report them as missing,” Caleb said, his eyes large and wild. “It’s supposed to get worse.”

  “The report’s been made, but I don’t know what’s happening. We need to find out.” Daniel rubbed his arms briskly as his glance shot to the Aonach Mor Ticket office, now shrouded in heavy cloud.

/>   “I’ll come with you.” Caleb turned to the others. “Get in the bus and go home. We’ll wait here until they’re found.”

  Brianna shook her head. “I want to wait too.”

  Caleb placed his hand on her shoulder. “No, Bi. You’re better off at home, out of this. It could be hours.”

  “Caleb’s right, Bi. We’ll let you know as soon as they’re found. Go home and pray.” Danny’s voice was firm, and even though she would rather have stayed, Brianna allowed Andrew to guide her to the bus, the only vehicle remaining in the car park.

  A hush fell amongst those waiting inside the bus as the five of them entered. It must have been clear from their faces that something was amiss.

  When Andrew cleared his voice, everyone turned their attention to him, Brianna included. With Danny, Caleb and Ryan absent, Andrew took charge, and despite the situation, her insides glowed with pride.

  He gave the group a reassuring smile. “I don’t want any of you to worry, but Grace and Ryan didn’t make the last gondola.”

  Stunned silence filled the bus.

  “Will they be okay?” Dillon’s little voice came from one of the front seats.

  Andrew looked down at him. “The Mountain Rescue Team will find them.” He spoke with quiet confidence.

  “Will they come down by helicopter?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Where’s my daddy?”

  “He and your Uncle Caleb are waiting here until they come down the mountain. He said for the rest of us to go home and get warm and dry.”

  “Can I stay with them?” Dillon’s little voice inched higher.

  “Dillon!” Lizzy glared at him. “That’s enough. We’re going home like Daddy said.”

  “Okay.” Dillon’s shoulders slumped.

  Andrew rubbed his hands together. “We’ll need to get the chains on the tyres—it’s going to be a hairy ride home. Everyone understand?” His gaze travelled around the bus. There was a general nod of consensus. Maybe it was because he was Scottish and this was his home, but it seemed that everyone, not just Brianna, was relieved that he was taking charge.