Man up, Sherlock. With a soft exhale, Arthur joined him and together they climbed the steps to the wooden verandah. Sam rapped on the fly screen door before letting himself inside. “Anyone home?”
“Sam!” The girlish cry came from the other end of the house and a young girl ran into the kitchen wearing a yellow and brown school uniform, brown ponytail swinging, and launched herself at Sam. He caught her and swung her into the air, and she squealed in delight. “What are you doing here?”
“We came for dinner.”
Lara peered behind Sam as he put her back on the ground.
“This is Arthur.”
Her eyes widened and darted to his legs and then back to his face. She beamed at him. “You’re Amy’s brother! If she’s my aunt, does that make you my uncle?” She hugged him, her grip strong. The action caught him by surprise and he stumbled back a step.
Lara grinned. “Sorry! I don’t know my own strength. It’s so great to finally meet you. I’ve been waiting ages. I have so many questions—”
“Hold your horses, La La,” Sam interrupted. “Give him a second to adjust.”
Lara slipped her small soft hand into Arthur’s and tugged him forward. “Come in. Make yourself at home. Do you want a drink?” She gestured to a chair around the long wooden dining table and then went to the fridge.
Arthur looked at Sam. Was this kid for real?
“We’ll both have water,” Sam told her and grinned at Arthur, his cocky smile saying he was enjoying Arthur’s discomfort.
Some friend.
The kitchen was a cosy affair, despite the table big enough to feed a couple of army teams. Two knitting projects lay bunched on the counter next to a bowl of fruit, a calendar marked with dates hung from one wall, and next to the door was a rack of hooks to hold jackets or hats.
A home.
The ache of longing blindsided him.
“Do you horse ride, Arthur?” Lara asked.
“No.” Not anymore.
“That’s all right. Faith can teach you.” At that moment a woman walked into the kitchen. She wore a blouse and pencil skirt which suggested she’d just come from work in an office, her short brown hair neatly styled. She smiled at him.
“Faith, have you met Sherlock yet?”
It was kind of surreal having his army nickname coming out of a ten-year-old’s mouth.
“Not yet, Lara,” Faith said and held her hand out to him. “I’m Faith. Nice to meet you.”
“Faith is going to marry my dad,” Lara said. “Faith, you can teach him to ride, right?”
Heat rushed to Arthur’s cheeks. Had they not told her about his missing leg? He cleared his throat. “No, I mean I can’t. I lost my leg.”
Lara tilted her head to the side. “Didn’t you just lose it below the knee? I looked it up on the Internet and there are plenty of people with half a leg who horse ride. I checked so you didn’t feel left out. It might be a little tricky at first, but all it takes is practice.” She turned to Faith. “Can we go horse riding now?”
Faith shook her head. “We’ll have dinner as soon as your dad’s back,” she said. “But you can take Arthur out to meet the horses.”
Lara beamed and strode towards him, grabbing his hand. “Come on.”
Arthur’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. This girl had just dismissed his lack of a leg as if it was inconsequential. She understood nothing. But not even he had sunk so low as to snap at her. Not with her beaming up at him, excitement and expectation on her face.
Sam chuckled as Lara dragged Arthur out of the house and down the stairs. Arthur stumbled, his gait stilted, and Lara glanced at his leg. “Sorry, should I slow down?”
He adjusted his stride and shook his head, following her across to the horse yard. The rich red dirt was an unfamiliar colour, and he wanted to examine it, find out whether different shades added together to make it so vibrant, but that would have to wait. Lara strode to where five horses grazed on hay. Lara ducked between the posts and climbed into the yard. Arthur hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to get his leg to move the way he wanted, before following her.
“That must be strange,” Lara said.
