Winter Storms Read Online Free

disagree with what they were raising money for? She hadn’t gone into this lightly, she knew from personal experience how dangerous those cliffs were. Duncan seemed to believe a drowning person would flounder around on the surface for twenty minutes, leaving ample time to summon a boat or helicopter. But he’d never felt the powerful fingers of the icy winter current swirling around
his
body, dragging him down.
    With a fixed smile, she held up her minutes. “We need a volunteer to help with the children’s sailing race, shouldn’t be too strenuous. You’ll just need to watch from a dinghy to make sure they go around the markers properly.”
    Everyone stared back in silence and she sighed. Now they were sulking because she got frustrated. Number one rule of running a committee, never, ever, lose your temper.
    “Why don’t you do it yourself?” Duncan said.
    “Me?” she frowned.
    “Yes, you.” He looked around the group for support and her mouth dropped as a few heads nodded.
    Swallowing she took a deep breath. “It involves standing in a dinghy, which you are well aware I can’t do.”
    “But you could sit down. We’ll put some cushions on the seats to make it comfy for you.”
    She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of explaining why she couldn’t supervise the race, but her cheeks burned. A couple of people at the table, shuffled their feet and stared at their hands. They’d all seen her on sunny days watching the boats in the harbour, arms wrapped around herself.
    Looking at Duncan, she opened her mouth to give a sharp retort, then a man stepped from the doorway leading to the bar and cleared his throat.
    “I can cover the children’s race,” Daniel said.
    Carly stared at him and the group seated at the table shoved their chairs back, open mouthed.
    “That would be great,” Jessie squeaked.
    Carly slapped her papers on the table. “Are you planning on still being here in three weeks?”
    “I wouldn’t have offered otherwise,” he said.
    She glared at the rest of the committee. “Does anyone object? No? That’s settled then, I’ll send you the details later, Daniel.” She swallowed. “Thank you.”
    “Why don’t we have a drink in the bar while you fill me in?” he said.
    “No, I don’t think so, I have to get home.”
    How dare he embarrass her in front of everyone? Hadn’t she already made her feelings clear? Grabbing her papers, she stuffed them into her rucksack, fingers fumbling as he continued to watch her.
    “Right, see you next week,” Ian said, standing up. “Come on everyone, let’s have a drink before we head home, it’s chilly out.”
    Watching them leave, Carly snapped her bag shut and slung it over her shoulder. Since meeting Daniel again, she reacted to the slightest provocation. Was it frustration over seeing him so fit, strong and successful?
    “You didn’t have to volunteer,” she said, looking at him.
    “I want to help.”
    “Until you vanish off again to your glamorous life?”
    “You know sailing, Carly, it’s not that glamorous, getting up at five for training, rope burns, soaking wet.”
    “I wouldn’t know about that, would I? Not anymore.”
    “So it’s not the fundraising that’s really concerning you? I had a feeling it wasn’t.”
    “What else do you expect? How would you feel in my position? I don’t want you here, reminding me of what I lost, just leave me alone and go back to your fiancée.”
    “I’m allowed to come and see my family, you don’t own this town. You hate me still, I get it. I’m sorry for what happened, terribly sorry, but there’s nothing I can do to change it.” He stepped in front of her, forcing her to look at him. “I want to help raise the funds for a new lifeboat because without the last one you’d be dead and I couldn’t have coped with losing you, you were the centre of my world. So if I offer to help with the gala, don’t attack me for it, just accept it for what it is: me trying to make some