Page 76 of Back in the Saddle

He pushed himself up against the headboard to get more comfortable and opened his arm, making a space for Caroline, which she pressed herself into, sliding her arm over his chest.

Her hand rested above his heart and he thought she could probably feel its erratic beat.

‘Of course you’d know it, I’m sorry. It didn’t click.’

‘It’s a good whisky. And the Royal Deeside is gorgeous.’ She sighed. ‘I miss it very much.’

‘Why won’t you move back up there?’ Hunter asked.

‘I’d love to, eventually. It sounds a lot easier than it is for doctors in the UK to move around. We have very little power over where the centralised system allocates us. Well, you can apply wherever you want to, but it isn’t given you’re going to get the job you want.’

‘Did you apply to Aberdeen at all?’

Caroline winced. ‘Not as a doctor, no. I got into medical school there but …’ She pressed her hands to her eyes,rubbing them like she wanted to disperse some uninvited sadness pushing to fill the corners of her mind. ‘I couldn’t stay there. Not after my mother died. It was just too much. Everything was too raw. If I’d stayed, I’d have walked the corridors of the very hospital in which I lived the worst days of my life during my clinical placements. Even just the thought of that was haunting.’

Hunter felt her tense. He hugged her tighter to his side. ‘I can only imagine how hard that would’ve been.’

She let out a shuddering breath against his skin. ‘That’s why I didn’t even think twice when I also got into Edinburgh. It was far enough to squeeze the memories out of my consciousness.’

‘And then you got a job in Glasgow?’

‘Yes. Finn got a job there, too. So, it made sense. But now, with everything that’s happened, I think I’d like to try to get back to Aberdeenshire.’

‘You miss it, then?’

Caroline dropped her hand from his chest, untangled her legs from his and sat up. Pulling up the cover almost up to her chin, she smiled. ‘It’s home. Even though my entire family has moved on, I feel a peace there that I haven’t felt elsewhere. I’d love to move back, if I can.’

Hunter nodded, more to himself than to her. ‘It is a beautiful part of the world.’

She furrowed her brow. ‘When did you go there?’

‘My grandmother was born in Scotland, not far from Balmoral, actually. Three years ago, when her health was declining, she wanted to visit her homeland one last time. As my dad was already unwell, I volunteered to go with her. I couldn’t miss a chance to check out some distilleries when there and that’s how I discovered Royal Lochnagar.’

Caroline looked as if she was deep in her own thoughts. She rested her head on his arm but didn’t interrupt the silence between them for a long while. When she finally spoke, it was in a barely audible whisper directed towards his neck. ‘Did you like it?’

‘It was beautiful. And so peaceful.’ He smiled, pulling her in closer. ‘It was the first time I contemplated living somewhere other than Oklahoma. Imagine that.’ He chuckled, shaking his head.

The notion of moving to the north of Scotland should be utterly absurd, but Hunter found himself thinking back to that trip. To the misty hills, the clear rivers, the dense forests, the charming villages and the fields.

Maybe you’d enjoy it. Maybe a change would do you good.

For a quick, fanciful spark of a moment he imagined himself on a hike up one of the snowy hilltops, Caroline walking by his side with her cheeks flushed from the cold, her eyes bright in the fresh air.

You have responsibilities here. The ranch needs you. Your family needs you. You can’t just take off and move to Scotland.

Caroline put a hand on his bare chest again and leaned in, her mouth just inches from his, bringing him back to the present. ‘You have good legs to wear a kilt.’

She tried to kiss him, but he moved to the left, and she missed his mouth.

‘Are you mocking me?’

‘I wouldn’t dare.’

He kissed her, and something roared inside him when she responded, eagerly kissing him back. And then, their bodies joined in a passionate dance again. Her fingernails were gently scratching his back up and down. His hands were moving all over her body.

It was fire on fire.

Afterwards, she covered her breasts with the duvet. ‘Should we get up and make some breakfast? I’m quite hungry now.’