Page 13 of A Recipe for Love
‘Four,’ the distinctive New York accent carried across to them from the entrance to what Bella now understood was a stable block. Darcy was still in her dressing gown, with wellies pulled on over the pyjamas. She beckoned them over. ‘Sophie McCullen keeps hers here since, since all that business with her granddaddy’s place. And Nina from the village still rides. Apart from that it’s just Liberty and Larry.’
Bella peered past Darcy into the gloom of the stable.
‘This is Larry.’ Darcy stopped at the first stall and petted the nose of the large brown thing that nuzzled against her.
Did you even say brown when it was horses? Horse people said grey for white, didn’t they? Bella didn’t have a clue.
Adam ran his hand over the side of Larry’s head. ‘No offence mate, but how are you still here?’
‘Don’t listen to him!’ Darcy instructed.
‘He must be about a hundred and eight.’
Darcy demurred. ‘Larry is just swell.’ She paused for a moment, forehead pressed against Larry’s head. ‘It’s good to have them here. Especially today. When you want to just hide away the shit still needs shovelling.’
‘Since when do you shovel shit?’
‘I help out.’
‘Sure you do,’ said Adam gently. ‘How are you?’
‘How are you?’
‘I don’t know.’
Darcy nodded. ‘Same.’
Bella hovered at the entrance to the stables, not wanting to intrude or freak out the horses or stand in the wrong place or…
Adam turned towards her. ‘Sorry. So yeah, horses. Do you ride?’
Bella shook her head. ‘Not much riding in a flat in Leeds.’
‘Don’t say that,’ Darcy replied. ‘I learnt at a city stables in Brooklyn. Every weekend as soon as I was big enough to sit on a pony. There’s no feeling quite like it.’
Bella definitely thought of riding as a posh country thing not a normal city thing. ‘I’m not sure it’s for me.’
Darcy shrugged. ‘To each their own.’
Adam glanced at his watch. ‘I probably shouldn’t keep Grandmother waiting much longer.’ He stopped next to Bella. ‘Oh, but what will you…?’
She pasted on a smile. ‘I’ll be fine. I can explore on my own.’
In the kitchen Flinty was putting away the breakfast pots. ‘Adam’s gone to see what his gran needs.’
Flinty nodded.
‘I think me turning up was a bit of a shock to her.’
‘To all of us,’ Flinty confirmed. She put her tea towel down on the big table in the middle of the kitchen. ‘She’ll warm up to you.’
‘Really?’
‘Probably not,’ was the cheerful reply. ‘But you’ll get used to her.’
Bella picked up the last two cups from the draining board. ‘Where do these go?’
‘You don’t have to be doing that,’ Flinty told her.
