‘They were her first rescues,’ Mac said. ‘We’d always had cats and dogs, but nothing bigger here. Then she wrote to me about, ooh, must be fifteen years ago now, and told me she’d taken in two ponies whose owner didn’t want one of them any more because he had leg problems which meant he couldn’t be ridden. That was Jacob Armitage. Nothing else wrong with him, but they said they couldn’t afford to keep him as a pet, so Mum stepped in and offered to take him. She bought Heatherstone off them, too, because they’d always been together and she didn’t want them separated, and they’ve lived here ever since.’
Alison tilted her head, thinking. ‘Jacob Armitage and Heatherstone…’ She sighed, exasperated. ‘Nope, sorry. I’m not getting it. Who are they named after?’
Mac laughed. ‘Bit obscure if you haven’t read it, but they’re named after characters inChildren of the New Forest– I guess with them being New Forest ponies. It wasn’t Mum who named them, by the way. They were already called that, and I think that’s what gave her the idea to name all her animals after book characters from then on.’
‘That one looks like he’s covered in frost,’ Alison said, nodding at Heatherstone. ‘How old is he?’
‘Twenty-two now,’ Mac said. ‘Jacob’s twenty-four. The frosty look is because Heatherstone’s a roan, which means his base coat is bay, but it’s interspersed with white hairs. Jacob’s a pure bay but you can see how grey he is now on his muzzle and round his eyes especially, and he’s lost muscle mass with age. They’re both in good health, though. The vet came out to look at them the other week and he’s pleased with them.’
‘You sound like you know a bit about horses,’ Rosie observed.
‘A bit. I used to have riding lessons at the stables in Weltringham,’ he said briefly. ‘Many, many years ago.’
Alison remembered the stables all too well. She’d wanted riding lessons, too, but her dad was scared of horses and had been convinced she’d be trampled to death if she went anywhere near the place.
‘They’re still there,’ she told him. ‘The stables, I mean. Different owners of course, but you can still have riding lessons if you ever need a refresher course.’
Mac laughed. ‘You must be joking! My old bones couldn’t stand it these days. No, I’m happy enough with the company of these two.’
After fussing over the two ponies for a while, the three of them headed back into Watersmeet, glad to step back inside the warm and welcoming kitchen.
‘I love it here, Mac,’ Alison said. ‘It’s a gorgeous house.’
‘It is,’ Rosie agreed. ‘Even better than I expected it to be. Bit big for one person, though, isn’t it? You’ll be rattling around in here all by yourself without any company.’ Her eyes slid over to Alison, whose face burned as she gave her cousin a warning look.
‘You’ve got a great-sized garden,’ Alison said, determined to change the subject. ‘What are you planning to do with it? It looks a bit neglected.’
‘Mum was never really interested in gardening,’ he admitted, ‘and to be honest, I know next to nothing about it myself. I guess it’s just a case of keeping the lawn down in warmer weather and getting rid of any weeds.’
‘That seems a shame,’ Alison said. ‘It could be beautiful. I love gardening. I always wanted a big garden but ours is really small. We’d planned to buy somewhere with a bigger garden – sacrifice the house for land, if you like. We didn’t need a big, three-bedroomed house any more so it made sense. But as it is…’ Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.
Mac nodded. ‘That is a shame.’
‘Maybe Ali could help you with the garden,’ Rosie said brightly. ‘I’m sure she’d have loads of ideas for what you could grow in it, and she’d be able to help you plant it all out, wouldn’t you, Ali?’
Alison gritted her teeth. Could her cousin be any more transparent?
‘I’m sure Mac doesn’t need any help from me,’ she said firmly.
Mac dug his hands in his jeans pockets and leaned against the worktop. ‘If you’ve got any ideas I’d be happy to hear them,’ he said. ‘I haven’t a clue, and of course I’d pay you if you don’t charge the earth.’
‘I wouldn’t charge you anything,’ Alison assured him, surprised that he was agreeable to the suggestion. ‘It would be a pleasure to help, although it does depend on time.’
She thought wistfully that if Jenna didn’t allow her to see the twins she might have a lot more time on her hands after all, but she did hope that wouldn’t be the case. She hadn’t wanted to be their main caregiver, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to see them at all, and she was missing them. She wondered how Jenna was getting on and if she’d managed to sort out alternative arrangements for picking them up and dropping them off at school. She felt a sudden longing to see her daughter and give her a hug. Put all this mess behind them. If only.
‘Well,’ Mac said, ‘there’s no rush. Let’s see how it goes, eh? Now’ – he pushed away from the worktop and clapped his hands – ‘shall I put the kettle on again? I might have some biscuits in the cupboard, too.’
He turned away to wash his hands and Rosie and Alison exchanged glances. Biscuits! How was she going to refuse those? But Rosie was giving her a stern look, and she knew she’d have to find the strength somehow, because it was certain that Rosie would make sure she didn’t eat anything she shouldn’t.
Her cousin was doing her job far better than Alison had imagined she would. More’s the pity.
17
Evan’s home was an attractive semi-detached house with a large front garden and a drive, down a pretty street in Millensea.
Mac pushed open the gate and took a steadying breath before heading towards the front door. He couldn’t help wondering if he was imposing on the vet. What had he been thinking, inviting himself round for tea?
Well, he hadn’t really. That had been Evan’s idea. But it had been Mac who’d called him, wanting to chat. He couldn’t believe he’d done that now.
