‘We’ve it all covered, Ron. You’ll be back tomorrow, yes?’ he checked, his eyes back on Beck as he tossed his head and stamped to try to get the Shetland’s attention.

‘Of course! And I haven’t forgotten I’m babysitting for you two.’ Ronnie made it sound like they were co-parents going on a date night.

‘It’s not important,’ Pax dismissed quickly, dreading the AA meeting.

‘It is important,’ he said but didn’t look at her.

‘We’re looking forward to our cowboy sleepover, aren’t we, Kes?’ Ronnie insisted, lifting Kes back across into her arms to swing him around.

‘Yeeeeeeeeehaaaaa!’ Kes squealed delightedly.

Still at the gate, Luca’s focus was entirely on Beck, the horse’s body language laden with warning signals as his forelegs slammed down, pawing at the ground, ears flattened to his head, aggression uncoiling at the little interloper like a flamethrower.

‘We need to get them out of there!’ Pax reached for the gate latch without thinking.

He put out a hand to stop her. ‘Let’s find out if this is going to work or not.’

‘You said it was too soon.’

‘Maybe I was wrong.’ The green gaze remained fixed on the field where Beck was snaking his neck and baring his teeth. ‘Look.’

It was little Coll who had the stallion cornered, planting two small hind hooves squarely in his big white chest with a furious karate cry squeal. Beck looked confounded. Ears flattened, he went to attack. Coll double-barrelled him again without hesitation. This time, the stallion dropped his head sheepishly, feigning an elaborate need to scratch his nose on his knee. They were soon mooching around side by side, tugging at grass tufts.

Pax whistled, looking across at Luca. ‘That’s it?’

‘Sometimes there’s no such thing as too soon.’

When he returned her gaze, for once unsmiling, Pax felt a sharp jolt and turned away, bursting with a strange, unfamiliar shame as real as pain. She’d been fighting it all week. It disoriented her. Was it pity? Empathy? Please let it not be desire.

Ambling back to the gate, looking very pleased with himself, the Shetland thrust his nose through the bars in the hope of a carrot. Behind him, Beck hung back chivalrously, still pretending to snatch at the grass.

‘There’ll be no more trouble between them.’ Luca turned to Ronnie as she brought Kes back to pat his clever pony, smile billboard wide.

‘If only it was so simple with humans!’

‘Maybe it is.’ Luca caught Pax’s eye again, and again she felt a stitch catch beneath her ribs.

‘I love Coll!’ Kes shrieked, clambering up the gate rails to pat and hug him. ‘He’s the best ever pony. And I love you, Gronny. You are the best person in the world ever, ever, ever.’

Avoiding everyone’s gaze, especially small self-satisfied Coll’s, Pax told herself she must be grateful that a pony’s fierce lust for life was cheering her son up, however tightly her teeth were gritted at such obvious emotional bribery.