Rescued by the Brooding Tycoon / Fixed Up with Mr. Right?: Rescued by the Brooding Tycoon / Fixed Up with Mr. Right?

‘You assured me he was only being friendly. Tell him I look forward to our next meeting. What kind of bones does he like?’

‘Any kind.’

‘I’ll remember.’

As she left the house Harriet was saying to herself, ‘I don’t believe it. I imagined that conversation. I must have done.’

That evening she poured out her thoughts again to the one friend she knew she could always trust.

‘I don’t know what to think any more. He’s different—well, all right, he nearly died and that changes people—but they change back. In a few days he’ll be talking about showing no mercy again. Hey, don’t do that! Phantom, put that down!—oh, all right, just this once.’

Three days later she looked up from serving in the shop to find Darius standing there.

‘It’s a nice day so I managed to escape,’ he said with a smile. ‘I wanted to bring you this.’ He held out the phone. ‘I’ve got my new one now, but this was invaluable. Thank you. There seems no end to what I owe you.’

‘Did you manage to call your sons?’

‘My son and daughter, yes.’

‘Oh, I thought—Mark and Frank.’

‘Frankie. Her name’s Francesca, but we call her Frankie. It’s a bit like calling you Harry.’

She laughed. ‘Yes, I suppose it is.’

‘And there’s also this,’ he said, reaching into a bag and drawing out a huge bone. ‘This is for Phantom, by the way, not you.’

Her lips twitched. ‘I’m glad you explained that.’

‘About our dinner. Kate’s set her heart on cooking it for us.’

‘Good idea. She’s a great cook, and it would be better for you.’

‘If you say I need to stay indoors for a few more days I shall do something desperate,’ he warned. ‘You two mother hens are driving me crazy.’

‘No, I was only going to say that anywhere else you’ll get stared at. I’ll come to Giant’s Beacon.’

‘You and Phantom.’

‘He’s included?’

‘It wouldn’t be the same without him. Friday evening.’

‘I look forward to it. We’ll look forward to it.’

He thanked her and departed. Outside the shop, he hesitated a moment, then headed for the harbour and the lifeboat station, but after a moment his attention was claimed by a man watching him from across the road with an air of nervousness. Enlightenment dawned, and he crossed over.

‘I know you, don’t I? You were part of the team that saved me from drowning.’

‘I’m glad you remember that,’ Walter said, ‘and not the other thing.’

‘You mean when you advised Harriet to let me drown?’ Darius said, grinning.

‘Ah, yes—’

‘It’s in the past,’ Darius assured him. ‘Look, do you have a moment? There’s a pub over there.’

When they were settled with glasses of ale, Darius said, ‘I want to show my gratitude in a practical way, with a donation to the lifeboat.’ He took out his chequebook. ‘Who do I make it out to?’

Walter told him, then looked, wide-eyed, at the amount. ‘That’s very generous.’

‘It’s not too much for my life. Will you make sure this reaches the right part of your organisation?’

‘It’ll be a pleasure. It’s good to see you on your feet again. Harry said you were in a bad way.’

‘All that time in the cold water. I reckon I was bound to go down with something. But Harriet got me home and took wonderful care of me.’

‘She’s a great girl, isn’t she? Sometimes I wonder how she survived after what she’s been through.’

‘Been through?’

‘Losing her husband. Oh, I know she’s not the only widow in the world, but they had a fantastic marriage. Everyone who gets married hopes they’re going to have what those two had. We all envied them. When he died we thought she might die too, she was so crushed. But she came back fighting. I don’t reckon she’ll ever really get over him, though.’

‘But she’s a young woman, with plenty of time to find someone else.’

‘Yes, if she really wants to. But you only get something as good as that once in your life. It wouldn’t surprise me if she stayed single now.’ He drained his glass. ‘Got to be going. Nice to meet you.’

They parted on good terms.

On Friday Darius came in the late afternoon to collect both his guests. Phantom leapt into the back seat of the car as though being chauffeured was no more than his right.

‘Don’t worry, I’ve washed him,’ Harriet said.

Darius grinned over his shoulder at his four-pawed guest, who nuzzled his ear.

‘Wait,’ Harriet said suddenly, bouncing out of the car. ‘I’ll be back.’

He watched as she ran into her home, then out again a moment later, clutching a small black box.

‘My pager,’ she said, settling into the front seat. ‘It has to go with me everywhere in case the lifeboat gets called out.’

‘You’re on call tonight?’

‘Lifeboat volunteers are always on call. The only time that’s not true is if we’re ill, or have to leave the island for some reason. Then we give them notice of the dates and report back as soon as we return. But normally we take the pager everywhere and have to be ready to drop everything.’

‘Everything? You mean … even if … suppose you were …?’

‘At work or in the bath,’ she supplied innocently. ‘Yes, even then.’