‘No, no, don’t worry. I’m happy to swap. Any weekend is fine with me. I don’t have any plans.’
‘Anyway, I thought that this would be a good opportunity for me to take you out and show you where the safe channels are. It means you can go out on your own next time.’
That was the clincher for Meagan. She knew Cameron would never let her use Colin’s boat until he was satisfied that she knew where the dangers were.
‘In that case,’ she said, ‘I’d love to come. You need to give me a minute or two to get ready, though. I’ll be as quick as I can.
Ian ran around in circles, clearly delighted. Meagan laughed. ‘He’s a bundle of energy, isn’t he?’
She left Cameron and the two children outside while she changed into jeans and a thick jumper. Although it was a beautiful day, she knew once they got out on the water, it would get much cooler. In a small backpack, she packed some waterproofs and a flask of coffee. She hesitated for a moment before picking up a woolly hat she had found lying around. She added it to her bag, along with a picnic blanket. After slipping on some plimsoles, she was ready.
By the time she walked down to the bay below the house, Cameron and his two small helpers had already rigged the boat.
‘We’ll go out under the engine and put the sails up once we are clear of the bay,’ Cameron said. ‘It’s pretty rocky just here and I need more manoeuvrability than the sails allow. I’ll be helmsman, if you’ll crew?’
That agreed, and with all of them wearing lifejackets, Meagan cast off and they were on their way. Cameron handled the boat easily, smoothly navigating their way into the open sea. Meagan watched him as he concentrated. At the tiller, he seemed more relaxed than she had ever seen him. It was as if he was in his element. The wind ruffled his almost too long dark hair.
Once they were out at sea, Meagan and Cameron unfurled the sails. They worked easily together, almost as if they had sailed in partnership for years. Soon they were speeding along. Meagan was thrilled to be back out on the sea. Until now she hadn’t realised how much she had missed being on the water.
‘Where are we heading?’ she yelled across to Cameron.
‘If you are up to a bit of hillwalking, I thought we’d take her to the foot of Eaval.’ He indicated a hill in the distance. ‘It’s the highest hill on Uist, although it’s a baby compared to most in Scotland. It’s an easy climb, even for the children. I thought we could picnic at the top—the views are great there—before coming back down. Is that OK?’
‘I’m sure if it’s manageable for the children it’ll be OK for me.’ Meagan grinned back at him. ‘Is this as fast as this boat can go?’ she challenged.
‘It’s as fast as I’m prepared to take it with children on board,’ Cameron said. ‘Perhaps after we drop them off later we can go out again. Then you can show me what you can do.’
Meagan accepted the challenge with a grin. Cameron Stuart had no idea just what she could do with a boat. She was looking forward to showing him. She hoped it would wipe that confident grin off his face.
Before long they were coming into a sheltered bay. Once again they lowered the sails and came in under the engine. Out of the wind, Meagan could feel the heat of the sun on her shoulders. She removed her sweater and tied it around her waist. Cameron indicated for her to hold the tiller then, as they came in, he leapt off the boat onto nearby rocks and tied the boat securely.
‘The tide will be on its way out by the time we come back down. ‘We’ll be able to wade out then. In the meantime, could you pass the children across?’
‘I can jump!’ Ian protested. ‘I’m too old to be lifted—by a girl,’ he added, giving Meagan a look of disdain.
‘You’ll do as you are told, young man,’ Cameron said severely. ‘Remember what I said. When you are out on a boat you always do exactly what the skipper says. Without argument.’
Something in his father’s voice must have told Ian that there was no point in arguing. After Meagan had passed Effie across, Ian allowed Meagan to help him on to the rocks and into his father’s arms.
‘Wait for us up the hill a bit,’ Cameron said, holding his hand out to Meagan. She grabbed her rucksack and took hold of his hand. She felt his roughened hand take hers and she leapt lightly onto the rocks beside him. For the briefest moment he held her to him. She could feel the rough texture of his sweater on her bare arms and the heat of his body on hers. She looked up to find his eyes on hers. They held for a moment then he stood back to let her past.
They walked up the hill at an easy pace, letting the children run on ahead. Cameron insisted on carrying her rucksack as well as his. Soon he stopped and removed his sweater. His T-shirt rode up with the movement and Meagan caught a brief glimpse of his tanned muscular abdomen. Unbidden memories of trailing her hands across the hard muscle of his chest came rushing back. She felt her ears go pink at the tips. He looked at her and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
‘Work out, do you?’ he said, his eyes appraising her.
‘I like to keep fit,’ she said. ‘We can hardly tell our patients to take more exercise and then slob out ourselves, can we?’
However, as they climbed higher Meagan wondered if she would have to eat her words. In order to keep the children in sight Cameron lengthened his stride and it was all Meagan could do to keep up. She was glad he didn’t seem in the mood to chat, as she would have found it impossible to talk and walk at the same time.
She was very glad, therefore, when they reached the top of the hill. Meagan had to admit the climb had been worth it. As Cameron had said, the hill wasn’t particularly high but they could see for miles under the cloudless sky. Cameron pointed out the neighbouring islands of Skye and Harris.
‘If you like hillwalking, you’ll enjoy Skye,’ he told her. ‘If you prefer beaches, then Uist is just a short ferry ride away. You should visit both on your weekends off.’
‘I might just do that,’ Meagan said. ‘Actually, if you think Colin wouldn’t mind, I would love to sail his boat across to Uist.’
Cameron frowned. ‘Please, Meagan, don’t underestimate the conditions around here. Although it’s a beautiful day today, the weather can change in a moment. We are always having to rescue unwary tourists from the mountains and the sea. I don’t want to have to rescue you. We need you…’ He looked into her eyes. Meagan felt her heart thud. What did he mean? Was he implying…?
‘The practice needs you,’ he finished abruptly. ‘Hey, children,’ he called out, ‘are you ready for something to eat?’
Meagan could have kicked herself. Why was she always reading more into Cameron’s behaviour than she should? Hadn’t he made it clear enough that their relationship was purely that of two professionals? And the only reason he had invited her on this trip was for the sake of the children.
Shortly after they had finished their picnic, Cameron stood up. He scanned the sky with practised eyes.
‘There are clouds rolling in from the north. Could be there’s a storm on the way. We’d better get back. Besides, we can’t let the tide get too far out or we’ll be stuck here until it comes back in.’
Looking at the sky, Meagan could see no evidence of a storm, although the wind had picked up a bit. Perhaps he’d had enough of her company?
‘Fine by me,’ she said, gathering their belongings together. The children seemed happy enough to be returning to the boat.
As Cameron had predicted, the tide was on the way out, dragging the boat with it away from the shore. Now there was an expanse of sand to be crossed before they could get to the vessel. She’d have to roll up