Page 7 of Forever My Lass

Stunned, he stared at the spot where she’d been standing. She’d simply vanished. It was as if she’d evaporated in a wisp of smoke. Iain shook his head as he rejected the fanciful thought. The daft woman had to have gone down the path leading to the inlet.

With a growl of frustration, he knew he would have to go after her, just to ensure her safety. It was a treacherous path down to the beach, unless she knew where the rope handrail was. One slip of the foot, and she’d fall to her death. The fact he’d not recognized her said he could win a hefty sum by wagering she didn’t know the path at all.

Iain broke out into a run to save the woman from her foolhardy act. He’d only gone a few paces when he heard a shout behind him. He didn’t stop running, but looked over his shoulder to see a small group of men and one or two women hurrying in his direction. Leading the way was his man, Angus McFayden, who was quickly gaining on him. As the Scotsman drew up alongside him, Angus pointed to the ship that was still making its way toward the inlet.

“Squire Tewel saw the ship sailing inland and brought some of his tenants tae help survivors…and whatever cargo can be saved.”

The quiet resignation in the man’s voice brought Iain’s fears to the surface once more. McFayden was clearly thinking the same thing as Iain. If the ship was Destiny’s Dream, Angus knew how crucial it was for McLeod’s ship to reach safe harbor. Deep inside, he’d been hoping it wasn’t Captain McLeod at the helm. But the tall Scotsman’s fatalism made him realize that in all likelihood he was watching his future battling its way toward shore. As he slid to a halt where the path met the top of the cliff, Iain nodded his head toward the inlet.

“We need to move quickly,” he raised his voice to be heard over the storm as he started down the path leading to the beach.

On a good day, it was not without its dangers. Iain’s heart slammed into his chest at the memory of Ainslie asking permission to go to the inlet last summer. He’d quickly forbidden it with the promise of dire punishment if she disobeyed. His gaze focused on the path once more. Along the narrow, rocky trail, grommet-headed spikes had been driven into the rock. Threaded through the iron loops was a heavily braided hemp that served as a railing along the rock face. Twilight had only just set in a short time ago, and there was still enough light at the top of the cliff to see well.

The rocky path downward was a different matter altogether. Dark storm clouds overhead had combined with the shadows of the cliff to reduce visibility to near darkness. Bolts of lightning split the sky every few moments to offset the low light. Every jagged flash of light gave him a clear view of the rocks below, but there was no sign of the woman anywhere.

“You’ve bloody well lost your mind, Fraser. You imagined her,” he muttered.

A grunt escaped him as his feet tried to slip out from under him. When he’d regained his balance, he looked back the way he’d come. Another flash of light revealed the rest of the rescue party close behind him, with his manservant in the lead.

“The rock’s wet along here, Angus,” he shouted over the storm. “Tell the others to maintain a firm grip on the rope.”

“Aye.”

Iain barely heard the man’s reply over the noise of the storm as he continued to make his way downward. A few moments later, he was standing on wet sand mixed with small pebbles. In front of him, he saw the steamer set on a straight line for the middle of the cove. In stunned admiration, Iain watched as the ship reached the entrance of the inlet and was dead center between the rocks that lined the natural harbor. Damnation, the man was actually going to succeed in grounding his vessel safely.

Iain had never seen anything like it in his life. Whoever the steamer’s captain was, his skill in navigating his ship so precisely into the inlet in this storm was exceptional. The moment the thought entered his head, a large wave formed and headed toward the ship. It gained momentum before it crested at the height of the ship’s deck and crashed into the vessel with a strength that threw her off course. The master sailor had just realigned the ship’s heading when another wall of water lifted the ship’s bow up out of the water and tossed the vessel toward the rocks.

In seconds, a screeching cry of iron and wood splintering against the rocks rose up above the noise of the storm. It was the sound of death. Chaos erupted as the ship’s terrible shriek mixed with shouts of panic from the vessel’s sailors. Fear echoed in the cries that almost drowned out the noise of the storm. Not content with having sent the ship onto the rocks, the angry sea sent another wave cresting up into the air. With an almost vicious precision, a wall of water crashed down onto the ship’s deck. Any shouts of fear were instantly drowned out as the wave retreated and pulled three sailors into the water and below the surface.

