The Snow Patrol: Secrets in the Snow short stories #3, page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Description
The Snow Patrol
Other books in the series
A note from the author
Copyright © 2014 Roz Marshall
All rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.You must not circulate this book in any format.
The characters, places and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, please visit your favourite online ebook seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Printed in the United Kingdom
First published, 2014
Find out more about the author and upcoming books online at www.rozmarshall.co.uk
About this story
'Just one more run' at the end of a day's skiing almost has deadly consequences for White Cairns' ski instructor, Debbie McNeill.
It's only a fortunate encounter with the snowy equivalent of a knight in shining armour that averts disaster, and, when he shares a secret with her, she wonders if this knight might become more than just her rescuer…
DEBBIE SPLUTTERED FOR breath and struggled into a sitting position. What on earth just happened? Ripping off her goggles, she shook the snow out of her hair, damp curls whipping against chilled cheeks.
Once she'd dug her skis out of the snow, her dilemma became clear. The rear part of one of the bindings had slipped out of place and was now far too wide for her boot. She sighed. That's what I get for buying skis off eBay.
Squeezing the clips, she tried to force it back into place, but it wouldn't budge.
Why, oh why, did I decide on 'just one more run'? Mist was touching the hilltop now and everything was deathly quiet; the background hum and clink of the ski lift on the main run over the ridge had stopped, and this itinerant off-piste loop was devoid of other skiers.
A tendril of dread wound its way around her heart. Scotland's vast wildernesses could be beautiful in winter, but she knew that they could also be treacherous for the unwary — or the unlucky.
"Help!" she tried to call out, but her throat constricted and her voice was swallowed by the blanket of snow. Stumbling to her feet, she cupped gloved hands around her mouth and shouted again, "Heeeeeelllp!"
No answer. Shit. No signal on her mobile phone. Shit!
There's no way I can get down on one ski, it's too steep. Her stomach roiled. I'll have to walk out. Hands trembling, she clipped her skis together, fashioning an impromptu walking stick, and set off.
Ski boots, however, were not designed for walking in deep snow and her progress was slow. Stopping for a breather, she realised that the visibility had worsened, and noticed with alarm that the top of the hill was now bathed in cloud, its miasma creeping inexorably down the slope. Why, oh why, did I go off-piste on my own? Nobody knows I'm here.
Yomping off again, fear drove her feet faster and faster, until, inevitably, she nose-dived and ended up in an undignified heap in the snow.
"Need some help?" said a husky voice nearby.
Blinking the snow from her eyes, she saw a lean, dark-haired skier wearing the black uniform of Ski Patrol, and almost wept with relief. "How did you guess?" she replied, rhetorically. "The binding's broken on one of my skis and I was trying to walk out."
"Let's see," he held out a hand for her ski.
When he saw the state of the binding, he frowned, then dug in his backpack for a screwdriver. "How about a trade? I'll fix your ski if you'll show me the way back," he looked up at her from under his eyebrows, "and not tell the guys that I was lost."
A ski patroller. Lost? That was ironic! "But—" she couldn't resist teasing him, "shouldn't you be showing me the way off the hill?"
He shrugged. "We were on a rescue and I got separated from the others." He indicated the eerie fog that had closed in around them, making the landscape featureless and deadening any ambient noise. "And my radio's dead and I must've lost my phone in a snowdrift somewhere."
He looked sideways at her, flakes of frost speckling high cheekbones and long eyelashes.
"I'll probably get sacked for being a dunderheid."
I hope not! "I'm sure you won't. You can say you were helping me?" She smiled at him. "And it's not far to the main run — we're on the Tannasg."
"Oh! Great!" He handed back her ski. "I'm Struan, by the way. Struan Robertson."
-::-
In the fading light, they skied down to the Ski Patrol office in the almost-deserted car park. Across the road, Debbie spotted the silhouette of a bus. She checked her watch. It was the last bus to town.
"Thanks so much for fixing my ski, Struan. I'd never have managed without you — I thought I was going to be stuck up there all night!"
"All part of the service," he said, then winked at her, "and thanks for helping me find my way." He nodded at her skis. "Get those looked at, though."
"Yeah," she said, noting, not for the first time, how hypnotic his dark eyes were. "Can I buy you a drink later, to say thanks?" I hope he won't think I'm being too forward. "We'll be in The Rowan."
"In White Cairns?"
"Yeah." The driver started the engine and the bus lights flashed on. "I need to go," she said, "see you later?"
He nodded, and raised an arm in farewell.
-::-
Debbie dropped into a chair at the instructors’ table in the pub.
"What happened to you?" asked Callum.
"Well, I went for a last run in Coire Tannasg, but my binding broke and I thought I'd have to spend the night on the hill." Pulling off her jacket, she draped it on the back of the chair. "Luckily a ski patroller found me and fixed it."
"But Tannasg's outside the ski area, they don't patrol there," said Fiona.
Debbie nodded. "Yeah. He got split up from the others in the mist."
"Who was it?" Fiona's husband Geoff was a ski patroller, and she knew all of the team.
"I hadn't seen him before. Struan something. Robinson I think."
Fiona gasped. "Are you sure? What did he look like?"
Debbie shrugged. "A bit taller than me. Good skier. Dark hair. Nice smile. You'll see him soon — he's meeting me here…" She tailed off when she saw Fiona's face. "What is it?"
"Struan Robertson died in an avalanche on Coire Tannasg four years ago."
Debbie felt the blood drain from her face. "But — I just saw him. I showed him…" she paused, as she recalled what he'd said. "I showed him the way back," she concluded, in a small voice.
Fiona nodded slowly. "Maybe you did, Debbie—“ she said absently, twirling the Saint Christopher hanging around her neck, "—maybe you did just that."
In this series:
If you've enjoyed this story, you can read more about Debbie and the other instructors in the 'Secrets in the Snow' novella series:
Episode 1, "Winter Arrives"
Short Story 1, "Skiing with Santa"
Short Story 2, "A Dream for Hogmanay"
Episode 2, "Fear of Falling"
Episode 3, "My Snowy Valentine"
Episode 4, "The Racer Trials"
"Secrets in the Snow", Volume 1 - the early season collection, contains Episodes 1-3 and Short Stories 1 & 2. It is available in both eBook and trade Paperback formats.
Episodes 5 and 6 will be published in 2014, and will complete the series.
A note from the author
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed this instalment of the White Cairns Ski School series.
The next time you visit your favourite online eBook seller, I'd really appreciate it if you could write a simple review of the book, even if it's only a line or two — you don't need to use your real name, and you don't need to write a lot — it's enough to say whether you enjoyed the book, and if you'd recommend it to others. Most people don't realise how important word-of-mouth is, especially for a new author, and such a small percentage of readers take the time to leave a review that every single one I get is extremely special.
If you enjoyed this book and would like a free short story from the White Cairns series, and to hear about upcoming releases and special offers, please sign up for my email list:
Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/HMC0D
About the author
Roz lives in Scotland with her husband and the obligatory dog and cat. She has been writing since childhood, including screenwriting, songwriting, web pages and even sentiments for greeting cards!
The White Cairns novellas are written from experiences she had whilst working as a ski instructor in various Scottish ski resorts and slopes - they do say you should 'write what you know'!
Website: www.rozmarshall.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rozmarshallauthor
Roz Marshall, The Snow Patrol: Secrets in the Snow short stories #3
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