Here Comes the Rainne Again (Invertary 6)

“Absolutely. Anytime. Now what do you need?”

She stepped back from his hug. “I need to check on Alastair at the clinic. I’m worried about him. Can you spare someone to take me into town?”

She knew better than to take a snowmobile and go on her own. The guys were all on high alert after the attack and watching the women like hawks. Lake would be the worst. Years of experience had taught her that sometimes it was best to humour his overprotective streak. It made him happy.

Lake cocked an eyebrow at Mitch, who was leaning against the breakfast bar, nursing a mug of coffee. It was clear from Mitch’s rumpled appearance that he was still getting over the night before. His usual suit was replaced by faded jeans and a crinkled grey T-shirt. His hair was a mess, his feet were bare and he was obviously thinking too hard about something.

“You ever ridden a snowmobile?” Lake said.

Dark thoughts cleared from Mitch’s face and his eyes lit up. “How hard can it be?”

Lake nodded to Rainne. “Give her a lift to the clinic and back, will you?”

“My pleasure.” Mitch put his mug on the counter. “Meet you outside.” He practically ran from the room, eager to get on the machine. All sign of the troubled man he’d been a moment earlier had disappeared.

Rainne shook her head as she watched him go. “Boys,” she said.

They followed Mitch down the hall and out the front door. He was wrapped up against the cold and stroking the snowmobile like it was a cat.

“Let’s go,” he said to Rainne.

Rainne ran down the front steps of the castle, careful not to slip on the snow, and climbed onto the machine behind Mitch.

“Oh,” Lake called after them with a grin. “Pick up Betty as well. She’s been calling every ten minutes saying she needs to be here.”

“Damn it,” Mitch grumbled. “I knew there was a catch.”

Lake was still grinning when he went back inside the castle.

“I’ve never been on one of these,” Rainne said.

“Neither have I.” Mitch started pressing buttons.

Worriedly, Rainne looked over at the burned-out wrecks of the other snowmobiles making a black mess of Caroline’s front lawn.

“Maybe we should fetch someone to tell you what to do before we go?”

“It’s like riding a bike,” Mitch said as the snowmobile sputtered to life and lurched forward.

They bounced over the snow towards the gate, stopping and starting randomly. Rainne held on tight and wondered if after everything she’d been through she’d meet her demise taking a ride with Mitch.

“See?” Mitch shouted, sounding far too pleased with himself. “Easy.”

They rode through the snow-covered streets into town. The storm had passed, leaving an icy white world in its wake. Power was still out, but cell phones were working. Only the main roads were cleared, which for Invertary meant the road to Fort William. The rest of the town was snowed in.

The picturesque beauty of the small Highland town made Rainne sigh with pleasure. A clear blue sky over a blanket of white. The loch glistening in the sun. Kids playing in the street, wrapped up tight and using tin lids as makeshift sledges. They whooped with laughter when the snowmobile drove past, throwing snowballs at Mitch. Cars were buried to the point that they’d lost their shapes and looked like massive white bubbles. Trees bent under the weight on their boughs. Roofs were piled high with snow, just waiting to fall and bury anyone standing beneath them. There were snowmen outside some of the houses. All of them looked happy. There was something comforting and peaceful about the aftermath of a storm.

They came to a halt in front of Invertary clinic and Rainne climbed off.

“I need to go get Satan. I’ll come back for you once I’ve picked her up.”

Rainne eyed the snowmobile. “Will we all fit?”

Mitch looked behind him. He seemed to be trying to figure out a way to get them all on. Rainne decided to intervene before he had Betty sitting on her lap.

“Is there any chance you can take Betty to the castle then come back and get me?”

His sigh was heavy and clearly fake. “Fine, but only because you’re the groom’s sister.”