What? “In this weather?” Alarm bells rang in her head. Did Maeve not realize a storm was brewing? “Why didn’t you wade in after him before he shoved off?”

“I didn’t want to get my boots wet.”

“You risked a child’s well-being for a pair of boots?” Elise paused, her hand on the knob—too stunned to move.

Maeve lowered her head, and her face turned crimson.

Bother. Maeve’s foolishness had placed Sammy’s life in jeopardy. And why had Harry’s offspring from Hades taken it into his head to use the dory on such a day? That lad had more freakish starts than she’d had at that age.

“Can he swim?”

“I think not,” Maeve said, trailing after her. “And he didn’t take a life jacket.”

Remembering her firearm, Elise let go of the door knob and removed the holster. It wasn’t her MI6 issue, but she had grown so accustomed to packing a weapon, she felt uncomfortable without one. Here on her father’s 27,000 acres, she had endless opportunities to use it.

She removed the clip and thrust the entire lot into Maeve’s hands. “Put this somewhere dry.”

The wind caught the door when she opened it and slammed it shut behind her. Elise took the hill path to the loch at a quick jog, gritting her teeth against the jarring motion. Long before she reached the shore, she made out her father’s dory bobbing among the white caps. Her stomach went rock hard, and her pulse raced. The watercraft’s pointed ends and high, flaring sides almost obscured Sammy in the stern.

Standing on the shore, Elise cupped her mouth and yelled, “Sammy! Come back!”

She waved both arms above her head in the rising wind, trying to catch the boy’s attention. With the racket all around her, she had no idea if he heard. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled a second time.

Sammy twisted inside the dory and waved an oar. It slipped from his fingers and dropped into the water. He leaned over the side for the paddle. Elise’s heart stuttered when the boat tipped and almost overset, sending the paddle farther away. Terror gripped her. What if Sammy fell in before she reached him?

“Stay put! I’m coming after you.” Elise unfastened her black leather boots and dumped her jacket on top of them. Without hesitation, she marched into the loch, the frigid water stealing her breath. It had been years since she had taken a dip in its chilly depths.

When the water reached her chest, she struck out for the boat, side-stroking to keep her eye on the lad. The wind picked up, and foam crested on the waves, pushing the small watercraft farther from shore. Spatters of rain peppered the loch’s surface and stung her exposed skin.