Live from planet earth, p.1
A Scottish Christmas Hideaway: A heartwarming festive romance of second chances, snowy nights and the magic of coming home (Rowan Bay Book 1), page 1
A
SCOTTISH
CHRISTMAS
HIDEAWAY
A heartwarming, festive romance
ELLIE HENDERSON
Rowan Bay Book 1
Choc Lit, London
A Joffe Books company
www.choc-lit.com
First published in Great Britain in 2025
© Ellie Henderson 2025
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The spelling used is British English except where fidelity to the author’s rendering of accent or dialect supersedes this. The right of Ellie Henderson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. In accordance with Article 4(3) of the Digital Single Market Directive 2019/790, Joffe Books expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception.
We love to hear from our readers! Please email any feedback you have to: choc-lit@joffebooks.com
Cover art by Jarmila Takač
ISBN: 978-1781899229
CONTENTS
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Author’s Note
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Acknowledgements
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Author’s Note
Rowan Bay is a completely fictional village on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. It is located in the iconic Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. For the purposes of this book, I wanted to create a fictional village by the water without having to worry about damage to the natural environment or needing planning permission! Rowan Bay is purely a product of my creative imagination, which is one of the many joys and privileges of being a writer. The nearby villages of Drymen and Balmaha, both mentioned in the book, are very real and worth visiting, as is the St Mocha coffee shop in Balmaha.
For Dougie — Thank you for your constant support, love and belief in me.
Prologue
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Jessica’s eyes widened in wonder when she stepped out of the taxi at her Manhattan hotel. It was early December and the whole city appeared to be sprinkled with twinkling lights and dusted with a kind of festive magic that came with this time of the year. The streets were crammed with horn-honking cabs and the wide pavements bustled with people, laden with parcels and packages. The cold air made her wince and she pulled her hat firmly down over her ears to protect against the wind chill. As she looked up at the dark, velvety sky she felt something tickle her nose. She clapped her gloved hands in delight when she realised they were snowflakes. She paid the driver and wheeled her cabin bag into the huge marble lobby. The doorman tipped his head at her just as she managed to avoid colliding with the huge Christmas tree at the entrance.
When she opened the door to her room, she kicked off her shoes, pulled off her hat and gloves then unbuttoned her heavy winter coat. She had only landed at JFK airport a few hours ago and had headed straight to her law firm’s offices near the Rockefeller Center. Jessica had needed to remind herself she was there on important client business and to rein in her starry-eyed wonder as she looked at everything with a childlike gaze. Now she allowed herself to finally squeal with excitement as she ran to the window and took in the view of the street below and the tall buildings in front of her. The snow was falling faster now and she hoped it would blanket the pavements for a while at least before turning to slush. Jessica had never been to New York at Christmas time — or any time at all. She smiled in delight. ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year,’ she said softly, finally understanding what it was that Andy Williams had been crooning about all these years. For a moment she allowed herself to be absorbed in the enchanting scene in front of her. What a romantic city. Then her phone buzzed, interrupting her enchantment, and she snatched it up from the bed.
Hey beautiful. See you here in an hour. Xx
Jessica sighed with anticipation, grinned and felt her stomach flip. Tim had sent her the map for a wine bar they were to meet in, just a few blocks away. When she was told, late last night, that she would have to fly to the Big Apple to see a client, she had felt a ripple of excitement, not just because she was finally being allowed to handle this senior client on her own but it meant she might be able to snatch some unexpected time with Tim, her boyfriend, who lived in Boston; he travelled frequently between New York and London, where she’d met him a few months ago. She knew she hadn’t given him much notice about her last-minute trip, but just before her plane took off from Heathrow, he messaged to say her luck was in — he just so happened to be in New York. Tim was a hedge fund manager which seemed to be a high-risk, high-pressured environment to work in. Jessica was never quite sure what he actually did day-to-day as he could be vague about the specifics, but she was aware that he made a lot of money and enjoyed a fast-paced lifestyle. Their relationship was long-distance, erratic and exciting due to their hectic and often conflicting schedules, which made this extra unexpected night together even more special. The thought of staring into his dark eyes and being wrapped in his arms later was holding all thoughts of jet lag at bay.
