Harkett's Haven (10 page)

Eric pulled her gently to her feet and wrapped his arms round her and she welcomed his comforting touch.

‘You’re safe here with me Rachel. You’re safe with me,’ he whispered in her ear. And she believed him.

A feeling of calm blanketed her as she stood, held in his strong arms, perhaps the first time she had truly felt at peace since she had arrived back in Scotland.

She jumped when the phone rang.

‘I’d better get that....
’

She
walked over to pick up the phone, hesitated and then picked up the receiver.

‘Hello
?........Hello?.....’

She placed
the phone down in its cradle again, a worried frown on her face.

‘I keep getting these damn silent calls. Probably sales...
’

‘Probably Rachel but I’d
like it if you came back and stayed with Esme and me. Just to be safe.’

‘Thanks for the
offer but..... I have to stand on my own two feet. I can’t keep running and hiding and ........well..  I keep telling myself that ... he’s a handsome man, a very wealthy man. Women were brazen about making an approach to him even when I was with him,’ she laughed, and added, ‘I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t spend much time going without, if you know what I mean. And anyway, it’s been such a long time I’ve been out of his life... over a year now.  I hope that part of my life is over now.’

But she wasn’t convinced. Not quite yet.

She sat down at the table again and re-filled her cup, taking a deep breath.

Eric rubbed her shoulders and kissed her neck.

‘I’m still scared I guess......but it’s getting a little better every day.

‘I’m here for you Rachel. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.’

His voice was soft but his face was cold fury. He sat on the table beside her.

‘I’ll never let him come near you again. I make you that promise Rachel.’ His eyes were fiery, his black eyes deep and fathomless. In that moment
Rachel could see the man inside the veneer of the gentle doctor; a strong man, fierce and determined. It scared her but also reassured her. She knew Eric was a man very capable of looking after himself and his family.

She could see him turning her revelation over in his m
ind. His jaw clenched, the tension in his body visible.

‘Let me get changed and I’ll take you out to
Ersay....let you see what a marine biologist does to make a living.’ She smiled encouragingly at him, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

‘
Sure.....OK.’ He was brooding, deep in thought.

She left him and went
to her bedroom. Sitting on the bed she realised that she felt lighter in step and in heart than she had done for as long as she could remember. The cloud that had been hanging over her had lifted and she could see a way ahead. She had been looking back, living in the past and in fear, but as of now she decided that she was going to try to look forward. What point was there dwelling on the past? She had to move on. For her own sanity she had to move on with her life.

She pulled on a pair of jeans and
black roll neck sweater. She sat at the small mirror, pulled a brush through her long dark hair and put on some light make-up.

When she got downstairs, Eric was standing at the window gazing out to sea.

Rachel decided to leave him to his thoughts and tidy up the breakfast dishes and make some lunch to take with them. It was a lot to take in she thought to herself. She had had many, many months to come to terms with what had happened to her but she understood that to hear this for the first time must be something of a shock.

She glanced at him as she worked and worried. She had only known him a few days and his reaction was ....well....unexpectedly strong.

She went to him and stood beside him, holding his arm.

‘Come on Eric. Let’s make tracks.
We’re going to miss the tide if we wait any longer.’

He smiled at her and took her bags.

‘I’m looking forward to this.’

They made their way out the door and Rachel took them to a garage at the back of the cottage. She had an old 4 x 4 which she reversed into the garage and hooked up the boat trailer to. There was a small dinghy on the back and Rachel felt the excitement she always felt at a trip to sea. This feeling had never shown any signs of abating despite the years she had been doing this.

‘There’s a small slipway at the other side of the bay I use. We’re heading out to Ersay......should only take fifteen minutes to get there and the sea’s flat calm.....couldn’t be more perfect,’ she smiled at him, ‘I’m doing an intertidal survey and it would be great to have an extra set of hands......and after all my stories this morning, you can maybe tell me more about yourself .’ She winked at him.

She could tell that the anger
in him was abating but he was still pre-occupied. They climbed in the big car and Rachel drove off carefully down the unmade track.

‘Rachel, I’m sorry to keep speaking about this when I’m sure you’d rather put it to bed but could you tell me more about this man....I’d like to know who I’m dealing with.’

Rachel’s heart sped up, more than slightly alarmed.

‘Eric. It’s not your problem now. I’m sure I won’t see or hear from this man again
..... after all this time has passed. It’s water under the bridge and not your problem.’

‘I want to be prepared ....just in case...’

‘Please Eric. We’ve only just met..... and I don’t want to let my past intrude on my future any more. Don’t let what happened to me cloud things any more than it has already.’

They rounded the hill at the other side of the bay from Rachel’s cottage and descended towards a small beach and a small concrete slipway.

