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‘It takes a certain kind of courage to be able to sit there with no clothes on,’ said Harvey. ‘Imagine being stared at and having people trying to draw every inch of you.’
‘Not going to volunteer for me to have another go?’ Hazel teased. It might take a certain amount of courage, but the artists had drawn Gus from a visual level, they hadn’t tapped into what was inside, what she’d seen after the class.
‘No chance,’ Harvey answered without hesitation before looking at Melissa, ‘and, much as I love you, don’t go getting any ideas.’
‘Hey, your naked form is for my eyes only,’ she assured him, linking her arm through his as Hazel prepared for the off by tugging gently at the reins to ease Cinnamon back to facing the way they were going. ‘But I want to hear more about this male model when we’re next at the pub, Hazel. I mean it,’ she called after them as Hazel and Cinnamon walked on.
Hazel just raised a hand to wave goodbye and laughed. But it didn’t stop her thinking of the sketch contained in her notebook in her office, for her to enjoy when she wanted, and when she thought about it, it was hard to believe Gus had been as angry as he was that night. She’d certainly picked up no hint of his temper since then, but you couldn’t always read a person’s character just like that. All the parents who came with their kids to the riding school were polite enough, nice enough, encouraging, but she’d seen another side of a few when things didn’t go exactly the way they expected. Hazel had found people’s unpredictability increasingly hard to deal with and she knew that was her biggest hurdle, one she needed to deal with, just as Arnold had reminded her last night.
After passing through one more gate, they were onto a narrower pathway that emerged onto the back roads, which would lead down to the bend that took you out at the opposite end of the village or took you to the pub and The Street.
Hazel passed the florist, greeting Valerie, who was unloading a van full of deliveries with exquisite pink, white, and red colours in blooms Hazel knew would smell just like summer.
A few doors away, the sign for the new veterinary practice came into view. Positioned out front of what had been an old run-down bungalow until recently, the sign had a sky-blue background with white looping wording that said ‘Heritage Cove Veterinary Practice’ and in three corners of the sign were silhouettes of animals – one was a dog, the other a cat and the third was made up of three smaller animals she couldn’t really see. She pulled on the reins to slow Cinnamon right down so she could better focus.
‘One’s a guinea-pig, the other a rabbit and the third, a hamster.’ Gus had come around the side of the building.
If she’d known he was outside, she wouldn’t have slowed. But she said good morning; he was a client, and she wanted things to remain amicable between them despite her awkwardness every time she thought of either his temper or the way she’d contradicted herself about lessons.
Gus stepped closer, slowly, and ran a hand down Cinnamon’s nose after Hazel nodded her approval. ‘He always likes a fuss,’ she told Gus. ‘And he’s worked hard this morning.’
‘Good ride?’
‘Excellent, thank you.’ She began to smile when Cinnamon’s nose headed towards Gus’s other hand. The horse’s nostrils twitched with interest. ‘You got something there?’ He had his hand behind his back, so no doubt there was food involved, judging by Cinnamon’s reaction.
Gus reluctantly showed the apple, half-eaten. ‘I was enjoying this, but it looks like if I’m not careful someone else might finish it.’
‘Yep, be careful.’
Gus smiled at her, at Cinnamon. ‘May I?’
‘Go for it, if you don’t mind losing your morning snack.’ She loved the way he was with horses and when he smiled, it was hard to believe he could ever be angry with anyone.
Gus had barely offered it to the horse before Cinnamon snaffled it from his open hand. ‘The sign looks good,’ she told him, unsure what else to talk about.
‘I’m happy with it.’ He went over and plucked what looked like a flyer from the Perspex container on one side of the sign.
She took the colourful piece of paper from him. It had bullet points telling people what to expect at the practice, the animals he treated, contact numbers, services he offered and social media symbols to show how to find more information. The practice was starting off in modern times and a social media presence made sense. They’d done the same with the stables and Hazel kept content updated – plenty of riders had found them through those channels.
‘I know you have an equine vet,’ he said, ‘and I don’t generally deal with horses, but I can always be called on in an emergency if needed.’
‘Good to know, thank you.’ She folded the flyer and pushed it into one of the pockets on her hi-vis. ‘We have Tabitha too, so it’ll be easier to bring her here if we need a vet rather than going farther afield.’
‘I saw a cat milling around when I was last at your place. She looked happy enough in amongst all those horses.’
‘She is, just need her to keep her one remaining eye. She gets around well enough, but if she lost the other?’
‘Well, let’s hope that never happens, but I’m sure she’d amaze you by how much she uses her other senses to stay safe.’ The way he talked showed he was sensitive, thoughtful, and she appreciated it. ‘What happened to her eye?’
Hazel shrugged as Cinnamon moved his head around, clearly getting impatient now he’d finished the apple and there wasn’t much else on offer. ‘I’ve no idea, she found us rather than the other way around. She’s part of the stables now.’
‘I’m sure she is.’
‘Talking of the stables, I’d better get back. This is my free morning, only one I get all week.’
‘We all need time for ourselves.’
The concern on his lips was touching, but the only reaction was to laugh because Cinnamon had gone back to nuzzling at Gus’s top as though he might have another treat hidden somewhere.
