The morning passed quickly and it was soon lunchtime. After locking up The Little Blue Boathouse, Bea slung her bag over her shoulder and ambled towards Bonnie’s Teashop.

  Everyone she walked past was friendly, happy to pass the time of day. Bea couldn’t believe the difference between the town she’d come from and village life. She was used to people not even making eye contact as they walked past. Here, people were standing around having actual conversations and she didn’t see one person with a mobile phone in their hand or to their ear. Soon she was passing the whitewashed terraces of Love Heart Lane. Heartcross Mountain towered directly in front of her and she took in the stunning view before swinging open the gate to the teashop and heading towards the door.

  As soon as she stepped inside, an old-fashioned bell alerted Felicity to her arrival and she gave a welcoming smile.

  ‘Bea, how’s it going at The Little Blue Boathouse?’

  ‘Loving every minute of it. I can’t believe how busy the place is. I’ve even decided to stay on until the River Festival.’

  ‘That’s brilliant! And how are you in general?’

  ‘Honestly, I’m good.’ Bea was focusing on the positives. ‘And I’ll be even better with a slice of that Victoria sponge for my lunch, with one of those pork and apple baps oozing with stuffing. They look delicious.’

  ‘Selling like hot cakes,’ replied Felicity, reaching for a paper bag. ‘And did you go and have your fortune read?’

  ‘I did. There’s going to be danger, compromise is the key, a chance meeting is going to change my life and I’ll find my forever home.’

  ‘Woah, that’s a lot to be getting on with. Maybe some wealthy yachtsman is going to arrive for the River Festival and sail you off into the sunset.’

  ‘You never know.’ Bea grinned but automatically thought of Nolan. ‘I think I need to take some time to work on me. Put me first and do what makes me happy. Even though I’m not liking the sound of the danger Martha’s predicted.’ She passed over a handful of coins from her purse.

  Felicity pointed to Bea’s necklace. ‘That’s beautiful and unusual. It keeps catching the light and it’s full of sparkle. It looks old.’

  Bea twisted the seahorse around in her hand. ‘I’m just minding it for a friend but couldn’t help showing it off in the meantime.’

  ‘It’s very pretty. Have you been introduced to Aggie?’ Felicity was smiling at the woman approaching the counter. ‘This is Fergus’s mum, aka my future mother-in-law, if we ever get around to tying the knot.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you. I’m Bea. I’m working at the Boathouse.’

  ‘And I’m pleased to meet you too,’ Aggie replied, smiling at Bea before looking over her shoulder and then back at Felicity.

  ‘Are you avoiding someone?’ asked Felicity, looking towards the door. ‘You’re acting very suspicious.’

  ‘Martha. She has eyes and ears everywhere! Do you know how difficult it is trying to sneak Gwen into the country without anyone knowing?’

  ‘It’s like a military operation.’ Felicity turned towards Bea. ‘Gwen is Isla’s mum.’

  ‘The original plan was for her to stay at my cottage but we’ve had to swap her to the B&B because Martha keeps just turning up. We really need to make sure that Martha doesn’t get wind of it, even though I’m worried about how it will all pan out.’

  Overhearing the conversation from the kitchen, Rona joined them. ‘Hopefully after all these years bygones will be bygones and they can put the past behind them.’ She wiped her hands on her pinny and looked at the three of them.

  ‘Gwen moved to New Zealand after an argument with Martha and hasn’t been back since,’ Rona explained.

  Aggie raised her eyebrows. ‘It must have been one hell of an argument to be gone all this time! I imagine Gwen is a little nervous returning to Heartcross but hopefully seeing her grandchildren and Isla will outweigh any difficulties from the past.’

  ‘You’d hope so, wouldn’t you?’ added Felicity. ‘Now, we must stop gossiping.’

  Rona disappeared back into the kitchen and Bea turned towards Aggie. ‘You don’t happen to know of anyone called Patsy that may have frequented these parts at any time in the past, do you?’ Even though Nolan had left the village, Bea was still wondering about Morgan and Patsy’s love story.

