by Sarah Morgan
‘You’re going to talk to her about us?’
‘Yes. This is what life is, isn’t it? It’s the happy and the sad and the unpredictable. It would be wrong to pretend anything different. Lexi needs to know that life is sometimes hard and that things can’t always stay the same. She needs to know that change isn’t always bad and that the unfamiliar can become familiar. And she needs to know that my love for her will never change, no matter what happens to the way we live.’
Ryan stroked his fingers over her cheek. ‘You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met. When your husband walked out, who supported you? Not your mother, I assume. Your friends?’
‘For a while. Then I discovered that they’d all known he was having the affair and that they’d known about his other affairs and hadn’t told me.’ Jenna pulled away from him. ‘I found that hard. That and all the advice. “Turn a blind eye.” “Dress like a pole dancer and seduce him back—”’
There was amusement in his eyes. ‘Did you adopt that suggestion?’
‘Of course—I went around wearing nothing but fishnets and a basque.’ Pleased that she was able to make a joke about something she’d never thought would seem funny, she wound a strand of hair around her finger. ‘To be honest, I didn’t want him back. Not after I found out that he’d had a string of affairs throughout our marriage. But the worst thing of all was the way he behaved towards Lexi—it was as if he suddenly just washed his hands of her. His own daughter!’ Humour faded and anger flooded through her, fresh as it had been on that first day. ‘Whatever he felt about me, that was no excuse for cutting Lexi out of his life.’
‘Forget him now.’ His voice was rough as he pulled her back to him. ‘He was your past. I’m your future.’
Jenna stared at him, silenced by the possibilities that extended in front of her. She wanted to ask what he meant. She wanted to ask whether the future meant a few weeks, or more than that, but she was terrified of voicing the question in case the answer was something she didn’t want to hear.
He was watching her, absorbing her reaction. ‘Jenna, I know this is soon, but—’ There was a buzzing sound from his pocket, and Ryan swore fluently and dragged out his phone. ‘Maybe there are some advantages to living in a city—at least someone else can carry the load when you want some time off.’ He checked the number and frowned. ‘It’s Logan. I’d better take this—sorry.’
As he talked to the other doctor, Jenna gently extracted herself from his grip, wondering what he’d been about to say. It was obvious that she wasn’t going to find out quickly, because Ryan was digging in his pocket for his car keys as he talked, the expression on his face enough for her to know that the phone call was serious.
He sprang to his feet. ‘I’ll get up there now.’ His eyes flickered to hers. ‘And I’ll take Jenna with me—no, don’t worry, we’ll handle it together.’
Realising that she was supposed to help him with something, Jenna stood up and brushed the grass off her skirt.
Ryan was already striding towards the path that led up to his car. ‘Have you done any emergency work?’
‘Sorry?’ Jenna jammed her feet into her shoes and sprinted after him, wondering how the tone of the afternoon could have shifted so quickly.
Glenmore, she thought, and its ever-changing moods.
Even the weather had changed. While they’d been talking the blue sky had turned an ominous grey and the sea a gunmetal-blue.
There was a storm coming.
‘Did you ever work in an emergency department?’ His mouth grim, Ryan was in the car and firing up the engine before she had time to answer the question.
‘Yes. But it was quite a few years ago. What do you need me to do?’ Her head smacked lightly against the headrest as he accelerated along the empty road, and Jenna felt the power of the car come to life around her. She felt a shimmer of nerves mingled with anticipation. What if she wasn’t up to the job?
To give herself confidence she cast a glance at Ryan, looking at his broad shoulders and strong, capable hands. He shifted gears like a racing driver, pushing the car to its limits as he negotiated the tight turns and narrow roads that led from the lighthouse. Even after a comparatively short time she knew he would be able to handle anything he encountered, and that knowledge gave her courage. ‘Tell me what’s happened.’
‘Group of teenagers tombstoning on the Devil’s Jaws. It’s close to here.’
‘Tombstoning?’ Jenna rummaged in her pocket and found something to tie back her hair. ‘What’s that?’
