He heard uneven running steps behind him. He looked around and Fred was nearly across the paddock. Fred got to them and crouched down on the other side of Milly.

“Is she breathing?”

Cole nodded. He could feel the tears slide down his cheeks. He felt completely useless and still didn’t know what to do.

“You got your phone on you, Cole?”

Fred hadn’t tried to move Milly either.

Cole nodded again.

The old man stood up. “Ring for an ambulance, boy, then ring Tom and tell him what’s happened.”

Hands shaking, Cole made the calls. He got the ambulance and gave the directions to get to the stables.

He couldn’t contact Tom.

Fred went to catch Tobias and came back to them leading the horse.

“You stay with her. I’ll put this one away and bring a blanket.”

“Do you think she’ll be all right?”

Fred steadied the horse.

“No idea, just don’t move her until we know what we are dealing with. And keep trying to get Tom.”

Cole sat beside Milly He touched her face, stroked her hair and talked to her. He stopped long enough to try to get hold of her father.

Fred came back with a blanket and helped spread it over Milly. It seemed to take an age for the ambulance to arrive. Milly still didn’t regain consciousness. But at least she was breathing.

The next day, the doctor who examined Milly in A&E and admitted her to hospital stood at the end of the hospital bed.

“Just a bump on the head and the breath knocked out of her. No permanent damage,” he said to Tom. “Take her home and make her rest for a few days.”

Milly sat up in bed, a bit of a bruise on her cheek. “But I’m flying to England tomorrow.”

The doctor picked up her chart. “I’d cancel that flight and book another in a week or so. Give yourself time to get over the concussion.”

“We can do that.” Tom stood up ready to go. “I’ll go and get the car and bring it round while you get dressed, Princess. Cole, you wait here until she’s ready and come her down her. See if you can do that job properly.”

Cole nodded. Bloody Milly. Somehow, he copped all the blame for her coming off Tobias. Maybe someone had let slip about the argument and leaving Fred to do the watching.

Back at the house he got landed with looking after Milly again.

“Just make sure she doesn’t do anything,” said Tom before he left to go back to whatever meeting he’d been called away from yesterday. “And this time do what you’ve been told to do.”

Maybe Tom didn’t know about the fight, because he acted like he and Milly would want things this way. But he was still copping it for Milly’s stupidity.

So here he was again, her minder.

He sat there on the end of the couch, elbows on his knees, thinking about how the last few days had gone. Milly had been bloody unpleasant all week, and yesterday she’d excelled herself. Was a total bitch for most of the day. Then she got angry, rode her horse like a maniac, and came off. She always did exactly what she wanted without thinking about how it affected anyone else.

From the moment he saw her fall he felt like his heart had been pulled out of him.

Then when she came to, the first thing she thought of was whether she could still fly to her mother’s.

She didn’t care about him or how he felt.

“What’s wrong, Cole?” Milly sat on the other end of the couch, legs tucked up under her, leaning on the arm. She was still in the skinny jeans, camisole and sneakers her father had taken to the hospital for her to change into. She had a puzzled look on that flawless face, flawless except for the big bruise on her cheek.

“Nothing.”

“You’re not still angry with me, are you?”

“No.” Of course, he was still angry at her. The two people in this world he cared most about seemed intent on killing themselves and no matter how hard he tried he didn’t seem to be able to stop them.

He couldn’t stand this.

He stood up. “I’m going.” The others would be waiting for him. The last practice before their first night at the pub next week

“But, Dad said you had to look after me.”

“He must have forgotten it’s my day off.” He looked at his watch. “I’m meant to be at the shed.”

“Can I come?”

“Nope. You’re meant to be resting.”

“And you’re meant to be looking after me.”

He went over to the door. “I’m sure you are safe in the TV room.”

“Is this because I wouldn’t stop riding when you wanted me to?”

“Some of it. And because you chose to ride a bloody dangerous horse. He’s thrown you twice now.”

“It isn’t Tobias’s fault.”

He snorted. “It never is, is it?” He opened the door.

