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Back One Winter Morning Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. By the same author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. Acknowledgements
  54. Read More
  55. Two Years Later
  56. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

It’s the last that persuades me.

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28

‘Hang on a minute – you’re working there?’

Hayley is surprised, as well she might be.

‘Not working, just helping out,’ I explain, switching her on to speakerphone so I can finish getting dressed. ‘Lending an extra pair of hands while Allie gets stuff organised.’

‘And you’ll be OK?’ she asks. ‘You know, being around the horses all day long?’

‘The first time I walked into that yard, I felt as if I was going to have a full-on panic attack,’ I admit. ‘But the more time I’ve spent there, the less strange it feels. And it’s only a bit of mucking out and stuff – gives me something to do, gets me off my butt. I just spent the last two days wandering around on my own, and it’s making me go doolally.’

‘Oo-de-lally?’ Hayley laughs.

‘That too.’

‘Weirdo,’ she proclaims. Then, more seriously, ‘I’m so sorry you ended up spending Christmas by yourself. Nobody should have to do that.’

‘I didn’t,’ I say. ‘I had you and then David on Skype, remember? And I saw about four thousand drunk people when I went out into Queenstown.’

‘I know, but it’s not the same.’

‘I was fine,’ I assure her. ‘I am fine – but I’m also glad to finally have something useful to do.’

‘What about riding?’ she asks hesitantly, and I freeze with one leg through my shorts.

‘I’m not doing that.’

Hayley starts to say something, but then thinks better of it.

‘What was that?’ I ask, shaking a bottle of sun lotion before squeezing a dollop out on to each thigh.

‘I was just wondering if you’d told your dad?’

‘I haven’t yet,’ I tell her. ‘I don’t want him to get his hopes up that I’m suddenly cured, so please don’t say anything if you see him.’

‘I wouldn’t,’ she replies. ‘But don’t you think you should?’

‘Why?’ I counter, sitting down on the bed to put on my boots. The minibus will be arriving to collect the morning riders from town soon, and I need to get a move on if I want to catch a lift back to Koru Stables with Kit.

‘I think it would make him happy,’ Hayley says in a small voice. ‘To know that you’re enjoying yourself over there.’

‘He knows that,’ I counter lightly, feeling slightly guilty at the lie. I think back to how quiet David had gone when I told him my awful secret. ‘He thinks I’m enjoying myself by sightseeing.’ The last is partly true – he was happy when I told him that I’d made time to visit Milford Sound.

‘But I don’t understand why …’ Hayley begins, and I snatch up the phone.