More than an hour later, having showered and changed into a maroon woollen dress and boots, she was sitting at a small table, tucked away in the corner of the cosy wine bar, waiting for Tim. The dim lighting and candles made it the perfect place for their date. She sent him a quick text to let him know she had arrived. Warmed by a glass of red wine, she wasn’t too bothered that he was late. That was par for the course with Tim. She knew what it was like to work with powerful, rich and demanding clients in her role as an employment lawyer. That was why their relationship seemed to work. They didn’t have demands or expectations, although Jessica had to admit to herself that she was falling for him and she was almost giddy with excitement at the thought of seeing him any minute now. But she had to remind herself to remain aloof. She didn’t want him to think she was needy. He seemed to like the fact that she was an independent career woman with her own life in London, which consisted mainly of her job. Meeting Tim was a reminder that she should be enjoying more of a balance.
As she waited for him to arrive, she quickly checked the family WhatsApp chat. Her parents had just arrived in Melbourne for Christmas, where her older brother, Murray, lived with his wife Carolyn and their baby, Lexi.
We’re here! We made it to Oz!! Love Mum x
Although Jessica had been invited, she couldn’t take any extended leave over the festive period and, secretly, she hoped she may be able to find a day or two to hole up with Tim if he made it to London as he had promised. Her flatmate, Kristen, was going to be away for the holidays so she and Tim would have the place to themselves. Her legs trembled at the thought of spending several days with him. She could hardly wait.
She flicked through th
‘Are you ready to order?’ asked the waitress, forcing her to look up from her phone.
Jessica had finished her glass of wine and, glancing at her watch, saw that she’d been waiting for more than half an hour and he hadn’t replied to her text. ‘Hmm, can I have another glass of wine please and some olives. I’m still waiting for my friend.’
The waitress raised an eyebrow. ‘Sure. No problem.’
But after another half hour, and no sign of Tim, she tried calling his phone. It was switched off with just the sound of his deep voice telling her to leave a message. That was strange. Even though he was often late, he always let her know. Why wasn’t he calling her or picking up his phone? Yawning, again, she felt her eyelids growing heavy and knew she could do with getting some sleep after all. She had an early start again in the morning and a full day’s work ahead of her before she caught her flight back to London. She paid the bill and walked dejectedly back to her hotel, all thoughts of any late-night sightseeing forgotten. Something important must have come up for Tim not to show. But she had been so looking forward to seeing him. Jessica longed to press her lips against his and feel his hand against her face. His touch was something she didn’t think she would ever tire of. She felt a tear slide down her face and an ache of disappointment in her gut.
Chapter One
One Year Later
Jessica was frantically bashing away at her keyboard, trying to clear the backlog of emails that were dropping into her inbox like a steady fire of bullets. She paused when she realised someone had placed a coffee in front of her. Glancing up, expecting to see the office PA, Rachel, she moved her hands away from the keyboard when she realised it was Ivan. She gulped. Ivan, her boss, never did the coffee run and the stern expression on his face indicated he wasn’t here to make idle chit-chat with Jessica about her weekend plans. This did not bode well.
‘Erm, is everything okay?’ she said, feeling her stomach tighten.
‘Let’s have a chat,’ he said, gesturing towards his office.
She picked up her coffee and followed him, wondering what he wanted to talk to her about.
‘Close the door please. Take a seat.’
Jessica gingerly perched on the edge of the chair.
‘I’ve noticed you have been a bit more irritable than usual.’ Ivan was always direct and to the point.
Jessica sighed. She knew she had been snappier these past few weeks. But let’s face it, the legal profession was hardly a compassionate and kind place to work. Not only that but it was highly competitive too. She immediately wondered if one of her ambitious associates had said something. Was someone after her clients? Or had there been a complaint? Jessica was never stumped for words but today she couldn’t even stutter a reply. Instead, she tried to casually pop the lid off her coffee cup. She took a sip of the cinnamon-dusted drink. Only then did she feel able to say, ‘Oh.’
