AllFreeNovel
Share Us
James had left her to it after that and she’d had to forget about what he thought was helpful advice. She’d told him time and time again how much she missed the confidence she’d once had as a teacher. She wanted to pull her weight, she wanted the Heritage View Stables to maintain the reputation it had built over the years with her parents at the helm and now her and Arnold.
Today, Hazel was actually teaching three female riders, all adults, all experienced and responsible: the perfect scenario. She’d already got Jigsaw, Pebbles, and Peony in from the paddock and all three horses were secured at the fence, groomed, and ready for tacking up when the women arrived together.
‘I love you three,’ said Hazel as each woman took charge of tacking up their assigned horse. ‘You all know what you’re doing.’ Saddles and bridles were on and the trio mounted up to walk around to the school.
The women were a generation ahead of Hazel and it was hard to imagine having all that history, to share all those ups and downs along the way. It was different within a family. Parents and siblings shared it all, or at least you hoped they would and that they would help, but friends were in a whole other realm. Lucy and Melissa in particular had focused their attentions on getting Hazel out and about a bit more, and watching these women, Hazel realised how much she’d needed them on her side. She’d dated James for so long and then focused on him or the business that there’d been little time for anything else. Just basic fun with people around your own age; not love interests – friends.
Hazel hadn’t told Melissa or Lucy about what had happened to her years ago. She hadn’t told them about her experience with that man, the way he’d confronted her and she’d been terrified at what he might do to her. Being pinned up against a wall by a man wielding a pitchfork had been something she’d only talked about with her parents, Arnold, and James. She hadn’t wanted a single thing to become local gossip and impact the riding stables she was so intensely proud of. That included not letting people know about a young rider being injured, her lack of confidence or belief in her ability to teach. As far as the village knew, it was business as usual at the Heritage View Stables and always had been.
As the women warmed the horses and themselves up walking around the school, Hazel thought about Abigail, Gus, and Joan. They seemed much like a family, even though they weren’t in the usual sense. As she’d shown Joan around the stables, she’d almost touched upon the topic of Abigail’s mother because she wondered where she was in this picture. But Joan had kept the conversation on horses, whether intentionally or not, and besides, it was none of Hazel’s business.
‘Are we ready to try some low jumps today, ladies?’ Hazel asked, smiling at each of them.
They all chorused their agreement and while they worked around her, Hazel began to line up trot poles in the centre of the school at intervals for horse and rider to go over. Once the horse had got used to those, she’d make a small jump out of two poles crossed at a low level.
The trot poles were a doddle and Hazel enthusiastically assembled the jump. Sherbert, despite his fizz and enthusiasm, avoided the jump no less than four times, sidestepping it at the last minute. ‘He needs to know what you want him to do, and if you’re hesitant, he’ll pick up on that, Maura,’ she told the rider.
Maura nodded. She looked the most nervous of the three women, but she was very competent. A fifth attempt had the same result but on the sixth, Sherbert went over the little jump and got a cheer from Hazel.
It was Jigsaw’s turn to refuse the jump next, despite having done it a few times, but his rider Jacqueline soon had him try it again and again until he did it properly.
As she dismounted and thanked Sherbert for the ride, Maura asked Hazel, ‘Will we have you for our next lesson too?’
‘Definitely, you’re my regulars now.’
‘Shame, your brother is nice to look at,’ Maura laughed, looking over in Arnold’s direction as he emerged from the indoor school, where he’d been teaching a one-on-one with a girl of five who was learning young. Hazel had wanted to steer well clear of that particular lesson.
‘And I’m not?’ Hazel laughed.
‘You’re a stunner,’ Maura announced, ‘but not my type.’
Hazel was still grinning about their conversation as the ladies carried on removing saddles and bridles, and shunted back and forth to the tack room as Hazel turned each horse out. Last but not least, she put Sherbert out in the paddock closest to the house. Cinnamon was in the farther paddock today, which was intentional, as Sherbert had done his best to irritate Cinnamon yesterday. It was a bit like school, separating the troublemakers or putting some horses in the front row or the back depending on their personality. Tomorrow they’d probably be the best of friends.
She went back to the outside school, dismantled the jump, and put the trot poles at the edge of the school near the fence. Her stomach growled – she’d not had time to stop for a morning snack today she’d been so busy turning out the horses, mucking out, cleaning the horse’s feed and water buckets, sweeping the yard. She’d also carried out a routine inspection of all their fencing around Heritage View, keeping an eye out for anything that might hurt a horse like a protruding nail or a broken panel that could see the horse try to push through and investigate what was on the other side.
Hazel ran back to the house, grabbed a piece of bread to eat dry, and then it was time to take delivery of the new hay nets from a different supplier, which would hopefully be more durable. She hung two of the new hay nets in the stable block ready for Cinnamon and Minstrel, whose hay nets were on their last legs, she picked up any dung from the outdoor riding school and raked it over so it was ready for the next lesson, and then she headed to the office. She returned a few missed calls, including two new enquiries about beginners’ lessons for kids in the under twelve age group – she didn’t even want to tell Arnold about those.
When she’d finished the business side, she returned her dad’s call. It always gave her an injection of pride, sitting at the desk in the office as she made the call, in charge, in control, continuing their parents’ legacy by making the business a success.
‘Hazel,’ his voice boomed across the miles from the West Country, ‘how is my favourite daughter?’
‘I’m your only daughter, Dad.’ He always asked the same question, but she appreciated it every time.
Hazel recounted her day so far, told him all the fencing was in good repair, including the section at the back which had been fixed after a big storm last year that saw the kitchen roof and a stable damaged, not that you’d know either of those things had ever been a problem now. They talked about Hazel’s last lesson and how she felt the women had progressed, they talked about the waffle shack that her dad had fallen in love with and wished they had something similar nearby. And they talked about James too, when Hazel told her dad he’d stopped by.
‘It’s good he’s still supporting you.’
‘You know James, he’s always been there.’
‘He certainly has.’ Her dad had always approved of James, but there was a hesitancy in his tone Hazel wasn’t sure she wanted to question. ‘You sound as though you enjoyed your teaching today.’
‘They’re all very competent and a lot of fun. I think they’ll progress well with the jumping over the next few weeks.’ It was satisfying to see, taking someone from one stage to the next. It was something she missed about teaching children, particularly those hesitant about horses. She liked watching how they evolved, how they managed their fears and began to love the animal. When they learned how to react in various situations, confidence came and eventually a joy and passion Hazel knew was priceless.
‘And Arnold sounded like he was busy when I spoke to him last night,’ said Thomas. ‘You were asleep by then.’
‘He’s taken on the bulk of the teaching.’ She wasn’t sure whether to say it but chose to add, ‘He’s frustrated we’re turning down bookings. I had another enquiry earlier, I daren’t tell him.’
‘He’ll understand, for a while.’
