Gabe called, ‘Morning,’ without coming right up to them. He grinned at Rea. ‘Your sister’s brought you to see my uncle’s stolen pony, has she?’

As he’d probably intended, Rea’s attention was instantly captured. ‘Stolen?’

‘Yes. Silly old sod. No sale agreement and no vetting. Fake pony passport.’ He snorted, though with a trace of affection. ‘As soon as I got her chip scanned we found her registered as stolen.’ He took a casual couple of steps nearer so he could pat Daybreak’s neck, too. ‘Her original name was Ghostly Girl.’

Rea’s smile vanished. ‘She’s going back to her owners?’ She sounded almost regretful, making Laurel dare to hope that Rea was actually garnering some enjoyment from their outing, rather than just clinging on to control by her fingertips.

Then Bertie appeared from the house, his coat almost drowning his slight figure and his beard looking as if he’d been out in the frost too long. ‘Hello,’ he called. ‘You come to admire Dave?’

‘Daybreak.’ Gabe beetled his brows at his uncle and Bertie grinned unrepentantly. ‘I don’t think you’ve met Rea, Laurel’s sister? Rea, this is my reprobate, pony-rustling uncle Bertie.’

Laurel waited for Rea to shrink from Bertie, who she’d never met. She tried to put herself in Rea’s shoes – did two men feel like a rowdy football crowd to her? But Rea surprised her. She greeted Bertie politely but appeared to be awaiting Gabe’s answer to her question.

‘I’m afraid she can’t go back to her owners,’ Gabe admitted with a sigh. ‘She was stolen seven months ago – we don’t know where she’s been in the meantime – and she’s been replaced in her original home and belongs to the insurance company now.’

‘Oh-h-h,’ Rea breathed. ‘Poor baby.’ Once again, Daybreak tossed her head as if nodding.

Then Laurel sensed a presence behind her and turned to see Grady in coat and woollen hat, hanging back at the curve of the track. His slow smile lit his face when he saw she’d noticed him. After checking Rea seemed absorbed by her conversation with Gabe and Bertie, she risked taking a few strides towards him. He stepped forward to meet her and suddenly it wasn’t Rea’s choppy breathing she was conscious of. Her heart seemed to be jumping all over her lungs.

His gaze was soft on hers but he didn’t refer to last night. ‘Rea’s feeling brave?’ he asked, instead.

‘She’s making an effort for Daisy’s sake,’ she whispered. ‘She’s done miles better than I’d dared hope. Our goal was the first corner.’

‘Coming here was a good choice,’ he said. ‘I think Gabe has a gentle magic about him. Everyone enjoys his presence.’

‘I wouldn’t say it was so much a choice as a panicky inspiration when she looked as if she’d reached her limit,’ she admitted.