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Ava had hoped her riding knowledge would come back once she was in motion and she was right. The saddles and the right clips, the length of the stirrup, the rug underneath, the bridle. She recited the names for Ish and taught him as she went. Mounted upon Marmalade, the boy sat diminutively in the saddle while she prepared Honey. Clive had assured her they were both placid horses, but she tethered the lead rope anyway.
The horse stables were on Clive’s land, so they followed the fence line until they reached a gate and entered their property. The gate was down by the old windmill that was rusted, but majestic, tall and turning slowly in the breeze next to a pond covered with lilies in bloom. A track appeared ahead and she followed it.
The bush was dense down at the far reaches of their property. Mainly shrub that crackled under foot with its dryness, not unusual with the high temperatures of the Australian summer. With each step she forgot the pressures of real life that bore down upon her shoulders. Ava inhaled the country air and soaked up the solitude.
They were probably about fifteen or twenty minutes along the track when they came across a rock pond shaded by a canopy of tall trees. Large boulders lined the edge of the expanse of water and a slight incline created a series of tiny waterfalls.
‘Wow!’ Ish exclaimed.
‘This is beautiful. Let’s take a break.’
Ish jumped down without fuss and patted Marmalade’s neck. The horse nuzzled into his side. Ava could see a friendship forming already between boy and horse. In just a few short days her son had a dog soon to be delivering puppies no less, and a horse. These small things made her heart swell. The making of a life. They’d be okay.
Sitting on a couple of flat boulders, they shared a snack and cool drink. ‘It’s almost as if this is a different place and we’ve left Bellethorpe, as if we’ve ridden for kilometres to find this spot. It’s perfect, isn’t it?’ Ava said.
Ish agreed as he chewed on a muesli bar. Finishing the last bite, he removed his shoes and waded into the shallows of the pond. ‘Oh, it’s so nice, Mumma, come in.’ Ava removed her boots and let the water lap at her ankles.
‘Ish, that’s so good! Surprisingly cold.’
He splashed water in her direction and she reciprocated. ‘Enough, enough! I’m happy to cool off, but don’t want to be soaked.’
‘What’s that do you think?’ She pointed to various piles of dirt around the creek and down the track. Ish shrugged, not interested as he found something to hold his attention in the water.
Ava reached for the nearest mound and let the dirt trickle through her fingers. It didn’t look natural and appeared out of place, like someone had been digging. It reminded her of tailings with its slightly silver, metallic shade. And occasionally when the sun filtered through the branches, there was the slightest hint of colour, a sort of pewter rainbow that bounced around the small area.
Further down the track were more heaps until the path hit a sharp curve and she couldn’t see any more. The archaeologist in her pocketed a few specimens and enjoyed feeling the weight in her pocket. Ava didn’t quite know what this place was, but she sensed it was special.
‘Okay, buddy. Let’s head back. We’ll go riding regularly, I promise. There must be so many parts of our land to explore out here. Imagine if there are more of these gorgeous rock pools? I think we’ve found our own little oasis here.’
They rode back in silence and at a gentle walk until the horses caught sight of home and they commenced to trot. Ish shrieked as he bounced up and down in the saddle. It made for a quick trip. Back at the stables she taught him how to unsaddle the horses, even though he was way too short to reach, and the stirrups and buckles hit the ground as he carried the equipment. They rubbed the animals down, watered and brushed them and left them happily munching on fresh hay. Ava’s heart swelled once more with contentment watching Ish skip ahead, fulfilled and happy.
‘What do you say about Chinese take-out for dinner? I’m starving but too tired to cook. I can do a quick run into town.’
Ish was already pulling off his dusty clothes with Daisy in his wake. Thank goodness the old air-conditioner unit still worked, and she turned it on until she felt the cool cascade of air lowering the living room temperature. It worked, for now, but Ava made a mental note to get it serviced and soon.
Hearing Ish in the shower, she checked each window was closed and locked and double checked the front and back doors. The seclusion out here was great, but the disadvantage was they were isolated. However, the town centre was less than ten minutes away. Ava paused, bag in hand. For the briefest crazy moment she’d contemplated leaving Ish while she picked up dinner. Clearly a moment of madness. She was confident no one could enter the house with its security screens and double bolts; after all she’d overdone their security. And wasn’t the country meant to be safe? Away from the crime of the big cities? But no, she put down her bag. What had she been thinking? There was no way she’d risk leaving her son home alone. Ava blew out a big breath.
After his shower, an annoyed Ish was bundled into the car along with Daisy for the short trip. Better to annoy her son than something happen while she was absent.
One huge advantage of living in a small town, there was always an available parking space. She snapped up the spot outside the Chinese restaurant and the flash of the illuminated sign trapped her gaze. Ava paused and memories from the past flooded in. On Friday nights in London, after a busy work week, she and Henry would often stay in, unless they had a flashy event to attend, and order Chinese. The sign flickered again and brought her back to the present. She wasn’t in London now. Double checking the car doors were locked, Ava rushed inside, leaving Ish to cuddle Daisy.
With her mind trapped in the past, she didn’t watch her step and ran straight bang into the large and broad chest of Noah Hawthorn. Her flat palms landed on his torso to catch her balance. Her fingers tingled at the touch of his warm and hard body … their faces were only inches apart.
He recovered first and took a step back creating space. ‘Sorry.’ His voice was the softest she’d heard yet, unsure and uncertain, not his usual curt and confident tone.
He blinked in quick succession and glanced downwards.
Oh, yes, her hands.
‘Sorry ‘bout that, should have been looking where I was going.’ Her hands dropped to her sides.
‘Ordering some Chinese?’
‘Umm, yep.’
‘Me too, I’ll get us some menus.’ Noah jostled to the counter and provided her with a double-sided plastic menu. There was a lot of choices.
‘Anything you’d recommend?’ she asked him.
