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‘I don’t see why everyone is so interested anyway. This is Conner we’re talking about. He’ll have left the island or moved on to the next woman before we’ve identified the current one.’ She wiped the side with some kitchen paper. ‘You be careful out there today. There’s a storm brewing. Jim reckons it’s going to be a big one.’
‘Is that right?’ Not wanting to think about Conner leaving the island, Flora backed out of the door and took her coffee to the quay, where she sipped it slowly, watching the tourists pick their way off the ferry, most of them a pale shade of green after a rough sea crossing. Beyond them, the sea lashed angrily at the harbour walls and the sky turned ominously dark, despite the fact it was only lunchtime.
Flora sighed. Wild summer storms were a feature of Glenmore but that didn’t mean that they welcomed it. If the ferry stopped running then the tourists didn’t come, and if the tourists stopped then so did the money that contributed so much to the island economy. They were already in August and the summer months would soon be over.
And then Conner would be gone.
And she’d always known that, hadn’t she? She’d always known that his presence on the island was only temporary.
Determined not to think about that, Flora finished her coffee and threw the empty container in the bin. She was not going to ruin the present by worrying about the future.
They still had the rest of summer together.
Climbing into her car, she drove back to the surgery, knowing that she was facing a full clinic now that Evanna had finally stopped work.
She worked through without a break and was just tidying up after her last patient when Conner walked into the room.
As usual her heart jumped and her mood lifted. Just seeing him made her want to smile. ‘The weather’s awful. There’s a strong chance you’re going to be trapped indoors tonight, Dr MacNeil.’
‘Is that right?’
‘Do you fancy being trapped indoors with me?’
‘I might.’ He pulled her against him and kissed her hungrily. ‘As long as you promise to put your book away for half an hour.’
‘That depends…’ she curled her arms round his neck. ‘…on whether there is something more exciting to do than read.’
‘Is that a challenge?’
‘Do you need one?’
His answer was to kiss her again and she sank against him, her body erupting in a storm of excitement. They were lost in each other, absorbed, transported, and neither of them heard the click of the door behind them.
‘What the—?’ Logan’s voice penetrated the fog of excitement that had anaesthetised her brain, and Flora opened her eyes dizzily, trying to remember where she was.
‘Logan.’ She said his name breathlessly and snatched her hands guiltily away from Conner’s chest.
Logan gave a low growl of anger. ‘Damn you, Conner, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’
‘Kissing your practice nurse.’ Conner’s tone was cool, almost bored. But he released his grip on her bottom and shrugged. ‘Caught red-handed.’ His gaze slid to Flora and he gave a faint smile. ‘Or perhaps I should say red-faced.’
Flora froze as Logan turned his disbelieving gaze on her.
‘Flora?’
She stood, trapped in the headlights of his disapproval. This was it, then. The moment that had been inevitable.
The moment of discovery.
She waited to feel embarrassed, but nothing happened. Tentatively, she examined the way she felt. Did she want the floor to open up and swallow her? No, she didn’t. Did she wish she could turn the clock back? Absolutely not.
Flora frowned slightly, wondering why Logan’s incredulous glance had so little effect on her. And then she looked at Conner—at the hard lines of his handsome face—and everything inside her disintegrated. Everything she’d thought she was, everything she’d thought she wanted—it all descended into rubble and she realised that the reason she wasn’t embarrassed was because she didn’t care what Logan thought. And the reason she didn’t care what Logan thought was because she loved Conner.
She loved him.
Even though it was foolish and she was going to end up in tears, she was completely and utterly crazy about Conner.
She stood for a moment, shocked, exhilarated and absolutely terrified.
