‘Me neither. Thanks for this, Meg.’ Almost stumbling in her haste to make her exit, Flora backed towards the door while Meg pondered.

‘I don’t see why everyone is so interested anyway. This is Conner we’re talking about. He’ll have left the island or moved on to the next woman before we’ve identified the current one.’ She wiped the side with some kitchen paper. ‘You be careful out there today. There’s a storm brewing. Jim reckons it’s going to be a big one.’

‘Is that right?’ Not wanting to think about Conner leaving the island, Flora backed out of the door and took her coffee to the quay, where she sipped it slowly, watching the tourists pick their way off the ferry, most of them a pale shade of green after a rough sea crossing. Beyond them, the sea lashed angrily at the harbour walls and the sky turned ominously dark, despite the fact it was only lunchtime.

Flora sighed. Wild summer storms were a feature of Glenmore but that didn’t mean that they welcomed it. If the ferry stopped running then the tourists didn’t come, and if the tourists stopped then so did the money that contributed so much to the island economy. They were already in August and the summer months would soon be over.

And then Conner would be gone.

And she’d always known that, hadn’t she? She’d always known that his presence on the island was only temporary.

Determined not to think about that, Flora finished her coffee and threw the empty container in the bin. She was not going to ruin the present by worrying about the future.

They still had the rest of summer together.

Climbing into her car, she drove back to the surgery, knowing that she was facing a full clinic now that Evanna had finally stopped work.

She worked through without a break and was just tidying up after her last patient when Conner walked into the room.

As usual her heart jumped and her mood lifted. Just seeing him made her want to smile. ‘The weather’s awful. There’s a strong chance you’re going to be trapped indoors tonight, Dr MacNeil.’

‘Is that right?’

‘Do you fancy being trapped indoors with me?’

‘I might.’ He pulled her against him and kissed her hungrily. ‘As long as you promise to put your book away for half an hour.’

‘That depends…’ she curled her arms round his neck. ‘…on whether there is something more exciting to do than read.’

‘Is that a challenge?’

‘Do you need one?’

His answer was to kiss her again and she sank against him, her body erupting in a storm of excitement. They were lost in each other, absorbed, transported, and neither of them heard the click of the door behind them.