Sarah Morgan Summer Collection

‘Thanks, Craig. I’ll let you have a key so that you can just come and go while I’m at work.’

He stood up. ‘There’s going to be some dust and mess while we remove the old stuff, but I’ll cover your carpet for you.’

Evanna waved him off and decided that, although it would be fun to have a new, luxurious bathroom, the process was obviously going to be unpleasant.

It wasn’t even nine o’clock and suddenly the day stretched ahead of her. Before her trip to the mainland, she probably would have gone to Logan’s and spent the day playing with Kirsty but now she was wondering whether that was the wrong thing for everyone.

While it was true that she was able to help with the little girl, it was also true that her constant presence was a disincentive to Logan to find someone else. And he needed to find someone else.

Remembering the look of sadness on his face the day she’d made lunch for them, Evanna resolved to try and think about someone who might suit him. Catherine had been wild and adventurous, so clearly that was the sort of woman who interested Logan and, offhand, she couldn’t think of anyone who fitted that description.

Thinking about suitable partners for Logan did nothing for her piece of mind so she drank two cups of herbal tea, ate some fruit and wandered into her garden.

Although it was still early, the sun was already hot and it was obviously going to be another scorching day.

Deciding that the best cure for misery was a good exercise session before the weather became too hot to run, Evanna pulled on an old pair of shorts, slid her feet into her trainers and let herself out of the back door of the cottage.

The air was still, without a breath of wind, and the sea lay calm and quiet below the cliffs.

Forcing herself into a run, Evanna jogged steadily along the path, gradually increasing her pace.

She ran for almost half an hour, feeling the prickle of heat between her shoulder blades and the heat of the sun on her face. To her left the cliffs fell away steeply towards the sea and to her right were fields. Sheep grazed, placidly chewing on parched grass. Further inland was the rugged interior of the island, the province of walkers and climbers.

There had been no rain for weeks and the air smelt of sun and summer. The ground was hard under her trainers but still she ran, determined to chase away her gloom. It wasn’t like her to be unhappy. She was, by nature, a happy, steady person. She wasn’t given to fits of depression. So why did she feel so down?

Her pulse was thundering, her breath tearing in her lungs, and she pulled up for a brief rest, breathing heavily as she stared at the view. A few lone yachts bobbed on the water, barely moving in the still air. Apart from the occasional shriek of a seagull, it was completely peaceful. A lazy, quiet Sunday. Later the tourists would crowd onto the beaches with their buckets and spades, but for now it was still too early for all but the most energetic of visitors to be up and about.

And then she glanced along the coast path and saw him.

Logan. And he had Kirsty on his shoulders.

Evanna let out a groan of frustration. Wasn’t that just typical? Why did he have to be the one other person up and about? And how had she not realised that she’d run so far?

Kirsty waved her arms with excitement and Logan turned before she had time to vanish discreetly.

Wondering what terrible sins she’d committed to be forced to confront him in such a miserable, sweaty state, Evanna stood still, wishing she could wave a wand and transform herself. If she hadn’t been feeling so dejected she would have laughed. Talk about going from one extreme to the other. Last night she’d worn a short dress and high heels and she’d been groomed to within an inch of her life. Today she was wearing her oldest shorts and a T-shirt with a half-faded slogan and her hair was a mess.

But what did it matter?

She’d never looked more feminine or glamorous than she had the night before, and had he noticed her? No. And if he hadn’t noticed her in a dress and heels, why would he notice her in her ancient, practical running gear?

Logan just didn’t find her attractive.

So she really didn’t need to worry about him seeing her in her ancient shorts.

All the same she smoothed her damp hair away from her face as he approached. ‘Hi. You’re up early.’

‘Kirsty hasn’t learned to lie in yet. We make it until seven o’clock and that’s good enough for me.’ He reached up and lifted the toddler from his shoulders with strong hands. ‘We thought we’d have an early walk to work up an appetite for a late breakfast.’

‘Good idea.’ He looked good in shorts, she thought. Logan had always been athletic and it showed in his physique. Dark hairs clustered at the open neck of his polo shirt and she looked away quickly, concentrating her attention on Kirsty, aware that he was looking at her.

‘You hardly stayed for five minutes last night. Kyla said you weren’t feeling that well.’ There was concern in his voice. ‘Are you sick? Bug of some sort?’

