Page 31 of Harbor Lights (Inishderry Island Romances #3)

The girl nodded, reached for the rope and wrenched it close to her body, causing the kayak to pull up close to the boat, almost pinning Shiv between the two craft.

She managed to push away and gripped the smooth plastic of the kayak desperately.

How the hell had she got herself in this situation?

She’d been in life threatening positions before, but this was not how she’d envisioned her final moments.

She coughed up seawater and maneuvered to where she could see the rope hanging from the front of the boat.

The rope the boy had lost grip of earlier.

It was only a few strokes away, but moving was getting harder.

She was getting heavier and slower. It was kind of a reassuring feeling.

She had a fleeting vision of Con dressed in a smart black suit, tears staining her cheeks.

“No. I’m not gonna die here.”

She lunged for the rope, driving her arms through the water and forcing life back into them.

She touched slippery strands that slid through her fingers, but she grasped it again, and gripped it until she could pull herself toward the hull of the rowboat.

When she had enough slack, she tied a knot around her wrist. It wouldn’t prevent her from drowning, but at least no one would have to risk their lives searching for her body.

Stop that. She feebly kicked her legs, but a cramp tore through her calf that took her breath away. It felt like a knife was ripping through her leg and it wasn’t letting up. Every movement felt as though she was under a weighted blanket with a rock on top of it.

“Boat!” the girl screamed.

Shiv craned her head out of the water. Sure enough, she could hear the sound of an engine over the roar of the wind and the slapping of the waves. She didn’t try to look for it; she didn’t have the energy. She just hoped they were close.

“Shiv!” She recognized the voice, but a name floated around just out of her reach.

There were lots of voices then. People shouting commands, the children shrieking. It sounded like someone else had taken control, so she drifted, wondering if it was okay to get some sleep now.

The sensation of being lifted startled her. Warm air on her legs. She couldn’t feel much else apart from the pain in her calf. Then she was on her back, the gray sky above her. Arms hoisted her to a seated position. “She’s conscious. Shiv, what happened?”

That voice again. Aoife. It was Aoife.

“Kids were on a boat.” It was kind of hard to talk. Her mouth felt sticky and her throat was raw.

“I know. You called it in.” Aoife covered her legs with a blanket and patted them dry. It hurt and Shiv tried to dodge away from it.

“Stay still, we need to get you dry. What I meant was why were you out there?” She placed another blanket around Shiv’s shoulders. “We’ll get you out of these clothes as soon as we get back.”

“Are the kids okay?”

Aoife moved aside and she could see the three young people wrapped in blankets and being attended by the two other lifeboat crew.

A pair of blue waterproof trousers obscured her view, then Joey’s face lowered in front of her.

“What the absolute fuck, Shiv? We could’ve lost you.” Their voice trembled in a way she’d never heard before, but she wasn’t sure if it was fear or anger causing it. Perhaps both.

“Sorry. C-couldn’t wait.” She shuddered.

“I haven’t finished with you, but we need to get you back.” Joey’s face disappeared and Aoife returned with another blanket.

The engines thrummed and she nearly fell back onto the deck when the lifeboat accelerated. Aoife held her shoulders.

“We’ll be back to base in a few minutes, and then we can get you dry and warm.”

Warm sounded good. Shiv pulled the blankets tight, but her body felt like a block of ice.

The rotors of a helicopter sounded overhead, and Aoife moved away to speak to the Coast Guard by radio.

Shiv sat up a little higher and looked around.

The helicopter was moving away, its rotor sending a sheet of sea spray across the deck.

Shiv shielded her face from the worst of it, but chills ran through her body uncontrollably.

Joey piloted the lifeboat around the headland and into the natural harbor. As they passed the lighthouse, the wind dropped immediately and Joey slowed the craft, moving toward the concrete slipway where the cage that transported the lifeboat to dry land was waiting, hitched to a tractor.

Joey’s maneuvering was swift and accurate, and they were soon on dry land.

Aoife helped Shiv up and she staggered to the side.

Her head swam with the effort, and her legs buckled.