  Rona thought for a moment. ‘That name doesn’t ring any bells at all, but then, I’m useless at names. Now Martha, on the other hand, never forgets a face. If anyone will know, she will. Is it someone important?’

  ‘Just someone that possibly worked at the Boathouse when it first opened. I love history and would love to learn how it’s changed over the years,’ said Bea, twisting the truth slightly.

  ‘Martha loves a little bit of history. I’d try her. Now as I’m watching my waistline … expand,’ she said with a laugh, ‘I’ll take a piece of that lemon drizzle, please.’

  Felicity handed over a slice inside a paper bag. ‘Obviously on the house,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘And that’s why I love my future daughter-in-law owning a teashop.’ Aggie squeezed Felicity’s hand over the counter. ‘Whilst I remember, Flynn has closed The Lakehouse for a few hours for Martha’s birthday. The menu looks scrumptious… Oh! The very reason I came in…’ Aggie held up a carrier bag. ‘Old photographs of Martha that Isla found up in the attic. She suggested we could pick the best ones and project them on a screen at her birthday dinner. What do think?’

  ‘I think that’s a great idea. I’ll take these from you for now,’ said Felicity, taking the bag. Aggie waved goodbye and walked towards the door.

  ‘Before you go, Bea, have you seen the weather is changing over the next few days? Sometimes by the river it can get a little wild. In the past the river has even burst its banks. If that happens again, there are sandbags in the small outhouse at the back of the Boathouse. Stack them up by the door but don’t be stranded – you can always come and join us here at the cottage, or I’m sure Julia will find you room at the B&B.’

  ‘Thanks for the heads-up. I’m sure I’ll be okay.’

  Bea thanked Felicity for the paper bag of goodies and headed out of the teashop to enjoy a walk in the sunshine along the banks of the river. As soon as she arrived back at the Boathouse, she headed up to her room, locking the main door behind her. Before sitting in the chair, she opened the window wide and enjoyed the blast of fresh air. Whilst eating her lunch, she watched the boats bobbing on the water, but there was still no sight of The Hemingway. Deep down, a small part of her had hoped it would be there.

  As soon as she’d finished her lunch, and with Nolan still very much on her mind, she picked up her phone and googled ‘Nolan Hemingway’. Immediately, his social media accounts appeared and Bea was drawn to his profile picture. There was no denying he sailed a fine line between handsome and downright sexy. There was nothing Bea could really find out about his personal life. His privacy settings were tight, his friends hidden.

  She hovered over the message button and thought about sending him a message but stopped herself. What was the point? One thing Bea had learned about herself in the last few days was that a casual relationship wasn’t for her. She couldn’t cope with the emotional turmoil it brought. She wiped away an escaped tear with the back of her hand. She’d felt a connection with Nolan but, judging by the way he’d upped and left, he hadn’t felt the same.

  Being careful not to click on anything she shouldn’t, the only images that were viewable were his profile pictures. She smiled at the first one; it must have been taken years ago, because it showed Nolan as a young boy sitting on the deck of The Hemingway, dangling his legs over the side and holding a fishing rod, with his grandfather sitting next to him. He looked so young and cheeky. The next photo was of an older Nolan sitting next to a campfire, leaning on a guitar with a bottle of beer in his hand. After scrolling through a couple more photos, Bea stopped in her tracks. The next image was of four people standing around a BBQ, Nolan with his arm around the waist of a girl. Her heart racing, Bea zoomed in and recognised the girl from the painting. There was no mistaking the wedding ring on her left hand, but Nolan’s hand was hidden.

  Bea exhaled. She didn’t want to believe that he was married but all the evidence was pointing in that direction. Feeling a fool, she stood up, took Nolan’s painting of her and slid it under the bed out of sight. Not knowing if Nolan had really liked her or if she was just another conquest on his trip around the world, Bea knew it was best if she forgot that he’d ever crossed her path. It was time to move on.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next day, after work, Bea was finishing chaining the last of the kayaks together and pulling them into the lockup along with the paddles. As she paused to take in the view of the river she could feel there was a change in the air. The storm was looming. In the last twenty-four hours weather warnings had been all over the news but it hadn’t seemed to dampen anyone’s spirits. Everyone had soaked up river life as much as possible and enjoyed every bit of sunshine.

