Christmas under a Cranberry Sky

by Holly Martin

  Piper winced. ‘That was my fault. I told her that I wasn’t a stranger because we knew each other’s names. I just wanted to get her in the warm.’

  Gabe considered her carefully. ‘It’s fine at the moment because she knows everyone here so there are no strangers for her to be worried about, but in a few days the place will be filled with guests and I can’t bear the thought of her wandering off with one of them.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘It’s OK. You were only doing what you thought was best.’

  They walked on in silence, the only sound their boots crunching on the snow as they headed round the outside of the main reception and down a track.

  ‘What made you come here, build this resort? From what you told me last night you’re used to developing hotels in much more glamorous resorts than this,’ Piper said.

  ‘The Golden Oak was my grandad’s. Do you remember him?’

  ‘Oh, I remember the old man that ran the place, I didn’t remember he was your grandad.’

  ‘That’s because we never called him that; he was always Andrew, never Grandad. He said “Grandad” made him feel old.’

  Piper smiled. ‘I remember him. He was wonderful, funny, always had some scary story to tell us around the fire. And so much energy, walking all over the island with us.’

  ‘We spent many holidays up here with him, some of the fondest memories of my childhood took place here. It was hugely popular in the summer. Lots of people used to camp up here on the hills and fields. When he died the place just fell into ruin. I didn’t have enough money or experience then to try to start over with this hotel. But it was always my plan to improve it and relaunch it as something better. I never realised how much of a vital part my grandad played in the tourism of the island. He’d rent out bikes, organise horse rides, he even took people out in his boat. There were decent shower facilities for the campers and many of them would pay to have breakfast in the hotel too. Without him here there was very little for people to come back for. The summer months have always been popular with the whales that migrate up here, plus the puffins and other rare birds, but the tourists can see a lot of that from the other Shetland Islands and the other islands had much better facilities.’

  They rounded a corner and Piper saw what appeared to be some stables up ahead.

  ‘The island was dying and I knew we had to do something to return it to its former glory. I just didn’t want my grandad’s legacy and hard work to die with him. I knew if we were going to bring the tourists back here, it wasn’t enough to provide good facilities for the bird watchers and whale watchers in the summer months; I had to develop something that would be attractive to tourists all year round and the whole island had to be a part of that. We had a meeting with the islanders and we agreed that we would turn the island into a winter and Christmas resort.’

  ‘A town called Christmas. I think that’s a wonderful idea.’

  Gabe nodded. ‘Everyone wanted to be a part of it. We fitted out the houses in the village so they look like wooden lodges, even though they are mostly stone or brick underneath. The villagers all run a Christmas-themed shop from their own front room, but we worked hard to make sure that each shop is completely different from any other in the village so there is no competition, everyone sells something unique. We have a house that makes crêpes of all sorts of different flavours, one that sells candles, one that sells hats, scarves and gloves. A lot of the products they sell they make here on the island. We also advertised for a few artists and craftspeople to come and live in the empty houses, giving them a place to live and sell their wares but also expanding the market and not leaving any houses empty, either.’

  ‘So you have a year-long Christmas market?’

  ‘Yes. People love Christmas and one of the things I noticed about the gift shops in the hotels I own, the one thing that sells consistently well all year round are the Christmas decorations. Obviously the market won’t just be Christmassy; it’ll be more winter-themed than anything. Hot chocolates, fudge, jewellery, those things will sell well all year.’

  ‘People will love it. What about the hotel itself? The lodges look great and the main reception area and dining room are so pretty. What else have you changed?’

  ‘One of the big draws of the island are the Northern Lights. Or the Merry Dancers as the villagers call them. We see them so frequently up here and they are an attraction that so many people want to see. Have you ever seen them?’

  Piper shook her head. ‘Never. Whenever I’ve been somewhere that’s north enough to see them and at the right time of year, I’ve always been really unlucky with the weather.’

  ‘You’ll see them while you’re here. I guarantee it.’

  Piper laughed. ‘You can’t guarantee it.’

  Gabe nodded. ‘Juniper Island is magical, can’t you feel that?’

  ‘Feel what?’

  He stopped and turned towards her and she stopped too. He was a few metres away as he looked around for something to prove his point. His gaze fell on her.

  ‘Close your eyes.’

  She frowned at him for a second but closed them anyway.

  ‘Don’t open them until I tell you,’ Gabe whispered.

  ‘What am I supposed to do?’

  ‘Just…feel.’

  She didn’t know what she was supposed to feel as she listened to the silence of the woods around them.

  Suddenly she knew Gabe was standing there right in front of her. He hadn’t made a sound, she couldn’t feel his warmth, but she knew he was there. Excitement thrummed through her at his proximity, goosebumps dancing down her spine. She smiled. But a few moments later she knew he had stepped away.

  ‘Open your eyes,’ he said.

  She opened them and he was exactly where she had seen him last, though he was grinning at her.

  ‘Did you feel it?’

  ‘I felt something, I’m not sure it was the island.’

  ‘Sure it was. There are many explanations for the Northern Lights, lots of myths and legends. My grandad said they were spirits in the sky who would light their torches to guide lost travellers home.’