She added in a whisper, ‘I only felt I needed to tell you this because the experience has.....left its scars.’

She pulled the car and the boat up beside the slipway and opened her window, reversing the boat trailer carefully down
towards the sea. When the boat was in position she cut the car’s engine.

Eric grabbed her and kissed her again. She responded to his need, delighting in the ferocity of his kiss.

‘I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone before Rachel.....the thought of what that man did to you chews me up inside......’

She kissed him again, his confession of his feelings sending tingles of
desire and hope through her. She had thought that after Tom she would never want a relationship again, that she had lost her need for intimacy and love. In the few short days, she had known Eric, a small flame had lit inside her and she now found herself nurturing it, willing it to grow.

‘Eric...I
..’

He put his finger to her lips.
‘My turn now.’

‘I met Sarah, my wife, at university. We had a brief relationship, split and six months later she reappeared, pregnant. I married her and we tried to give it a go for the sake of
Esme.’

Rachel held his hand. She had the feeling that this was the first time Eric had spoken openly about his relationship with Sarah to anyone. His words appeared to take a lot of effort and be emotionally draining
for him.

‘Of course it didn’t work. We
stayed together for Esme but I think now that that maybe wasn’t right for either of us. We were both desperately unhappy. It was easy for me to work long hours at the hospital, to stay away.....Sarah...well...she started to drink. I didn’t notice what was going on until it was too late and.....Esme had seen too much.’

She held his hand,
‘She’s a wonderful kid Eric. Whatever’s happened, she’s come through it OK.’

‘She misses her mother, despite....everything.’

‘I think a girl of Esme’s age needs a mom. I’m sure Esme must miss Sarah very much......’

He looked at the floor, not able to make eye contact with her.

‘I had a lot of women after Sarah. They were.......distractions.... and I have to admit that I used them for what I .....needed.’

‘Claire too?’

He looked at her and nodded.

She ran her hand through his dark hair
and sighed,

‘We do what we have to do to get by sometimes........Come on Eric. Help me get the boat into the water. We’re going to miss the tide.’

They left the car, Rachel grateful for the distraction. She watched him work with her, admiring his strength and physique. His dark hair was ruffled in the slight breeze and when he caught her eye he smiled, an open beautiful smile that Rachel couldn’t help respond to.

As they worked, a
lone figure on the skyline watched them intently.

5.

After securing the dinghy and parking the boat and trailer further up the beach, they set off. The small boat bounced gently over the breakers, the final remnants of cloud gone from the sky.

Rachel was in
her element, never feeling freer than when she was near the sea. She loved the small motorised dinghy that played such an important part her job and she guided it safely and expertly to the small island that was where just now she spent as many of her working days as she could. They travelled in silence, the salty wind in their hair and the sound of the waves against the boat as they cut through the gentle swell.

Rachel could fee
l him watch her, his eyes playing over her and she deliberately avoided his gaze. She felt oddly self-conscious. The journey was short and smooth and she throttled the engine back gradually, pulling the boat up on to waDthe sandy shore of the small deserted island.

Eric jumped easily out of the boat and held h
is arms out for her to jump into. She stepped off the boat and into his arms and he held her close, kissing the top of her head.

‘You’
re quite the expert sea woman Rachel.’

She
smiled and winked, ‘I’ve many talents.’

He pressed her close to him, almost painfully so and bent to kiss her neck.

She chastised him gently, ‘I’ve brought you here to assist me Doctor,’ and pushed him away from her gently, ‘Go get the bags from the boat.’

He stood and saluted, ‘Yes Captain.’

He grabbed the heavy bags from the boat and followed her as she strode off along the beach.

She turned to him as he caught up with her,

‘I come out here as often as the weather allows. Today I’m doing an intertidal survey, counting and recording the species we find in the various parts of the shore while the tides out.’

‘You
must have one of the best jobs in the world Rachel. I used to love searching through the rock pools when I was a kid.’

The pleasure of the task ahead was evident in his face and soon it was Rachel that
had to increase her pace to keep up with him. He carried the heavy bags easily and his stride was long and purposeful. He held his hand out to her to take and she did so, delighted by this simple gesture. His hand was large, warm and strong and enfolded her slight hand totally.

‘We’re
heading towards the rocky shore area just ahead. We’re not going to do anything too detailed today but I’d be grateful if you could take a couple of square meters for me. I’ve got an identification book for you and you can let me know if there’s anything you can’t find.....I’m heading down to the water line.’

He turned to face her, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my hands off you for any length of time Rachel.’

He was serious and intense for a moment and Rachel felt slightly alarmed but then his smile broke slowly over his face and Rachel found herself wondering about her moment of doubt.

‘Old ghosts
..’
she thought to herself and smiled back at him.