A Surprise Christmas Wedding

by Phillipa Ashley

  They’d finished their cake when Fiona finally went quiet before speaking up again. ‘Lottie, I have to mention this, but did you know that Connor’s back?’

  ‘I had … heard,’ Lottie said, feeling awful. ‘On the grapevine.’

  ‘Yes, I – I suppose you know he has a girlfriend, then,’ Fiona said. ‘Fiancée, actually. I’m sorry.’

  ‘No need to be sorry. We split up well over a year ago now.’

  ‘Hmm. I’m glad you see it like that. You’re very generous to him. More generous than he deserves, even if he is my son. It can’t have been a happy year for any of us. I heard your sister had been ill from a friend whose grandchildren go to her school. She’s back at work now, isn’t she? That must be a good sign.’

  ‘We hope so. She’s got an MRI today in fact. She didn’t want me to go with her though I offered. It ought to be over now, fingers crossed,’ Lottie said, holding up her hand.

  Fiona gave her a soothing smile. ‘That must be worrying. I do understand how you must feel.’

  ‘It is … but she’s trying to stay positive. We all are.’

  ‘What about your parents? Are they still abroad?’

  ‘Yes, they are.’

  ‘You must miss them.’

  ‘We do. Especially with everything going on with Steph. They both have full-time jobs out there, but we hope they’re coming over in the early spring.’

  ‘That’s something to look forward to, but I do know how it feels to have family so far away since Connor went to Australia. You might have heard he moved?’ Fiona said.

  Lottie braced herself for more fibs. It was becoming a habit. ‘Um, now you come to mention it, I did,’ she said, as casually as she could.

  ‘Connor and Keegan are staying in the village for Christmas. You might even bump into them. I tried to suggest we all go up to Firholme to get a Christmas tree but they didn’t seem enthusiastic for some reason. Derrick kept on about them dropping needles everywhere so in the end, I let him get the artificial one down from the loft as usual.’

  Lottie felt every response to this stick in her throat. Even though the wedding would be a lovely surprise, she felt she’d have to tie herself in more and more knots so she simply smiled and nodded.

  ‘I’ve heard how great Firholme looks after the renovations and I’ve seen the website photos. I’m determined to visit before Christmas if I can pin down Derrick or Connor and Alicia.’

  ‘You must come … if you can’t make it before Christmas, then in the New Year when it will be so much more peaceful,’ Lottie said hastily then added what she hoped would be the clincher for Fiona to wait. ‘I’d have time to give you a personal tour.’

  ‘Oh my. That would be fabulous! I’d love to. Maybe we can meet up properly if you have time? Have lunch together?’

  ‘I’d like that.’ Lottie was relieved but still squirmed with guilt.

  ‘Let’s not lose touch again because I like to think we became friends, even though I’m Connor’s mother. I wanted to call you after you and Connor split up but he convinced me that it would make things worse. I’ve missed our shopping trips, Sunday lunch … Keegan is a lovely girl but it’s not the same. Gosh that’s so disloyal of me.’

  ‘You’ll get to know her better.’

  ‘I hope so. If they stay in the UK and don’t go back to Australia. I want them to have an amazing life but I’ve missed Connor and when they eventually get married one day or have children, I’ll miss out on seeing them too.’ Fiona fiddled with her spoon nervously, her eyes glinting. ‘Keegan says there’s the Internet – and they’ll also fly me out if that happens – but it’s not the same is it? After my scare, I try not to let the family know but I am worried that I’ll never see my grandchildren grow up.’

  Lottie wanted to hug her. ‘I’m sure you will,’ she said. ‘But I also know how you feel. My parents were worried about Steph not being around for the twins, so I can’t imagine how she felt. I agree we need to make the most of every moment.’

  ‘We do! And even if Connor and Keegan stay here and start a family, what about Keegan’s parents? They’d be in the same boat as us.’ She shook her head. ‘All these shows on TV where people emigrate to sunny climes and want to start again. I’d never tell Connor, but I can’t watch them any more. There, I’m being silly.’

  ‘Not at all.’ She smiled at Fiona. ‘I hope they stay in this country, for your sake,’ Lottie said. ‘Keegan seems to love it here.’