  Piper swallowed as he stared at her. Had she really been lost all this time? ‘I like that explanation.’

  ‘Home isn’t always a house and it isn’t always where you grew up; sometimes it’s just a feeling.’

  He stared at her and she couldn’t take her eyes off him and despite the fact he was a few metres away this time, that same feeling crashed through her, that same spark she had felt moments before. Eventually he looked away, letting out an embarrassed chuckle.

  Piper looked around too, for want of something to do other than stare at him. ‘I can see a lot of people will want to discover the magic of the island themselves. It’s a beautiful place.’

  ‘It is.’ Gabe continued to walk down the path and she joined him at his side. ‘People will make the journey purely just to see the Northern Lights, but I wanted to give them somewhere warm and comfortable to watch it, considering that the most likely time to see it is in the winter months. We’ve made glass igloos and put large glass roof windows into most of the bedrooms in the lodges. With regards to other entertainment, there is a sledging and donut run at the back of the resort. We’re also going to have an outdoor ice-skating rink. We have snowmobile trails for the winter and we’ll have bike trails and horse riding in the summer, just like my grandad used to have. But the cherry on top of our cake is the ice palace. It’s not cold enough to have a real ice palace like they do in Sweden or Quebec, so ours is made from glass and fibreglass. But inside, the ice carvings, walls, seats and slides are all made out of ice. Wren can’t wait to see it, she’s convinced it’s actually Elsa’s ice palace.’

  ‘She’s not seen it yet?’

  ‘I wanted it to be special for her, so I said I’d take her Christmas Eve. That’s where she was taking you last night – she’d clearly decided to take matters into her own hands and to go see it herself.’

&
nbsp; Piper laughed. ‘I like her style. Do you think though, that all this will only attract guests in the lead-up to Christmas?’

  ‘No, hopefully not. We are trying to hold an event every month of the year. We are having a big ice-and-snow carving competition in January and a big ice festival too, with different entertainment. We’re encouraging weddings all year round, especially in the ice palace, but we also have a licence for the dining room. We have a few weddings booked for next year already. Our first one is booked for Valentine’s Day. We have lots of shows booked throughout the year, using the ice palace as an auditorium when we won’t have ice carvings; we even have a Cirque du Soleil coming in May. We also have the Great Island Race in the spring, which will see a boat race between here, the most northern island, and the other Shetland Isles, and hopefully the wildlife will bring people back in the summer.

  ‘We also offer free and cheap boat tours to the other islands. I didn’t want to be that arsehole who steals all the tourism from the other islands. I’m hoping that if people come here that perhaps wouldn’t have considered a holiday in the Shetland Islands before, free boat rides will tempt them to visit the other islands too. We’ll also offer whale-watching boat tours and scenic boat tours around the islands. We’re going to offer helicopter rides over the islands as well, although guests will have to pay for those as an added extra.’

  ‘And what about the grand opening? I’ve heard some of the staff talk about it, they’re clearly very excited. What do you have planned?’ Piper asked.

  ‘We’re having a Christmas carnival on the evening that all the guests arrive. There’ll be a procession from the hotel, down to the ice palace and round to the lake where there will be a firework display. The procession will take in all the sights and facilities of the resort but will also showcase the spectacular views of the island. All the villagers and staff will be involved and wearing Christmas costumes, some of them will even be performing. We have fire-breathers, dancers and other entertainers flying up here for the night. It will be quite the show and I know everyone here is looking forward to it.’

  ‘Sounds like a lot of fun, I’m sure the guests will love it. You’ve worked so hard, people are going to flock here.’

  ‘I hope so. We’ve poured so much into developing it, so much time and money. It has to work now, I can’t let the islanders or my grandad down.’

  It was so important to him and she was touched by his passion to save the island. This would never be a good moneymaker: it was so remote and hard to get to that it could never make as much as his New York, California or London hotels. But he knew that and he was still pouring everything he had into it.

  She had slipped her hand into his before she even realised what she was doing and he faltered in his step as he felt her touch.

  ‘It’ll work, I guarantee it.’

  He looked down at her. ‘How do you know?’

  ‘Because the island is magical.’

  He laughed.

  ‘And because you want it to work so badly, you won’t possibly let it fail.’

  He stared at her and then down at her hand. She went to pull away, but he held her hand tighter.

  ‘Wanting something badly doesn’t always mean you get it. Sometimes you can do everything humanly possible to keep something and you still lose it.’

  She knew he was no longer talking about the hotel.

  ‘And sometimes it’s no one’s fault, fate just has a knack of getting in the way,’ he added, sadly.

  ‘And maybe sometimes fate has a way of making up for it,’ Piper said.

  He nodded thoughtfully as he walked. ‘A second chance?’

  She hesitated before she spoke. ‘If you’re willing to take the risk.’

  He gazed down at her and then loosened his fingers from her hold. ‘I’m not sure if I can.’

  She took a step away from him. Her being there was difficult for both of them, she understood that. She would just accept the friendship from him and not push him for any more than that. It was her fault that they had ended up in this situation and she couldn’t expect him to throw himself into her arms again just because she had come back after twelve years.

