Ed glanced up, his eyes wide. “You’ve got a laptop? Was it made this decade?”
“Bought it last year.”
“And you’ve been letting me suffer on this hunk of junk for the past day?”
Brandon chuckled at his brother’s outrage. “Is it that bad?”
“It’s worse!” Ed stood. “Where is it?”
“I left it on the desk in my room.”
Ed stormed out and Lara laughed. “That’s so naughty of you, Uncle Brandon. Ed’s so good with computers that he fixed Grandfather’s the last time he was here.”
“He’s pretty smart,” Brandon agreed.
Ed arrived back and sat, his fingers flying over the keyboard and a look of deep concentration on his face. Yeah, maybe it had been naughty of him. Ed was obviously very skilled.
A little over an hour later, Lara put down her pen with a sigh. “Have we done enough now?”
“Yeah, I think we have,” Brandon said. Ed had disappeared somewhere and it was nearly afternoon tea time. “Is there anything you have to do to prepare for tomorrow?”
Lara’s eyes flew open. “I have to plait Starlight’s mane and tail.”
He used to help Georgie with her horse, though he had never bothered with his. “All right. Have you got the ties?”
“Dad put them in the tack room.”
“Then let’s go.”
As they walked across the yard, Lara slipped her hand into his. “Do you really know how to plait, Uncle Brandon?”
The ache in his heart feeling her small hand in his was real. He swallowed and kept his tone light. “Sure do, La La.” How was he going to leave at the end of the month, not knowing when he would be back?
Sam’s voice echoed in his head. Maybe itwastime he got out of the army.
Going back was becoming less and less appealing.
They found the elastic bands and Lara fetched Starlight while Brandon gathered the rest of the equipment they needed. Hopefully he would remember what to do. A few minutes later he was splitting Starlight’s mane into sections and plaiting them alongside Lara.
By the time Darcy returned they were finishing Starlight’s tail. His eyebrows raised. “Nice job, pumpkin.”
“Uncle Brandon did most of the work,” she said.
Brandon wrapped the last band around the tail. “Done.”
“Did you thank him?” Darcy asked.
“Thank you, Uncle Brandon.” Lara hugged him and he felt like a hero.
“My pleasure, La La.”
“Lucky he was here,” Darcy said taking his daughter’s hand. “I’m hopeless at plaiting.”
“I know.” Lara’s matter of fact tone made Brandon laugh.
He was going to slap his brother on the back but realised how oily his hands were. “I’m going to wash my hands.”
“Take a shower,” Darcy suggested. “You smell like horse. Lara and I can make salads for dinner.”