  Fiona frowned.

  ‘I mean Keegan sounds as if she loves it here. To come over and stay for so long,’ Lottie added. ‘Aarghh, is that the time? I’m afraid I do need to go now. I want to call Steph and see if she’s finished at the hospital yet and of course, we need to finish the costumes.’

  ‘Of course. OK, it’s been wonderful to see you and we’ll catch up again soon, I hope?’

  ‘Very soon,’ Lottie said, eager to escape before she blurted out the truth to Fiona. She exhaled in relief the moment she was out in the street. Hopefully Fiona would forgive her, and after the wedding was over, Lottie was determined not to lose touch again – no matter what Connor said or did. She’d reached the car when Steph rang, relieved that the scan was done and about to head home. At least, that part of the process was over, Lottie thought, as she drove to her sister’s with cake and the rest of the costumes. Now all they had to do was wait for the results.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Five days to the wedding

  On Mondays, the Christmas tree centre was closed so, technically, it was Jay’s day off. However, a gale the previous evening had finally brought down a large branch from one of the oaks in the woods, blocking one of the main walking routes.

  Needing solace and hoping to stop his churning mind, Jay had decided to clear away the branch. Even as he collected the chain saw from the truck, he couldn’t help thinking: was Lottie still in love with Connor Moran or not?

  Did she even know herself?

  He’d loved the feel of her arm in his and longed to kiss her again the way he had at the ball. His disappointment at finding she and Connor were once together had cooled a little. How could he refuse a chance to get close to her again?

  Then, he’d seen the way she looked at Connor in the wedding run-through. She’d seemed transfixed by the man. Was it simply old memories surfacing or was Lottie falling for her ex all over again?

  One thing Jay did know: he’d fallen for her and his vows not to let someone get close to him again had been broken.

  The last thing he ever wanted was to fall for a woman who was in love with someone else and yet perhaps it was already too late …

  In one last effort to tame his raging thoughts, he donned his safety gear and started to cut up the wood.

  It was a clear day with a bitter wind blowing, but underneath his hoodie and hi-vis, Jay was sweating. He didn’t care. What else was he going to do? Mope about in his cottage? Go Christmas shopping? All the ‘normal’ things that people – families – did at this time of year felt off-limits to him.

  Luckily Trevor didn’t care about Christmas and Jay had brought him along for company for both of them. He’d scurried about at a safe distance, sending piles of leaves flying into the air but was now sitting proudly on the driver’s seat of the truck, gazing over the steering wheel, as if he was in charge of operations, and not Jay.

  Jay set the chainsaw in motion and was hard at work when Trevor shot out of the door and past him. He turned off the saw. ‘Trevor!’ he shouted and pulled off his ear defenders.

  Trevor was already ‘greeting’ Connor on the path nearby. There was no way Jay would have heard him, with the saw going and ear defenders on. Trevor’s version of a greeting was to hare around Connor, snuffling at his boots.

  Connor backed away. ‘Get off me!’

  ‘Trevor. Heel!’ he shouted.

  Although Jay would have been happy to let Trevor jump all over Connor’s designer country clothes, he was aware that not everyone loved dogs.

/>   After a quick sniff at Connor’s jeans, Trevor trotted back to Jay. ‘Truck, Trev,’ he ordered and miraculously, Trevor obeyed, jumping into the seat, sitting upright and watching out of the window like a nosy neighbour.

  Connor nodded at the pile of sawn timber. ‘That looks like hard work,’ he said. ‘I used to play here when I was a lad. Climb the trees, walk the fells. It’s beautiful.’

  ‘It is … but, you should know that this area is cordoned off temporarily until we’ve cleared the tree,’ Jay said, wondering how Connor hadn’t seen the warning signs.

  ‘Yes, I saw the cones but I wanted to talk to you.’ Connor’s tone made it clear he’d thought the rules didn’t apply to him.

  ‘Is it about the tree or the decorations for the wedding?’ Jay asked.

  ‘No. They’re great. Keegan loves them.’ Connor scuffed his boot through the fallen leaves. ‘Actually, I wanted to discuss the situation with Lottie.’

  Jay’s stomach flipped. ‘Lottie? I don’t see what you can have to say about her to me,’ he said sharply, then regretted his overreaction.

