Walker.’
‘Well, this isn’t the way I would have chosen to meet you,’ Aisla said with a weary smile, ‘but thanks. I owe you both. If you hadn’t called, goodness knows what would have happened.’
Ethan saw Kyla glance towards Fraser. Saw her smile of reassurance and praise.
Aisla followed that look. ‘Fraser?’ Her voice was gentle. ‘Are you all right? Didn’t you say something about feeling sick?’
‘I’m feeling a lot better now,’ he said firmly. ‘Ever since I had that fresh air on the beach.’
‘Fresh air can be a miracle-worker,’ Kyla said blithely, and Fraser breathed an audible sigh of relief.
‘I can’t believe that this is an average working day. Do you ever get any time off for good behaviour?’ Ethan slid into the car beside her and Kyla smiled.
‘The nature of this island is that we’re permanently on call. But it isn’t usually this bad, honestly. And now you definitely deserve some time off. I’ll drop you home on my way to the clinic. But have dinner with Logan and me tonight. It’s the least we can do, having pushed you straight into the deep end.’ She saw his expression change. Saw surprise flicker in the depths of his dark, dangerous eyes.
‘You eat dinner with your brother?’
‘Of course,’ Kyla said comfortably. ‘We’re family.’
‘But not all families eat together and socialise.’
‘Well, we do. Usually several times a week. Is that so strange?’ Kyla looked at him in confusion, wondering why that would seem odd to him. As far as she was concerned, it was so normal it wasn’t even worth commenting on. ‘I love seeing my niece and usually one of my aunts or cousins are there. It’ll probably be a pretty noisy evening but it will be nice for you to meet some of the islanders. One of my aunts runs the café on the quay and another has a knitwear boutique in Glenmore village. Two of my other cousins are fisherman. They also man the lifeboat when it’s necessary.’
‘What about your parents?’
‘They moved over to the mainland two months ago to be with my other aunt. My uncle died and she needs help on the farm, so my parents moved in and took over. But we still get together all the time.’
‘You’re a close family.’
‘Are we?’ She frowned and then gave a shrug. ‘A pretty normal family, I would have said. We have our rows and disagreements and we’re pretty noisy but, yes, we like each other’s company and we’re in and out of each other’s lives. Why wouldn’t we be? What about you? Are you a big family? Brothers? Sisters?’ She saw the immediate change in him. His dark eyes were blank. Shuttered—as if something had slammed closed inside him.
‘Just me.’ His tone was cool and his eyes slid away from hers. ‘My parents divorced when I was eight and my father’s second marriage didn’t last long either.’
‘Oh.’ Kyla tried to imagine not having her family round her and failed. Maybe that explained why he was reserved and slightly aloof. ‘That must have been pretty tough on you.’
‘On the contrary, it was a relief from the interminable rows. And it made me independent.’ He frowned, as if he hadn’t even considered the subject before. ‘I had a very free and easy childhood because everyone was too busy fighting to be remotely interested in what I was doing. From my point of view, it was a good thing.’
A good thing? It didn’t sound like a good thing to Kyla. ‘But one of the joys of childhood is being fussed over. Knowing that someone cares. It’s about loving and being loved.’ Puzzled by his observation, she lifted her eyes to his and saw the faint gleam of mockery there.
‘Perhaps it depends what sort of person you are. Don’t feel sorry for me, Kyla,’ he advised in a soft drawl. ‘I’ve never been touchy-feely. I don’t need hugs.’
‘Everyone needs hugs.’ Even people like him. He was tough and aloof. Independent.
‘I prefer to handle my problems myself. In private.’
Kyla laughed. ‘Actually, so would I sometimes. But it’s virtually impossible if you live here. On Glenmore, people not only know everything about your problems, they all think they know the best way of solving them. And they let you know. Loudly and quite often in the pub when you’re trying to have a quiet drink. Come for supper tonight. Really. It will be a gentle introduction to the realities of living on an island. Sort of sanitised nosiness.’
Her humorous observation drew a smile from him. ‘I thought you didn’t cook.’
‘I don’t. But luckily for you, Evanna does. Extremely well. And tonight it’s seafood. You should come, it will be fun. If the weather holds, we’ll eat in Logan’s garden and no doubt my niece will create havoc.’ She tried to keep her voice light. Tried not to stare. His hair was rumpled and his jaw was dark with stubble, but she’d never seen a more attractive man in her life.
‘The baby will be there?’
Kyla dragged her eyes away from her surreptitious study of his mouth. ‘Well, she’s not really a baby any more. More of a toddler. Life has grown a great deal more complicated for everyone since she started crawling. But, yes, she’ll be there.’ She noticed the sudden tension in his shoulders. ‘Is that a problem?’
‘Why would it be a problem?’
‘I don’t know.’ But she sensed something. ‘You just seem …’ There was something in his cool gaze that she found intimidating and she broke off and gave a small shrug. If he came from such a small, fractured family then he probably just wasn’t used to children. ‘Nothing. Anyway, you’re welcome if you want to join us. I can give you a lift.’ Her heart was pounding hard against her chest and she wondered what it was about him that had such a powerful effect on her.
‘I think my relationship with your car has reached its conclusion,’ he drawled with a sardonic lift of his eyebrow. ‘My own car is arriving this afternoon. I’ll give you a lift.’
‘Does that mean you’re coming?’
His hesitation was fractional, but it was there. ‘Yes. If you’re sure your brother won’t mind.’
‘The more, the merrier.’ Her heart gave a little skip and she lectured herself fiercely. She shouldn’t care whether he was coming or not. This was not a man to get involved with. There were too many shadows around his eyes. And the little he’d revealed about himself hinted at an extremely scarred childhood. And any man who didn’t need hugs was never going to suit her. ‘Can you pick me up at six? We eat early because Logan puts Kirsty down around seven o’clock and I like to have some time with her.’
He sat for a moment without moving. ‘How does he manage?’
‘With the baby? Very well. Logan’s a brilliant father. Fun, loving and amazingly hands-on considering the job he does.’ Kyla shrugged. ‘He has to have help, of course, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to work. My aunts work out a rota, and I help when I can. My cousins muck in and he’s employed a few girls from the village, but that hasn’t really worked out.’
‘Why? Weren’t they competent?’
