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Mike farewelled the helicopter and joined the others for morning tea in the sunroom. Morning and afternoon teas with Grandma and Grandad Phillips were always enjoyable; and the last few days had been especially good having Mike back. He’d already shared some of his veterinary work experience with Lucy and she hoped to hear more. Normally Grandad or Grandma shared their horse adventures with her. Lucy especially enjoyed the ‘wild horse’ stories. She noticed, however, that they never told stories about the secret herd of curly-coated horses. Maybe because they’re a secret, she thought. So she never mentioned them either; she kept her promise to Suzy by not mentioning the herd of curlies that Suzy had found near the arched rock in the mountains earlier that summer.
Cynthia walked in with some cookies on a plate. ‘Today Grandad wins!’ she declared. Every morning Cynthia would bake something special for morning tea. It had become a competition at the dinner table between Lucy and Grandad as to who would win Cynthia over and get the freshly baked cookies of their choice. Lucy thought how pleased Grandad looked whenever he won. Today was one of those days. ‘Ahh, peanut brownies!’ he winked at Cynthia.
‘Ah, Lucy, we heard you coming down the hall.’ Grandad said with a cheeky grin, biting into a peanut brownie.
‘Oh, Hector, don’t tease the girl.’ Grandma tutted. ‘She’s doing very well on her crutches. Aren’t you, dear?’
‘Hmm, I guess, but I’ll be pleased when I get this plaster off my leg.’ Lucy lowered herself onto one of the cane chairs and leaned the crutches beside the arm of it. She threw her bag on the floor beside her and, smiling, she took a brownie too. ‘Hope’s progressing faster than I am. It’s good news, Grandad!’ she said, taking a bite.
‘How’s that, lass?’ he asked.
‘Well, Shannon reckons Hope’s recovered and that I can bring her back into light work. She can be walked in straight lines for up to ten minutes a day now.’ She took a sip of lemonade. ‘She stipulated, “no circle work.”’
Grandad put down his coffee mug and smiled. ‘Well, that’s excellent news. Yes, walking is good. Build her up slowly. Hmm . . .’ he thought for a moment and shook his head. ‘Walking? Well in my experience swimming is the answer. What we need is to get that mare of yours swimming . . .’
‘Swimming?’ asked Lucy, looking a little surprised.
‘Yes,’ said Mike. ‘I’ve seen hydrotherapy used quite often following injury. In fact, it’s used for getting racehorses fit and toned too.’
‘Swimming will be good for you too, lass, once you get that plaster off,’ Grandad suggested.
‘Hector, let’s just leave that to Lucy’s physiotherapist, shall we?’ said Grandma.
Lucy looked at Grandad who was now reading the Village News. ‘Swimming, huh?’
Grandad raised his bushy grey eyebrows and they popped above the rims of his glasses. ‘Well, it’s got a fancy name nowadays: hydrotherapy or such – is that what you said, Mike?’
Mike placed his book on his knee, ‘Yes, that’s right Grandad. I see the Mountain View Racing Stables has a pool; maybe . . .’
Lucy frowned. ‘But, Mike, we can’t take Hope into the village every day for a swim . . .’
‘Ahh,’ Grandad interrupted. ‘Some years back we had a mare with a pulled tendon. Now what one was that, oh yes, my cutting horse, Bonnie. She’d had an accident and pulled a tendon, all right! Oh, it was a nasty bow, and I had my concerns, you know, whether she’d be sound again. She was sore for a long time. Eventually we swam her every day in the pond down there.’ He pointed to the pond beside the weeping willow trees. ‘She improved greatly with the swimming. Helped to get her fit again and did wonders for her muscle tone and strengthening of tendons . . . I think it will work well for Hope too.’
‘Wow!’ Lucy gaped. ‘Sounds a pretty awesome idea to me.’
Mike topped his mug with hot coffee from the plunger, and sat on a cane chair beside Lucy. ‘Actually it works the muscles without the stress of working on the hard ground,’ he said.
Lucy replied, ‘I can see the logic in that, being a swimmer myself. I know how fit I got when I swam regularly. So how exactly did you make Bonnie swim, like . . . did you swim with her, Grandad?’ And as Lucy sipped her lemonade she pictured Grandad in a variety of swimwear, and laughed out loud.
‘No!’ replied Grandad. ‘And what is it you’re finding so amusing?’ He hadn’t seen Lucy this bubbly for a long time. His thoughts flicked back to the accident and how the fact she was a strong swimmer probably saved her in the gorge when she and Hope were carried away in the raging current.
‘I was wondering if you might have worn a scuba suit or something! Speedos even,’ Lucy teased.
‘Ha, now that would be a sight for sore eyes,’ he replied. ‘Besides, the pond is a bit on the cool side for an old boy like me.’ He looked out, pretending not to notice the joke was at his expense. Very soon everyone was laughing. ‘Anyhow, what’s so funny about me wearing Speedos?’ he added jokingly.
