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Lifting a hand to her hair, she drew in a breath and opened the gate.
‘Evanna, you look wonderful!’ Meg, Kyla’s aunt who owned the café on the quay, stepped forward, a drink in her hand. ‘I’ve never seen your hair down like that! It looks amazing.’
‘I—I thought I’d have a change from curls.’ Evanna’s eyes slid nervously around the garden, which was already crowded with Logan’s friends and family. ‘Where’s Kirsty?’
It was ridiculous, she thought to herself, hiding behind a child. But suddenly that was what she wanted to do.
‘Last seen clinging adoringly to her father, but you don’t want to hold her while you’re wearing that gorgeous dress. She was squashing raspberries into her mouth a moment ago and most of the juice was stuck to her.’
Evanna laughed. ‘She loves fruit.’
‘There she is.’ Meg smiled benignly across the garden. ‘And Logan is looking well, don’t you think? That blue shirt with his eyes—it’s no wonder the girls all trip over themselves when he passes. He’s not going to be on his own for long, that’s for sure. Someone is going to snap him up really soon.’
Were they?
Wondering how she’d cope with that, Evanna kept her smile fixed firmly in place, relieved to see Kyla walking across to them, her hand in Ethan’s.
‘Good to see Kyla so happy, too,’ Meg said, nodding approvingly as Ethan paused to kiss his new wife on the lips. ‘Ethan may not be an islander born and bred, but you wouldn’t know it to look at him. He fits right in.’
Evanna nodded. It was true that Ethan fitted in. He’d arrived as a locum GP to help Logan and had fallen in love with Kyla and stayed. It was a situation that suited everyone. ‘He was always meant to come here.’
‘You mean because he’s Kirsty’s uncle?’ Meg lowered her voice. ‘I must admit I wasn’t surprised when he revealed that he was actually related to Logan’s late wife. Her brother, imagine! There was always something secretive about him. And about her, come to that. She certainly never mentioned a brother.’
‘They weren’t close. That’s why Ethan took the job here. To try and learn more about her. I’m sure that if she hadn’t died, they would have developed a relationship.’ Kyla hadn’t shared much of it with her, but Evanna knew that Ethan and Catherine had shared a difficult family background.
Meg sniffed. ‘Well, he’s a good doctor and that’s what matters. Oh, look at that.’ She waved a hand. ‘Kirsty has spotted you. And Logan.’
Evanna felt her heart rate double. ‘I’d better go and say hello.’
‘You do that. And watch that dress.’
Evanna caught Kyla’s whispered ‘Nice cleavage’, took a deep breath and plucked up courage to walk across the lawn.
‘Hello, Kirsty,’ she said, clasping the raspberry-stained fist in hers and giving it a swift kiss. ‘No need to ask what you’ve been eating.’
Kirsty chortled with delight, a huge smile on her plump cheeks.
‘I’ve given up trying to keep her clean,’ Logan murmured, dropping a kiss onto his daughter’s silken blonde curls. ‘It’s a losing battle. I’ve decided that I’m just going to turn the hose onto her before she goes to bed.’
‘It’s a good job I know you’re joking.’ Evanna felt her heart hammer against her chest as he turned to look at her. His blue eyes were shielded by thick, dark lashes and her stomach flipped as she fell into that sleepy, masculine gaze.
Suddenly she felt agonisingly nervous.
What if he hated the way she looked? What if he thought she looked ridiculous? What if—?
He smiled at her. ‘I’m glad you came early.’
Didn’t he notice anything different about her? Evanna shook her head gently, allowing her smooth, shiny hair to spill over her shoulders.
Kirsty gave a delighted gurgle and immediately reached out and grabbed a handful.
‘Don’t pull Evanna’s hair,’ Logan drawled, prising the little girl’s fists open and giving Evanna an apologetic smile. ‘You know what she’s like with hair. Leaving it down was asking for trouble. You should have worn it in a ponytail, like you usually do.’
Evanna swallowed back her disappointment.
That was it?
That was all he was going to say?
