A low whistle escaped Keely’s lips and she smiled. Now she understood Euan’s comment about time disappearing. River Rainbow was a jewellery-maker’s paradise. If the other crafts were as well represented, Mary must have a constant stream of customers beating a path to her door.

Keely picked up a small wooden bowl and began to work her way along the shelves. In her mind she was already creating a whole new range of jewellery inspired by her temporary home.

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

The dark specks bobbed in the water like corks. Occasionally, two or three would peel off as the sea rose in a giant swell and disgorged a promising wave. Then the specks elongated and turned into surfers, slicing along the waves and riding them in close to the shore.

Keely watched from the old Volvo, parked on the cliff top. She had no idea which one was Euan. On the way back from Bunbury he’d wanted to show her the beach and promised they’d end the afternoon with a picnic tea. When they’d arrived there on the cliff top he’d deemed the conditions perfect for a quick surf.

She’d toyed with the idea of following him as he carried his board down the long series of steps. Her phone looked okay but it was flat and her charger was back at the house. Not that it would have done her any good. There was no modern technology in Euan’s car and no way for her to have charged it. A walk along the beach would have been wonderful but the distance, and the thought of the long climb back up, deterred her.

The earlier outing to town and then the trip to the police station had been enough to remind Keely that she was still not fully recovered. Much to her surprise she’d dozed on the way back from Bunbury, only waking up as they’d pulled in at the cliff top. She smiled now, as she recalled the beautiful assortment of things she’d brought home from the town. Peg had been most helpful. She liked to chat and when she found out Keely had left her paints at home, she had showed off River Rainbow’s range with a flourish.

Keely had been forced to economise when planning to travel backpacker style. The jewellery kit and sketchbook had fitted. She had planned to add the colour to her travel sketches when she returned home, but now she could complete the sketch of Euan. It just needed the touches of brown, the hints of yellow and the blue of his eyes, so she had succumbed to the lure of the little paint selection. Euan had been right again; every cloud had a silver lining and she’d found some. She was enjoying herself despite her bouts of discomfort.