‘It’s when they stand on the top of a cliff and jump into the sea.’ Ryan slowed to take a sharp bend. ‘The problem is the depth of the water changes according to the tide. Even when the tide is on your side it’s a dangerous activity. And the Devil’s Jaws is the most dangerous place you could wish for. It’s narrow there—the cliffs have formed a tight channel, so not only can you kill yourself when you hit the bottom, if you get really lucky you can kill yourself on the way down.’
‘Kids are doing that? Can’t they fence the cliffs off or something?’
‘It is fenced off. The place is lethal. No one is meant to go within a hundred metres of it, but you know teenagers.’ He swung the car into a space at the side of the road and killed the engine. ‘We have to walk from here. Are you afraid of heights?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t think so.’
‘Watch your footing. To add to the fun, the rocks are crumbling.’ Ryan opened his boot and Jenna blinked as she saw the contents.
‘You carry ropes in your boot?’
‘I climb sometimes.’ Without elaborating, he selected several ropes and started piling equipment into a large rucksack. Then he opened his medical bag and added another series of items, including drugs he thought he was going to need. His movements were swift and economical, brutally efficient.
Jenna focused on the drugs. ‘Ketamine?’
‘I prefer it to morphine. It doesn’t produce respiratory depression or hypotension, and in analgesic doses it produces a mild bronchodilator effect.’
‘Translate that into English?’ A voice came from behind them and Jenna turned to see Nick Hillier, the island policeman. Only today he wasn’t smiling.
‘It means it controls the pain without affecting the breathing.’ Ryan hoisted the bag out of the boot. ‘Is it as bad as they say?’
‘Worse. Two in the water—one trapped halfway down the cliff. They’re right in the Jaws.’
‘Of course they are—that’s where they get the maximum adrenaline rush.’
‘The one stuck on the cliff might be all right, as long as he doesn’t let go, but he’s getting tired. Coastguard helicopter has chosen today to have a technical problem—they’re fixing it, but the cavalry isn’t going to be arriving any time soon.’ Nick sucked in a breath. ‘I don’t want anyone going near the edge. I don’t want more casualties. We’re going to wait and hope to hell they get that helicopter airborne in the next ten minutes. I think this is a rescue best carried out from the air or the sea.’
‘I’ll take a look at it. Then I’ll decide.’ Ryan lifted the rucksack onto his back and walked over the grass towards a gate. A sign warned the public that the area was dangerous. Dropping his rucksack onto the other side, Ryan vaulted the gate. Nick climbed over slightly more awkwardly, holding out a hand to Jenna.
She wondered who was going to have the last say on this one. The law or the doctor.
His mind clearly working in the same direction, Nick became visibly stressed. ‘Ryan, you know how risky it is. A climber was killed abseiling from here earlier in the summer—the rocks sawed through his rope.’
‘Then he didn’t have his rope in the right place.’ Ryan dropped his rucksack again, onto the grass a safe distance from the edge. ‘There are injured kids, Nick. What do you expect me to do? Leave them?’
‘My job is to make sure we rescue them with minimum further casualties—that doesn’t involve you abseiling down a sheer, crumbling rock face.’
Listening to them, Jenna felt her heart race, and she wondered if she was going to be any use at all.
Yes, she’d worked in an emergency department for a short time, but working in a well-equipped department was quite different from giving pre-hospital care on a sheer cliff face.
She was so busy worrying about her own abilities that it was a few seconds before she noticed the teenager sitting on the grass. He was shivering and his face was white.
Focusing on his face, Jenna recognised Fraser and her stomach dropped. Suddenly everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She was aware of the guilt in Fraser’s anguished glance, and of Ryan turning his head to look at her.
And those looks meant only one thing—
That it was Lexi who was lying in the grip of the Devil’s Jaws.
Maternal instinct overwhelming everything else, Jenna gave a low moan of denial and stepped towards the edge, unthinking.
Ryan caught her arm in an iron grip.
‘Don’t take another step.’ His hand was a steadying force and his voice was hard, forcing itself through the blind panic that clouded her thinking. ‘Breathe. Up here, you don’t run. You take small steps. You look where you’re going and you make sure it’s safe underfoot. I’ll get her. I swear to you I’ll get her. But I can’t do it if I’m worrying about you going over the edge.’
