The storm was relentless. It had settled over the coast and was hurling itself at the land with everything it had. It wouldn’t be long until the lifeboat would be needed again. Anna looked up from Pat’s side and saw Robert MacKenzie talking to Liam, and the thought of him going back out into those waves scared her bone-deep. She got up, leaving Susan to take her place beside Pat. Robert saw her coming. His gaze looked past her to the sad gathering beyond.

‘How’s Pat?’ he asked quietly.

Anna’s eyes filled with tears again. ‘In shock, I think. I can’t believe it, either. Frank—’

Robert made as if to reach for her, but it was Liam who pulled her against him. He held her for a few minutes, then pulled back. ‘I still think you need to go to hospital yourself, get checked out.’

‘The paramedics say we’re fine. I feel fine. And right now I need to be with Pat. Really,’ she said, off Liam’s look. ‘I’m okay – thanks to you two and the rest of the crew. Liam, what were you even doing on the lifeboat?’

Robert cleared his throat. ‘It was thanks to Liam that we knew the road was out. He called us.’

‘When I couldn’t get you on the phone I wanted to check you were okay,’ Liam explained. ‘Drove over and saw what had happened. Didn’t know what else to do.’

‘We’d all been called in,’ Robert added, ‘or I would have come over myself and seen the landslide earlier.’ He nodded at Liam. ‘This guy wouldn’t let us leave without him.’

‘It’s not as if I can’t handle myself in rough seas,’ Liam pointed out.

‘Well,’ said Robert, ‘if you were to stick around, we could use you, that’s for sure.’

Liam glanced at Anna. ‘I would if I could, believe me.’

Robert nodded and then pulled his keys from his pocket, passing them to Anna. ‘Liam can take you and Pat to my place,’ he said. ‘Rhona’s coming to get Terry and Susan. I’ve already called someone for Dougie and David’s got a friend here in Macduff.’

Anna took the keys with a sense of relief.

‘You stay as long as you like,’ he added. ‘The doctor’s emergency number is on the fridge if either of you need it. The wee boy’s with Barbara and I’ll leave him there until the morning so you two can get settled. There’s only one guest room, but—’

‘I’ll be fine on the sofa,’ she said.

A siren began to sound throughout the building. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘Robert—’ Anna said as he turned to go, but then found she didn’t know what it was she wanted to say. ‘Thank you. For coming for us.’