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‘Will do,’ said Hazel. ‘I’m sorry, Gus, I’ll be with you all in a few minutes, let me get the rider sorted first.’ Hazel excused herself as Gus noticed another car had pulled into the car park beyond and she went off to meet the rider.
Gus saw Joan try to pick Abigail up and twirl her around off the ground, but it was getting harder and harder the taller Abigail got. And Abigail was too impatient anyway, she wanted to get to Denby as soon as possible.
‘She could barely sleep last night, knowing he was coming,’ Gus laughed as he went over to kiss Joan on the cheek and pull her into a big bear hug.
Joan had Abigail stand back with Gus while she safely brought Denby from the horsebox and down the ramp. She’d paused at the top to give Denby a chance to glance around at his surroundings, but he seemed happy enough.
Abigail had some cut-up chunks of carrot to give Denby as a treat and he munched happily on those and let her fuss around him.
‘How did you find driving that beast?’ he asked Joan, looking at the vehicle she’d arrived in. ‘Not the horse, I mean the horsebox.’
‘I’ve driven it before and I don’t mind it so much, although some of the lanes around here are a challenge if you meet someone coming the other way.’ She took in his smile after she removed Denby’s tail guard and then made her way around him, taking off his leg protectors.
Once Joan had attached a lead rope to Denby’s leather head collar and given Abigail the nod, Abigail led him around the concrete area to get him moving again. Gus suspected it also gave the horse the chance to check out his new home, smell the country air, acknowledge that this was a change for him.
Joan retrieved all of Denby’s tack from the horse box with Gus’s help and between them they set it on a nearby rack beside the paddock.
Joan smiled. ‘I must say, from the little I’ve seen of the area so far, and what I’ve heard and seen online, this village, the stables and this part of the country suits you both down to the ground.’
‘I’m hoping so. And we’ve not been here long at all, but already…’
‘Already it’s a fresh start for you both.’ She looked over at his daughter. ‘And she’s happy. I can see that for myself already. Oh, I know a lot of that is to do with Denby, but I can see this was a good thing for you both.’ She looked at Gus. ‘She’ll have a chance to really blossom here.’
Joan thought of Abigail as a granddaughter. Even before the accident, before Gus’s marriage ended, the pair had been close. Abigail had often called on their neighbour after school. The pair had flipped through horse magazines together, and Joan had been the one to teach Abigail the basics of riding and introduce her to the long hours of care a horse required.
‘My house is far too quiet without her,’ Joan sighed.
‘I’m sure it is. But you’ll be visiting, won’t you?’
‘Don’t you worry.’ She rolled up her shirt sleeves, one after the other. ‘I’ll be back.’ She didn’t miss Gus’s gaze travelling to Hazel, who was dealing with a couple of riders. ‘Is that the owner?’
‘That’s Hazel. And her brother Arnold is a co-owner here.’
‘She looks friendly, I’ll bet Abigail will like having her as a teacher.’ When he didn’t say anything, Joan asked, ‘You are booking her in, aren’t you? I think it’s a good idea somewhere new, it’ll help her confidence no end, get her out on some hacks, and she’ll soon get to know the countryside. It’s either that or you run alongside her.’ When she realised he didn’t share her amusement at the suggestion, she asked, ‘What’s the issue?’
‘I’m trying to get the lessons, there’s not much availability… not with Hazel, anyway.’
‘Do I sense a problem?’
Hazel was looking their way, so he didn’t really want to get into it right now. ‘I’m not sure why, but she seems resistant to teaching Abigail. She says it’s not personal but…’ He shrugged. ‘It feels that way to me.’
Joan thought about it as Hazel began walking over to them after checking a young rider’s hat fitted correctly. ‘People are rarely that easy to read, Gus. I like to think I’m a good judge of character and I’ve a good feeling about this one.’
He lowered his voice. ‘How can you say that? All you know is she’s blonde, pretty, and has a beautiful smile.’ Hazel had almost reached them and he helped Joan close up the back of the horsebox.
‘She’s pretty, all right.’ With a laugh Joan added, before they were interrupted, ‘If there’s a reluctance there, there’ll be a good reason for it, you mark my words.’
He put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her tight. ‘You’re a wise woman. And thank you, Joan. Not just for today: for everything.’
She briefly smiled and then admonished him for being soppy and jokingly pushed away his attentions before she introduced herself to Hazel. ‘It’s wonderful to meet you, I’ve heard all about Heritage View. And I must say, the surrounding countryside is stunning.’ She had a hand above her eyes, shielding them from the sun so she could see further into the distance.
‘Thank you, we love it too. And Denby will be happy here. He’s got plenty of company and we take good care of all of our horses.’ Hazel, alongside Gus and Joan, watched Abigail. ‘I understand Denby was your horse once upon a time and so I know his happiness is important to you too. We have a Facebook page for the stables.’
‘Oh, I’m not on anything like that.’
Hazel nodded but smiled again. ‘You should go on just for the updates. I’m always posting pictures of the horses, out for a hack, in their stable, in the paddocks. You’ll be able to see for yourself what kind of place this is.’
Gus caught Hazel’s eye and mouthed athank you. Because as much as Joan was trying to be stiff upper lip about this, he knew how hard it was for her to have Denby leave her stables after so many years. Gus had often wondered whether Joan would have even sold Denby had Abigail not needed something to bring her back to the world she sometimes hated. Joan had insisted that Denby was trained, he was ready to move on and needed a younger rider, but Gus wasn’t so easily fooled.
