Page 2 of The Boathouse by the Loch (The Scottish Highlands #4)

As Gayle ushered him inside, Jake decided not to mention that he hadn’t intended to return to Lark Lodge.

He’d driven straight to The Lake House, which backed on to Gayle’s house, intending to stay there.

But when he’d arrived, he’d discovered that the house was in the middle of being decorated.

There was no one there, but he’d discovered paint pots in the bedrooms, along with rolls of wallpaper.

He’d visited the house just that morning, doing a quick circuit of the rooms and making sure the place was as the family had left it, with dust sheets covering the furniture.

The Lake House, where the Ross family had always spent Christmas together, had in fact been his childhood home until his parents had died.

It was still his house; his to do with as he wanted.

And the previous day, after his visit, he had started seriously contemplating letting go of the place and selling up.

He had thought about employing a local interior designer to spruce the place up to sell.

He’d seen the designer’s outlet on the way into town.

On passing Gillespie’s General Store, he’d caught sight of one of the shop’s windows, which had a lovely display of soft furnishings and materials that he knew Eleanor would have loved.

He recalled the sign over that window – Robyn’s Interior Design .

And now he wondered if Robyn was working on The Lake House already.

If it was her, she must have already started work, but in Jake’s haste to whip around the house the previous day and check every room, he had missed the decorating paraphernalia.

He’d only opened the doors and glanced in, quickly checking that the furniture was still covered with dustsheets and there was no evidence of squatters.

But on returning from the airport that afternoon, ready to move into his house for a few days, he had been less preoccupied. He’d noticed the evidence that someone was redecorating.

He hadn’t employed her. He hadn’t employed anybody, even though he’d considered it.

There was only one other person who would have done so, even though that person never visited Scotland; one person who had the remit to do such a thing.

Aubrey. William Ross’s right-hand man. They were close, Jake and Aubrey; always had been.

Jake wouldn’t have been surprised if Aubrey had stepped in to take care of the property.

After all, the Ross Corporation took care of everything.

Jake managed a smile as he stepped into Lark Lodge.

He hadn’t expected to be back so soon either.

He headed straight for the stairs with his bag to the room he had been staying in just the previous day.

He had originally booked two nights, even though he’d told Gayle just that morning that he was leaving and wouldn’t need the room for the second night.

He heard Gayle close the front door.

‘That room is taken,’ Gayle called after him.

Jake stopped abruptly and turned around with a puzzled look on his face. He hadn’t expected her to rent the room out so quickly.

‘That’s right.’ She noted Jake’s bewildered expression and pointed to the stairs. ‘There’s an attic room,’ she said. ‘It’s bright and airy, with good views of the Cairngorms,’ she added.

Jake noticed that she hadn’t mentioned the rest of the view. Her guesthouse backed on to The Lake House.

‘You just want to show off your rooms,’ Jake chided, not fully believing that his room had gone in the space of a few hours, especially when there were other, bigger rooms available in the guesthouse.

He recalled that the room he’d stayed in was the most expensive.

Gayle had said she didn’t normally rent it out, as it was reserved for friends only.

She had made an exception for him and Marcus.

Had she made an exception for someone else, or did she have friends staying?

He wondered if Robyn had returned to the guesthouse. He recalled mentioning to Gayle that he’d like to meet her, and she had said that Robyn popped in from time to time. She had lived with Gayle for a time. They were good friends. Perhaps she’d moved back.

Gayle who was normally chatty, didn’t volunteer who was staying in that room, and Jake didn’t ask.

Reluctantly, Jake followed Gayle up the stairs.

Gayle said, ‘You’re in luck again.’

He frowned at her back. ‘Really? How’s that?’ He didn’t feel particularly lucky as he followed her up to the attic room.

‘You know yesterday, when you turned up for two nights, and I told you that apart from my two longer-term guests …’

Of course, Jake remembered Nick Addison, the site manager who worked on a new development in town.

He’d bumped into Nick on a piece of land outside town, where Jake remembered an old lodge had stood.

