A Perfect Cornish Escape by Phillipa Ashley Page 0,34
to Lachlan. Marina watched him carefully as he waited at the bottom of the pipe to whack the furry rat. She was determined not to cut him any slack, and managed to defeat him on every round.
‘One more for luck?’ she urged, ever mindful of raising as much as possible and having an excuse to keep him there longer.
Aaron missed with his next three turns.
‘Damn! I thought I had him!’ he groaned. ‘I give up, for now. I’m off to see how Ellie’s getting on.’
Lachlan still seemed in no hurry to leave and hung around, smiling while a couple of guys from the local pub swaggered up and were also defeated. It was hard not to admire his biceps as he stood, arms crossed, waiting for his turn.
‘Another try?’ Marina asked him, half wishing she could leave her post to talk to him properly.
‘Aye.’ He grinned. ‘Why not?’
He took the bat and she poised herself with rat at the top of the pipe. He really was a sight to behold. Eddies of desire stirred low in her stomach. She had a serious crush on him.
‘Yes!’
The rat’s tail had slipped through her fingers while she’d been ogling him and he’d hit it right on target.
She let out a cry of frustration then covered it with a laugh. ‘Well done! Direct hit. Percy Pigs or Haribo?’
He laughed. ‘Thank you, but save them for the kids.’
‘We’re next!’ Two young girls lined up and Marina had to concentrate.
Lachlan drifted off. She saw him chat briefly to Tiff and buy a ticket for the tombola but he soon returned and stood nearby chatting to Dirk Meadows. Evie started to make an announcement about the auction, but people’s attention had been drawn by something in the skies over the sea. They shaded their eyes and started to point at a large red and white helicopter.
‘Now, everyone!’ Evie announced. ‘Here are our friends from the coastguard. Someone needs their help and our Wave Watchers and lifeboat crews are proud to work alongside them as volunteers. This is what we’re raising money for – to help our friends in trouble.’
Evie’s voice, strong though it was, was lost in the whirr of the rotors and engine. The helicopter was almost directly overhead and some people had their hands over their ears. Its rotors were a blur high up against the sky.
She turned to see Lachlan, a few feet away. He was transfixed by the helicopter; his arms were stiff by his sides. He seemed frozen but she could see the gleam of sweat on his face, and he was grey with terror. She’d seen something like it once before, a man having a panic attack on the steep edge of the cliff path … Lachlan was petrified.
She moved quickly, trying to reach him, but a second later, he was off, pushing past people hurrying towards the town. She followed as fast as she could, making her way past families.
‘Excuse me! Sorry. Sorry!’
The crowd thinned as the helicopter circled in a pattern she knew well. It was searching for someone near the lookout station … but that wasn’t her concern right now. There were other volunteers available to help if necessary.
It was Lachlan she was worried about, but she’d no chance of catching him – he was running along the quayside faster than she could ever hope to. Plus, she realised that in her desire to help, she’d left the sideshow and the cashbox.
This was crazy. What did she think she could do to help him, anyway?
He vanished from sight into one of the steep alleyways between the shops that led up to the top of the town. She guessed he was going home where he could feel safe.
Her attempt to draw him into the community again had backfired. Cursing herself, she hurried back to her stall where she found Aaron waiting.
‘What happened?’ he said. ‘I saw you race off. Everything OK?’
‘I’m fine, but Lachlan isn’t. I think the helicopter freaked him out.’ She looked up but the aircraft was flying away now, south-west towards the Lizard.
‘Jesus. I hadn’t realised. I thought he was doing OK,’ Aaron said.
‘What do you mean?’ Marina asked.
‘He was involved in a helicopter crash at his base … but I don’t know exactly what happened. He may be a mate but he’s not comfortable talking about it, to say the least. I tried to get him to open up but he made it very clear I should back off, so I respected that.’