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“Meteorologists...?” This island truly did have everything.
“Yeah, they’re a bunch of students, studying storms. One of the parents owns a holiday home here, and they’re all staying there.”
“Well, they’ll be happy tonight. Looks as if there’s quite a storm brewing.”
Fleur laughed. “Getting into weather prediction now, are you?”
“Since it’s an island tradition, I thought I’d give it a go.”
“Well, you’re doing splendidly. You’ll be rivalling Young Salty before you know it.”
Rick rolled his eyes. “If I ever...ever...show any signs of becoming like Salty Harrington, you have my permission to throw me off a cliff. So what’s Josh doing with the meteorologists, then?”
“You know Dad. Interested in everything. They’ve set their instruments up to record wind speeds at the harbor, but they want to get some photographs as well. They’re going to be camping out in his study. Dad dropped me off on his way over here, and he’s going to take them to our place and then come and fetch me.”
“Giving us some time to either make up or break up, eh?”
“Something like that. When I asked him for a lift, he said that he was pleased I’d finally stopped moping around...”
Rick kissed her. “I dare say that Ellie will share that sentiment. I’ve been moping too. Give Josh a call and tell him I’ll take you home.”
“Aren’t you on call tonight?”
“Yes, I am, but I’m not officially on the clock for another hour. So that’ll give me time to kiss you goodnight on your doorstep. Josh can fling the door open and ask what the blazes I think I’m doing with his daughter if he wants.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
RICK HAD THE tremulous feeling that the last half an hour had changed his life. He reminded himself that it hadn’t and that all it was going to change was however long he and Fleur had left together. But that felt like a long time at the moment.
Donning their coats, he left word that he’d be back in half an hour, and they walked out of the clinic together. The wind crashed against Rick’s face, and he automatically put his arm around Fleur in case it knocked her off her feet.
But she was steady enough as she looked up at the sky. The lights from the clinic produced an almost eerie glow against the low cloud as the falling snow began to cover the path.
Then it happened. A flash of light across the sky, followed quickly by a deep rumble. The sky took on an almost pink tinge, and when another flash rent the cloud, Fleur screamed with delight, stretching her arms up as if to catch it.
“What on earth...?”
“Thunder snow! It’s awesome, isn’t it?”
Rick had never seen anything quite like this. Awesome just about summed it up. It was as if the sky was suddenly filled with the power of a hundred thunder gods, each one fighting for supremacy.
“The meteorologists are going to love this.” She was capering around, as if her dance might provoke another flash of lightning.
“Shouldn’t we be...inside or something?”
“No. It’s just a thunderstorm, only with snow. Don’t you have these in England?”
“I’ve never seen one. It’s pretty amazing...”
Rick looked up at the sky just as another bolt of lightning flickered across the cloud. This time the thunder masked both of their cries.
He hugged Fleur tight. Somehow the sky seemed to know that he and Fleur were together again, and had thrown a little something of its own into the mix. Kissing her seemed the only thing possible, and when the sky flashed once more, that was only a natural consequence of the electricity between them.
* * *
They’d counted six flashes of lightning, and then the storm had abated a little. The snow had eased off, and visibility had improved, and Rick had been keen to take the opportunity to get on the road. They climbed into one of the clinic’s emergency vehicles, which was standing ready for Rick’s use tonight so that he could respond if a call came in while they were on the road.
Thunder snow. It wasn’t all that common on the island, but it happened here more than it did inland, and it was one of those things that Fleur had forgotten she’d missed. One of those things that seemed so much more exciting when she was in Rick’s arms.
