Captivation

Captivation Part 27

Lisa complained loudly about Caitlin's decision to stay behind. As to be expected, Caitlin thought as she stood and listened in silence to Lisa. But eventually Lisa ran out of steam. With obvious irritation she left Caitlin with instructions. The two main instructions being that Caitlin would have to get her own lunch and the rest of the group would be back around 5.30 pm that evening. Caitlin stood silently listening to the instructions. She kept her face blank and waited for Lisa to stop talking. There was no point interjecting. Caitlin did her best not to fidget. She just had to wait this out, she kept reminding herself. Caitlin avoided meeting Jared's eyes. Instead, no sooner had Lisa finished with her list of instructions, Caitlin had excused herself and wishing the group a happy day she left the group to organize themselves.

It was a good ten minutes later when Caitlin heard the door close and she breathed a sigh of relief. The group left for their horse riding stint, and even with the door shut she could hear the giggling and chatter as they walked toward the stables. Caitlin smiled. In a few minutes there would be peace and quiet. Perfect.

Caitlin had plans for the day. It was a beautiful area and she fully intended to enjoy her time here. But first she needed to find a spot that afforded a strong mobile signal for she needed to phone her father. She was dressed in jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt and walking boots. She grabbed her jacket and then she checked her bag for her phone before heading for the kitchen. She collected a couple of small bottles of water which she threw into her bag. She checked the fridge and then decided she'd be better off getting some food from the local store before she set off on her walk. She could also ask at the shop about the local walks and the level of fitness required for the walks. It was a good fifteen minutes, when she was half way up a hill that she finally managed to get a mobile phone signal. So Caitlin phoned her father. As to be expected, he like Jared was livid about the notice that had been placed in the community newsletter. It took Caitlin several minutes to convince him that Jared was not responsible. By the time they had finished the call she had reached the conclusion that Jared and her father were similar in many ways! Determined, strong, stubborn, straightforward, dependable. Dependable? How had she reached that conclusion where Jared was concerned? She knew how. Douglas. The two men were good friends. They had each other's back. That was pretty obvious.

So as Caitlin walked her thoughts returned over and over to the two men. She knew from the rumours that the men had similar reputations. They were never short of women. Both men were considered charming and unconventional. She knew that they had made their way in life. Starting from way behind the start line the two men had worked hard for a future that was far removed from their starting point. That took guts she thought as she walked slowly up to the top of the hill. Guts and perseverance. She hadn't gone looking for information on either man, but that hadn't stopped her from hearing snippets about them. Though both men were now established businessmen there was nothing staid about them. They still wore that mantle of danger like a second skin. Caitlin nearly laughed, for most people ran from danger. But with these men, it was a mantle that appeared to attract women in their droves.

When Caitlin reached the top of the hill, she undid the knot she had made of her jacket arms which had enabled her to wear her jacket tied to her hips, and dropped her jacket on the grass. She sat on her jacket, pulled her knees close, rested her chin on her knees and just enjoyed the vista in front of her. It was a beautiful, clear day. Warm, with just a hint of a breeze. But her mind drifted back to Jared. And her reaction to him.

He was a good looking man. But she had dated men in the past who were equally good looking. So it wasn't just his looks that interested her. It was his eyes. She realized as she gazed off into the distance. There was a wealth of compassion in those eyes. That's what had surprised her. For a man who had probably been hurt numerous times, given the childhood he'd had, she'd have expected to see hardness in those eyes. But while he had acquired the strength to keep going, the going hadn't hardened him. His eyes suggested the man was worth knowing. It was just a pity that the sentiment wasn't reciprocated.