Page 98 of Back in the Saddle

‘You look like you could use one.’

Hunter opened his eyes. His lips crooked in a small smile, and he wordlessly showed Buck an empty chair on the veranda.

Buck popped open a beer bottle and passed it to him. Then he sat down and lifted his own to his lips. Taking a big gulp, he looked at Hunter. ‘How are you holding up, Hunt?’

‘Probably as well as you are, Buck.’

His brother chuckled and shook his head in mock disapproval. ‘Eh, you’re right, stupid question. How are things with the mysterious woman Meg told me about – Caroline is it?’

In other circumstances, Hunter would be annoyed at their sister’s love of gossip. But right now, all he could muster in response was a sigh. He swung the green glass bottle and drank a bit. Bitter, cold liquid went down his throat and he looked directly into Buck’s eyes.

‘Caroline’s fine. Things with Caroline are fine.’

‘You’re very chatty today.’

‘What do you want me to say?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. Maybe why, after the chat we had at the café about you being ready to meet someone, you didn’t tell me about her?’

‘There’s nothing to tell though. We aren’t together in that way,’ Hunter said evenly. He took another sip of his beer.

They agreed on keeping things casual. He didn’t need to ‘make things official’ in a social media post or something – not that he was on any – but they both said they wanted just a bit of fun.

Buck glanced at him with a furrowed brow. ‘Aren’t you though? From what I heard from Meg and Mom, and even Luke, you’ve been fooling around with her—’

‘I’m not fooling around with her,’ he interrupted, anger rising.

‘No? You said you’re not together. You’re not fooling around. What are you doing then?’ Buck paused, waiting for an answer.

If only he knew … Time had passed, feelings that he didn’t want to allow into his headspace and heart had developed … She wasn’t staying. She’d be gone, and soon. The invisible clock ticked away hours to certain heartbreak.

You don’t deserve happiness anyway, not after what happened with Tamara.

Hunter swallowed over a hard lump of complicated, self-inflicted guilt. Logically, he knew he wasn’t the one to blame. Sadly, love and logic didn’t go hand in hand.

Buck leaned forward and looked at him earnestly. ‘Hunt, come on. Talk to me.’

‘What is there to talk about?’

‘Well … Do you like her?’

Hunter rolled his eyes, reaching for another beer. ‘No, Buck, I willingly spend time with someone I dislike.’

‘Don’t get smart with me. What I meant is do youlikeher, you know … that way?’

‘I like her just fine. Now, can we stop with the interrogation?’

‘Whatever. Forget I even asked.’ Buck bit off, finally tearing his eyes away from his brother’s face.

They sat in silence for a long while, staring at the darkening sky and listening to the sounds coming from the nearest cattle barn. Hunter knew Buck was hoping that time would loosen his tongue – but it couldn’t.

He was afraid that if he talked about it, then he’d let himself think about it. And that couldn’t happen. What was he going to tell Buck? That he was sleeping with a woman who was technically divorced but not legally, who had a clock on her stay in Oklahoma? That he thought about her a lot more than he should? That it wasn’t just about sex?

No, he couldn’t say any of that. Saying nothing was easier.

Besides, he should be focusing on his family, not on whatever this unlabelled thing with Caroline was.

Hunter quietly opened the door to the guest bedroom at the end of the corridor on the ground floor. It had been transformed into Alan’s bedroom the day after the meeting in the hospital. A single, adjustable bed stood in the centre, with an IV drip stand next to it and morphine syringe driver. A soft melody of classical music came from a small CD player on the windowsill.