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when we were together, don’t you remember?’
    ‘We did … But then we made the painful mistake of believing we had a wonderful future in prospect … you, our children and I. Look what happened to that particular little fantasy.’
    Why did she do this? Go for the jugular every time?
Hearing the despair in her voice made Jake feel as though his heart was being slashed to ribbons again … just as his hands had been in the accident, when he’d reached for Ailsa to protect her from the splintering glass and jagged metal that the drunken driver had recklessly and devastatingly reduced their car to, killing their beloved baby in the process. He’d already had to bear the unbearable … how
long
did the fates intend him to suffer?
    In an agony of pain and frustration he squeezed his eyes momentarily shut. When he opened them again Ailsa had already moved back to the stove to cook breakfast. Staring at the glorious waterfall of long dark hair that waved down her back, he wanted to step up behind her, pull her too-slender form hard into his body and never let her go. Instead he glanced out of the window in front of her to see an even heavier curtain of snow descending from the cobweb-grey skies.
    ‘Is there to be no end to this godforsaken weather today?’
    He made no attempt to disguise the anger and despondency in his tone, and Ailsa glanced round at him. ‘I know you can’t wait to be gone, to be back in Copenhagen again … but you’re going to be utterly miserable if you can’t accept the fact that right now you’re stuck here for a while. Just as I have to accept the fact that Saskia won’t be with me for another week.’
    ‘Make me feel even worse than I do already, why don’t you? Don’t you think I feel bad enough, showing up here without her? My mother and she were so adamant they wanted to be together for a little while longer, and I thought why not? Where’s the harm? I thought surely you’d understand for once, but instead you’re regarding me like I’ve committed the crime of the bloody century!’
    ‘Jake, I—’
    There was a loud hammering on the front door that made them both start.
    ‘Who the hell is that?’
    There was only one person it could be in this unbelievable weather, Ailsa realized. And she knew his appearance probably wasn’t going to help ease the current friction between her and Jake. Wiping her hands down the front of the apron she wore, which was patterned with tiny red robins in honor of the season, she hurried out into the hall.
    Stamping his feet on the doorstep, trying to shake off some of the frost and snow that caked his boots and fur-lined parka, was the handsome, dark-haired son of the farmer who was her closest neighbour.
    ‘Good morning, Ailsa.’
    ‘Linus, what are you doing here?’
    ‘I’ve brought you some eggs, milk and bread to help tide you over until you can get to the shops again. Nothing can move out there except the tractor. Are you okay? I was worried about you and Saskia being here all on your own.’
    ‘I’m absolutely fine, thanks—and Saskia’s still with her grandmother in Copenhagen. It’s very good of you to come and check up on us like this.’
    ‘What are neighbours for?’ A friendly grin split his lips, showing well-tended white teeth. ‘Just a second and I’ll go and grab those provisions.’
    As she waited for him to return to the impressive red tractor that was steadily being drowned in even more layers of thick snow Ailsa clapped her hands together to warm them. The frosted air was literally like
ice.
    ‘Shall I take it through to the kitchen?’ her visitor suggested, returning with a medium-sized cardboard container.
    ‘Yes, please.’ Forcing a smile to her lips, Ailsa sensed apprehension seep into the pit of her stomach at the thought that he was going to come face to face with her ex-husband.
    There was nothing but casual friendship between her and the farmer’s son—she’d never even remotely felt like advancing