Get Charlie Noah

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Ben walked out into the darkness. He didn't need his torch. She would find him. He entertained a degree of fear of large animals and had taken steps to avoid any contact with an animal larger than himself for most of his life. The thing that confused Ben most of all on this occasion was why this particular horse had singled him out for close contact. He would never attempt to tame it, ride it although he understood that this was a fairly natural reaction of man generally toward a horse and had been so for thousands of years even before the birth of Christ.

Light from the windows of the house spilled over the low shrubs and across the lawn. Ben stood still. She approached him slowly but totally without fear.

'I'm told you're not allowed to have biscuits,' said Ben.

The bay mare lowered her head and pushed her nose against his chest. Ben moved his hands up either side of her huge head. 'I've got a carrot.'

The mare stamped her right hoof.

'What the hell is wrong with carrots?' Ben fished it out of his pocket. The mare nibbed the carrot tentatively at first and then with more gusto until it was gone. 'They help you see better in the dark,' said Ben. The mare stepped backwards. 'I'm not sure what you're on about,' said Ben.

She turned and galloped into the darkness.

'What do you think?' asked Charlie as she and Tara watched Ben from a downstairs window of the house.'

'Beats the hell out of me,' said Tara.

'The mare is wild. It won't go near anyone other than Ben,' said Charlie.

Tara didn't respond.

'Okay perhaps now we can get your room made up,' said Charlie.

'He really does it for you, doesn't he?'

'I'm not sure what you mean.'

'Is it nice to be happy?' asked Tara.

'He makes me happy,' said Charlie. 'I'm attracted. I'm intrigued. I'm a bit frightened of him.'

'Sometimes it's better to let those feelings go,' said Tara as she walked out of the room. 'You can get kicks in other ways and make a load of money.'

'What other ways?' asked Charlie.

'We'll talk about it later,' said Tara.

Ben settled back on the huge lounge chair and sipped a very old Australian tawny port. Charlie sat close beside him with a glass of sweet chilled wine. 'That port is probably 50 years old,' she said. 'It was in the house when my mother inherited it.'

'It's very smooth,' said Ben, glancing at her.

Tara drank sparkling mineral water and watched them both intently from a single lounge chair opposite. 'So what's with the mare?' she asked.

'I don't know,' said Ben.

'I think he might know,' said Charlie, 'but he's not saying.'

'She just seems to be around quite a bit of the time,' said Ben. 'I'll go and have another talk to Peter about her tomorrow when I change some of the old batteries and top up the generator.'

Charlie looked at Tara. 'He fixed our electricity. We were running on candles and kerosene lamps before Ben arrived. He even fired up the old fuel oven in the kitchen.'

'Sounds like the kind of man I should have met years ago,' said Tara. There was a slightly bitter edge to her voice.

'I can't stand broken things,' said Ben. 'If it's broken, I have to try and fix it or die trying.'