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chair.
    Ailsa bit back a sigh. Deciding to bite the bullet, she made herself bring up the subject that had been at the forefront of her mind since waking that morning and seeing the breathtaking result of last night’s heavy snowfall.
    ‘If you were hoping to get to the airport today I don’t think much of your chances.’
    ‘Neither do I,’ he agreed. The smooth skin between his brows puckered. ‘Have you checked to see if there’s a phone line yet?’
    Ailsa grimaced. ‘Yes, I have … it’s still out, I’m afraid.’
    ‘Damn!’
    The harsh-voiced comment didn’t do a lot for her confidence. Had he come to dislike her so much that the thought of spending any more time than necessary in her company was abhorrent to him?
    ‘I feel just as frustrated that I can’t talk to Saskia,’ shemurmured. Realising that the kettle had boiled, she swallowed down her hurt, then busied herself making the tea. She took Jake’s over to him at the table. ‘Help yourself to sugar. I’m going to get on with cooking your breakfast.’
    ‘Are you going to join me?’
    ‘I don’t eat much in the morning. I’ll probably just make myself a slice of toast.’
    ‘Just toast? Is that all you have for breakfast?’
    ‘Usually, yes.’
    ‘Then it’s no wonder you’ve lost weight.’
    ‘Anything else you’ve noticed about me?’ she asked, stung. It hardly made sense since they weren’t together any more, Ailsa knew, but the notion that he might find her skinny and unattractive upset her. Yes, she’d always been on the slender side, but before the accident she’d had some nicely rounded curves too. Curves that he’d professed to
adore.
And when she’d been pregnant with Saskia, and then their son, he’d loved her womanly shape even more.
    Did he spend his time adoring some other woman’s curves these days?
    Jake’s steady, unwavering glance told her he was considering the question deeply. ‘Yes. You’re even more beautiful than I remember.’
    ‘No, I’m not.’ Her arms went protectively around her middle. ‘Events have inevitably shaped me, and I’m very aware that I’m a little too thin and tired-looking. I’m twenty-eight, but sometimes I feel more like a hundred.’
    ‘That’s just crazy talk.’
    ‘It’s not that I even mind really.’ She shrugged. ‘As long as I have the energy to work and take care of Saskia, that’s all that matters.’
    Ailsa hadn’t realised that he had risen to his feet until he stood in front of her, tipping up her chin to make her look at him. His eyes were such a searing sapphire-bluethey were nearly the undoing of her. Had his lashes always been that long and lustrous? He was standing so close that surely he must hear the sound of her galloping heart?
    ‘You might be tired, but you’re not too thin and you certainly don’t look old before your time. As a matter of fact I thought when I saw you yesterday how incredibly young you still are. Perhaps you were too young when I married you, hmm?’
    Softly smoothing back her hair from her forehead, the palm that glanced against her skin was slightly rough edged, yet infinitely soft at the same time.
Like velvet.
Along with his deep, mellow voice, it almost lulled her into believing that everything that was wrong between them could be set right again.
    Where had that dangerous notion sprung from? The idea was as self-destructive as hoping for sanctuary in a burning house …
    As if coming out of a trance, Ailsa stepped back from Jake to cross her arms protectively over her chest, almost as if guarding her heart. ‘Are you saying that you regret our marriage?’
    He raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m not saying that at all. Why do you always have to go on the defensive and believe the worst?’
    Now
her
gaze was unwavering. ‘Because some days it’s hard to believe in anything good any more,’ she told him honestly.
    ‘It grieves me that you feel like that.’ Sighing heavily, Jake narrowed his gaze. ‘We had some good times