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.’