Jenna stood still, held firm by the strength of his hand and the conviction in his voice.
Fraser struggled to his feet, his lips dry and cracked from the wind and the sun. ‘You don’t understand—she didn’t jump. Lexi was trying to stop Matt doing it—we both were. But he did it anyway—he jumped at the wrong moment. You have to get it exactly right or you hit the rocks.’ His voice shook. He was a teenager on the cusp of manhood, but today he was definitely more boy than man. ‘Lexi went down there to save Matt. We could see him slipping under the water. He was going to drown. Jamie tried first, but he lost his nerve halfway down and now he can’t move. I dunno—he just freaked out or something. So Lexi did it. She insisted. She was dead scared about getting down there, but she said she’d done first aid so she should be the one.’
‘She climbed down?’ There was a strange note in Ryan’s voice and already he had his hands in his rucksack. ‘Fraser, take this rope for me.’
‘You should have seen her—she was amazing. Just went down slowly, hand and foot, hand and foot, muttering “Three points of contact on the rock face…” or something.’
‘She did a climbing course last summer,’ Jenna said faintly.
Last summer—just before everything had fallen apart. ‘It was indoors on a climbing wall in London.’
Nowhere near greasy, slippery rocks or furious boiling sea.
Ryan’s gaze met hers for a moment. ‘I’d say that was money well spent.’
Fraser was sweating. ‘I almost had a heart attack watching her. I’m not good with heights since I fell into that dungeon.’ He looked at Jenna, shrinking. ‘I’m really sorry. I tried to stop her…’
‘It isn’t your fault, Fraser.’ Jenna’s lips were stiff and her heart was pounding. ‘Lexi is not your responsibility. She’s old enough to make her own decisions.’
‘She’s as sure-footed as a goat.’ There was awe in Fraser’s voice. ‘Matt was face-down in the water and she dragged him towards the rocks. She’s been holding him, but he’s too heavy for her to get him out by herself and the tide is coming in. The water level is rising. The ledge they’re on will be underwater soon.’
That news made Jenna’s knees weaken with panic, but Ryan was icy calm. When he spoke there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who was in charge of the rescue.
‘Fraser, I want you to stay here and act as runner. Is your mobile working?’
‘Yes, the signal is good.’
‘Keep it switched on. Dr McNeil is bringing equipment from the surgery. If the helicopter is delayed, then that will change the way we manage Matt’s injuries.’ Ryan stepped into a harness and adjusted it with hands that were steady and confident. ‘Keep the phone line clear—if I need to talk to you, I’ll call.’
Nick stepped forward and caught his arm. ‘Ryan, for goodness’ sake, man, I’m telling you we should wait for the helicopter.’
Jenna couldn’t breathe. If Ryan agreed to wait for the helicopter then Lexi might drown. But if Ryan went down there—if he put himself at risk for her daughter and the two boys…
‘You’re wasting time, Nick.’ His eyes flickered to hers and for a brief moment the connection was there. ‘It will be all right. Trust me.’
And she did. Although why she should be so ready to trust a man she’d known for weeks when a man she’d known for years had let her down, she didn’t understand. But life wasn’t always easy to understand, was it? Some things happened without an explanation.
‘What can I do?’ Her mouth was so dry she could hardly form the words. ‘How can I help?’
‘You can stay there, away from the edge.’
Nick caught his arm. ‘Ryan—’
‘I’m going to abseil down, and I want you to lower the rest of my pack.’ He adjusted his harness for a final time and held out his hand. ‘Do you have a radio for me?’
Nick gave up arguing, but his face was white and his eyes flickered between the rising tide and the sky, obviously looking for a helicopter. Hoping.
Jenna felt helpless. ‘I want to do something. If the boy is badly injured you’ll need help. I can abseil down, too—’
Ryan didn’t spare her a glance. ‘You’ll stay here.’
‘It’s my daughter down there.’