Strong arms folded around her, and she was lifted like a child to the ground.

She was aware of the indignity, but she didn’t care.

Joey held onto her and walked her into the lifeboat station.

She wondered what was happening with the kids.

They were safe now, and not her responsibility.

“Shiv?”

She knew that voice without a doubt. Why was Con here at the lifeboat station? She was too tired to ask. She didn’t feel cold now, just odd, and a sense of panic gnawed away inside her. Was something bad going to happen that she didn’t know about?

“Shiv? What happened? Is she okay?”

They sounded like questions for someone else, but the relief of knowing Con was close made her knees give way.

Her feet dragged on the ground as more than one set of strong arms lifted her inside.

“She can explain later. We need to get her warm quickly, or onto that helicopter with the kids. Your call.”

Joey sounded angry again. She vaguely wondered why.

“Let me check her over.”

Shiv was pushed down onto a hard bench. The blankets were removed and the cold air on her bare legs made her shudder. She couldn’t help it. She shivered again and tried to reach for the blankets.

“Cold.”

A hand held her wrist. It was warm, so warm it burned a little. “Hey, darlin’, we need to get these clothes off you, okay? Can you help?”

Con calling her darling lodged in her mind, but she couldn’t help the sense of panic that filled her when her hoodie was gently pulled over her head. Her arms wouldn’t work properly when she tried to push her helpers away.

“Hey, cuz, I heard you needed some help.” Tierney’s face with its gentle brown eyes materialized in front of her. “Let’s get you into some warm clothing.”

She relaxed a little and let Tierney pull the wet T-shirt off her shaking body. Voices rose and fell in the background. “Seán’s responsible…”

“Who’s the fucking doctor here?”

She knew the answer to that one. “Con.”

Con was by her side again, immediately. “I’m here, Siobhán.”

“That’s good.”

Tierney removed the last of Shiv’s clothes. Should she be worried she was naked? Was that what the anxious feeling was about?

Tierney pulled something over her head, and she panicked, batting it away. Tierney gently pushed her arms down. “We need to get you dressed, cuz. It’ll feel better in a while.”

The soft wool sweater warmed her immediately and the cloud in her brain cleared a little. The numbness in her limbs was soon replaced by a burning fire. “It hurts,” she wailed.

“I know, we need to warm you slowly.”

Aoife approached with a mug. “Can you drink some of this?”

She took it and leaned her face over it, letting the steam warm her cheeks. Her shaking had slowed enough she was confident she wouldn’t drop it on Tierney, who had pulled some sweatpants up her legs and was trying to negotiate dry socks onto her feet. Aoife bent down to help her.

“I can do it.” She didn’t believe that, but she was embarrassed at her cousins’ fussing.

“You’re nearly done now. Just pull on this coat.” It was one of Joey’s long coats from the sea safaris, just like the one she had at home.

“Got one of these at home.”

“It’s not much use to you there, so let’s get this one on, and we’ll try standing up.”

Shiv didn’t want to stand. She wanted to sleep. She looked around, realizing she was alone with her cousins.

“Where’s Con?”

“Outside. The kids are being taken to the university hospital to be checked over. She’s convincing the Coast Guard you don’t need to go in that helicopter, too.”

“Never been in a helicopter.” Her voice still sounded weird to her ears.

“You wanna go? We can arrange it.” Tierney stood and pulled her to her feet.

Her calf spasmed and all her muscles screamed. She groaned. “No hospital, but this hurts.”

“Doc said you were to move around if you can. It’ll warm you up quicker.”

If Con wanted her to walk, she’d try her best. She shuffled one foot in front of the other. At least she was dressed now. She didn’t want to be naked in front of Con. Well, not in this situation, at least.

She snickered.

“You finding something funny about all this, cuz?”

“Nope. It hurts and I feel weird in my head.” She leaned on the wall for a moment. Her body felt stiff, and the burning was unbearable, but at least her thoughts had straightened a little.

She hoped Con would come back soon. This was all kinds of scary, and she wanted Con to reassure her and tell her she was okay. She pushed off the wall and started walking in circles again.