‘I haven’t seen anything like that in all my time on Glenmore.’
‘No. I suppose it was because the quay was so crowded. She must have been knocked off the edge and into the water.’
‘I didn’t mean that.’ Jim stared into the sky, watching as the helicopter shrank to a tiny dot in the distance. ‘I meant Conner MacNeil. He was in the water like an arrow while the rest of us were still working out what had happened. And he just got on with it, didn’t he?’
‘Yes.’ Flora cleared her throat. ‘He did.’
‘Logan says he was in the army.’ Jim pushed his hat back from his forehead and scratched. ‘I reckon if I was fighting in some godforsaken country, I’d feel better knowing he was around to pick up the pieces.’
‘Yes. He was amazing.’
‘He’s not cuddly, of course.’ Jim held up five fingers to a tourist who tentatively asked whether or not the ferry would be running. ‘Five minutes. But in a crisis which do you prefer? Cuddly or competent?’
Flora swallowed, knowing that Jim was right. Conner’s ice-cold assessment of the situation had been a huge part of the reason Lily was still alive. He hadn’t allowed emotion to cloud his judgement, whereas she …
Suddenly Flora felt depression wash over her. The whole situation had been awful and she was experienced enough to know that, despite Conner’s heroic efforts, Lily wasn’t out of danger. ‘I’d better go, Jim. I need to clean up.’
‘And I need to get this ferry to the mainland.’ Jim gave a wry smile and glanced at his watch. ‘It’s the first time the Glenmore ferry has been late since the service started. Nice job, Flora. Well done.’
But Flora knew that her part in the rescue had been minimal.
It had been Conner. All of it. He’d been the one to dive into the water. He’d pulled Lily out. And when she’d been frozen with panic at the sight of Lily’s lifeless form covered in all that blood, he’d worked with ruthless efficiency, showing no emotion but getting the job done. Nothing had distracted him. Not even Lily’s mother. He’d had a task to do and he’d done it.
CHAPTER SIX
SHE COULDN’T relax at home so she went back to the beach with her book and when it was too dark to read she just sat, listening to the hiss of the waves as they rushed forward onto the beach and then retreated.
She wanted to know how Lily was faring, but Conner wasn’t answering his mobile and she didn’t want to bother the hospital staff.
Shrieks of excitement came from the far corner of the beach where a group of teenagers had lit a fire and were having a beach party. Flora watched for a moment, knowing that she was too far away for them to see her. They weren’t supposed to light fires but they always did. This was Glenmore in the summer. She knew that sooner or later Nick Hillier, the policeman, would do one of his evening patrols and if they were still there, he’d move them on. Back home to their parents or the properties they rented for a few weeks every summer.
‘What’s a nice girl like you doing on a beach like this? It’s late. You should be home.’ The harsh, familiar male voice came from directly behind her and she gave a gasp of shock.
‘Conner? Where did you come from? I thought you’d still be on the mainland.’
‘Hitched a lift back on a boat.’
‘How’s Lily?’
‘Asking for her dolls.’
Flora felt a rush of relief and smiled. ‘That’s wonderful.’
‘If it’s wonderful, why such a long face?’ He sat down next to her and there was enough light for her to see the dark stains on his shirt and trousers. It was a vivid reminder of just what he’d achieved.
‘It would have been a very different outcome for Lily if you hadn’t been there.’
‘Someone else would have done it.’
‘No. No, they wouldn’t. And I was no use to you at all. I’m sorry. I was completely out of my depth. I’ve never seen anything like that before.’ Just the thought of Lily’s body, lifeless and covered with blood, made her feel sick.
‘You were fine.’ He reached behind him for a pebble and threw it carelessly into the darkness. There was a faint splash as it hit the water.
‘Conner, I wasn’t fine.’ She’d been thinking about it all evening and becoming more and more upset. ‘You always imagine that you’ll know what to do in an emergency, but I didn’t. I didn’t know! I mean, I suppose I knew the theory but nothing prepares you for seeing a little girl you know well, covered in blood and not breathing. I—I just couldn’t concentrate.’
‘That happens to the best of us.’
She was willing to bet it had never happened to him. ‘I’ve never even tied a tourniquet before.’
‘Join the army,’ he suggested, and reached for another stone. ‘You get to tie quite a few. Believe me, it’s a talent I’d willingly not have to use ever again. You were fine. Stop worrying.’
‘There was so much blood.’
‘Yeah—it has a habit of spreading itself around when you hit an artery.’
‘It didn’t worry you.’
‘Blood?’ He shrugged. ‘No, blood doesn’t worry me—but emotion …’ He gave a hollow laugh and threw the stone. ‘Now that’s a different story. When they discharge her from hospital, you’re the one that’s visiting.’
She curled her toes into the soft sand. ‘I remember Jayne from school.’
‘Me, too. I think I might have kissed her once.’
‘You kissed everyone.’ Except her. She turned to look at him. Fresh stubble darkened his jaw and in the dim light he looked more dangerous than ever.
He flung another stone and then leaned back on his elbows, watching her through narrowed eyes. ‘What the hell are you doing out here at this hour, Flora Harris? You should be tucked up in bed, having exhausted yourself with a fat book.’
Flora drew a circle in the sand with her finger. ‘You think I’m so boring, don’t you?’
‘Trust me, you don’t want to know what I think.’
‘I already know.’ Her heart thumping, she looked at him. ‘I’m probably the only girl on Glenmore that you haven’t kissed, so that says quite a lot.’
‘It says that I still had some decency, despite what the locals thought of me. You weren’t exactly the kind of girl to indulge in adolescent groping.’ Conner glanced towards the crowd on the beach, barely visible in the darkness. ‘You didn’t do late-night beach orgies. I suppose you were studying.’
‘Yes, I probably was.’ Flora thought of the life she’d led. ‘Dad hated me being out too late. He always worried about me.’
‘You were a good daughter. You never once slipped off the rails, not even for a moment. That’s good. Be proud of it.’
‘It was easy to stay on the rails because my rails were smooth and consistent. I lost Mum but I still had Dad.’ She glanced at him, hesitant about saying something that would upset him. ‘It must be very stressful for you, coming back here after so long. You had such a difficult childhood and all the memories are here.’
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