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When they reached the hay barn, Abigail made several attempts at lifting up a bale on her own, impressing Hazel with her determination, but reluctantly agreed to let Hazel help in the end.
At the stable block, they cut off the twine and Hazel passed Abigail a pair of durable gloves to wear. ‘You’ll hurt your hands otherwise. Wait…’ Abigail was ready to start pulling out hay. ‘We’ll get the nets first.’ She had them go stable to stable and bring back the nets and then brought in an empty round plastic bin.
‘Do we put the hay in there?’ Abigail asked.
Gus stood back and let them get on with it as Hazel shook her head. ‘We put the net into the bin like so. I’ll do the first one.’ She put it in and hooked its edges over the plastic. ‘Now we fill it. Just a small amount at first,’ she explained before Abigail tried to shove too much packed-down hay in at once, ‘and separate it out as it goes in. That’s the way. You’ve got the hang of it already.’
They did each hay net the same way and went back for another bale as Hazel had known they would. By the time they’d finished and hung them all, with Gus lifting Abigail to do a few of them in the stables, Hazel told Abigail that Denby should be plenty dry enough by now and ready to tack up.
‘I think she’s already feeling like Denby is at home here,’ said Gus as they all emerged from the stable block, Abigail leading the way over to the paddock to get her horse.
‘I’m glad, that’s what we like for anyone who keeps their horse here. I hope it’s making her feel at home in the Cove too.’
‘I really think it might be. I worried she’d miss Joan in particular, and she does, of course, but with Denby settled somewhere as beautiful as here, it helps.’
‘Joan seems lovely. You’ll miss her too, won’t you?’
‘You’ve no idea.’ And with a sigh, he admitted, ‘Abigail had a bad accident, that’s how she got the scarring on her face.’ It was the first reference he’d made to something horrible happening in their past and Hazel realised he was beginning to trust her.
‘When it happened, Joan was there for us all,’ Gus went on. ‘She was the support we needed when Abigail’s mum left too, when I was in a bit of a mess.’ His apparent reluctance to admit the final part and his vulnerability showed yet another side to him, as though he was peeling off a layer at a time and no more.
‘Single parenting has to be hard.’ Hazel wasn’t sure what to do with his admission either.
‘Not for the faint-hearted,’ he whispered with a smile she didn’t have to see on his lips to know it was there. She felt his breath on her neck as he stepped in front of her to help his daughter with the gate to the paddock so she could bring Denby out.
‘So, boyfriend?’ Gus asked as Abigail led Denby over towards the stable block and the awaiting tack.
Hazel was confused at first. ‘Oh, you mean James. No. I mean, he was. Not now.’
‘Does he know that?’
‘He’d like it to be different.’ They watched Abigail position Denby’s saddle pad and Hazel lifted the saddle on for her while she fixed on the girth. ‘Do you need me to help with the bridle, Abigail?’
‘I can do it.’ She had it all in hand.
But Hazel didn’t and with a panicked gasp, she realised the dinner was still in the oven. She’d meant to set a time on her phone. ‘Crap!’ She covered her mouth. ‘Sorry,’ although Abigail was giggling, and Gus wasn’t far behind. ‘Dinner’s in the oven, excuse me!’ she yelled back as she ran off, around to the back of the house and in through the door, pulling out the shepherd’s pie, which looked as though she’d caught it just in time.
She set the dinner on the top of the stove and, oven gloves still on, closed her eyes and leaned her hands on the edges of the cooker.
This man kept taking her by surprise by showing his kinder, approachable side and more than that, she was getting used to having Abigail around so much. She was good with kids. How had she forgotten how good it could be, how natural it felt? And although she was still not ready to teach anyone too young or inexperienced, perhaps Abigail could be the kid who changed it all for her.
Should she dare to dream that this could be the leap she needed to make and get back to teaching young riders, a part of running Heritage View Stables that she really loved?