  Connor looked him up and down. ‘You like her, don’t you?’ he said, ignoring Jay’s comment. ‘I’ve seen the way you look at each other. I saw your face when you walked her down the aisle last week.’

  ‘That was just work. I was asked to help and I did.’

  Connor laughed. ‘It didn’t look like work to me. You were enjoying it too much.’

  Jay’s patience was stretched too far. ‘OK. I don’t know what this is about, mate, and I’m aware you’re a guest of Firholme, but I don’t think that gives you a right to intrude into my private life, or Lottie’s for that matter.’

  ‘I didn’t say I had a right but I am concerned about her. From your reaction, I’m guessing I’ve touched a raw nerve and my hunch was right. You’re keen on her.’ Jay was too annoyed to reply, so Connor jumped into the gap. ‘I’m also guessing you’ve realised that Lottie and I were close.’

  ‘I worked that one out,’ Jay said, not wanting to drop Lottie in it. He’d no idea how much Connor knew.

  ‘From Lottie?’ Connor asked.

  ‘Like I say, I worked it out but the details are none of my business, and,’ he added firmly, ‘I don’t intend to make them my business either.’

  ‘No need to be so salty,’ Connor said. ‘I can see I’ve touched a raw nerve. I don’t blame you. Lottie’s a lovely girl and I still feel … protective of her.’

  Jay bit back a very rude word and picked up the chainsaw again. ‘Where’s this leading? I’m busy.’

  ‘Chopping down trees?’ Connor smirked. ‘I can see that.’

  Some guys, thought Jay wryly, wouldn’t risk riling a man with a chainsaw in his hands. However, Connor appeared not to have noticed that fact.

  ‘Look. Why would you have a problem with me and Lottie getting together?’

  ‘No problem. Only I’m not sure you know her like I do. She’s sensitive, she feels deeply, she’s very loyal. You may think she’s capable, has everything under control – that she’s happy but I can see much deeper.’

  ‘Right. Good for you,’ Jay said, ready to fire up the chainsaw. He turned his back.

  ‘You’re not right for her. You’ll only get hurt if you carry on going after her. She’s still on the rebound from me. I think that was obvious from what happened the other day at the Bothy.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Jay snapped round.

  Connor had a smirk on his face. ‘Nothing … all I’m saying is that I think Lottie found it hard to let me go. If you know what I mean.’

  Jay felt a bit sick. He knew exactly what Connor meant because he’d felt the same way himself and Lottie had looked … guilty was the only way of describing it, when he’d walked in on her and Connor. They were standing very close. Might they have been doing more than simply talking?

  He wouldn’t put anything past Connor.

  ‘Thanks for the tip,’ he muttered. ‘But you’ll forgive me if I don’t take your relationship counselling too seriously.’

  Connor curled his lip. ‘That’s a bit rude, considering we’re paying your employer a shedload of money to have our wedding here. I’d at least expect some civility from the staff. Man, you are going to regret this.’

  Jay lost it. ‘Mate, I’ve regretted a lot of things but telling you you’re a massive arse isn’t one of them.’

  Connor snorted in contempt. ‘You do know I could report you to your boss but I’m bigger than that. I’ll just leave you with this. Lottie’s still in love with me. You might think she’s impressed by you and your chainsaw and the whole strong silent thing but she’s never really let go of me and—’

  Jay pushed his ear defenders down and pulled the cord of the saw, cutting off Connor’s tirade. He turned his back and attacked the branch, taking out his indignation on it. The arrogance of Connor. The man relished the prospect of Lottie pining for him and being miserable and yet he seemed to have no intention of ditching his current fiancée and trying to get Lottie back. Jay felt like marching down to Firholme right this minute and telling both Lottie and Keegan what a weak and manipulative little tosser Connor was.

  He couldn’t do that of course …

  He turned off the saw.

  When he looked round, Connor was gone. Maybe to moan to Shayla, and get him the sack.

  Jay didn’t care – but oh, shit, if Connor did tell tales to Shayla, that meant Lottie could be in trouble. Not to mention that winding Jay up was probably exactly what Connor wanted … if only he could be sure how she really felt about Connor – and Jay himself?