  Bea watched a fork of lightning light up the sky in the distance and then heard the thunder roll, tumbling through the darkened clouds that were heading her way. Turning around, she nearly jumped out of her skin. ‘You frightened the life out of me.’

  Martha was standing behind her, lowering a pair of binoculars from her eyes. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was just stretching my legs before the rain sets in.’

  ‘And here it comes.’ Just at that moment huge dollops of rain began to fall over Heartcross and Bea was thankful that all she needed to do was lock up the Boathouse, cook her tea and put up her feet. There was also a good book with her name on it. ‘Let’s hope it moves on quickly. You’re going to get caught in the rain if you don’t make a move. I hope you don’t get too drenched on your way home.’ Bea went to walk past Martha, who hesitated. She looked like she wanted to say something.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Bea stood in the doorway of the Boathouse to shield herself from the rain. ‘Do you want to come inside?’ she asked. ‘I’m sure there’s an umbrella knocking about somewhere that you can borrow.’ She began to unzip her coat and immediately noticed Martha’s eyes widen. She was staring at Bea’s neck.

  ‘That’s a beautiful necklace.’

  Bea brought her hand up to the pendant. ‘It is, isn’t it? Seahorses represent strength and courage.’

  ‘They do indeed,’ replied Martha, her eyes still locked on the chain around Bea’s neck. ‘Where did you get it?’

  Bea told Martha exactly the same as she’d told Aggie. ‘I’m just looking after it for a friend.’

  Another boom of thunder rolled out across the sky, causing both Bea and Martha to jump.

  ‘I best get back to the farm, I don’t want to be caught in this.’

  ‘Yes, it’s only going to get worse. By the way, I didn’t know you were into bird watching,’ added Bea

  ‘Huh?’ replied Martha, looking confused.

  Bea pointed to the pair of binoculars hanging around Martha’s neck.

  ‘Oh, I’m not. I discovered them in the back of the cupboard this morning and thought I’d try them out, but with the weather like this it’s impossible to see much.’

  ‘Fair enough. You take care along that path home.’ Bea shut the door of The Little Blue Boathouse and locked it behind her. Taking the key out of the door, she threw it in the drawer of the desk and climbed up the ladder to the attic room. Peeling the coat from her back, she hung it up and kicked off her shoes. After turning on the lamp, she moved towards the window and watched Martha walking along the riverbank. When she stopped and turned, Bea took a small step back from the window. Martha brought the binoculars up to her eyes and fixed them on the boats on the river. How very odd.

  An hour later, Bea was dressed in her PJs, with a book resting on her lap. She checked through her emails but there was only the usual junk mail, which she disregarded, and a text from Emmie, checking in. She was momentarily distracted by the rain, now thrashing against the windows as the wind had picked up. Bea didn’t envy anyone anchored on the river. Despite the bad weather the scenery was still spectacular, reminding her of one of Nolan’s paintings. The next boom of thunder caused Bea to jump. The eye of the storm was getting closer. With only a few passengers onboard, the last water taxi of the day was sailing into the jetty. Everyone quickly dispersed, pulling their hoods over their heads against the drenching rain. Bea watched Roman secure the boat then pull on his waterproofs before wheeling his bike from the deck. She didn’t envy him cycling over the bridge back to Glensheil in the wind and the rain. As he reached the end of the jetty, Roman noticed her in the window and waved before he threw his leg over the saddle and cycled up the river path.

  With a warm cup of tea in her hands she curled up in the chair again, pulling a blanket over her knees. Her thoughts turned back to Martha as she scanned the river path and looked up at the clifftop. It was a little strange that Martha had picked that moment to try out a pair of binoculars, knowing a storm was looming. Sitting upright, Bea thought back to what Martha had said. It struck her that Martha hadn’t been quite truthful. She couldn’t have found the binoculars in the cupboard this morning because Bea remembered that when she was rowing to Castaway Bay with Nolan she’d spotted Martha standing on the clifftop looking through a pair of binoculars. Bea had the feeling that Martha was hiding something, but exactly what, she wasn’t sure.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The weather warning had been correct. Three days of blustery, stormy weather had engulfed the village of Heartcross. The weather in the Scottish Highlands was unpredictable and, just as Felicity had warned, the river was ferocious and the water rising.