‘It’s been brought to my attention that you are quite stressed and have been working all hours.’
Jessica blinked at him as she listened in astonishment. She had not been expecting him to say that at all. Unless he was being sarcastic, of course. But Ivan wasn’t a joker. Being a workaholic was part of the deal. They were all expected to work every hour they could, which was why they were paid so well. Never ever, in her entire career, had anyone accused her of working too much. She didn’t think it could actually be done. Work was her main priority. In fact, it was her only priority. Wasn’t that a good thing?
He shook his head. ‘We have had a complaint. Another one.’
‘Is this about Dana Matthews again? I thought we’d dealt with this already,’ she said curtly. ‘There was a conflict of interest.’
‘No,’ said Ivan swiftly. ‘It’s about Zander Harrison. He’s just off the phone.’
She managed not to roll her eyes. So this was what it was about. That meeting the other day when the client had been completely patronising towards her. ‘He was mansplaining,’ she said briskly. The way he always insisted on sitting so close to her in meetings was also completely creepy, but she managed not to blurt that out to Ivan. Especially as she knew she had been rude to him.
Ivan narrowed his eyes and there was a faint smile on his lips, which lasted about a millisecond. ‘I know what Zander is like. I know how condescending he is. But he is paying us a lot of money to get the results he knows we deliver. Remember, the client likes to think they are right.’
Jessica chewed her lip for a minute, realising that she was actually very tired of putting up with people who thought they could act in any way they pleased because they had money. She actually didn’t care any more. ‘Even when they aren’t,’ she muttered, immediately realising it was the wrong thing to say.
Ivan stood up straight and frowned. ‘When they’re paying us the amount they are, they are always entitled to think they are right, Jessica. There are plenty of other firms they can take their business to if our actions displease them.’
And there was the rub. If Zander Harrison wandered into the office right this minute and tried to tell her once more how to do her job, she’d probably tell him where to shove his bottomless wallet. Which didn’t bode well. Maybe Ivan had a point. Had she let her professional standards slip? Was she being too prickly and oversensitive with clients? Or had she reached her limits with the job?
‘Look,’ he said more gently. ‘I don’t really know what is going on with you and it’s none of my business. Unless it starts to impact on your work. I did check with HR and you’ve hardly used any of your annual leave this year.’
She swallowed. He was right. But the last thing she had wanted to do was take a break. Work had given her the focus she’d needed this year.
‘Take some time off,’ he said, which sounded like a clear directive rather than a friendly suggestion. Then his mobile started ringing and he moved away from his desk, the conversation clearly over.
She picked up her cup and returned to her own desk, sitting there for as long as she could, trying to casually drink her coffee and look at the screen in front of her. But she could feel shooting pains behind her eyes and was horrified at having to choke back a sob. She absolutely could not start to cry in here. It would be the end of her.
Taking a breath, she managed to hold herself together. She walked from the office to the toilets. As she dried her hands under the fluorescent lights, she looked back at her reflection in disgust. Her face was white, her cheeks hollow and her strawberry-blonde hair was dull and hung limply around her shoulders. It badly needed a colour, a cut and a blow dry. She didn’t exactly epitomise the look of a top lawyer. Ivan was right to be concerned. He didn’t want his reputation flawed in any way and she was hardly helping things when she looked like she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards.
The door swung open and she heard footsteps approaching. ‘Hey,’ said Freda, who came and stood next to her. Freda was tall and willowy and her long blonde hair hung over her shoulders in waves. Leaning into the mirror, Freda applied some lip gloss to her rosebud lips and smacked them together. In her sharp black suit, white shirt and red heels, Freda looked very much the brilliant lawyer that she was.
Jessica sighed loudly and then looked guiltily at Freda. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that quite so loudly. I just realised how awful I look.’
Freda turned to face her and looked at her properly through icy-blue eyes and a stare that could penetrate through the toughest of clients. But there was kindness in her eyes too as she reached over to pat Jessica on the arm. She tilted her head. ‘I’m not going to lie. You do look terrible, Jess. You’ve not been yourself for a while. You know we’re all worried about you?’