She slid off the couch and came over. “Or is this because I’m leaving?” She put her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. “You could come with me.”

He kept his hand on the door handle. “As what?” He was too tall to be a jockey, didn’t know enough to be a trainer, couldn’t ride well enough to do what she did, and couldn’t afford the gear or the horse anyway.

That left going as her minder and if she didn’t care if she got hurt, why should he?

She looked up at him. “A groom? You could help me with the horses there too. I’m sure Daddy would pay your fare if I asked, and Joe would give you a job, if I wanted it.”

Yep. All he meant to her was someone to help her with the horses.

“Nah. Daddy can’t buy you this toy,” he said to her. Besides he wanted to try this thing with Stadium at the pub in weekends. He wouldn’t mind seeing how that went. And his father couldn’t look after himself. He’d finish up dead too.

Milly looked hurt.

She dropped her arms and stepped back.

“What’s got into you? Why won’t you come with me?”

He wasn’t the one who decided to ride a dangerous horse, and nearly killed himself. Again. He’d end this now, before she succeeded in doing it and he had to watch. He’d broken up with girls before. Plenty more where she came from.

“We’re over,” he said.

Milly blinked. She stepped back a little more. She drew in a deep breath and stood straighter. He’d never seen her look so classy.

“If that’s what you want,” she said.

“Yep. That’s the way I want it.” He left and slammed the door behind him.

At the shed nobody was practicing. They were all just sitting around.

Luke had his arm around Tessa and they were sitting side by side on the stage. “We weren’t sure you’d make it. Tre said Milly got hurt and is in hospital.”

“She’s home now.”

“How is she?” Isaac was with Jess, perched on the sawhorse, sitting close too.

Everyone in his world seemed to be paired off. “Bruised and concussed. She’s meant to be resting.” He leaned against the bench. Noah and Adam had pulled up a couple of boxes.

Tessa stood up. “You shouldn’t be here, Cole. She’s leaving tomorrow, isn’t she?”

“Not now. It’s been put off a week.”

“Still,” said Tessa. “She must want to spend time with you before she goes.”

He shrugged. Yeah, right. She was probably upstairs packing, pleased to have got rid of him.

He pushed himself away from the bench. “Are we going to practice?”

“Yeah, in a moment.” Luke leaned forward, elbows on knees and tapped his fingers together. “We think it will be easier in the weekends if you and I stay in Hamilton on Saturday nights. These three,” he nodded at Tessa, Adam and Noah, “are going to flat together, and we could stay at the flat.”

Cole shrugged again. “Yeah, that works.” He had nothing to get back here for now. “You would have been staying there anyway, wouldn’t you?”

Luke grinned and looked over at Tessa. “Yeah, but no point in us taking two vehicles.” He stood up. “Now let’s run through what we’re doing next weekend.”

Cole climbed onto the stage and went over to the drums. Tessa had just got a text. She read it then looked over at Cole. He ignored her. If that was Milly checking up on him, she could take a running jump.

He’d already ignored a couple of texts from her. She deserved to be dumped. She’d ordered him around for the last month and when he wouldn’t do what she wanted she got mad and put herself in danger.

He whacked the cymbals hard. She’s a bitch.

He saw Tessa go over to Luke and say something to him. Luke nodded, fished in his pocket and gave her his keys.

“Back in a minute,” Tessa said as she left.

The practice started. Stardust first as usual. Isaac wasn’t playing the violin. Noah had taken that over. Isaac was still headed for university in Auckland, so he wouldn’t be part of this pub gig. Pity, because he was good.

The violin wailed the introduction and he pulled his mind back. He waited for Luke to come in.

He shouldn’t have left Milly on her own when he’d been told not to.

Next year, Luke would still be in Paeroa, Tessa would be in Hamilton all year, Isaac was going to be in Auckland and Jess was staying here because she had another year at school. It didn’t look like they were breaking up.

Maybe he should have been kinder. Maybe he’d been a bit blunt when he decided to finish it. But she didn’t ask him to change his mind. She let him leave. If that’s what you want, she’d said.

The cymbals got another angry whack.