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She led him to a small brick-floored courtyard at the top end of the stables. Kristy set down their teas at an old two-seater wrought-iron table and chair set. “This is my favourite spot and it’s in the shade this time of day. Look, you can see all the horses grazing from here.”
Josh stood and stared. He found it hard to look away from the expansive view. He looked beyond the paddocks and into the mountain ranges, which provided a beautiful backdrop. Josh pulled out his phone and quickly took a few shots. The morning looked clean and fresh with the sun peeking through the forest and onto the paddocks. On the drive out of town he’d passed a few cattle properties with their barbed-wire fences. In contrast the white wooden fences Kristy had dividing the paddocks for her horses gave a lovely cosy feel to the property.
Kristy gave him a thoughtful stare. “You ever ridden a horse?”
He shook his head. “No, never even touched one.”
She gave him a mischievous smile. “That’s a crime we’ll have to rectify. Horses are the most intelligent, wonderful animals. I do the pre-training and get them used to people, instructions, and get them ready for the next stage in their life. A few miles away Hannah McKenna trains thoroughbred horses. I’d love to get involved with thoroughbreds; they are something special.” She leaned in towards him, fire in her eyes.
Josh nodded encouragement.
The passion in her eyes morphed to excitement as she carried on with her story. “Well, Hannah was interested in purchasing a horse for a syndicate she and her husband were putting together. Anyway it fell through, but about ten months later at the races in Sydney this particular horse won its second race against some of the best horses in the country – a rare thing for a two-year-old on his second race. The jockey that rode him was riding one of her horses in the next race and she asked him what was it like to ride the winner.”
Kristy tapped the table. “He said the horse is rare, it was ‘as smooth as’, like sitting on a cloud with very little steering. He’s that special.” She sat back, thoughtful. “Can you imagine? A jockey, who sits on many mounts during the week and has done for years, would know when he’s on something that special. How does a horse get to be that good? Is he born that way or is it part of his training? I think he’s born that way. “I’d love to train a horse that someone described as sitting on a cloud.” She jumped up and took the empty mug out of his hands and put it on the table.
“Come on, I’m boring you. I love stories like that.” Her eyes shone. “We have to get you onto a horse.”
He sat back and stretched out, thinking about her story. “Not just yet. I’m enjoying our chat. What would it take?”
“What? To train a thoroughbred?”
Josh nodded.
Kristy sat back down again. “Planning…at every stage of their life. Hannah charts what food and water they’re given of an evening and next morning she gets a report of how much water and food is left, so she knows how much they’ve eaten and she can tell by their training if that certain diet has worked or not. Planning, that’s the key.”
Thinking of plans, his mind turned to Kristy’s businesses. He hesitated for a split second before saying, “I thought if you’re open to it I’d take a look at your business plan if you have one and see if it needs tweaking in anyway.”
Kristy’s eyes widened. “I thought we were talking about horses. What left field did that come from?”
He pursed his lips at his clumsiness. Her joint businesses had been on his mind ever since their discussion in her office. “It’s what I do, Kristy. I check out business plans to see if they’re viable. If not, we work to make them so.”
Kristy stared at him for a full minute before she walked away and leaned against the nearest tree, all the while shaking her head. He cursed under his breath.
He walked over to her. “Kristy, talk to me, tell what you want.”
With her hands on her hips Kristy swung around to face him, her eyes blazing with hurt and anger.
“I can’t let you do that, Josh.”
“Why not?” he asked.
She glanced across at him, her eyes full of confusion. “Because it’s like showing someone your will. It’s private and should remain that way.”
Josh looked skyward. How did things reduce to this?
“I get that, but at some point you have to trust someone to run an eye over them to see if your plans are headed in the right directions. Sometimes all it takes is another set of eyes to see them, and they can help you develop other avenues of income, or look for ways to strengthen what you already have.”
Kristy stalked across to him. “You’re seeing me as a project, aren’t you? Like I’m a problem you deal with every day of the week. Well, I’m not an issue. I’m not a project or something to be dealt with. I’m Kristy Holloway, born and bred in Bindarra Creek.”
He hung his head. “Kristy, you’re misunderstanding.”
She waved her finger at him. “Oh, no, I’m not. I’m not some underling you can treat like a fool. I don’t need anybody to check my plans or my finances. I live this way because I choose to. I can afford my bills and I pay them on time. End of story. Now go, please. Spend today with your sons.”
“Kristy,” he started.
Kristy stepped closer. “Now please, Josh. Do me this favour and move on. Don’t ruin the rest of my day.”
Damn, this was not what he wanted.
