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Deciding that the best cure for misery was a good exercise session before the weather became too hot to run, Evanna pulled on an old pair of shorts, slid her feet into her trainers
and let herself out of the back door of the cottage.
The air was still, without a breath of wind, and the sea lay calm and quiet below the cliffs.
Forcing herself into a run, Evanna jogged steadily along the path, gradually increasing her pace.
She ran for almost half an hour, feeling the prickle of heat between her shoulder blades and the heat of the sun on her face. To her left the cliffs fell away steeply towards the sea and to her right were fields. Sheep grazed, placidly chewing on parched grass. Further inland was the rugged interior of the island, the province of walkers and climbers.
There had been no rain for weeks and the air smelt of sun and summer. The ground was hard under her trainers but still she ran, determined to chase away her gloom. It wasn’t like her to be unhappy. She was, by nature, a happy, steady person. She wasn’t given to fits of depression. So why did she feel so down?
Her pulse was thundering, her breath tearing in her lungs, and she pulled up for a brief rest, breathing heavily as she stared at the view. A few lone yachts bobbed on the water, barely moving in the still air. Apart from the occasional shriek of a seagull, it was completely peaceful. A lazy, quiet Sunday. Later the tourists would crowd onto the beaches with their buckets and spades, but for now it was still too early for all but the most energetic of visitors to be up and about.
And then she glanced along the coast path and saw him.
Logan. And he had Kirsty on his shoulders.
Evanna let out a groan of frustration. Wasn’t that just typical? Why did he have to be the one other person up and about? And how had she not realised that she’d run so far?
Kirsty waved her arms with excitement and Logan turned before she had time to vanish discreetly.
Wondering what terrible sins she’d committed to be forced to confront him in such a miserable, sweaty state, Evanna stood still, wishing she could wave a wand and transform herself. If she hadn’t been feeling so dejected she would have laughed. Talk about going from one extreme to the other. Last night she’d worn a short dress and high heels and she’d been groomed to within an inch of her life. Today she was wearing her oldest shorts and a T-shirt with a half-faded slogan and her hair was a mess.
But what did it matter?
She’d never looked more feminine or glamorous than she had the night before, and had he noticed her? No. And if he hadn’t noticed her in a dress and heels, why would he notice her in her ancient, practical running gear?
Logan just didn’t find her attractive.
So she really didn’t need to worry about him seeing her in her ancient shorts.
All the same she smoothed her damp hair away from her face as he approached. ‘Hi. You’re up early.’
‘Kirsty hasn’t learned to lie in yet. We make it until seven o’clock and that’s good enough for me.’ He reached up and lifted the toddler from his shoulders with strong hands. ‘We thought we’d have an early walk to work up an appetite for a late breakfast.’
‘Good idea.’ He looked good in shorts, she thought. Logan had always been athletic and it showed in his physique. Dark hairs clustered at the open neck of his polo shirt and she looked away quickly, concentrating her attention on Kirsty, aware that he was looking at her.
‘You hardly stayed for five minutes last night. Kyla said you weren’t feeling that well.’ There was concern in his voice. ‘Are you sick? Bug of some sort?’
‘No. No bug. I just felt a bit—I’m not sure—’
‘You’re not sure how you felt?’
Oh, for crying out loud, Evanna! ‘I was just a bit tired.’ She glanced out over the bay. ‘It’s going to be hot today.’ Oh, help, she was reduced to talking about the weather.
‘Yes.’
He was still looking at her. She could feel him looking at her and she turned to look up the coast path, afraid that he’d see something in her eyes that she didn’t want him to see. ‘I’m going to spend the afternoon cleaning out my bathroom, ready for Craig. He’s starting tomorrow and—’ She broke off and frowned slightly, squinting into the distance. ‘What’s the matter with them?’
Logan turned and looked. ‘That couple? I walked past them about ten minutes ago. They’re just tourists, out for an early stroll. They had a stack of newspapers in their rucksack. Probably looking for a peaceful spot on the headland to sit and catch up on the news. I can never understand that really, can you? People come to this island to escape from the big wide world and the first thing they do is buy a newspaper.’
‘They’re waving at us.’
‘Why would they wave at us?’ Logan lifted Kirsty off his shoulders and winced. ‘She always holds onto my hair.’
‘Logan.’ Evanna caught his arm. ‘They are waving at us. He’s shouting something.’
Kirsty wriggled in Logan’s arms and he shifted her back onto his shoulders in a smooth, confident movement. ‘All right. Let’s stroll back up there and see if there’s something wrong.’
