He hated seeing her so uncertain. “Maybe you could show her your room.”
She nodded. “I can show her the box where I keep all her cards and show her where I put everything she bought me on Friday.”
Aside from a new dress, Sofia had bought Lara more fancy clothes which would be impractical for anything Lara did, as well as jewellery and a new riding hat that Darcy hadn’t been able to afford yet. Darcy forced a smile. “Great idea.”
Amy walked in and filled the kettle. “They’re due at eight, right?”
“Yeah.” Five minutes to go. The scones were due to come out of the oven right on the dot.
When the timer rang, Lara retrieved the tray, placed it on the bench, and moved the scones onto a plate. The table was set for an early morning tea.
Fifteen minutes later they were still waiting. Lara kept walking to the kitchen door and peering outside in case she’d missed the car arriving. Darcy checked his phone, but there were no missed calls or messages. Sofia had never been a morning person, so maybe they’d slept in, or perhaps the twins were difficult to wrangle into the car.
“Dad, what if they’ve had an accident?” The genuine fear in Lara’s eyes killed him. He hugged her. “I’m sure they’re just a little late. When you were Todd and Trevor’s age, it took me ages to get you ready to go into town because you were always wanting to play.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Outside a car rumbled and Lara pushed away from him and ran to the door.
“They’re here!” She flung open the door and then hesitated. “Are you coming, Dad?”
“Right behind you, pumpkin.”
She waited for him to put on his hat and then slipped her hand into his and they walked out into the cool morning. Sofia waved and then opened the back door to get one twin out of the backseat. Darcy shook his head. She wore a long flowing skirt, sandals with barely any sole and a strappy tank top—not dressed for riding.
Darcy exhaled as anger tickled his skin. Let it go.
The boy she lifted out took off the moment she let go, running at full speed towards the horses. “Todd!” Sofia called.
Shit. The horses were pretty placid, but if the kid startled them, he could be in trouble. Darcy ran after him. “Todd, wait up.”
The kid didn’t slow down.
Darcy increased his stride and grabbed the back of Todd’s T-shirt just before he scooted under the railing into the yard. “Wait a minute, mate.”
Todd struggled against him. “I want to see the horses.”
“You can, but there are rules.” He kept his hold tight as he glanced behind him. Josh had a firm grip of Trevor and Sofia spoke with Amy and Lara, her back turned to him. Perhaps she’d seen him grab the boy.
“Todd, I told you to get permission from Darcy before you could go to the horses.” Josh gave an apologetic smile. “Thanks for the fast footwork.”
“No worries. The horses are good, but a missile like Todd might startle them.” Todd had stopped struggling.
Lara gestured for her mother to follow her and they walked towards the horses. Good. “If you stay on this side of the fence, I’ll fetch Lara’s horse, Starlight. I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”
“Lara has her own horse?” Todd’s eyes widened. “Can I have one too, Dad?”
“We’ve got no room at the house,” Josh said.
Confident the boys would stay put, Darcy ducked under the railing and took the halter and lead rope from one of the posts. Starlight was across the yard, but she trotted over when she spotted Lara. Darcy suspected Lara fed her extra treats. He slipped the halter over her head and led her to the boys.
“This is my horse, Mum,” Lara said, ducking under the fence to join him. She rubbed Starlight’s neck and murmured to her. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“She is,” Sofia agreed.
“Can I ride her?” Todd asked.
“I made scones,” Lara said. “We could eat those first.”
