22

Their fleetingly brief kiss was rudely interrupted by Robbie shouting up the hallway. ‘Fraser, you need to see this. Now!’

Fraser pulled back from Liv and she instantly missed him. Her lips tingled from the contact. Something was zinging around her bloodstream and this time it wasn’t too much sugar from the Scottish tablet.

‘Sorry, it sounds urgent. Don’t go anywhere,’ said Fraser, letting her go and striding off towards the entrance.

What the hell just happened? She felt like she had an angel and a devil on each shoulder who were both perplexed by her actions. This was the guy she hated, right? Then why had that kiss felt so right? This was a big pile of twisted wreckage that was going to short-circuit her brain if she tried to work it out. After a moment she pulled herself together and belatedly followed him.

Liv pulled her clothes tight to her as she went to join the others outside. Liv grabbed a blanket and slung it around her shoulders before following them. She found them all watching someone holding a for sale sign as Fraser stood nearby looking cross. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked.

‘That’s what we all want to know,’ said Dolly scooting her wheelchair next to Fraser and almost spilling a precariously held mug of tea. ‘You need to do something,’ she told him.

‘Like what?’ Fraser threw up his arms.

‘Is this a mistake?’ asked Liv. ‘Are you not putting the hotel on the market?’

‘It’s not mine to sell,’ replied Fraser, his jaw tight.

Liv looked about her at the others. ‘I thought he owned it,’ she said.

‘His dad is the owner,’ said Robbie. His walkie-talkie crackled into life with something inaudible. ‘Tractor ETA five minutes. I suggest we head off,’ he said already shooing Aaron away.

Kacey welled up with tears. ‘Aww, I’m going to miss you guys so much. We were like a little wartime family all thrown together.’

‘Minus the bombs and rationing,’ said Liv, giving her a hug and getting her breath squeezed from her lungs in response.

‘We must keep in touch,’ said Kacey wiping away a tear.

‘Uh-huh.’ Liv nodded but felt it was very unlikely.

Kacey followed Robbie and the others out of the driveway waving all the way. When Liv’s arm started to ache she turned to go back inside. The blanket was next to useless at keeping her warm.

‘You going in?’ asked Effie.

‘Yeah, I’m frozen and I don’t think that poor estate agent needs everyone to watch him while he bangs in a sign.’

‘Thanks,’ said the estate agent seeming a little awkward. ‘But I’m here to value the property. I can’t officially put the sign up until the paperwork is completed. Unless you’re happy for me to–’

‘No, we are not!’ said Dolly. ‘And you’ll not be valuing anything without an appointment.’

‘It’ll only take a few minutes.’

‘Did you not hear what she said. You’ll not be valuing anything today,’ said Fraser.

‘Right. I’ll be in touch but I’ll leave the sign if that’s okay.’ The estate agent leant it against the portico. ‘It was quite a struggle getting it in the car.’ He grinned but nobody replied.

He gave a brief nod and almost ran back to his car that was parked nearby.

Fraser stepped forward, grabbed the sign and attempted to snap it in two. Liv paused, expecting to see something impressive but unfortunately the sign was sturdy. Fraser made a sort of growling noise as he wrestled with at the post, his muscles bulging under his top. Everyone watched in silence. Eventually he let go, looking red in the face. After a bit more of a tussle he finally slammed it down on the ground. He turned around to look at the reaction of the estate agent but he was long gone. It was a bit of an anti-climax.

Fraser cracked his neck, pulled back his shoulders and strode inside. Nobody said a thing as they all filed after him. They walked back into the hotel in silence. Liv wondered what was going on, but it wasn’t really her place to say anything. She supposed this meant they wouldn’t be resuming their kiss anytime soon and she was a little disappointed about that. Liv held the door for Dolly who was behind the others as she had to come the long way around via the ramp.

‘What was that all about?’ asked Liv.

‘Families,’ said Dolly with a tut. ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’ She patted her arm as she passed.

Liv didn’t need to worry; it was nothing to do with her. Fraser was nothing to do with her, but she was intrigued all the same. She went down the hallway towards the kitchen and was intercepted by Effie. As she came out of the kitchen there was the sound of someone banging pots and pans behind her. She shook her head firmly. ‘I’d stay out of his way for a bit. He’s crosser than a cat in a thunderstorm,’ said Effie as there was an almighty clang from the kitchen making them both jump. They crept away. Perhaps now wasn’t the best time to ask Fraser what was going on.

Robbie came back and announced that Aaron’s hire car had been successfully pulled out of the ditch and the occupants had departed. He had no update on when Liv’s car would be looked at, but Liv wasn’t in a rush to go anywhere. She wanted to know what that kiss meant almost as much as she wanted to know why Fraser had ghosted her. Liv busied herself with tidying up the turret. She realised poor Ginger had been without her radio all night so she felt that she should return it to her. With no coat on she made the trip as quickly as possible. ‘Hi, Ginger. Bye, Ginger,’ she said putting the radio back where she’d found it and exiting the stable, pulling the door to behind her and hotfooting it back across the yard into the warmth of the hotel.

‘Fraser!’ came a panicked shout from Dolly, which got Liv’s attention, so she left tidying the tower and headed to the top of the stairs to see what was up.

‘Coming!’ called back Fraser as they all headed in Dolly’s direction.

Dolly was in the hallway below and her shouts had also alerted Robbie. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked as Fraser, Effie and Liv all came barrelling into the hallway.

‘Ginger has escaped,’ said Dolly.