  ‘It’s not a great time, Pip. We have the grand opening in a few days, the place will be filled with journalists. There’s still stuff we need to get ready. I can’t afford to take my eye off the ball. Plus there’s Wren to think about and…’ he trailed off.

  ‘It’s OK. I get it.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘No second chances.’

  He pulled a face. ‘I’m not saying… I just… You leave just after New Year’s Day and…’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Piper reassured him. ‘It was silly to even suggest it. Seeing you again reminds me of all those memories and feelings. I know you feel it too. But we really are better off as friends.’

  He stared off into the distance and sighed.

  ‘And you certainly don’t need to babysit me or feel you need to be with me if you have other things you need to do. I don’t want to be in the way. But I’d be happy to help you with any last-minute preparations if you want me to.’

  ‘You’re on holiday.’

  ‘I’d like to help. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?’

  He was silent for a moment. ‘There are probably a number of things you can help me with over the next few days. I stupidly gave most of the staff a couple of days off ahead of the Christmas rush and there are still a few things that need to be done.’

  ‘That’s settled then. You can give me the guided tour today, so I know where everything is, and tomorrow you can put me to work.’

  He smiled. ‘OK.’

  Chapter 9

  Gabe smiled at his best friend as she walked next to him. He liked the idea of working alongside her again. She used to help him on the farm all the time when they were younger; she was a hard worker and they made a good team. Although it did mean spending more time with her and that, he suspected, would only lead to further complications.

  What Neve said had stuck with him. Whereas before he had been willing to give his relationship with Pip another go, Neve’s words had now settled into his brain. She was right, Pip was leaving in just over two weeks and she was unlikely to give up travelling the world to stay on Juniper Island with him. He had loved Pip so much when they were younger and it still hadn’t been enough to keep her. Maybe she was too damaged by being abandoned by her birth parents and then when her adopted dad turned against her it was too much. Coupled with twelve years of solitary independence, not relying on anyone else, she had been on her own for a long time. Maybe she could never put her trust in a relationship again. And quite honestly he didn’t know whether he trusted her, either.

  They approached the stables where they would eventually keep the ten horses that were being delivered in the spring. There were only two horses there now, poking their heads over the stable doors as they walked past, their hot breath forming billows of steam in the cold air.

  ‘This is Shadow and Knight,’ Gabe introduced the black and silvery grey horses. Pip smiled as she stroked their velvety noses. ‘Neve’s pride and joy. The plan is we will offer horse rides or pony trekking in the spring and summer once we can no longer use the snowmobiles. We’ll offer bikes for hire too, so people can explore the island. We have ten horses coming at the end of March and Neve has said she will be happy to take people out on treks or pony tours. I think her plan is to offer pony-trekking holidays for the horse-mad like her. I’m not sure if Neve will let anyone ride Shadow or Knight though, they’re her babies. Luke has ridden Knight a few times. I don’t think anyone apart from Neve has ever ridden Shadow.’

  ‘They’re lovely.’

  ‘Do you ride?’

  ‘I have ridden. I wouldn’t say I was a great rider.’

  ‘Yeah, me too. I’ve never had a great affinity with horses. Neve though, horses are in her blood.’

  ‘I remember the horse she had when we were little, Diamond, he was a little
ginger pony.’

  ‘He was a strawberry roan, he was adorable.’

  ‘Neve used to let me ride him when we were kids,’ Pip said.

  ‘Oh, she must have liked you a lot, she never let us ride him.’

  Pip smiled at that. ‘Well you boys were probably too big. Luke was a giant even back then. Though I remember Luke had this special way with animals. Like he could talk to them. I caught him once, hand-feeding a fox.’

  ‘He still has that kind of affinity with animals now. His dream was always to work at London Zoo. He worked hard at university and went straight from there into his dream job. Worked there for almost eight years I think.’

  ‘And now he works here? What made him leave?’

  He hesitated. He was sure Luke would not appreciate Gabe talking about his personal life behind his back. ‘Let’s just say that things went wrong and the zoo felt tainted for him.’

  They left the horses and walked into the barn opposite where they kept the snowmobiles. There were twenty in total, though he would order more if there was the demand for it.

  Two sleek black snowmobiles were sitting out the front waiting for them, though Gabe wished he’d asked Boris to leave out only one so he could have Pip on his. He shook his head. What was he thinking? Pip had practically offered herself to him and he’d turned her down and now he was envisioning what it would feel like to have her body wrapped round his again.

  ‘Do you know how to ride one of these things?’ Gabe asked, laying out a thermal suit, gloves and a helmet for her.

  ‘I’ve done it quite a few times over the years. I had some great instructors.’

  He didn’t want to know what was so great about the instructors she’d had. The thought of her with other men was not a pleasant one, though he knew it was hypocritical to be angry about it considering the number of women he’d been with over the years.

  ‘We’ll go round the perimeter of the island first; it won’t take too long but I’d prefer to be back here when it gets dark. Then I’ll show you the resort once we get back – it looks better in the dark when it’s all lit up.’