She was dancing to the beat with the other people in the pub. The band was playing rock with a twist of Scottish folk and truly rocked the house. She sang along to Captain Kelly's Kitchen; the whole pub went "toora loora la, me toora loora laddie". She hadn't had such a good time out in a long time. They'd gone to the pub wanting to shake the dreary week in the offices off them. And shake they did. She was out of breath and when the song ended and the band drowned in applause, she made her way to the bar and ordered a pint of 80.
The place was heaving; probably far more punters in there than H&S allowed, but the police turned a blind eye – hell, half the local force (which of course wasn't saying much) was in here.
After all it wasn't often that a decent band played in town and it was bound to draw a crowd. It was getting close to last orders, but nobody seemed about to leave. It would probably end up in another lock-in tonight.
She found her friends again and left the remains of the pint with them to go outside for a smoke. She didn't exactly feel as sexy as when she'd stood in front of the mirror at home. Not with a soaked top and clinging hair; she could even feel sweat running down between her breasts. Thank god, she'd opted for a black top. Small blessings.
The lighter was playing up, not helped by the otherwise welcoming breeze, but suddenly two large hands appeared around the cigarette, the flame steadied and she could take the first desired puff. She opened her eyes and thanked the good Samaritan in front of her. He gave her a nod and a small smile and for a minute they stood in companionable silence, savouring the cool of the night and the warm smoke in their lungs.
>You're not from here.< It was a statement. No need to ask. Everyone knew everyone around here and she'd have noticed his tall slender figure around town. The dark hair just reached his mischievous eyes and the black knitted jumper promised a chest of excellent proportions, which she wouldn't have missed if it had walked by.
>No. I'm visiting my cousin and his wife. They just moved here a couple of months ago. Shame that.<
>What? You don't like the place?<
>Oh, I like it well enough. It's a shame they didn't move here sooner. Great scenery up here.< The grin got wider while his eyes travelled down her body. Stopping at the ground.
>Nice boots!<
She smiled. The boots were the closest she'd ever been to the open prairie and wild horses she'd dreamt of as a wee girl. They made her feel slightly rebellious.