side.’ She followed him down the tractor steps to wait outside the shed as he turned off the lights and slid the large door closed. With Whiskey at their heels, they walked into the night-shrouded garden. The kelpie suddenly barked and dashed over to the fence. As if from nowhere, hard hooves drummed on the ground.
Kree gasped and swung around.
‘It’s okay,’ Ewan said quietly. ‘It’s Rocket and Banjo.’ He jammed his hands into his jeans pockets to prevent himself tugging her close and reassuring her.
The two stock horses slid to a stop close to the fence, snorting. Banjo’s white blaze flickered in the gloom as he tossed his head, while Rocket’s white fetlock pawed the ground.
Whiskey barked again.
‘Whisk, that’s enough,’ Ewan said. ‘You know better than to take these two on. They’ll eat you for breakfast.’
‘You have horses?’ Kree asked, not waiting for him to answer as she walked forward. Pleasure resonated in her voice. ‘I knew you had the boys’ ponies as Freckle and Fudge gate-crashed their dinner yesterday, but I had no idea these two existed.’
‘They definitely do, even though they’re more paddock ornaments than stock horses as they don’t get ridden much. They usually stay near the creek and don’t often come this close to the house.’
She approached the fence, where Whiskey now silently sat, and extended a hand to Banjo. The bay lowered his head over the top wire and sniffed her flattened palm. ‘Hello, gorgeous,’ she whispered, lifting her other hand and stroking his nose.
Ewan joined her and rubbed Rocket’s nose to distract the gelding as he attempted to shoulder aside Banjo to get to Kree.
‘You’re a horse fan?’ Ewan asked.
‘Yes, from way back. Before we moved to the mountains, we had a small ranch. I spent my childhood riding in the foothills.’
‘They lead a lazy and charmed life so if you’d like a ride, please feel free. The boys can show you where the tack room is. Rocket needs a firm hand, he’ll try and get away with anything he can, but Banjo is a true gentleman.’
She laughed softly as Banjo lifted his head and nibbled her hair. ‘I can see that. Does Tish ride?’
‘She does but if it comes to the garden or the horses, the garden wins hands down. Actually, you might like to ride Banjo over to the Tylers’ instead of driving. The round trip might take an hour, but it’s a pretty ride.’
Kree ran her hand along Banjo’s white blaze. ‘I’d love to. Which way do I go?’
‘Follow the lane behind the machinery shed until you reach the double gates. Take the right turn and ride until you see the beehives. Go in that gate, past the hives, and from the top of the rise you’ll see the Tylers’ rooftops.’
‘Okay. So I don’t need to follow the narrow gravel road we took the other day?’
‘No, not at all.’
‘Good, because this afternoon I must have missed the turn-off, as I ended up coming back to Marellen via the bigger road that goes past the roadside memorial.’
Rocket shied away from Ewan’s hand.
‘Easy, boy,’ he crooned, making no attempt to touch him again. The shadows might hide his expression from Kree, but the sensitive horse would act as a barometer of his tension.
‘It doesn’t really matter what way you go, the two properties are so close, you can’t get lost.’
‘So is the way we went the other day quicker than the main road?’
Ewan opened his mouth to say ‘yes’. But the untruth wouldn’t leave his lips. He couldn’t lie to the honest and genuine woman beside him. He cleared his throat. ‘No.’
‘It must be less bumpy, though, because the gravel is quite corrugated in spots on the better used road.’
With each question, Kree was inexorably drawing nearer to the answer he couldn’t give. Ewan’s hands clenched by his sides. Whiskey moved closer to his feet.
‘There’s really no difference.’
‘So, why then do you use the smaller road, if it isn’t quicker or
Kree gasped and swung around.
‘It’s okay,’ Ewan said quietly. ‘It’s Rocket and Banjo.’ He jammed his hands into his jeans pockets to prevent himself tugging her close and reassuring her.
The two stock horses slid to a stop close to the fence, snorting. Banjo’s white blaze flickered in the gloom as he tossed his head, while Rocket’s white fetlock pawed the ground.
Whiskey barked again.
‘Whisk, that’s enough,’ Ewan said. ‘You know better than to take these two on. They’ll eat you for breakfast.’
‘You have horses?’ Kree asked, not waiting for him to answer as she walked forward. Pleasure resonated in her voice. ‘I knew you had the boys’ ponies as Freckle and Fudge gate-crashed their dinner yesterday, but I had no idea these two existed.’
‘They definitely do, even though they’re more paddock ornaments than stock horses as they don’t get ridden much. They usually stay near the creek and don’t often come this close to the house.’
She approached the fence, where Whiskey now silently sat, and extended a hand to Banjo. The bay lowered his head over the top wire and sniffed her flattened palm. ‘Hello, gorgeous,’ she whispered, lifting her other hand and stroking his nose.
Ewan joined her and rubbed Rocket’s nose to distract the gelding as he attempted to shoulder aside Banjo to get to Kree.
‘You’re a horse fan?’ Ewan asked.
‘Yes, from way back. Before we moved to the mountains, we had a small ranch. I spent my childhood riding in the foothills.’
‘They lead a lazy and charmed life so if you’d like a ride, please feel free. The boys can show you where the tack room is. Rocket needs a firm hand, he’ll try and get away with anything he can, but Banjo is a true gentleman.’
She laughed softly as Banjo lifted his head and nibbled her hair. ‘I can see that. Does Tish ride?’
‘She does but if it comes to the garden or the horses, the garden wins hands down. Actually, you might like to ride Banjo over to the Tylers’ instead of driving. The round trip might take an hour, but it’s a pretty ride.’
Kree ran her hand along Banjo’s white blaze. ‘I’d love to. Which way do I go?’
‘Follow the lane behind the machinery shed until you reach the double gates. Take the right turn and ride until you see the beehives. Go in that gate, past the hives, and from the top of the rise you’ll see the Tylers’ rooftops.’
‘Okay. So I don’t need to follow the narrow gravel road we took the other day?’
‘No, not at all.’
‘Good, because this afternoon I must have missed the turn-off, as I ended up coming back to Marellen via the bigger road that goes past the roadside memorial.’
Rocket shied away from Ewan’s hand.
‘Easy, boy,’ he crooned, making no attempt to touch him again. The shadows might hide his expression from Kree, but the sensitive horse would act as a barometer of his tension.
‘It doesn’t really matter what way you go, the two properties are so close, you can’t get lost.’
‘So is the way we went the other day quicker than the main road?’
Ewan opened his mouth to say ‘yes’. But the untruth wouldn’t leave his lips. He couldn’t lie to the honest and genuine woman beside him. He cleared his throat. ‘No.’
‘It must be less bumpy, though, because the gravel is quite corrugated in spots on the better used road.’
With each question, Kree was inexorably drawing nearer to the answer he couldn’t give. Ewan’s hands clenched by his sides. Whiskey moved closer to his feet.
‘There’s really no difference.’
‘So, why then do you use the smaller road, if it isn’t quicker or
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