  The Little Blue Boathouse was closed as the weather was too risky for anyone to be out on the river, but during that time Bea had been productive. She’d cleaned the Boathouse within an inch of its life and had refreshed the paint on the inside walls, something that Julia had told her Flynn had been meaning to do for the last six months. She’d snapped some photos and pinged them over to Flynn and Julia, who couldn’t praise her enough.

  Bea had spent the early part of the afternoon lugging sandbags from the outhouse and piling them up against the door, which was certainly taking a battering in the high winds. With the storm raging on, she decided there was only one thing for it: she would climb under her duvet and get comfy. She was about to lower the window blind when a sudden movement on the jetty caught her eye. A flashlight was being waved frantically around and she could just hear the sound of a woman screaming at the top of her voice. Instantly, Bea knew there was something wrong. As she grabbed her coat and forced her feet into shoes there was a banging on the door of the Boathouse.

  ‘Help! Please help!’

  Bea fumbled in the drawer for the key and quickly opened the door. She was greeted by a woman she’d recognised from the start of the week, when she’d come in to buy excursion tickets. She was drenched, her body shaking, raindrops dripping off the end of her nose. Bea ushered her inside. Grabbing Bea with both hands, the woman stumbled over her words: ‘My little boy has gone missing.’

  Time stood still for a moment.

  ‘Don’t panic, he couldn’t have gone far,’ Bea said in a calm voice, sounding in control but feeling a rapid increase in her heart rate. The weather out there couldn’t be any worse and all she could picture was a frightened little boy they needed to find fast.

  ‘I can’t get a signal. Please ring the coastguard. I think he must have fallen overboard into the water. I’m anchored right next to the riverbank but he’s gone.’

  Bea met the woman’s worried stare. Her face was pallid and her legs buckled underneath her. Bea caught her and guided her to a chair. ‘Take some deep breaths. Unfortunately, there isn’t a coastguard or a lifeboat station on this part of the river. What’s your name?’

  ‘Amy. It’s Amy.’

  ‘And your son’s name?’

  ‘Lucas.’

  ‘Okay, Amy. Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to ring the emergency services and get as many people as possible out here searching as quickly as possible. What I need you to do is try to stay calm.’

  As Bea reached for the telephone, Amy stumbled to her feet and headed back outside into the torrential rain shouting Lucas’s name at the top of her lungs. Dialling the emergency services, Bea was met with a barrage of questions she didn’t know the answers to.

  ‘How old is Lucas?’ the voice on the other end asked.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Bea took an educated guess. ‘Maybe around five.’

  ‘What is he wearing?’

  ‘I’m so sorry, I have no idea.’

  ‘How long has he been missing?

  ‘I don’t know. Please can you get a search team to The Little Blue Boathouse as quickly as possible?’

  As soon as she hung up the call, Bea opened the contact book at the side of the till and dialled the number for the B&B. Within three rings Julia picked up the phone.

  ‘Julia, it’s Bea.’

  ‘Are you okay? You sound—’

  ‘Far from okay. There’s an incident on the river, just outside the Boathouse. The emergency services are on their way but there’s a possibility a small boy has fallen off one of the boats into the water. We need as many people up here as possible to help with the search.’

  ‘Flynn is still away on business but Isla is here with me. We’ll send Drew and Fergus up right away and alert the rest of the villagers. We’ll all be with you in five.’

  Relieved that help was on the way, Bea hung up and rushed outside. The wind was pushing her hard, attempting to lift her off her feet. The only thing in their favour was that it wasn’t dark yet, though the terrible weather was causing a few problems with visibility. Panic was written all over Amy’s face. She was shivering and her teeth were chattering. Bea wondered if she was going into shock.