Duncan drove her little car off the ferry, hearing the familiar clunk as the wheels left the ramp and hit the concrete of the quay. She waved at Jim, the ferryman, and then drove a little way down South Quay before pulling into a vacant parking space overlooking the harbour.
The city had been hot and sticky, the air trapped between the tall buildings with not a breath of wind to lighten the atmosphere, and she’d crawled through holiday traffic for hours to reach the ferry. She was hot, tired and desperate for the peaceful haven provided by her cottage on the cliffs. But first she had things to do. She was meeting a friend and she was already late.
Climbing out of her car, Evanna breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the wind lift her hair and cool her skin. At last.
Home.
Glenmore Island. Being a practice nurse on a remote Scottish island had its challenges, but she loved it and she could never imagine living anywhere else. She’d only been away for a month but it felt like longer.
‘Good trip, Nurse Duncan?’ A boy of about twelve strolled up to her, licking a towering ice cream in danger of imminent collapse. A baseball cap was pulled low over his eyes and he wore shorts, scuffed trainers and an ancient T-shirt that had been faded by endless washing. Two of his friends hovered in the background.
‘Well, hello, Fraser. Are you enjoying the holidays?’ Evanna slammed the car door shut. ‘How’s that head of yours doing?’
Fraser obligingly whipped off the hat and lifted his hair to show her. ‘What do you think? Dr MacNeil says he thinks it’s going to be the most amazing scar. Wicked.’
It was typical of Logan MacNeil to have turned a negative into a positive. Evanna ignored the way her heart jumped at the mere mention of his name. ‘I’m sure he’s right. Amazing.’ Instinctively she reached out and took a closer look, noticing how well it was healing. Logan had done a good job with the stitches. ‘And I hope you’re staying away from the castle.’
‘Sort of. But you’ll never guess what’s happened, it’s so cool.’ Fraser’s voice was earnest as he filled her in on the local gossip. ‘They’ve decided to open up the dungeons. Some archeologic—archolo—’ He stumbled over the word and then gave up. ‘Someone really important is coming to take a look and poke around. They think there might be stuff down there. Stuff from the Celts or the Vikings or something, you know? Like treasure. We’re going to go up there and watch.’ His eyes gleamed as he rammed the cap back on his head.
‘That’s great, Fraser.’ Evanna slipped her keys into her bag. ‘Just make sure you’re careful. Those ruins can be dangerous and you’ve given all of us enough grey hairs this year. Your ice cream is dripping. You need to lick. Fast.’
Fraser grinned and caught the drip with his tongue. ‘I’m careful.’
‘I’m sure you are.’ Evanna’s tone was dry as she recalled the rescue effort that had been required to extricate him from the dungeon some weeks earlier. She flicked the brim of his hat with her finger. ‘I’m meeting Nurse Walker. Have you seen her?’
‘She’s in the café by the window eating a massive triple chocolate fudge ice cream with extra chocolate flakes. She made me promise not to tell anyone because she says it’s pretty hard to lecture people on eating a healthy diet when you’re seen in public stuffing yourself with rubbish.’ He frowned. ‘Actually, she might not have actually said “stuffing yourself”, but I think that’s what she meant.’
‘Disgraceful behaviour for a practice nurse.’ Evanna’s eyes sparkled with laughter. ‘I’ll go and tell her off, shall I?’
‘Yeah. The ice cream looked good, though, and it’s the only thing that really works in this heat. Bye, Nurse Duncan. See you around.’
‘Bye, boys. Be careful, now.’
She was still smiling when she pushed open the door of the café and joined her friend at the large round table by the window. It had a view of the harbour and was a perfect place from which to observe the various comings and goings of Glenmore Island. ‘You know, if you’re going to eat that artery-clogging gloop you should at least do it behind a newspaper or at a table around the back. Eating it in the window is just asking for trouble. I’ve just heard all about it from Fraser.’
‘You’re late.’ Kyla dropped the spoon and stood up to give her a quick hug. ‘You saw Fraser? He’s a cheeky monkey. With most of the summer holidays still ahead of us, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re pulling him out of another hole soon. It’s so good to have you back. We’ve missed you.’
‘You’ve been too busy being newly married to miss me.’ Evanna dropped her bag on the floor and pulled out a chair. ‘I still haven’t quite got over the speed with which you fell in love with our new doctor. You certainly didn’t hang around.’
Kyla settled back at the table and dug her spoon into the ice cream. ‘When something is right, it’s right. And Ethan is perfect.’ She waved the spoon. ‘At least marrying him meant that he’d stay on the island permanently. Logan is pleased to have another doctor at the surgery.’
‘Yes.’ Evanna struggled to keep her tone casual. ‘So, how is he? Logan is normally hideously busy at this time of year.’
Kyla considered the question. ‘OK, I think. I don’t know how he does it. It’s only just over a year since his wife died but he’s holding up really well. I just wish he’d talk about it more.’
Evanna thought of the conversations she’d had with him long into the night. He’d talked about it with her. ‘I suppose everyone handles things in their own way.’
‘Well, Logan always was tough and work keeps him going. That and having a thirteen-month-old daughter.’ Kyla leaned back in her chair and called across the café. ‘Aunt Meg, can we have another spoon here please? Evanna’s tongue is hanging into my ice cream.’
‘No, it isn’t.’ Evanna eyed the ice cream wistfully. ‘I’m not like you. Fat never gives you a second glance. If I even look at ice cream, I put on a kilo.’
‘That’s rubbish and if eating ice cream gave me your fantastic curves then I’d eat it for every meal. You look great in that red top. A bit like a flamenco dancer.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Sort of sexy and sultry. All dark hair and dark eyes. But you need to wear your hair loose to complete the effect.’
‘It’s too hot.’ Evanna ran a hand over the back of her neck. ‘And the only reason I’m looking sultry is because we’re in the middle of a heat wave. I’m boiling.’
‘Was it hot in the city?’
‘Unbelievable. I honestly don’t know how people can live their lives in a place like that. It’s all so—’ Evanna frowned as she searched for the word ‘—closed in. There’s no air. It’s like being in a forest of buildings and everyone is busy, busy, busy. There’s no room to breathe, whereas on Glenmore there’s just so much space.’ She shuddered at the memory and Kyla smiled.
‘So you didn’t enjoy yourself?’
‘I enjoyed the work. It was fantastic to be back on the labour ward. You know I loved my midwifery and I don’t exactly get the chance to practise much on Glenmore.’
‘What
