Page 4 of Back in the Saddle

What’s wrong with me?

A shiver ran down her spine.

The bartender set a new glass in front of her, taking away the empty one. She gave him a grateful smile, turning to drown once again in the gorgeous grey eyes.

‘Damn, where are my manners?’ He looked at her with mock severity. ‘I never asked for your name.’

‘Ah, but you were the one who wanted to dispose with polite etiquette.’ She smirked, feeling freer and lighter than she had in a very long time. Something about him, his presence, put her at ease. But then the moment passed, and she coughed, reaching for her glass again. ‘I’m Caroline.’

‘Hunter.’ He raised his glass slightly towards her and took another sip. ‘It’s very nice to meet you.’

His eyes found Caroline’s and she felt another jolt in the pit of her stomach. She looked away first, startled by the strange feeling. She could have sworn she felt him smile beside her.

Tipping the glass back, she closed her eyes and let the Knockando’s familiar pale golden liquid coat her tongue. The subtle fresh almond note at the back of her throat spurred an extra dose of courage into her.

She licked her bottom lip. ‘So, Hunter. Do you come here often?’

‘From time to time. I like the whisky.’ He grinned over the rim of his glass. ‘What about you?’

‘Oh, it’s my first time here.’

‘Any chance it might not be the last?’

‘I’m not sure.’ She reached for the tall water glass the bartender had just put in front of her. Her thumb brushed condensation droplets from the cold surface. Lifting it to her mouth, she locked eyes with Hunter. ‘There’s always a chance.’

‘I don’t like leaving things to chance.’

‘You should have more faith.’

‘I don’t believe in fate and all the stuff that would make me have more faith. I think life’s always what we make of it, the sum of our choices and decisions. Nothing more, nothing less.’ Hunter finished off his drink and put the empty glass on the bar. ‘Sorry. That’s a bit too deep.’ He shifted uncomfortably on his stool. His demeanour changed almost instantly from playful and flirty to wistful, somehow older.

‘I disagree. I think that although people often have the power to change some things, sometimes the course they’re on has been determined from the start. There’s nothing they can do to change it. Or, at least, they feel like that.’

‘Are you talking about yourself?’ he asked quietly.

Caroline froze, halfway through putting the cold glass back on the bar. ‘Maybe.’

‘Maybe?’

She nodded. ‘That’s what I said.’

Hunter finally turned back to her and studied her face.

Her heart started beating a little bit faster. Just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to stand it a second longer, he smirked.

‘I think that such thinking can make people powerless. They can feel like there’s no point in fighting for what theytruly want, so why should they even try? And if fate is cruel and leaves someone hurt, then they feel like they might’ve deserved it.’

Something stabbed deep inside her chest. She wanted to ask him about it, wanted to know what caused him pain, wanted to know him.

But you can’t,a small voice reminded her, echoing in her mind.You’re only here for one year. Then you’re going back home.Suddenly, Caroline didn’t trust herself to be in Hunter’s presence. She glanced at the clock above the bar, looking for an excuse to get up and walk.

No,run.

That’s what she should do. Yet, she found herself unable to move. Her eyes refused to leave his face. When she was debating the fruitless merits of her half-baked escape plan, her gaze wandered to his lips. She had never really thought or looked at lips this way before. Why would she have? She had only ever kissed one man in her life. Her soon-to-be ex-husband.

The music abruptly stopped like someone had decided they’d had enough of upbeat country, and a low rumble of her beloved ballad came on. Chris Stapleton’s voice echoed in her mind, slowing down her erratic heartbeat. She downed the rest of her drink, setting the glass back on the bar with a thud.

Suddenly, the fact she had never kissed anyone beside Finn bothered her. It gnawed at her bones, eating its way inside her flesh. What if she died tonight? She couldn’t even remember the last time she had been kissed.