The Last Train Home

Chapter Fifty-One

Knowing the Dad was alive, that he hadn't been injured or captured, felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

It had been a weight I tried my hardest to ignore for months until I almost forgot it had been sitting there. After months of waiting for a letter, or some news on Dad, it finally felt like everything might be alright. I knew the war was going to continue, that it would keep going until one side came out victorious, but Dad was alright and if he could survive the Dunkirk rescue, I knew he could survive anything. When the war finished, I knew Dad would be coming home.

With the treehouse finished, and us moving into September, Alec and I returned to the Goodwin farm to work with Juliet. Even though I had been riding and looking after Jigsaw pretty much since I had arrived over a year ago, I still had a lot to learn when it came to horse care. I had no idea how to tell if a horse had thrown a shoe or what normal horse behaviour would look like. If either Juliet or Jigsaw got ill, I wouldn't have been able to tell.

Despite me needing to know the intricacies of looking after a horse, Alec was still adamant that I learn how to jump again. He didn't take no for an answer and I knew he would continue to push once I got more confident riding Juliet.

"Jonathan said that Jigsaw didn't make the jump because he knew I was scared of it. If I'm scared of the jump, Juliet will do the exact same thing," I said, brushing Juliet.

"Then we need to get you more confident on a horse. You were happy to get back into the tree when you almost fell out of it. If you keep trying, you'll get more confident at it. It's that simple."

"I didn't actually fall out of the tree, and you have a strange definition of the word simple."

"You can free-climb trees and onto roofs, but jumping a horse over a small jump is the limit? You amaze me, Syb." He shook his head, smiling.

"I keep saying the same thing," Jonathan said. He appeared at the stable door with a bucket in his hand. "Although Juliet is looking good. You'd definitely make a good riding teacher, Alec."

"Thanks, Mr G."

"Will you be staying for supper?"

"I have to get back home. I promised Mable I'd help with the chickens since she keeps letting them escape."

"Alright. The offer stands whenever you want, just give us a warning."

"I will."

Jonathan nodded and dropped the bucket by the stable door. He turned and headed back up to the farmhouse, whistling to himself as he went. Ever since we had finished the treehouse, Jonathan had been trying to convince Alec to have supper with us and every time he offered, Alec refused. He never gave a reason why and I thought it better not to probe, especially since Alec had never been much of a talker when it came to his family life. If he didn't want to explain he didn't have to and he could very well have been busy.

Once Jonathan had disappeared, the two of us continued the chores in the stable with Alec threatening to throw hay on me multiple times. He helped me to move the straw around and to top up Juliet's feed and hay supplies for the night. Jigsaw and Romeo both snorted at the lack of attention they were getting so we stocked up their hay as well, just to keep them happy. I never wanted to get on the wrong side of Romeo since he was such an imposing-looking horse; keeping him well fed helped to stay on his good side.

We left the stable and headed back out to the paddock where Duchess was grazing, chewing on small tufts of grass just outside the sandy paddock. With an hour or so to go before I had to be up at the house to help with supper and Alec had to go home, he decided to show off a little. He placed the saddle back on Duchess' back and untethered her from the fence post, leading her into the paddock. I walked over to the fence and perched on top of it, wrapping my hands around the painted wood.