Chapter Thirteen
James
J ames pulled into the stable car park and narrowed his eyes. Something was off. Instead of the usual Sunday afternoon calm, people were rushing about, shouting to one another and talking in hurried voices.
He closed the window, got out of his car and searched around for someone he recognised. A woman with bright red-hair, heavy eye make-up, and an array of piercings caught his gaze. He’d seen her here before, though this time she looked a little worried. She held a hand to her forehead, scanning around.
‘Excuse me.’ James approached her. ‘Has something happened? Why is everyone—’
‘A new horse arrived, but it bolted before they could even get it in the field. People have gone out looking for it and things have got crazy.’
James frowned. ‘Is it dangerous?’
‘I hope not. I’m not sure how they’re going to catch it though.’
‘Are they planning on ambushing it or something?’
‘No idea. Dagmar went with Francesca and Caitlin to the bridle path, and Ophelia and Brann took the car to the far end of the woods, thinking they might head it off. It ran that way. But it could be anywhere really. The owners panicked and ran after it, but I think that made it worse. Then other people went off to help and everyone up here isn’t sure what to do for best.’
‘I’ll walk towards the woods and see if I can see him,’ James said. ‘What colour is it?’
‘Dark brown. He’s called Stroman. I wouldn’t approach him on your own.’
‘I won’t. If I see him, I’ll call Ophelia.’
He headed around the field to the bridle path where a few other groups of chattering people were also striding down. At the bottom, instead of turning towards Dagmar’s trailer, he took the path into the woods.
The trees loomed ahead, and it wasn’t quiet or still today. Voices ahead sounded eager. Someone was shouting. ‘Stroman!’
Even a horse novice like him knew that was the worst thing to do. If the horse wanted to be found that easily, its owners would already have tried that.
Surely the horse wouldn’t be on the path. And with this many people, it was more likely to be miles away, seeking peace. A smaller path cut off deeper into the woods. It probably wasn’t even a path, more like a deer track. James veered onto it, venturing deeper into the woods. He wasn’t into this kind of outdoor thing, never had been, but he’d feel crap not at least trying to help. The horse wasn’t likely to be anywhere here, but he kept his eyes peeled anyway. How would he know if it had been found? He wasn’t sure he had Dagmar’s number. Last year, he’d had Ophelia’s, and he was pretty certain he hadn’t deleted it. Pulling out his phone, he went to check as he waded through the undergrowth. The track was slowly being engulfed by thick bracken.
A sudden rustling to his left made him freeze. Then he felt a sharp tug on his back. Someone had grabbed hold of him. Before he could speak, a hand slapped over his mouth. What the fuck ? Was he being abducted?
He turned his head as much as he could within the grip hold to see Dagmar. She yanked him in behind a tree, mouthing, ‘Be quiet.’
When she let him go, he frowned. ‘What was that for?’
She put her hand to her lips and pointed through the tree branches. James moved closer behind her to follow her sightline. He peered through the branches. Stroman was just ahead, standing in a small clearing. The horse’s ears flicked back and forth, muscles tense and ready to bolt. His owner, a tall man with a weathered face, approached cautiously, speaking softly.
‘Easy, boy. Easy.’ The owner inched closer.
James held his breath, unconsciously drawing closer to Dagmar, so he was right behind her, his nose level with her sweet-smelling hair. The owner reached Stroman and put out his hand, but Stroman’s head shot up, eyes wide. With a snort, he turned and bolted straight towards James and Dagmar.
‘Move!’ James grabbed her arm, pulling her to the side. They stumbled as Stroman came straight for them. Dagmar let out a little gasp, lost her balance, and tripped backwards over a fallen branch. James, still holding her arm, was dragged down with her. They tumbled into the bushes.
Stroman veered off, galloping away into the woods. His owners yelled, bolting after him.
James landed on top of Dagmar in a bed of bracken. Shit . This was not where he needed to be.
‘Are you ok?’ he struggled to move himself off her, ending up on his knees before he pushed himself to his feet.
Dagmar was now sitting on the ground, brushing leaves from her jacket. ‘Fine, you?’
‘I think so. Sorry, I didn’t mean to—’
‘It’s ok.’ She didn’t meet his eyes. ‘We should go after them.’
‘Yeah, sure.’
‘What are you doing here anyway?’ She looked up, frowning at him.
‘I heard what was going on and I came out to help.’
She sighed and put her head in her hands. ‘This is such a shitshow. There are too many people out shouting and moving around. It’s just going to freak him even more.’
‘Yeah… I did wonder.’
