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‘Dinner with the doctor,’ she mused out loud. ‘Just exactly how good are these steaks?’
‘Better than you’ve ever tasted. The cows bred in the Arran hills are special. More tender.’
There was a smile dancing across her lips. ‘Okay, then.’ She gave him a cheeky wink. ‘But only because I might want to put the steak on film.’
Part of him was elated. Part of him was put out. It had been a casual, not-really-thought-about invitation. But things had seemed to be heading in this direction. But now, had she only said yes because she wanted to film their dinner? Was this something to try and get more viewing figures?
Because that hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Kristie kept chatting again. It seemed she had a gift for chat. And she didn’t seem to slow down for a second. They were almost back at Magda’s house when Rhuaridh’s page sounded.
He took one glance and grabbed his phone. ‘Something wrong?’ she asked, taking over the pram-pushing again.
He nodded. Listened carefully to the person at the end of the phone before cutting the call. In the blink of an eye he swooped up little Alice, dropping a kiss on her forehead before running inside with her. Kristie was still fumbling with the pram in the doorway as he came back outside.
‘Leave it,’ he said, running past her. ‘And phone Gerry. Tell him to meet us at the wilderness centre.’
Kristie’s head flicked one way then the other, as if she should work out what to do next. He was in the car already and, reaching over, flung open the passenger door. ‘Now, Kristie!’ he yelled.
* * *
Her hands were refusing to do what they were told as she tried to phone Gerry. It took three attempts to finally press the correct button. Rhuaridh was driving quicker than she’d ever seen him. He’d already phoned the cottage hospital and given some instructions to the staff.
It seemed that there was only one ambulance on Arran and it was on its way too.
‘What’s the wilderness centre?’
‘It’s an experiential learning place. Adults and kids come and learn to mountain climb, hike, swim, canoe, camp, fish and a whole host of other things.’
‘So...’ She was almost scared to ask. ‘What’s happened?’
‘There’s been an accident. There’s a waterfall in the hills. One of the instructors and one of the kids have been hurt.’
He turned up a track that led up one of the nearby hills. Now she understood why he had a four-wheel drive. The terrain was rugged. ‘Will the ambulance get up here?’
He nodded. ‘You haven’t seen it yet, have you?’
She shook her head.
‘It’s not a regular ambulance because of the terrain it has to cover, well, that and the fact a high number of our injuries are around the foot of Goat Fell—’
‘Goat Fell?’ she interrupted.
He pointed off to the side. ‘Arran’s highest mountain, more than eight hundred metres tall. Really, really popular with climbers, and it is a real climb. Especially at the end. Some people don’t really come equipped for it and end up injuring themselves.’
‘Okay,’ she murmured. She looked to where he pointed. She couldn’t even see the top of the mountain as it was covered with low-hanging clouds.
They were climbing higher, going through trees and bushes. ‘Where is this place?’
‘Another few minutes.’ He gave her an anxious kind of glance, his voice steady. ‘Until the ambulance gets here you might need to give me a hand. Are you okay with that?’
Her response was quicker than he expected. ‘It’s only hospitals that spook me.’
‘What?’
He caught one quick glimpse of her face before he had to look back at the path. For a split second he thought she might be cracking a joke, but her expression told him otherwise.
He swore he could see the pathways firing in his own brain. He’d thought she’d been a little unsettled in the hospital. Just something off—something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
‘Why are you spooked by hospitals?’
It was totally not the right time to ask a question like that. And speeding up a hill towards an accident scene was not the right place to give an answer. Of course he knew that. But how could she expect him not to ask?
