Turning the Tide (37 page)

‘I don’t mind you staring at me, sweetheart, but your mother might have something to say about your manners,’ he said, without even looking round.

‘That’s about right; she’s a big fan of yours. Thinks you can do no wrong.’

‘So, are you going to join me or not?’

When she tucked herself beside him, Matthew couldn’t hold back any longer. Rolling her onto her back, he leaned over her and drank in the sight of her sweet face brushed gold with a hint of tan, her wide beautiful mouth that was tipped up in a smile and the jet lashes of her grey eyes that were sparkling with tears.

‘Welcome back,’ he breathed, cupping her face in his hands, feeling its hard planes beneath the soft skin, confirming that she was real and present and in his arms again.

‘Did you miss me, then?’ she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

Matthew covered her mouth with his lips and felt the ache in his body at her sweet softness beneath him. He was intrigued to see that under the denim jacket she was wearing a cute little blouse with a floral pattern and, he was even more pleased to discover, mother-of-pearl buttons that yielded to his touch.

‘Matthew,’ she murmured with a catch in her voice, ‘suppose someone sees us?’

‘Serve them right for trespassing.’

Harry laughed beneath him. ‘I’d almost forgotten that you own this stretch of land. No wonder you’re claiming your feudal rights. Oh, go on then,’ she said, fiddling with his belt. ‘Take me, master, I’m yours.’

‘Actually,’ he said, gritting his teeth because it was so hard to concentrate given what her fingers were doing, ‘it doesn’t belong to me any more. I’ve given it away.’

‘Wha-at?’ Harry’s eyes flicked wide open and she stared at him in disbelief. Matthew waited, watching the emotions dance across her face. If the land didn’t belong to him, maybe she wouldn’t need him either; she’d spent long enough trying to keep him off it, hadn’t she? To his horror, her bottom lip started trembling and she looked as if her heart was breaking right in front of his eyes.

‘Oh Matthew, why couldn’t you have told me sooner instead of putting me through all this?’

‘Shhh.’ He pressed a finger to her mouth and quickly touched his lips to her cheek. ‘It’s yours. I’ve given it to you. I thought you’d like it as a wedding present.’

‘But I’m not getting married,’ she said in a tiny voice.

‘Is that a “no”, then?’

‘Matthew?’

He pushed the dark hair off her forehead and looked into the serious eyes which were daring to hope. Her instinct not to rush things had been so wise. During the weeks that followed the revelation of her father’s logbook, her emotions had been all over the place. There was so much for her to take in, so much to adjust to. Seeing Harry gradually slough off that brittle exterior, watching her getting to know her half-brother, listening to her talking, laughing, feeling her happiness blossom had been a great joy to him.

But the greatest joy of all was how she’d opened up to him, trusting that even if the first thing he’d wanted from her was her land, it was now her that he wanted beside him – the fierce, spirited woman who’d never given in, never stopped fighting, even when the world seemed set against her.

And if he’d ever thought that a tiny, pixie-faced girl in a pair of dungarees wasn’t his type, he’d been proved wrong about that. Wasn’t Harry Watling the most beautiful, sexy woman he’d ever seen?

‘I love you, Harry. I love you and I want you to be my wife. What do you say?’

Much, much later, they went to over to Samphire to share the news with Jimi and to celebrate. Now that Jimi had taken over the running of the restaurant, it was gaining quite a reputation. Matthew could see how proud Harry was of him.

‘I wish I could talk to Dad, too,’ she said, as they strolled home under a starlit sky.

‘What would you tell him?’ Matthew asked, wrapping his arm round her small waist.

‘I wish I could tell him how sorry I was that he had to leave us,’ she whispered. ‘I wish I could tell him that everything has worked out, you know, that Mum and I have a great relationship now and that George says he’s going to retire, but we know he won’t. I’d tell him how busy Watling’s is and that he wouldn’t believe how many people are interested in keeping their boats there.’