‘I’m not sure Glenvorneth is the right place for him. He needs a lot of work. If he doesn’t get on with other horses, then a busy livery like this will be a living hell for him.’
‘Is there nowhere else he can go? A solitary field or something?’
‘We were planning to fence him off from the others, but if he’s this bad, he’ll be constantly stressed and that can affect the other horses. I don’t ever want to exclude a horse for any reason, but I can see this one being a whole lot of trouble. He needs intensive training and therapy. I just don’t have the time.’
James crouched on the ground beside her. ‘It isn’t your job to do that though.’
‘No, but I’ll want to. It feels like my responsibility to make sure all the horses are safe and happy. And if he escapes again, I’ll be called out to help.’
‘Assuming they catch him.’
‘Yeah.’ She shook her head, flicking some stray strands of hair. Bits of bracken and twigs were still tangled in it.
One twig at the back was stuck, and she struggled to get it out.
‘Watch,’ he said. ‘You’ll pull half your hair out doing that. Let me. I can see it.’
With a brief hesitation, she turned the back of her head to him.
He reached out and untangled the stick, then tossed it away. She faced him again, running her fingers through the strands that had escaped her plait. His eyes met hers and she looked like the proverbial rabbit in the headlights. Was she just worried about the situation, or was it him? Maybe she’d always be wary of him after their school days. Did she think he’d hurt her now? He’d never do that. At school, he hadn’t meant to either. Sure, he’d never succeeded in stopping people from saying things, but he hadn’t taken part or condoned the behaviour. When he’d tried to talk to her, she’d always run off in the other direction. It looked like she wanted to do that now.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
‘What for?’
‘Just everything. I see the look on your face whenever I’m nearby.’
She blinked and frowned, shaking her head a little like she didn’t really understand him.
‘I know how much I hurt you at school. I swear I never wanted to be part of it, but I know I didn’t do enough.’
‘It isn’t that. I mean, obviously I hated those days, but you weren’t the worst by a long stretch. And… Well, you seem ok now.’
He let out a half laugh and ruffed up his hair. ‘Thanks. I think. But if it’s not that, then what? I didn’t mean to land on top of you, and if that seemed inappropriate, I’m truly sorry. It definitely wasn’t intentional.’
‘Really. It’s fine. I’m just worried about Stroman. We should go and help.’
‘Sure.’ He got to his feet and instinctively made to help Dagmar, but he stopped himself. She was managing fine and no matter what she may say, her eyes told a different story. Something was off – like a brick wall between them. And although he’d maybe chipped a few bricks around the edges, he couldn’t get any closer. Did that matter? It wasn’t like he should want to get close to her – but he did. And more than just friends. Something about her attracted him and he couldn’t stop the pull.
‘I’m really worried,’ she said as they trudged through the undergrowth. ‘I wish I could have stopped them from bringing Stroman here. He’s obviously had some trauma in his past that makes him dislike the company of other horses, so he needs to be eased in gradually. Like with one or two sociable horses to start off with. This is too busy a place for him to start in. But they arranged it all with Ophelia and I only found out when it was too late.’
‘I never realised horses could be so complicated.’
‘Of course they are. Just like dogs, cats, people. They have their own personalities.’
James side-eyed her. Maybe Dagmar was a little like Stroman. She needed to be eased into things gradually. After all, she’d had a lot of trauma in her life.
‘So, will it be possible to catch him?’
‘I hope so, but we really need a plan and for everyone to work together, but the owners are in such a state. Now we don’t even know where he is. If we see him, a couple of us should stand on either side, one deterring him from going forward and the other from going back, but we need to stay far enough away not to increase his stress. If treats are part of his training tools, that can help. But I don’t know if he’s been trained that way.’
‘I think whatever happens here, you’ve got a strong case, either to have Stroman moved somewhere more suitable or to make sure he gets better trained.’
‘I can help the owners with that, but I won’t have time to carry out the training myself.’
‘Isn’t there someone who can help you?’
‘Ophelia wants to hire someone else, but—’ Dagmar threw out her arm to stop James. She pointed, and through the branches, James saw Stroman again, standing in a small clearing. Ophelia and Brann were approaching cautiously from opposite sides, trying to herd the horse back towards his owners, who were hovering at the edge of the clearing, out of breath and red-faced.
‘Ophelia knows what to do,’ Dagmar whispered. ‘We worked with a tricky horse years ago.’
‘What should we do?’ James asked.
‘We need to move closer but stay low and out of Stroman’s immediate line of sight.’
Ophelia and Brann were positioned towards Stroman’s rear, gently moving him forward.