Jake had originally thought of staying there for a couple of nights.

It was Nick who had suggested Lark Lodge guesthouse when Jake had seen that the old lodge in the woods had been demolished.

And that was where he’d discovered the other long-term lodger at the guesthouse – Marty, the gardener who looked after the garden at The Lake House.

And now another friend had moved in, robbing him of his room.

Jake silently berated himself for being so childish.

It was not his personal room. In fact, he suddenly recalled that he was sure Gayle had told him that apart from these two nights, the guesthouse had been fully booked. So how come this attic room was free?

He had a feeling he was about to find out.

‘I told you that you were lucky because my last bookings, who were on a five-night break, left yesterday, leaving two nights free – last night and tonight.’

‘Yes.’ Jake raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought you said it was busy again from Friday onwards, apart from the single room being vacant.’ Jake remembered that she did special offers on three, five, and seven-night breaks, which attracted a lot of guests.

‘I’m more than happy with a single room on a lower floor, if it’s vacant.’

‘How long are you anticipating staying this time? You see, my seven-night stay in the attic unexpectedly cancelled.’

‘Ah. That’s handy.’ Although he’d promised Marcus and Faye he’d be back as soon as possible, he really didn’t know how much time he’d need to find out exactly what had happened on that mountain the previous Christmas.

He didn’t want to be there indefinitely, so he booked a return flight, which meant he had six more days, if he needed them.

He’d change his flight if he could return sooner.

‘Does that mean the attic room is available for the next six nights? ’

‘It certainly is.’ Gayle threw a smile over her shoulder.

Jake grinned. ‘Perfect. Then I’ll take it.’

Gayle halted at the top of the stairs, outside one of the two attic bedrooms, and turned around.

Jake caught her expression. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘I will reserve the room for you for the next six nights.’

‘Great. Of course I’ll pay upfront.’

‘Now, that’s the problem.’

‘Huh? How come?’

Gayle cocked her head to one side. ‘May I be blunt, Mr Campbell-Ross?’

‘Please, call me Jake.’ He thought they’d dispensed with the formalities already. He had stayed the night, and they’d been on first-name basis then.

‘Well, we both know you are not here on holiday. You have … family affairs to sort out, I’m sure.’ Her eyes drifted to the skylight window.

Jake knew exactly what she was looking at. His eyes drifted to the rooftop of The Lake House too.

‘Obviously, that’s none of my beeswax …’

Jake smiled at the expression.

‘But I am not taking your money for the full six-night stay.’

‘But—’

‘No buts,’ she said, sternly folding her arms.

Jake lowered his eyes. He understood. He’d paid for two nights, and had left after only one night, telling her to keep the money.

It was the wrong thing to say to someone like Gayle.

He’d offended her. She knew he was made of money.

He was a Ross, after all. When he and Eleanor had married, they’d agreed she’d take his name and keep the Ross name too.

And Jake had been so inextricably linked with the Rosses since childhood that he’d had no qualms about joining their surnames into a double-barrelled married name.

Now, he wished he hadn’t. Everywhere he went, the name Ross, and what had happened to William Ross’s daughter, followed in his wake. And yet he knew he couldn’t drop his married name. It would upset William and Marcus.

But what would happen if I were to remarry? he wondered. That thought had never crossed his mind before.

‘You don’t agree,’ said Gayle flatly, keeping hold of the door key to the vacant attic bedroom.

‘Oh, er. Of course, of course. I’ll … um … pay when I leave then?’

‘Yes, that’s what I would prefer.’

‘All right.’

‘Good. That’s settled then.’ Gayle smiled as she handed him the key to the room with the view of The Lake House.

He remembered the faux pas Gayle had committed when she’d mentioned the attic rooms at the start of his previous stay.

She’d said that there were lovely views from those rooms of the Cairngorms, the famous mountain range in Scotland.

Of course, that was where they’d had the ski accident.

But worse still, she’d added, you’ll get a glimpse of the Rosses’ holiday home too .