Page 69 of A Scottish Island Summer

I took a series of photographs, hoping I could capture even a small part of the essence of the erupting colours in the sky.

‘Well?’ asked Logan in a reverent hush beside me on the rug.

I didn’t want to tear my eyes away in case I missed another sweep of delicious shades. ‘It’s breathtaking,’ I managed, setting my camera down again beside me and admiring the way nature’s paintbrush was showing off her artistic talents, daubing, blotting and gliding such vibrant colours across the sky.

I turned to Logan. ‘It’s so beautiful. It’s almost as if it’s not real.’

He pushed out his broad chest with delight. It was almost as if he’d created the whole spectacle by himself. ‘I know, right? I bet you don’t get sunsets like that in London.’

Images of people rushing every which way like harassed ants, beetling below the searing office blocks, flashed in front of my eyes.

Here, it was just the cartwheeling waves, the lashes of salt water, gilded rock faces and a tumble of multi-coloured clouds. ‘No,’ I admitted. ‘I’ve never seen a sunset like this before.’

‘Impressed?’ asked Logan. His long legs were stretched out in front of him on the rug. ‘With the sunset, I mean?’

My face lit up ‘Don’t flatter yourself, Burns. Yes, I’m impressed. Very.’

I appreciated the spectacular vista again. Darkness was beginning to creep in and the sea was taking on a moodier, darker edge all of a sudden.

Under the letter ‘S’, this stunning sunset would be a definite feature in my book, although I was certain my photographs wouldn’t be able to do it justice.

‘Thank you for bringing me here. It really is something else. So much so, I’ve almost forgotten how chilly it is.’ I pulled a begging face. ‘I don’t suppose there’s any more of that tea left?’

Logan didn’t seem to hear me at first. He was too busy studying me, a shadow of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. ‘No. Sorry. We’ve already drunk it all.’ He hesitated. ‘I could make us some more tea back at my flat in Portree though, or you could have something stronger, if you prefer? Then I could drop you back at The Gorse.’ He gave an easy shrug. ‘It’d also be a good opportunity to decide what we should do tomorrow, as part of your book research.’

My head tumbled with thoughts. Going back to Logan’s? Oh, stop being such a drama queen, Darcie! You’re making a big deal out of it. It’s just the offer of a cup of tea.

Logan gave me a look from under his lashes that made me feel like I’d become a block of melting butter.

I rose to my feet and dusted down my jeans for something to do, before turning my attention to the rug we’d been sitting on. I scooped it up and gave it several shakes that it didn’t need. Was I really considering going back to Logan’s place?

He was staring at me.

What did I want to do?

I wanted to go.

‘Yes,’ I found myself saying, as I rolled up the rug far tighter than I meant to. ‘Thanks. A cup of tea at yours would be good.’