‘His flight zone is large, so if we can form a kind of circle around him.’
‘Ok. Let’s do it.’
Every step closer made Stroman twitch and take a few steps back. James didn’t like to say how twisted his insides felt. He wasn’t just stepping out of his comfort zone; he was whizzing like a baseball, getting knocked out of the park.
‘Let’s get on either side to guide him,’ Dagmar hissed, waving him forward.
They split, James inching to the right while Dagmar went to the left. Ophelia and Brann noticed them, and Ophelia gave a slight nod before turning her attention back to Stroman. The horse lowered his head. Was that a good sign?
‘Easy, boy. Easy.’ The owner stepped forward with the head collar in hand.
James watched as Dagmar shifted her weight, gently influencing Stroman’s movement. Ophelia mirrored her on the other side, creating a soft barrier that guided Stroman forward without making him feel trapped. Brann held his position at the back, ensuring Stroman didn’t bolt in that direction. James inched in, mimicking the others’ slow movements, painfully aware he had no clue what he was actually doing.
He held his breath as Stroman’s owner finally got close enough to slip the head collar over his nose. ‘Good boy.’ He secured the strap with a shaky hand.
‘Back off a bit,’ Dagmar said. ‘Let them lead him back but stay close enough in case he spooks again.’
James followed her lead, retreating a few steps and giving Stroman the space he needed. Ophelia and Brann did the same on the other side. James saw Brann hooking his arm over her shoulder, and Ophelia sagging with relief. James would have done the same to Dagmar, but she’d likely throw him off – much like Stroman. She needed gentle handling and a slow approach.
But he shouldn’t be thinking about that. His job was to find a way to Lady Victoria’s heart – not Dagmar’s.
The horse’s ears flicked back and forth, but he seemed calmer now that his owner had control. Slowly, they all began to move, guiding Stroman towards the field. The owner led, whispering soothing words to the nervous horse.
Brann had stayed behind and was talking to the other owner, who looked like she was crying. Rather him than me.
‘We should keep to the sides,’ Dagmar told James quietly. ‘That way, if he tries to bolt, we can attempt to steer him back.’
They continued through the woods, James staying on Stroman’s right and Dagmar on his left, keeping a careful eye on the horse’s movements. Ophelia was closer, on the other side from the owner.
Dagmar was on her phone and when the field came into sight, he saw one of the stable girls holding the gate open. The owner led Stroman into the paddock with the jumps. He assumed that wasn’t where they were planning on keeping him, but it was the closest option. When the girl shut the gate and bolted it, James let out his breath and made his way over to Dagmar.
‘Wow, that was something.’
Dagmar exhaled long and slow. ‘I need to speak to Ophelia and see what she wants to do.’
‘Listen.’ James took her wrist and held her back, letting go immediately at the look on her face. ‘I guess this isn’t an appropriate time for a lesson now, and it’s probably an even worse time to talk, but… I need to ask you something.’
‘What?’ She narrowed her eyes.
‘We agreed to be friends, but…’ He ran his hands through his hair. The midges were awful. ‘Well, apart from what happened at school, are you angry with me about something else?’
She shook her head. ‘No.’
‘Good. And listen, I’m sorry if I haven’t made enough progress with helping your mum with the café. I haven’t forgotten. I’ve spoken to Henry, the finance manager, and he’s all for the idea. But I need to meet with your mum, so we can chat about the road forward and I can find out exactly what she needs and give her some timelines.’ Christ, he always sounded like such a dull businessman.
‘That would be good.’ Dagmar gave him a small smile, then pulled out her phone. ‘How about I give you my number and you can call me?’
‘Great.’
She sucked on her lip as she opened her phone, and it looked like she was oddly pleased about something.
‘I’ll call you if you know your number,’ she said.
James recited it, and she called it. He took out his phone and silenced the call. ‘There. We’re connected.’ He caught her eye, and her cheeks reddened a little. It was very cute. ‘Do you need any more help with Stroman?’
‘Not unless you’ve become a horse expert in the last five minutes.’
Shaking his head, he winked. ‘Definitely not compared to you.’ He gave her a little pat on the upper arm. ‘I leave him with the pros. And I’ll message you.’ For a moment, he kept eye contact and a powerful urge to lean in and kiss her surged up in him, but he pushed it away and made his way back to his car.
Once inside, he didn’t start the engine, but sat for a moment, refocusing his breathing, mulling over the day’s events. All very dramatic. And yet, the only thing he could really keep in his mind was the image of Dagmar’s smile and the swooping sensation it caused in his gut every time he recalled it.