Page 48 of Back in the Saddle

Her cheeks reddened and she gave him a small smile. ‘One thing that I’m hopeless for is luxury make-up. I don’t know, it’s just my little indulgence. I always only have one of everything on the go, except lipsticks and eyeshadows, but it brings me joy. That and perfumes. Those are two things that I wouldn’t be interested in trying to find cheaper alternatives for.’

He instinctively examined her face, which looked flawless. But to him, she never looked anything else, whether she had full, light or no make-up on, like when they had met at Robbers Cave. Biting his tongue not to say something soppy, he reached out for another piece of pizza.

The little bell above the door rang with increased frequency as the minutes passed, letting in a constant stream of loyal customers, most of whom walked away with steaming cardboard boxes. Apart from them, there were only two other people sitting inside. An older man and a girl who looked about ten.

Caroline finished eating and watched the duo, her forehead creasing with a deep frown.

‘I miss my niece,’ she finally said, her voice tinged with sadness.

‘What’s her name?’

‘Victoria. But she’s getting a sibling soon. My older sister, Clara, is pregnant.’

‘Congratulations. That’s awesome.’

She beamed at him. ‘It is. She and her husband are very happy.’

‘Do you see them often?’ He noticed that her face fell a little at the question. She looked at the bushy-haired girl again.

‘Not as often as I’d like. They live in Dublin. Though it’s only a short flight away, it’s hard to find time to visit. I sometimes wish they all still lived in Aberdeen but that’s over three hours’ drive, and I guess it really wouldn’t make any difference. I still wouldn’t be able to get up to see them more often than I do now.’ She blinked and took a deep breath. ‘Missing my family is probably the hardest thing about living in another country. At least there are video calls. They’re not the same, but better than nothing.’

‘It sounds hard.’

Caroline nodded. ‘I read once that living away from home always holds a chunk of your heart hostage. You can never feel truly whole, no matter how happy you are, because there’s always a piece missing.’

Hunter gave her a sad smile. ‘That’s beautiful and depressing at the same time.’

She laughed, sadness dispersing from her face. ‘You’re right. You have a niece as well, don’t you?’

‘I have one, and one nephew. Morgan and Cody.’ He smiled affectionately. ‘They’re coming around for dinner on Sunday at the ranch. I’d invite you, but not sure it’d be the best idea. I wouldn’t want to give my family the wrong impression about us, and they’d read too much into it.’

She didn’t look at him, still looking ahead.

He noticed the sadness overtaking the green of her eyes. ‘Unless you’d like to come?’

‘No, I think you’re right.’ A strained smile split her lips but she blinked like she was trying to mask it. ‘And is it just you and Buck?’

‘I have a younger sister, Megan. She’s a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, taking mostly pre-med classes. She said you led one of her biology labs on Monday?’

She furrowed her brow. ‘I did, but there were too many students to pay attention to anyone. But how … Did you tell her about me?’

‘No. Apparently Mom told her you and your aunt came over on Saturday. When she came back on Monday, she was all excited about that lab and you.’

‘I see.’

‘She also asked me if I was seeing anyone.’

Caroline quirked her brow. ‘Oh?’

He shrugged. ‘Apparently, I seem chipper.’

She snorted. ‘Chipper?’

‘That’s what Meg said. My attempt at being mysterious and sneaky clearly was not as subtle as I thought,’ he admitted.

She shook her head, amused. Leaning back, she rested her head on his chest, and he steadied her with both of his arms.

He could feel his heartbeat against her back.