Without thinking, Iain quickly discarded his overcoat then ran toward the section of beach where the rocks met the curve of the inlet and jutted out to where the ship lay precariously against the sea-carved formation. The stretch of sand he was accustomed to crossing to reach the rocks was now a pool of angry water. He waited for the waves to retreat, then ran forward.

He was only halfway to the rocks when the sea tried to reclaim the small area of the beach between him and the only path to the shipwreck. A powerful wave slammed into him and soaked his trousers, while the undertow tried to knock him off balance and pull him into deeper waters.

In a split-second, the past wrapped an invisible band of steel around Iain’s chest and squeezed the air out of his lungs. He was in the sea cave again, and the waves were strong and dangerous. Panic and fear surged through him as the incoming tide filled his mouth with sea water and he sank below the surface.

Fear, unlike anything he’d ever known, drove him to thrash about in a desperate effort to find a pocket of air. A moment later, Thane’s hand latched tightly onto Iain’s arm and pulled him up out of the water into the dark cavern. Coughing up water, he dragged in deep breaths of precious air. Iain lifted his head, and the look on his brother’s face made his heart slam into his chest with renewed fear. Thane was about to tell him the worst was yet to come.

A hard wave slammed into Iain’s legs and jolted him out of the past. Christ Jesus, what the hell was he thinking to lose his concentration like that? His heart slammed into his chest before it began to beat like pistons pounding fiercely inside a steam engine. Iain stared down at the water almost up to his thighs, and his fear rapidly changed into full-blown panic. The undercurrent tugged at his legs, and he fought the urge to plunge forward toward the safety of the rocks.

“Don’t feed the bloody monster, Fraser. Wait until the water recedes, then ye run.”

His mouth dry, he waited for the water to retreat before he moved forward. Water-filled sand sucked at his boots as he splashed his way forward to the rocks. Out of the corner of his eye, Iain saw water rushing toward him. It sent adrenalin pumping through his body, and he scrambled up the rocky formation until he stood on a flat surface of stone. Bent over at the waist, he drank in harsh breaths of relief and jumped as a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder.

“Are ye all right, my lord?” Angus asked in a gruff tone. The Scotsman had been with his family since Iain had been a young boy. Angus knew why Iain feared the water.

“Yes,” he bit out between clenched teeth and bobbed his head toward the shipwreck. “We need to move fast before the sea tears her off the rocks.”

“Aye.”

His equilibrium restored, Iain moved quickly toward the vessel that clung perilously to the rocks. As he reached the ship, he extended a hand to a sailor struggling to find a firm grip on the wet stone. Iain pulled the man up to safety, who turned to help a shipmate. Not lingering, Iain moved further out along the rock formation to where he saw other sailors trying to climb up to the top of the rocks.

Waves smashed against the rocks, their spray sending salt water in his face. One arm wiping the water out of his eyes, he helped one man after another off the ship. An older man with weathered features was about to climb onto the rocks when someone cried out. The man turned and caught sight of someone Iain couldn’t see. The ship creaked loudly as she shifted her position on the rocks.

Without hesitating, the white-bearded sailor ran across the deck to help an injured shipmate to his feet. The man’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, the old sailor half-carried, half-dragged the man toward Iain. A moment later, the two men were standing beside him on the rock formation. As the captain confirmed all hands were off the ship, Iain directed the sailor toward the place where the rocks met the beach.

About to follow the captain, something just outside his line of vision made Iain turn his head. As he studied the turbulent sea, he saw a flash of white bob up from under the bow of the ship. At first he dismissed it as a whitecap, but something deep inside urged him to look harder. The white vanished beneath the waves, but seconds later he saw a boy trying to swim toward the rocks. God help the lad.

“Angus, I need a rope. Now,” he bellowed over his shoulder. He heard the Scotsman shout something, but the man’s words were drowned out by the roar of the waves as Iain descended the rock face toward the water. Slick with water and kelp, the sea-carved rocks made it difficult to keep his footing. It wasn’t until he reached the waterline that he realized how close he was to the pounding surf.