Page 26 of Back in the Saddle

“Pollution, constant noise, drunk people, traffic. It’s got a lot going for it.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sounds dreamy,” Isabelle said, scrunching up her face.

“More like a nightmare,” Ciaron said. “I don’t miss it.” He nodded to me. “Keep going.”

Ciaron heldonto my hand like he was never going to let me go.

“Let’s get my car and go meet crappy family number two.”

“You don’t have to do this,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll be OK.”

“If I’m going to marry you, I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

I laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re crazy.”

But not as crazy as me getting into a car with someone I’d just met. Did serial killer victims feel this safe when they met the person who would take their life? I asked myself this question and yet I still held his hand.

We stopped at an old red Toyota.

“It’s not much, but it’s mine,” Ciaron said.

“As long as we don’t break down in the middle of nowhere.”

“She hasn’t let me down yet. Where are we heading?”

“Killarney.”

He started the car, and we headed out of the city. The only reason I knew we were going the right way was because of the few signs I read.

“What sort of farm are we going to, exactly?”

“A horse farm. My father works there.”

“OK.”

“Do you like horses?”

I pressed my hands together between my legs. His answer meant more to me than it should. Horses were my life. I’d been born into a horse family and so would my future children.

“Haven’t met one.”

Reasonable, I guess. Most city people hadn’t.

“You’re in for a treat. They are the best thing on the farm.”

Excitement grew in me at the prospect of sharing his first horse experience with him.

“You’re not really selling it. It can’t be hard to beat your father and crappy family.”

I laughed. “Not as crappy as yours, though. My dad left my mum and me when I was twelve. Said he was homesick. I think he was sick of not being put first.”

I glanced out the window. Buildings were giving way to more and more green spaces as we left the centre of the city.

“That’s why you can understand my Irish accent. Foreigners usually struggle.”

I nodded. “A year later, he asked for a divorce because his new girlfriend was pregnant. He was so excited about starting a new family. I don’t think he thought how much it hurt me to know I was being replaced.”

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