The Little Dale Remedy. Eleanor Jones

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СКАЧАТЬ now, all hint of last night’s fear gone. He’d obviously been parked there all night; if he’d wanted to hurt her or break in while she was inside, he would have already done it.

      Suddenly, he glanced up at her window as if aware that she was watching him. For an awkward moment their gazes locked, and then he turned away with slow deliberation, swinging his ax with a ferocity that Maddie found disturbing. Well, if he was trying to frighten her out of the cottage, then he had totally underestimated her. If he wanted a fight, then he’d get one.

      * * *

      AS SOON AS she arrived at Sky View to begin her new job, Maddie felt better. She climbed awkwardly out of the car and was immediately greeted by all three of the family dogs: Bess, Jake’s black, white and tan Welsh collie; Bess’s daughter, Puddle, who belonged to Cass; and Choco, Robbie’s brown-and-white terrier cross.

      All three dogs eagerly followed her to the house, making her feel totally welcome and pushing any stray thoughts about her unwanted neighbor firmly from her mind. She took a gulp of fresh air. A horse whinnied from somewhere over to the right; the scent of honeysuckle from the hedge that bordered one side of the garden overpowered the pleasant aromas of the stable yard; a brown chicken appeared, clucking as it happily pecked at the earth.

      Sky View felt like a happy place, a place to find herself again. She had thought so yesterday, but now she was sure...and knowing that she was at last in a horsey environment again gave her a huge lift. She might not be dealing with the horses directly for a while, but that time would come...because she would make it. Injury wasn’t going to stand in her way.

      Cass met her at the door with a broad smile. “Right, then,” she said. “Let’s have a coffee, and then we can discuss what happens around here. All I want from you is to be another pair of hands, to make things a bit easier.”

      “I get it,” Maddie said. “And I’m happy to do anything.”

      “I see you’ve met the dogs.”

      “I was briefly introduced when I stopped by yesterday.”

      Cass nodded. “Oh, yes, of course. By the way, there’s something else I wanted to touch on... You mentioned you had an accident last year...”

      Maddie nodded. She had told Cass a little about her injuries, but fearful of not getting the job, she’d played them down. Her new boss had no idea how much she sometimes struggled to do the simplest task, but the last thing Maddie wanted was for anyone to make allowances for her.

      “Well, I just wondered if there was anything else I should know. I don’t mean to pry, but if there are any jobs that you’re not up to, you know, physically, then I’d rather you told me so I don’t ask too much of you.”

      Maddie twisted her hands together in her lap, feeling awkward. She didn’t want to lie to Cass, but it was so important to her that she was treated as an equal, not as an invalid. “No,” she said determinedly. “I can do most things...or try at least.”

      “Good,” Cass said. “We know where we are, then. Now your first task this morning is to take Robbie to school. I’ll come with you, since it’s your first time. And here he is,” she said as the little boy burst into the room. “Robbie, this is Maddie. She’ll be helping to look after you.”

      He grinned at her, grabbing a piece of toast and stuffing it into his mouth. “Are you going to take me to school every day?”

      “She’ll pick you up, too,” Cass added.

      “Great,” he said as they headed to the car. “Dad is always late when he picks me up.”

      All the way to the school in the village, Robbie chattered on about Choco, his dad and granddad and his pony, filling Maddie in on life at the stables. Her confidence soared at being so readily accepted by the little boy, as if she belonged at Sky View already.

      When they reached the school gates, he leaped out eagerly, waving his bag as he raced off with a smile and a wave.

      “I always wait until I’m sure he’s gone inside,” said Cass. “Or I go in with him.”

      Maddie nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he’s safe before I leave. He’s such a lovely little boy. He’s the image of his dad.”

      “He’s the best,” Cass agreed. “And he does look like Jake.”

      On the drive back to Sky View, Cass did a little gentle probing about Maddie’s past experience, asking her again about the accident. Maddie answered all her questions as honestly as she could without going into too much detail, explaining that she was knocked down by a driver while out cycling one morning, but making light of her injuries.

      She had good reason not to reveal too much about the aftermath of the collision, but she didn’t really know why she was keeping her experience with horses a secret. Was she afraid? Afraid, maybe, that she wouldn’t be able to live up to the person she used to be? She just wanted this to be a new start with no expectations from anyone other than herself.

      “I’m not Robbie’s real mum, you know,” Cass said, quite out of the blue. “Now, I love him like my own, but before I came here and fell in love with Jake, I hadn’t really had much to do with children. All I wanted out of life was to be a successful vet. That’s why I didn’t mind that you hadn’t had much experience with kids, either. There’s something about you, though, that reminds me of myself back then, and I felt that maybe you needed a break... I hope my judgment was right.”

      “It...it was. Is.” Maddie stuttered, surprised by the rush of emotion that Cass’s honesty brought out in her. “It’s true, I haven’t had much experience with kids, but I love Robbie already and I really want to learn. And...you’re right about the break. I just had to get away.”

      Cass rubbed her stomach absentmindedly. “Well, you don’t need to worry—I’m not going to pry about that,” she said, smiling. “And hopefully it won’t be too long before you’ll have to learn about babies, as well.”

      Maddie smiled back at her, feeling happier than she had in months. “That’s a bit more daunting, but I’m sure it can’t be that hard.”

      “To be honest,” Cass admitted, “I probably don’t know much more than you, but I didn’t want some experienced nanny type making me feel inadequate.”

      “You’re safe enough there, then,” Maddie responded, finally feeling confident in her decision to come to Sky View. She liked Cass Munro and felt she was up to the job. All she had to do now was build up her strength and—she hoped—gradually start riding again. No one here knew what she was capable of or had been once, so she really did have a whole new start. And it felt good.

      * * *

      THE GOOD FEELING stayed with her right through the day. Doing chores around the house, picking up Robbie in the afternoon and making him some tea—simple everyday tasks that made Maddie feel useful and normal again. Her sense of well-being lasted until she was on her way home.

      A curl of wood smoke from behind the cottage brought reality back with a bump. He was still here, then? Well, if he even came near her, then she was calling the cops. Parking as close to the cottage as possible, she jumped out, fumbling with her keys and dropping them before racing down the short pathway to the front door.

      The cottage still smelled of burning СКАЧАТЬ