TWENTY-FOUR
MADDIE SANK WEARILY into the well-worn, ancient chair by the open fireplace. The grate was black and cold, heaped high with ash and half-burned logs that had once brought warmth and cheer. Now the room was empty and kind of sad, an alien environment. A wave of homesickness washed over her, flooding her mind with images of her mum and dad and the comforts of home, making her question, yet again, why she’d moved here, so very far away from all she knew.
Guilt niggled as she remembered how hard her parents had fought her spontaneous decision to leave behind the love and care they’d lavished upon her, especially since the tragedy turned her whole world on its head. She’d been so determined to try to regain some independence and self-esteem after the accident, though, that getting away was all she’d been able to think of. Perhaps she’d been stupid; perhaps she should have stayed in their care longer. Perhaps it was too soon for this.
Impulsively, she reached for the car keys in her pocket. Of course she could just climb into her car and drive home. But then where would she be? Back in the protected cradle of love that stifled her dreams—that’s where. Well, she wasn’t prepared to give up on her future...not yet. Fate may have moved in unexpectedly to shatter her dreams on a lonely road in the pale light of dawn, but she wasn’t about to give up on everything that mattered to her because of one bizarre accident. If she was focused enough, then anything was possible. She just had to hang on to that thought and keep believing it. She’d worked way too hard to regain even half of what she used to be to give up on the next stage just yet.
Dropping her keys on the small oak coffee table, Maddie took a deep breath and stood up. She pressed a palm to her back to fight the pain that flared up, waiting a moment to let it settle before going into the tiny kitchen to fill the kettle. The sound of water starting to bubble and the fresh aroma of the coffee she unpacked from the box of groceries her mum had provided brought familiarity and contentment, reestablishing the single-mindedness that had brought her this far. This was the right decision; she was sure of it. She had overcome so much already, and she was determined to find a place again in the life she loved...or she’d die trying. Maddie’s every instinct told her that Sky View Stables held the key to her future. All she needed was the strength to see her plan through.
Returning to her chair, she sipped her coffee, reflecting on the new job that was just a stepping stone to what she really wanted. She may only have been hired as a general home help, but she intended to gradually try to work with, and eventually ride, the horses there. It might not be the promising horse-racing career she had been forced to abandon, but it was a start, at least. The doctors and consultants had told her riding again would be impossible, and her parents would have a heart attack if they knew what her real goals were but in Little Dale no one knew her history. Here, she had a chance to prove them all wrong; no one would watch her every move, no one would judge her and no one would look at her with sad sympathy in their eyes.
A loud knock took her by surprise. Who could be at the door? She didn’t know anyone from around here. Draining her cup, Maddie headed slowly down the hallway with a sense of unease and a sudden awareness of her isolation. The noise came again, louder and more intense as she approached the front door and opened it just a crack. A tall, dark, angry-looking man in his early thirties was on her doorstep, his hand raised high to begin the tirade of knocking yet again. A large dog stood behind him. Hurriedly, she slipped on the chain, gasping in relief as it slid easily into place.
“Yes?” she said, her voice deceptively cool. “Can I help you?”
“What do you think you’re doing in my house?” the man roared. “I want you out. Now!”
Maddie felt her anxiety drain away as her anger rose. No one was going to speak to her like that. She’d paid good money up front to rent this place, so what was he talking about? She had every right to be here. That knowledge lent her confidence. “What the hell are you doing here is more to the point,” she retaliated, meeting his gaze through the crack.
The ferocity in the man’s dark eyes swayed her slightly, making her aware yet again of how alone she was out here.
“This is my house,” he insisted. “And my guess is that you’re squatting, so if you don’t get out right now, I’m calling the police.”
Maddie held her ground, knuckles turning white on the door handle. “And you will look like a fool,” she told him. “I’ve rented this place for three months, and I’m fifteen hundred pounds down, so I’m going nowhere. Call the rental company if you like, but I’m not leaving until my lease is up. So stop harassing me...unless you want me to call the police.”
“What do you mean?” His whole frame deflated just the tiniest bit. “What rental company?”
Sensing the shift in his demeanor, Maddie held his gaze with fresh confidence. “Shouldn’t you know that?”
He paled beneath his tan as he turned abruptly away. “We’ll see,” he said, striding off toward the lane without a backward glance.
Maddie shut the door and quickly bolted it, her whole body shaking. There had been something so fiercely intense about the man...and the huge, silent dog behind him had seemed to echo his master’s expression. Yet again, she felt so alone. What if he had tried to break into the house? And what did he mean, anyway...it was his house? If he was really the owner, then surely he’d have known the cottage was rented out.
Hurrying to check the back door and all the windows, Maddie wondered about calling the police herself. He hadn’t really done anything wrong though, had he, so what could they do? She peered through the narrow window beside the front door and saw the tail end of his travel trailer pulling away. Well, at least he’d gotten the message for now. She’d just have to see what tomorrow brought.
Walking wearily into the kitchen, she poured herself a strong coffee and sat down at the small table, determined to put her annoying visitor firmly out of her mind.
Maddie’s thoughts wandered back to how she’d come to be here, all alone in this cottage in the middle of nowhere. She’d felt jittery on the long journey from Devon to the Lake District, she remembered, driving on automatic, her head crowded with doubts and apprehension. It was only when the sign finally loomed out at her, penetrating the fog that clouded her brain, that her spirits lifted. Little Dale—at last, the place that she hoped held a brand-new start.
The moment she’d seen the sign, she’d felt everything beginning to click into place. Now though, after her encounter, she was not quite so sure. A pain shot down her back, almost on cue, as if it had been sent to strengthen her doubts, making her wince and worry. She realigned her position, wondering how long it was going to be before her body felt whole again. And what if it never did? She pushed that thought straight out of her head; there was no place in her life for what-ifs.
Was she crazy to even contemplate having a career with horses again? Her parents had certainly thought she was making a huge mistake by going back to work too soon, especially when the job she’d found was so far away from home. She’d felt so guilty when she hugged her mum goodbye. The image of her strained, worried face in the rearview mirror had left a heavy weight in Maddie’s heart. But this was her life, and she knew what she wanted...had always known. Horses had been her entire life for so long, and the buzz of competition was ingrained into her soul; she couldn’t just let go of that.
Rose Cottage had sounded really nice in the ad, and