The Girl from Honeysuckle Farm / One Dance with the Cowboy: The Girl from Honeysuckle Farm / One Dance with the Cowboy. DONNA ALWARD

he commented, which took her out of her stride a little, because he had never said anything like it before. Indeed, she had always supposed him to be a tiny bit shy, more of an animal person than a people person. But she was to discover that, while shy, he was not so shy as she had imagined. And that he quite liked people too as well as animals, when he coughed, and followed up with, ‘Er—in fact, I’ve been meaning to ask you—er—how do you feel about coming out with me one night—say, tomorrow night?’

      Phinn kept her eyes on the path in front while she considered what he had said. ‘Um…’ She just hadn’t thought of him in a ‘date’ situation, only a ‘vet’ situation. ‘We—I’m…’ Her thoughts were a bit muddled up, but she was thinking more about how long she would want to leave Ruby than of any enjoyment she might find if she dated this rather pleasant man.

      ‘Look, why not give me a ring? I know you won’t want to be away from Ruby for too long, but we could have a quick bite over at the Kings Arms in Little Thornby.’

      Phinn was on the point of agreeing to go out with him, but something held her back. Perhaps she would go if Ty came home this weekend. Surely she was not expected to stay home being a companion to Ash if Ty was there to keep him company?

      ‘Can I give you a ring?’ she asked.

      After Kit had gone, Phinn thought it time she attended to her duties, and went looking for Ash. The sound of someone busy with a hammer attracted her towards the pool, and she headed in that direction where, to her amazement, she found Ash on the far side, hammering a large signpost into the ground. In bold red the sign proclaimed ‘DANGER. KEEP OUT. TREACHEROUS WATER’. Close by was another post, from which hung a lifebelt.

      Ash raised his head and saw her. ‘Thought I was useless, didn’t you?’ he called, but seemed the happiest she had seen him since her cousin had done a brilliant job of flattening him.

      What Phinn thought was that he was an extremely bruised man, who loved well, but not too wisely, and was paying for it.

      ‘I think you’re gorgeous,’ she called back with a laugh, and felt a true affection for him. Had she had a brother, she would have liked one just like Ash.

      Ash grinned, and for the first time Phinn saw that perhaps her being there was making a bit of a difference. Perhaps Ash was starting to heal. Phinn went to get Ruby an apple.

      It started to rain after lunch, and although Ruby did not mind the rain, it was heavy enough for Phinn to not want to risk it for her. After stabling her she went indoors, and was coming down the stairs after changing out of damp clothes when the phone in the hall rang.

      Phinn had spotted Mrs Starkey driving off in her car about fifteen minutes ago, and, with Ash nowhere to be seen, she picked up the phone with a peculiar sort of hope in her heart that the caller would not be Ty, ringing to say that he wouldn’t be home this weekend.

      An odd sort of relief entered her soul when the caller was not Ty but Geraldine Walton again, with an offer of more straw. ‘I’m running out of space under cover here, so if Ash could pop over he’d be doing me something of a favour,’ Geraldine added.

      ‘It’s very good of you think of me,’ Phinn replied, feeling for certain now that Ash was more the cause for the call than the fact that Geraldine had more straw than she knew what to do with. Geraldine had said not one word about having surplus stocks when she had wandered over yesterday to settle what she owed her! ‘Ash isn’t around just now. But I’d be glad of the straw,’ she accepted.

      Phinn was about to go looking for Ash, and found she did not have to when he came crashing in through the front door. ‘It’s bucketing down out there!’ he exclaimed, shaking rain from his arms.

      ‘You don’t fancy going out again?’

      ‘Need something?’ he enquired, at once willing to go on an errand. He hadn’t heard what the errand was yet!