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‘She’s very pretty,’ Abigail said when he let her go.
‘She’s coming back,’ he shushed his daughter.
‘That’s better.’ Hazel had a bottle of water in her hand. ‘I’ll need to put Milton over there out in the paddock but then I could show Abigail where Denby will be sleeping.’
Gus and Abigail leaned against the fence to the paddock while Hazel put Milton out to graze. Her love for all the horses was evident. Just like Joan she talked to them, she fussed over them, the same way Abigail did whenever she got the chance.
Starting with the stable block, Gus got his second tour of the day. He hadn’t expected it, he’d merely thought Abigail would see Denby’s new home but would have to wait until a better time to really look around. Hazel showed them the tack room next, the smell of leather and horses all mingled into one in the small space. It reminded Gus of how close he’d had to get to Hazel when they’d been in here this morning.
‘Did you get all the information I sent you?’ Gus asked.
‘I haven’t checked my emails yet, but I will do.’
Abigail tugged at his hand and when he leant closer and she asked him a question, he told her to ask Hazel.
‘Ask away,’ Hazel encouraged.
‘Denby has a name plaque for his stable.’
Hazel smiled, a strand of blonde hair falling forwards over her cheek until she pushed it away. ‘And you’re wondering whether I’d use it here?’ Abigail nodded. ‘Of course. Bring it at the weekend and we’ll put it on his stable door for you.’
Hazel had a lesson soon but enough time to show them the hay barn, the indoor school and they circled back around to the outside school. Hazel looked past them and said, ‘That’s my four o’clock, always early.’
‘Early is better than late,’ smiled Gus, more than happy that Hazel was so friendly. He’d worry a lot less if he knew Abigail’s riding teacher was someone she gelled with. Already the pair of them had chatted about Denby and the horses here as they explored the indoor school. ‘Before we leave you to it, I wanted to ask again about lessons. I know you said Arnold was a great teacher, but I wondered…’ He tilted his head in Abigail’s direction, not wanting to sound like he was begging or to make his daughter uncomfortable. ‘Are you sure you don’t have any availability?’
Her reaction was as though he’d thrown a glass of water over her. Up until now she’d been open, friendly, but now she seemed skittish, tripping over her words. ‘I… I don’t have many vacancies.’
‘We can do any day, can’t we Abigail? We’re flexible with times, too. And perhaps a few private sessions before group lessons might be a good idea.’
‘That certainly works for a lot of riders no matter their level. I’m sorry, I have to go get Pebbles.’ Abigail began to giggle, and Hazel fell into her friendlier persona. ‘It’s a great name, isn’t it? He’s grey, just like the pebbles on the beach. But he also likes to run away when he knows he has a lesson, so it’s probably not a bad thing his rider is early, it’ll give me a chance to catch him.’ Her anecdote had Abigail laughing some more.
Before Hazel could head into the paddock, Gus persisted. ‘Would you reconsider about the lessons? When I asked earlier, you initially said you had a few possible time slots.’
She opened her mouth and nothing came out at first. ‘I misunderstood.’
‘Misunderstood that I was asking for lessons?’ He’d never seen anyone look so flustered at what really was a simple question. ‘Why tell me you were available when you’re not?’ He felt his frustration rise. He didn’t mind that they didn’t have any lesson availability, but he did mind being lied to.
‘I apologise.’ Her cheeks coloured. ‘I really am very sorry, but it is Arnold who you will need to speak to.’ And before he could argue the case once more, she lifted the latch to the gate and stepped from concrete onto grass.
He’d have to accept it, then. It was what it was. But rather than enjoy watching her run around the paddock after Pebbles, he’d lost a bit of admiration for this woman. He was getting very mixed messages about having lessons here. One minute, it sounded as though she had free slots, the next, she didn’t. He wasn’t sure quite what to make of it. Surely it wasn’t that she felt awkward around Abigail. Perhaps that was it, maybe she wasn’t sure how to handle Abigail in a group class if other riders asked questions or weren’t very nice. He’d seen the same reaction before when Abigail was teased at a dance class and the teacher clearly had no idea how to handle it. Abigail hadn’t been that into her dancing anyway, it was something her mum had signed her up for, and it had been a good excuse to pull her away from those lessons for good.
‘We’ll sort some riding lessons for you,’ he told Abigail. He was disappointed. He’d had a good feeling about Hazel, but this left a hollow feeling in his gut. And yet she’d been really friendly and kind to Abigail until he started on about her availability to teach again.
‘And we can visit Denby whenever we like?’ Abigail asked.
‘Yes, I promise.’ That part was at least in the contract. ‘And Denby gets to have his plaque on his stable door.’
‘I don’t want anyone else riding him, Dad.’
He sighed as they set off towards the car. ‘We talked about this, remember?’ In fact, they’d talked at length. ‘When Denby was with Joan, we got a bargain, she was very generous to us with her time and her charges for his keep. But now Denby is our responsibility and this is a really nice home for him. We wouldn’t be able to afford it without allowing him to be ridden. And remember he’ll have horse friends here, that’s nice for him. And he’s nice and close to us here in the village.’
‘What if someone is mean to him?’
He crouched down on his haunches and took her hands in his. ‘Hazel assures me that they won’t be and that it’ll either be her or Arnold teaching. They’ll keep him safe. And look, don’t all the horses seem happy?’ He nodded towards the paddock.
She began to laugh. ‘Pebbles looks happy.’
He couldn’t help his smile either because, over in the paddock, Hazel had almost touched the grey horse, who indeed waited for her to try to grab his halter before he turned and sped off in another direction, stopping a little distance away. ‘Wonder how long he’ll do that for?’ It was a game Gus suspected he could watch for quite some time if he wasn’t so confused as to why she was giving mixed messages.