‘That’s why you’re staying up here. You’ll be too busy worrying about her to be any use to me.’
‘Don’t patronise me.’ Anger spurting through her veins, Jenna picked up a harness. ‘You need me down there, Ryan. Two of them are in the water, one of them injured, and one of them is stuck on the rock face. He could fall at any moment. You can’t do this by yourself, and Lexi is just a child.’
Ryan paused. Then he looked over his shoulder, down at the jagged rocks. ‘All right. This is what we’ll do. I’ll go down there first and do an assessment. If I need you, Nick can get you down to me. But watch my route. Have you abseiled before?’
Jenna swallowed, wishing she could tell him she’d scaled Everest four times without oxygen. ‘Once. On an adventure camp when I was fifteen.’
‘I love the fact that you’re so honest. Don’t worry—Nick can get you down there if I need you. Hopefully I won’t.’
He went over the edge like someone from an action movie and Jenna blinked. Clearly there was plenty she still had to learn about Ryan, and the more she knew, the more she liked and admired him.
‘I should have stopped him,’ Nick muttered, and Jenna lifted an eyebrow because the idea of stopping Ryan doing something he was determined to do seemed laughable to her.
‘How?’
The policeman gave a short laugh. ‘Good question. Still, what Ryan doesn’t know about ropes and climbing isn’t worth knowing. I’m going to get this on you Jenna.’ He had a harness in his hands. ‘Just in case. I have a feeling he’s going to need you. I can’t believe I’m doing this.’
‘If he’s going to need me, why didn’t he just say so?’
‘Honestly? I’m guessing he’s being protective. Either that or he doesn’t want any of us to know how easy it is.’ With a weak grin, Nick adjusted the harness and glanced at her face. Jenna wondered if he knew that there was something going on between them or whether he was matchmaking like the others.
Ryan’s voice crackled over the radio. ‘Nick, do you read me? I need you to lower that rope to me, over.’
‘What he really needs is a miracle,’ Nick muttered, lowering one end of a rope down to Ryan and securing the other end to a rock. ‘That should keep the boy steady while Ryan finds out what’s going on. I hope he does it quickly. There’s a storm coming. Great timing. Can today get any worse?’
Only an hour earlier
she’d been lying on the grass on Ryan’s cliffs, bathed in sunshine and happiness.
Eyeing the rolling black clouds, Jenna approached the edge cautiously. Peering over the side, she caught her breath. Here, the cliff face was vertical. The rocks plunged downwards, the edges ragged and sharp as sharks’ teeth, ready to razor through the flesh of the unwary. Her stomach lurched, and the sheer terror of facing that drop almost swallowed her whole.
‘I can’t believe they thought they could jump down there,’ she said faintly, biting her lip as she saw Ryan attaching the rope to a boy clinging halfway down. Then her gaze drifted lower and she saw Lexi’s small figure, crouched on an exposed rock at the bottom. The girl had her arms around a boy’s shoulders, holding him out of the water, straining with the effort as the sea boiled and foamed angrily around them, the level of the water rising with each incoming wave.
Watching the waves lick hungrily at her daughter, Jenna felt physically sick. ‘That boy is going to be under the water in another few minutes. Lexi isn’t strong enough to pull him out. And she isn’t going to be strong enough to keep herself out.’ Feeling completely helpless, she turned to Nick. ‘Get me down there now. Don’t wait for Ryan to talk to you. He has his hands full. I can help—I know I can.’
‘I’m not risking another person unless I have to. It’s bad enough Ryan going down there, but at least he knows what he’s doing. You have no cliff rescue skills—’
‘I’m her mother,’ Jenna said icily. ‘That counts for a great deal, believe me. Get me down there, Nick.’
He slid his fingers into the collar of his jacket, easing the pressure. ‘If someone has to go it should probably be me.’
‘You need to stay up here to co-ordinate with the coastguard. I don’t know anything about that—I wouldn’t have a clue.’ Jenna glanced down again and saw that Ryan had secured the boy and was now abseiling to the bottom of the cliff. He landed on shiny deadly rock just as another enormous wave rushed in and swamped both teenagers.