Royal Holiday (The Wedding Date, #4)(16)

She was here, wasn’t she? What was she going to do, chicken out of doing this? She took a deep breath and followed Tim inside the horse’s stall.

“Do you have a dog, Vivian?” Tim asked her.

She shook her head. She felt Malcolm’s comforting presence behind her.

“I used to. Ashby. She was a great dog. I’ve been thinking about getting another, but it just hasn’t been the right time.”

Tim nodded.

“Ashby will make this easier. Just think of Polly as a great big version of Ashby, or other dogs you’ve loved. She likes people to pet her, and feed her treats, and give her walks, and tell her she’s a good girl, just like a great dog.”

Vivian felt her shoulders relax at that description.

“Okay. Okay, that makes sense,” she said.

“Good.” Tim reached over and handed her something, and she took it automatically, without looking to see what it was. She opened up her hand and found a sugar cube.

“Do horses really like these?” she asked. They always had in the books Vivian used to read to Maddie when she was little, but she’d thought that could just be a thing in books.

“Close your hand, walk a little closer to her head, and slowly lift your hand up to her. You’ll see how much she likes it.”

Vivian turned and looked up at Malcolm. She didn’t know if he could see the panic in her eyes. She also didn’t know if she wanted him to see it or not.

Either way, he stuck close to her as she took a few steps to the left and then raised her hand toward Polly. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but then the horse bent her head down and nuzzled Vivian’s fist. She laughed and opened her hand, and Polly licked the sugar cube right out of her palm.

“Oh wow!” Vivian said. Polly bent her head back down and nuzzled Vivian’s hand again. “Sorry, sweetie, there’s no more in here.”

“Isn’t she great?” Tim said.

Vivian smiled up at Polly, and she swore the horse smiled back down at her.

“What a sweetheart.”

She turned to Tim.

“Where are the sugar cubes? Can I have another one for her, please?”

Tim pulled a cube out of one of his many pockets and slipped it in her hand.

“There are more where those came from. I was thinking, since it’s such a nice day today, that we could take her out into the field and give her a little exercise?”

Vivian smiled. Only a British person would describe today’s weather, which was in the high thirties at the maximum, as “such a nice day.” But she supposed the sun was out.

“Sure, that sounds great,” she said.

Vivian and Malcolm stepped out of the stall so Tim could lead Polly out. Malcolm put his hand on Vivian’s shoulder and smiled down at her.

“How are you enjoying your first experience with horses?” he asked.

He’d been worried for a while when they first came into the stables; as soon as they saw the horses, Vivian’s whole body had tensed up. When they’d walked into Polly’s stable, he’d been really afraid she would turn around and go right back out again. But nothing had been as bad as that panicked look she’d given him when Tim had handed her the sugar for the horse. Malcolm had been about five seconds from leaping to her rescue when she’d finally reached her hand up to Polly.

“I’m glad we came,” she said. “At first I was . . . concerned, about, you know, being this close to enormous animals who could kill any one of us. But I do have to admit, Polly is very ingratiating.”

He laughed. He’d been so relieved when he heard Vivian’s infectious laugh bubble out when Polly had licked her hand.

“She’s a wonderful horse. Everyone who rides her says she takes great care of them.”

“Have you ridden her? Do you ride?” Vivian asked.

“Not Polly, but yes, sometimes. There’s a horse I get on well with here—Luka—but I don’t have the opportunity that often.” He lowered his voice. “I learned as an adult; it was a . . . strategic move. A good skill for me to have, in the jobs I did, just like golfing.”

When they were all outside, Tim beckoned Vivian to his side.

“Here.” He handed her a carrot. “Walk up to Polly’s head and hold this out to her.”

Vivian glanced back at Malcolm—she was clearly still somewhat nervous—but she stepped forward and held out the carrot. Polly took it from her delicately and then bit down so hard, carrot pieces went flying. Vivian laughed that wonderful laugh yet again.

“She certainly likes snacks, doesn’t she?” Vivian rubbed her hands together. “Something the two of us have in common.”

All three of them laughed at that.

“Ms. Forest, how would you like to take a little turn around the field on Polly?” Tim asked her.

Vivian shook her head and sighed.

“I was worried that’s where this was going.”

Malcolm put his hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I promise, Polly will take good care of you. And I’ll ride with you, if you want.”

Vivian pursed her lips at him.

“I’m going to need a little more than that. I’ve spent fifty-four years getting up every morning and not getting on a horse that day. What exactly makes today the day to make a different decision than the one that’s served me well for life?”