‘No. No bug. I just felt a bit—I’m not sure—’

‘You’re not sure how you felt?’

Oh, for crying out loud, Evanna! ‘I was just a bit tired.’ She glanced out over the bay. ‘It’s going to be hot today.’ Oh, help, she was reduced to talking about the weather.

‘Yes.’

He was still looking at her. She could feel him looking at her and she turned to look up the coast path, afraid that he’d see something in her eyes that she didn’t want him to see. ‘I’m going to spend the afternoon cleaning out my bathroom, ready for Craig. He’s starting tomorrow and—’ She broke off and frowned slightly, squinting into the distance. ‘What’s the matter with them?’

Logan turned and looked. ‘That couple? I walked past them about ten minutes ago. They’re just tourists, out for an early stroll. They had a stack of newspapers in their rucksack. Probably looking for a peaceful spot on the headland to sit and catch up on the news. I can never understand that really, can you? People come to this island to escape from the big wide world and the first thing they do is buy a newspaper.’

‘They’re waving at us.’

‘Why would they wave at us?’ Logan lifted Kirsty off his shoulders and winced. ‘She always holds onto my hair.’

‘Logan.’ Evanna caught his arm. ‘They are waving at us. He’s shouting something.’

Kirsty wriggled in Logan’s arms and he shifted her back onto his shoulders in a smooth, confident movement. ‘All right. Let’s stroll back up there and see if there’s something wrong.’

‘There is something wrong. Definitely.’ Evanna suddenly had a bad feeling. ‘The woman’s on the ground now. Has she collapsed or is she sitting down? I can’t see properly from here.’ She started to run along the path, aware that Logan was right behind her.

When she reached the couple the woman was on her knees and her hands were at her throat.

The man was right beside her. ‘It’s my wife, Alison. She’s been bitten!’ There was panic in his voice as he fumbled with his phone. ‘I need to get help. I can’t believe this has happened.’

‘Bitten?’ Evanna was already on her knees beside the woman. ‘Bitten by what? Where?’ She put a hand on the woman’s shoulder in a gesture of reassurance and then closed her fingers around her wrist and felt her pulse. It was extremely rapid.

‘It’s a hundred and twenty, Logan.’

‘Her foot. It’s her foot. She trod on the damn thing. Oh, I can’t do this.’ The man’s hands were shaking so much that he couldn’t dial the number and the woman’s breathing was becoming laboured.

She looked at her husband in blind panic and let out a sobbing breath. ‘Pete—do something. My mouth’s really dry and I feel dizzy. I didn’t see it until I put my foot on it. Do something.’

Logan had transferred Kirsty from his shoulders to his arms but he didn’t put her down because they were too close to the edge of the cliff. Instead, he held her easily and squatted down beside the woman, his voice calm and steady. ‘Alison, try not to panic. I’m a doctor and I can help you but I need to know what happened. You said that something bit you? What was it? Insect?’

Alison turned her head to look at him and there was fear and revulsion in her eyes. ‘Snake.’ She croaked the word and Evanna frowned, thinking that she must have misheard.

‘Snake? Are you sure?’ Baffled, Evanna glanced around her but Logan didn’t waste time questioning further. Instead, his fingers were on the woman’s leg, examining an area that was reddening by the minute.

‘Adder. It must have been an adder. Evanna, I want to bandage and splint the leg to stop her moving it around. What can we use?’

Still one step behind him, she stared at him blankly for a moment, tempted to answer, Fresh air. And then she saw something in his eyes—something serious—and his voice held an urgency that she didn’t often hear. Logan was always calm and relaxed. It was unlike him to show that he was worried. ‘I—You need a splint?’ She thought quickly, her eyes flitting around her. ‘Kirsty’s cardigan? That’s cotton so it would be fine as a pad. Your socks because they’re longer and we can tie them, a folded newspaper as a splint?’ Her improvisation clearly met with his approval because his blue eyes gleamed with approval.

‘Let’s do it.’ Handing Kirsty to the woman’s husband to hold, he dragged off his socks and thrust them into Evanna’s hands. ‘You’ll be relieved to know that they’ve only been on my feet for about two minutes. You were reading the Sunday papers.’ He turned to the woman’s husband. ‘Fold a section for me so that I have something rigid to use as support.’