‘Not again,’ said Effie.

‘How?’ said Fraser. ‘I checked that stable door was bolted after I fed her first thing. Someone must have let her out.’

‘Do you suspect foul play?’ asked Robbie looking eager and a little fired up as he pulled his notebook from his pocket.

‘Lizzie wouldn’t do something like that, would she?’ asked Dolly.

‘I wouldn’t put it past her,’ said Effie. ‘She’s not nice.’

Liv had a little flashback to her being keen to get back in the warm as she’d gone out without a coat on and of shutting the stable door. Or did she just pull it closed? She couldn’t be sure. Liv cleared her throat and all eyes swivelled in her direction. ‘I think it might have been me, sorry,’ she said in a small voice. Robbie put away his notebook. ‘You see the little tower room needed some music and I thought of Ginger’s radio, so I borrowed it, and this morning I returned it…’ The faces were not looking sympathetic. ‘I’ll find her. Don’t worry. I’ll get her back,’ said Liv sounding surer than she felt.

‘You can’t go out alone. You don’t know the terrain or the area,’ said Robbie.

‘He’s right,’ said Effie.

‘Fine, I’ll go with her,’ said Fraser stomping off up the hallway and Liv sheepishly followed.

They walked into the utility together. ‘I am really sorry. I know I pulled the stable door shut. But I guess that wasn’t enough.’

‘You think?’ He was cross again. Gone was the gentle man who had kissed her under the mistletoe.

‘I’m not going to beg for your forgiveness,’ she said looking for the coat she’d used the previous day and realising it had been shredded thanks to Jock’O. ‘But I need a coat if I’m going to help you look for her.’

‘Bloody hell. Here, wear Effie’s,’ he said taking it off the hook.

‘Thanks. I don’t know what’s going on with the estate agent and everything, but it’s not my fault.’

They didn’t speak as they donned their wellies and once again headed out into the wintry weather. Fraser sniffed the air. ‘It’s starting to thaw.’

‘Only a little bit.’ Liv looked around at the white landscape.

‘Yep, with any luck you’ll be out of here by this afternoon.’

‘Good,’ she said with feeling, and Fraser twitched as he did a double take. She stomped off across the yard.

‘What are you doing?’ he called after her.

‘Checking she’s not in the stable.’ Liv was ever hopeful that the daft cow had come back of her own accord.

‘She weighs about four hundred kilos – she’ll not be hiding in the hay.’

‘I know that!’ Liv was getting ratty and as she approached where the stable door was swinging wide open it was obvious the heifer wasn’t in there. But still, to make a point, she went into the stable, gave a theatrical performance of looking around before coming back outside to where Fraser was watching her with a smirk on his lips. ‘Right, best we find her then,’ said Liv. She marched past Fraser and mumbled under her breath. ‘Perhaps we can hunt down your sense of humour while we’re at it.’

‘And your sense of responsibility. I mean who leaves a stable door open?’

Whoops, he’d clearly heard her but now she was properly riled. ‘Responsibility? I could teach you about responsibility!’

Fraser laughed. ‘You have no idea.’

‘Try me.’ She beckoned him on with her hands.

‘I’ve been looking after Granny and Effie for the past three years since…’ His jaw was tense like he’d clamped his teeth together. He swallowed. ‘No matter.’ He walked around the side of the hotel and Liv went after him.

‘I know about your uncle being killed. And I’m sorry. But that doesn’t give you an excuse to be an arsehole.’ That probably wasn’t the best way to show her sympathy for his loss.

‘You are completely and utterly unbelievable.’ He shook his head and stormed off.

‘Me? You’re the one who…’ But she couldn’t see him anymore, which was particularly frustrating when she was finding her stride. He’d disappeared through the steam billowing out from the boiler vent on the wall. There was no snow here either thanks to the warm air. ‘Fraser?’ She stood and waited for a moment, seething gently.

He strode towards her through the steam like a hero in a film, and she had to check herself so that she didn’t swoon. This was the bastard who had ghosted her. But he was also the person who twenty minutes ago tenderly kissed her but now he was back to being a grumpy arse. Perhaps it was a bit like Stockholm syndrome when people who were kidnapped fell in love with their kidnappers. She was being forced to share space with him so that was kind of the same. It was hard to deny that she definitely felt a flutter of something at the sight of him, although it was confusing because she also wanted to deck him. There were a lot of emotions fighting for attention and the dry ice effect of the steam wasn’t helping.

‘What?’ said Fraser throwing up his arms.

‘You’re an arse,’ she said.

He seemed taken aback. ‘I’ve done nothing but help you.’

‘I know. You keep reminding me of that.’

‘You’re infuriating!’ he said getting quite close.

‘Hi!’ called Shanie, interrupting them as she tottered across the yard in very high heels. ‘There’s a car on its way for me, ETA thirty minutes, so I just wanted to ask—’

Shanie didn’t get to finish her sentence because they were all alerted to the sound of fast approaching hooves on stone as Ginger came thundering across the yard towards them. Instinctively Liv went to grab Shanie and pull her out of danger. The only trouble was Fraser had had the same thought and he made a lunge for Liv. The force of them both pulling and the muddy ground underfoot sent them all flying backwards. Fraser hit the sludge with a squelch. Liv landed half on him and half in the mud with Shanie on top of her.

‘Argh!’ screamed Shanie as Ginger hurtled towards them and they tried to scramble out of the way.

Ginger came to an abrupt halt. Snorted at the sight of the three of them writhing about in the mud and trotted off to her stable.