Page 72 of Snow Going Back

‘Great.’ Sam walked out of the dining room and through to the kitchen, Lance following shortly after.

Finally alone, Kate looked around sadly at what remained of their Christmas dinner and took a deep sip of her wine. She looked over to one of the pictures of Cora and William, the guilt weighing heavily on her chest. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said quietly. ‘This isnotthe Christmas Sam should be having this year.’

She stood up and walked to the kitchen, realising she shouldn’t leave them alone for too long.

‘Smugglers’ Notch,’ Lance read. ‘Local, you say?’ He put the bottle down and smelled the amber liquid he was swirling around in the glass before sipping it.

‘Yeah, not too far south of here, actually,’ Sam confirmed. ‘This is one of their special reserves.’

‘It’sgood,’ Lance said with grudging approval. ‘Katherine, come try it. I think you’ll like this one.’

‘Oh, you like whisky, Kate?’ Sam asked, looking surprised.

Lance smiled. ‘Sheloveswhisky.’

‘Nice,’ Sam commented, shooting her a smile. ‘I didn’t know that about you.’

‘Well, whywouldyou, old boy?’ Lance said with a cruel laugh. ‘You don’t actuallyknowher at all.’

Sothatwas why he was calling her Katherine. It suddenly clicked. Lance was trying to create some sort of distance between the Kate Sam thought he knew and his Katherine from London. Exceptthatversion of her wasn’t real. It was just another one of Lance’s courtroom manipulation tactics to make people see things from a heavily altered alternate perspective.

Kate had reached for his glass, but she paused at his scathing words and this realisation, and Lance took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her. He pulled her to his side, leaning over to kiss her deeply on the lips. Kate tensed, not in a position to pull away as Lance had her in a tight grip, but not happy at being used to prove a point like this at all. When Lance finally let go, she shot him a sharp frown, but he simply turned back to Sam with a smile.

‘Can you believe in just one week I’ll be marrying this incredible woman, Sam?’ he asked in a bright tone. ‘She’ll be Mrs Kate Cheyney by the first of January. Then comes the rest of the fun. Starting our home, ourfamily.’ He raised and dropped his eyebrows suggestively. ‘What agreatadventure we’re on the cusp of, eh, Katherine?’

She stared at him with a cold expression, too furious with his games to answer. If she hadn’t been desperately clinging on to the attempt to keep this Christmas Day a civilised affair out of respect for Sam and his home, she’d have let rip with what she really thought. Her cheeks burned with anger, and as she looked over to Sam, she tried to convey a silent apology, but he looked away with a nod and a forced smile.

He lifted his whisky glass in a toast. ‘Well, here’s toyou, Kate.’ He looked back at her for a moment, his expression disappointed. ‘One week from now you’ll be going fromHuntertoChains.Congratulations.’

‘It’sCheyney,’ Lance said, the double meaning behind the change totally lost on him.

‘Cheyney,sosorry,’ Sam said. He downed the rest of the liquid in the glass and put it down on the counter beside his wooden carving. ‘I gotta head off. Got some things to sort out, so I’ll just grab a couple of bits and leave you guys to it.’

‘What?’ Kate stepped away from Lance, removing his hand with hers firmly. ‘Sam,no. It’s ChristmasDay. You need to behere.’ She frowned and started after him as he jogged up the stairs, but Lance grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

‘Leave the man to do histhing,’ he insisted with a painfully forced laugh, trying to secure her again under his arm. ‘I’m sure he has people to see in hisownlife. Hisownfriends and family.’

Kate rounded on him with a glare. ‘Juststop it,’ she demanded. ‘What’s gotintoyou?’ She twisted round as Sam jogged back down, the backpack he usually took to work slung over his shoulder. ‘Sam,wait…’

‘Can’t, sorry. I’ll catch you later, Kate,’ he called as he walked out the front door.

It closed behind him as she tried to pull herself out of Lance’s grasp, but he didn’t immediately let go. ‘Kate,stop. Comeon– turn around,’ he said.

‘Lance,seriously,’ she said, raising her voice now as her temper began to turn molten. ‘Getoff of me!’

She yanked her arm out of his hand and ran through the hall to the front door, but by the time she got it open, Sam’s truck was already off the drive and setting off down the road. She looked around for her boots, then made a sound of frustration as she realised they were upstairs. She put her closed fist to her headand the other hand on her hip as she watched him drive away, knowing she had no chance of catching him now. She could have run for her boots, but her car was still halfway down the hill, as she’d never bothered to buy chains.

She shut the front door, leaned her forehead against it and closed her eyes. ‘I should have bought those bloody chains,’ she muttered.

Lance walked through and stood behind her. ‘Kate, I think we need to have a talk.’

Kate ignored him as guilt flooded through her. It had been her job to make sure Sam was OK today. To make sure he got through without feeling alone or getting bogged down in the darker circles of grief. But she’dfailed. More than that, she’d ended up making his dayworse.

‘If I’d justgotthe stupid chains, I’d havecaughthim.Ugh, I’m such anidiot,’ she muttered, banging her forehead against the door a few times in quiet frustration.

‘What on earth are you talking aboutnow?’ Lance asked, tutting impatiently. ‘Can you turn around, please? I’m serious – we need to have a discussion.’

Kate opened her eyes and narrowed them with a look of disbelief before turning round to shoot that look towards him. ‘No, I’mnotan idiot,’ she said, striding towards him with a pointed finger. ‘Youare.’

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