Nick caught a movement out of the corner of his eye as he turned the young horse. He had spent the last hour in the indoor arena with the animal on a long lead rein, walking, trotting, and cantering the filly around in circles, getting her used to his commands, making her aware of what was going to be asked of her. Another few minutes, he judged, and she would have had enough. Little and often was better for horses. He would reward her with a good rub down and a nice bucket of oats.
He took his attention off the horse, to see Tia lurking in the doorway. The floor of the arena was difficult, but not impossible, for her to manoeuvre her wheelchair on, but he couldn’t remember the last time she had ventured inside.
He slowed the filly to a walk, then gradually brought her to a halt. When she was standing quietly, he strolled over to her, took hold of her halter and undid the clip on the lunge rein. Preparing to lead the horse out, he turned to the huge barn doors with a smile on his face and then his expression fell.
Tia was gone.
He found her in the house, staring out of the living room window with its views of the fields behind the stables and the horses grazing them. He didn’t often want to admit it to himself, but he guessed the sight of the animals which had been responsible for Tia’s accident might not be easy for his sister to cope with.
‘Tia?’ His voice was soft, hesitant. These days she tended to fly off the handle at the slightest thing.
‘Hmm?’ She didn’t turn around to look at him but kept her attention on the view beyond the window.
He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he held his tongue. It was a silly question, as she had pointed out whenever he’d asked it in the past. What was wrong was imminently clear – the fact she was now confined to a wheelchair.
He guessed she would never truly accept her situation and might always feel resentment for having lost the use of her legs, but he had hoped she would come to terms with it. Every time Nick thought (hoped) Tia was settling down, she had a relapse.
Physically, she was as good as she was going to get, so her doctors said, but mentally, there was still some way to go.
‘Did you want me for anything?’ he asked, instead.
She shrugged.
He tried again. ‘I saw you outside the arena. You should have joined us. Feisty Girl is coming on in leaps and bounds.’
‘Stupid name for a horse,’ she muttered, by way of response.
He wrinkled his nose. She was in one of those moods and it always floored him. He knew from past experience that no matter what he tried, he wouldn’t be able to prise her out of it, but as always, he carried on trying.
‘We’ve been invited to Tonbridge Manor for dinner tonight,’ he said, knowing full well the invitation had been for him alone. If Tia agreed to come, he’d square it with Miranda and her mother somehow.
He saw Tia’s shoulders hunch even further and suppressed a sigh. She used to be such a fun-loving girl and although she had slowly been showing signs of returning to her old sunny self, for the past few weeks she’d retreated back into her shell. Counsellors and doctors alike had warned both of them to expect this roller coaster of emotions, but knowing it was normal after such a life-changing event didn’t make it any easier to deal with, either for him or for Tia.
‘No,’ she replied, after a long pause.
‘Come on, Tia, you’ll enjoy it,’ Nick cajoled. If he could just get her out of the house and into the big, wide world, surely she’d see that life could be good again…?
‘I said, no.’
This time, Nick let the sigh out. ‘Why not?’
He knew he was being confrontational and argumentative, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He really did want to know what was holding her back. She’d been to Tonbridge Manor loads of times, and since her accident, too, so why wouldn’t she come with him now? The idea she might be suffering from depression flitted across his mind, and he briefly closed his eyes in despair. Maybe it was time he recognised she needed more help and support than he could give her, but now probably wasn’t the best time to broach the subject.
The heavy guilt he already felt, suddenly weighed a few pounds more and he looked up at the ceiling, blinking away the sting of tears. He hadn’t cried much since her accident, but every now and again sorrow for his sister caught him unawares.
‘Will Miranda be there?’ Tia asked, cutting into his thoughts.
‘I expect so.’
‘Good.’
Despite himself, Nick smiled. ‘Why “good”?’
‘She likes you.’ Tia turned her chair to face him.
Nick shrugged. ‘I doubt it,’ he said, although he knew Tia was right.
‘She does,’ his sister insisted.
‘It makes no difference if she does or doesn’t,’ Nick pointed out, knowing where this particular conversation was heading, because they’d been there before.
‘You need to start dating again. All work and no play…’ she trailed off with a wry smile.
‘I’m not interested in dating,’ he said, firmly. It was true, he wasn’t – he had his career and that took up most of his time. He studiously ignored the fact that he had dated frequently before Tia’s accident, and his career hadn’t prevented him from enjoying female company then.
‘You should be,’ Tia stated.
‘No.’ It was his turn to give one-word answers.
She shook her head, her mouth a thin line, and put her hands on the chair’s wheels. Nick stepped aside to let her pass, seeing the closed expression on her face and wondering what he’d said to upset her. Surely, if he didn’t want a girlfriend it was up to him?
He watched her leave, a frown creasing his brow. He had a feeling there was something more to his sister’s mood and he intended to discover what it was.