She squeezed his hand. ‘And then I’d tell him how happy you’ve made me and how much I love you.’

Matthew stopped her and pointed up as a shooting star appeared in the sky above them, burning brightly as it speared the night. Gone now, in the past, but with one last message to the present. Maybe Harry’s father had heard?

Behind them, the lights of Samphire twinkled in reflections on the inky waters of the creek.

‘Matthew,’ said Harry, beside him. ‘If you’d known everything that lay ahead when you bought the Spitmarsh Yacht Club, would you have walked away?’

‘No,’ he said, quickly taking hold of her hands and trying not to laugh. ‘I’d have run.’

The hands bunched into little fists and Matthew was glad he’d taken the precaution of pinning them in his. As his lips came down firmly on hers, her squeal of protest turned into a soft moan of pleasure and Matthew congratulated himself on a shrewd investment: when it came down to love and happiness, Harry Watling had made him a very wealthy man.

~ Ends ~

About the Author

Winning a tin of chocolate in a national essay competition at primary school inspired
Christine Stovell
to become a writer! After graduating from UEA, she took various jobs in the public sector writing research papers and policy notes by day and filling up her spare drawers with embryonic novels by night. Losing her dad to cancer made her realise that if she was ever going to get a novel published she had to put her writing first.

Setting off, with her husband, from a sleepy seaside resort on the east coast in a vintage wooden boat to sail halfway round Britain provided the inspiration for her novel
Turning the Tide
.

Christine has also published numerous short stories and
 
articles.

www.christinestovell.com

Coming in October 2012

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Coralie Casey is haunted by her past. Deciding it’s time for a fresh start, she sets up ‘Sweet Cleans’, a range of natural beauty and cleaning products, and escapes to Penmorfa, a quiet coastal village in west Wales.

Gethin Lewis thinks he’s about to put his home village Pe
n
morfa behind him for good. Now an internatio
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But the village soon disrupts their carefully laid plans. As truths are uncovered which threaten to split the community apart, Gethin is forced to question his real reasons for aba
n
doning Penmorfa, and Coralie is made to face the fact that some stains just won’t go away.

The Importance of being Emma

Juliet Archer

Darcy & Friends Series

Winner of The Big Red Reads Fiction Award 2011 and short listed for the 2009
 
Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance.
Mark Knightley – handsome, clever, rich – is used to women falling at his feet. Except Emma Woodhouse, who’s like part of the family – and the furniture. When their relationship changes dramatically, is it an ending or a new beginning?
Emma’s grown into a stunningly attractive young woman, full of ideas for modernising her family business.
Then Mark gets involved and the sparks begin to fly. It’s just like the old days, except that now he’s seeing her through totally new
 
eyes.

While Mark struggles to keep his feelings in check, Emma remains immune to the Knightley charm. She’s never forgotten that embarrassing moment when he discovered her teenage crush on him. He’s still pouring scorn on all her projects, especially her beautifully orchestrated campaign to find Mr Right for her ditzy PA. And finally, when the mysterious Flynn Churchill – the man of her dreams – turns up, how could she have eyes for anyone else?

Find out more and purchase in the kindle store
:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Importance-Being-Emma-ebook/dp/B003ZSHNWW

Highland Storms

Christina Courtenay

Winner of the 2012 RoNA Best Historical Romantic Novel Category Award

Who can you trust?

Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start. So he welcomes the opportunity to leave Sweden for the Scottish Highlands to take over the family estate.

But there’s trouble afoot at Rosyth in 1754 and Brice finds himself unwelcome. The estate’s in ruin and money is disappearing. He discovers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?

Marsaili is determined to build a good life. She works hard at being a housekeeper and harder still at avoiding men who want to take advantage of her. But she’s irresistibly drawn to the new clan chief, even though he’s made it plain he doesn’t want to be shackled to anyone.

And the
young laird has more than romance on his mind. His investigations are stirring up an enemy. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants – including Marsaili – even if that means destroying Brice’s life forever
 
…