Lucy’s spirits had lifted knowing her horse had recovered and knowing there were so many experienced horsemen around her. She loved Grandad’s great idea and she imagined galloping on Hope, beside Ripple and Liquorice when they returned home to Jasmine Farm.
Lucy suddenly remembered they had to leave soon. She placed her glass on the table and reached over for her shoulder bag. Grandad’s eyes followed her as she clambered to her feet and grabbed her crutches. He admired her fortitude and, removing his glasses, he placed them on the folded paper on the table. He sat in silence for a moment, and then he looked at Lucy. ‘Do you know how to row a boat, lass?’
Lucy shrugged her shoulders. ‘Well, um . . . I’ve been kayaking.’
‘Hmm, that will do.’
‘Oh, here we go,’ laughed Mike, shaking his head. ‘Sock it to us, Grandad.’
Grandad returned the smile. ‘Right, here’s the plan. Starting from, oh, I reckon about a fortnight, say, we’ll start Hope swimming. I’m sure the men can put half an hour or so aside at 10.30 every morning?’
‘Sounds like an awesome idea, Grandad,’ said Mike, smiling. ‘I’m sure Dad and Ron won’t mind assisting in the rehab of Hope. I’m just sorry I won’t be here to help.’
‘That’s okay, Mike. I’ll keep you posted by email, if you like.’ Lucy said.
‘Choice, I’d like that,’ he replied.
‘So, it’s all sorted then. Swimming with Hope!’ Grandad announced.
Lucy was still unsure of her role in Grandad’s plan, ‘So, do you want me to swim too?’ she asked.
Grandad laughed. ‘No, lass, you are the captain of the boat. You’re the one in charge of the cargo, as it were. I wouldn’t make you row, well not for a week or so at least,’ he teased. ‘You get to hold the lead rope and encourage that horse of yours to start swimming behind the boat.’
Lucy turned her wide eyes back from Grandad to Grandma. ‘Um, sounds good to me,’ she remarked tentatively.
‘Well, the dinghy is safe . . . and you’ll be looked after well,’ Grandma added as she stitched her quilt.
‘I’ll be fine, Grandma, and, like Mike says, it will be a great way of getting Hope to exercise her legs without the impact. The ground’s so hard this summer.’
‘Quite right, lass,’ said Grandad as he picked up his black western hat and placed it on his head. ‘Well, I’m off to check on the city boy,’ he laughed. ‘Better make sure our Calum hasn’t forgotten how we do things in the high country! Life here is so different for him from his airline engineer’s work in the big smoke of Seattle.’
Mike laughed. ‘Dad is doing fine. It’s like riding a bike, it’s all coming back to him.’
Cynthia returned, wearing her town clothes. Her greying hair was clipped back and Lucy noticed she was wearing foundation and bright red lipstick. She placed her pigskin handbag on the sideboard and picked up the Land Cruiser keys. ‘Right then, we’ll be leaving in 15 minutes, Lucy. Be sure to bring your cellphone, dear, so you can call your folks following your consultation.’
‘Yes, ready when you are.’
‘I’ll go and say goodbye to Ron and get the Cruiser ready,’ said Cynthia, waving to Grandma and Grandad. ‘See you both tomorrow evening.’
‘Bye, Cynthia,’ replied Grandma. ‘Have fun at the village!’
The Land Cruiser’s horn sounded. ‘Hey, Lucy,’ said Mike standing up, ‘I think Cynthia’s waiting out there for you.’ He grabbed his hat and placed it on his head.
Lucy looked back at Mike as she left the room, her bag over her shoulder. ‘Thanks, Mike. Hey, be sure to take special care of Hope for me tonight.’
Mike jumped up and grabbed Lucy’s overnight bag. ‘I’ll come and help you into the Cruiser.’ Lucy looked back at Grandma and Grandad Phillips and gave them a little wave.
‘Be sure to call us when you get your results, dear.’ Grandma called.
Mike threw Lucy’s bag on the back seat and slammed the Cruiser door shut. Lucy wound down her window.
‘Hey, Mike, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own horse and personal stuff like my doctor’s visit tomorrow that I forgot to ask you how your examinations went?’
Mike smiled. ‘Well, I reckon that’s understandable given you’ve got plenty on your mind at the moment.’
Cynthia chipped in, ‘You’re absolutely right, Mike. Now, if I can interrupt, we really must get going.’
Cynthia had said her private farewell to Mike earlier. She knew he would be gone by the time they returned.
‘Hey, good luck today, and we’ll see you tomorrow. Now you girls behave in the village tonight.’ Mike winked.
Cynthia started the engine. ‘Don’t you worry about us, young man!’
She put her foot down and dust blew out behind the vehicle as they left the turnaround in front of the barn.
Lucy leaned out the window as they passed Hope’s paddock and yelled, ‘See you tomorrow, Hope!’
She could tell by Hope’s body language she was neighing a reply.