  ‘Jeez, what a mess!’ His groan brought Trevor running from the truck to his side. Jay pulled his gloves off and crouched down by Trevor, rubbing his back for comfort. Trevor returned the favour by rolling over and let his hind legs flap apart, proudly displaying his bits.

  Jay took it as a compliment. ‘Thanks for that, Trev. I appreciate the solidarity.’

  Jay tickled his chest and Trevor yipped in happiness.

  ‘I really want to be a dog,’ he said. ‘Humans are either arseholes like Connor or Ben, or I fall in love with them.’ Like Nadia. Like Lottie.

  After he’d finished working on the branch, he took the wood back to the forest centre then drove Trevor home to the cottage. He didn’t know whether to warn Lottie or gamble that Connor wouldn’t actually go to Shayla.

  Would she be angry that he’d let Connor provoke him and risked her getting into trouble?

  He pulled up in front of the cottage, staring at the dark windows of the Bothy.

  ‘Surely, she can’t possibly still love a prat like Connor?’ he said to Trevor, sitting in the front footwell.

  Trevor rested his muzzle on the seat and looked back at Jay.

  He ruffled his ears. ‘Things must be bad if I’m asking a dog for advice on my love life.’

  That was the problem. Jay had no more clue about how Lottie really felt than Trevor did.

  He walked home and as he neared the cottage, Lottie was getting out of her car, laden with bags.

  ‘Oh. Hello!’ she said. She seemed flustered and dropped two of the bags onto the ground.

  Jay picked them up and handed them to her. ‘Looks like quite a spree,’ he said.

  She was pink-cheeked from the cold air, and swathed in a soft scarf that brought out the green in her eyes. His row with Connor brought a fresh pang of guilt, but only in case he got Lottie into trouble. He didn’t regret tearing a strip off the man for a moment.

  Seeing Lottie now, he felt it was ridiculous that she and Connor might have something going on.

  Her smile was wary. ‘Thanks.’

  He decided to draw her out, hoping to find out more. ‘Abbott’s. That’s my kind of shopping,’ he said, seeing the carriers.

  ‘Yes. It’s chocolate for the girls, and some stuff for their costumes in the nativity play.’

  ‘They still have those?’

  ‘It’s a very loose interpretation. Jodie is the d
onkey. Myra is playing the role of the lobster.’

  ‘Lobster? I didn’t pay much attention in RE but even I don’t recall a lobster in the stable. Was there one?’

  ‘There was in Love Actually. And in this play there’s also a Minion, a Baby Olaf and a kangaroo apparently.’ Her smile lit up her eyes and he was filled with relief, but in a moment, she seemed awkward again. ‘Um. I know you’re too busy and won’t be able to come, but I swore to the girls that I’d pass on an invite from them. They’d love you to come to see the play.’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘Yes. It’s probably not your scene … and it’s this Wednesday. I’m sure you’re working.’

  The words slipped out before he could stop them. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to stop them and it was an opportunity to try and find out more about her real feelings for Connor. ‘As a matter of fact, I have the afternoon off.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So, you really want to come?’ Lottie sounded astonished.

  ‘If you’re sure it’s OK with Steph – and you?’

  ‘It’s not up to me.’

  This wasn’t very encouraging but it was too late to back out now.

  ‘Erm … shall we go along together then?’ she offered. ‘I’ll pick you up at one forty-five?’

  ‘OK. Thanks.’

  ‘Bye, then.’

  Taking her bags from him, she walked off and let herself into the Bothy.

  Jay was none the wiser if she’d wanted him to go along or not. He didn’t know if he should have agreed and – much as he liked the girls – a school nativity play ought to have been his idea of hell. However, the temptation to spend more time in Lottie’s company, and discover whether Connor’s claims were true, was far too tempting.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Four days to the wedding

  With four days to go, wedding fever had seized Firholme. Lottie was like a cat on a hot tin roof, attending to last-minute details, and double- and triple-checking that suppliers and staff knew exactly what they had to do on the day. On Friday morning, the florists would arrive, along with the lighting and electricians to set up ready for the band and DJ. Despite having overseen dozens of weddings, she was aware that there would be snags but it felt vital that this one went without a hitch.