The Christmas Holiday by Phillipa Ashley

Author:Phillipa Ashley [Ashley, Phillipa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2022-09-07T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Max hadn’t wanted Krys to sleep at the Bothy, more for his sake than hers. He might have ended up awake all night, listening to her breathing, longing to … well, he didn’t like to delve too deeply into what he longed for. It scared him. It didn’t fit with the hermit narrative, that was for sure, and it didn’t fit with the pledge he’d made not to look at another woman again.

That vow was unravelling by the second, a fraying rope that, if it broke, could send him crashing into oblivion. Even if Max was ready for a new adventure, Krys was in a relationship, no matter how much Max thought Brett didn’t deserve her.

Over the following few days, Max didn’t see Krys again. He told himself that was by accident and he had had more to occupy him than usual. He’d had to go over to Bannerdale several times for some ice climbing and helicopter evac training with other Lakeland teams but he didn’t want to be too close to her and endure thoughts and desires that could never be fulfilled.

When he was alone in the Bothy, and night fell, he’d felt the loneliness more keenly than for a long time. He hated to admit it but he missed Krys. He’d loved sharing a special place with her, helping her to enjoy it safely and seeing the wonder and delight on her face at reaching the top, when she might not have thought it possible. He’d actually enjoyed teaching her some new skills and in return, she’d reminded him that there was so much out there to enjoy and celebrate.

It was a new feeling and he liked it more than he dared to admit.

Immediately, the pleasure was tinged with pain … pleasure in being in Krys’s company and the pain that always came when he was reminded of the loss of the woman he once loved – who he still loved.

Erin. His wife.

No one in Thorndale knew about Erin, apart from Amina. Max had never wanted to share and he still didn’t and yet Krys had come closest to tempting him to talk about the indescribable pain and loss.

It had eased over time but every so often, a reminder would sting him.

A few days previously, he’d received a letter relating to the legacy his wife had left him. It had come from the managers of the charity trust that Max had set up after her death when he’d sold most of his assets and moved to the Bothy. The cash had been invested and was used to support various good causes. Some of it had already gone to help the MRT build a new base, not that they knew the real source.

The funds he had remaining had come from the sale of the house he and Erin had owned together. These had been invested to cover his day to day living expenses, modest as they were. He’d also had a legacy from his grandfather which he drew on from time to time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.