A Christmas Knight Read Online Free PDF

with Asperger’s?’
    â€˜I know someone,’ he said, ‘and horses have made a huge difference to him. But I can remember his parents used to worry themselves sick about him, because he never seemed to make friends at school. I guess you probably do the same with your son.’
    â€˜All the time,’ she admitted, caught off guard.
    â€˜Don’t,’ he said softly. ‘He’ll be fine. He might only have one or two really close friends, but they’ll be good ones—and that’s better than having hundreds of acquaintances you can’t really rely on when life gets tough. And if he finds a job that matches the things he’s interested in anddoesn’t involve having to deal with people whose minds aren’t quite as quick as his, he’ll shine.’
    She blinked back the sudden rush of tears. How ridiculous. Just because someone understood, instead of making unfair judgements.
    â€˜Look, I’m going straight to the stables from here. I’ll talk to Ric and Bea tonight, and then maybe you can come and have a look round at the weekend, meet the team, and see if Tyler likes the place.’
    â€˜That’s very kind of you. Are you sure?’
    â€˜They do a lot of work with the RDA—Riding for the Disabled Association,’ Dominic said.
    Louisa’s chin came up. ‘Tyler isn’t disabled. He just happens to have a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome.’
    Dominic sucked in a breath. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound like that. What I mean is, Ric and Bea believe in inclusion and it doesn’t matter who you are or what your particular challenges are—if you love horses and want to ride, then you should have the chance to do it. Ric’s parents owned the riding school before they retired and Ric took over, and they were the ones who started the RDA work at the stables. So Tyler won’t be made to feel that he’s a special case or anything—he’ll be treated just like everyone else.’
    Again, the tears threatened. How long had it been since people outside her own family and her best friend had treated her precious son just like anybody else? ‘Thank you.’
    â€˜You’re welcome.’
    â€˜He’s eight,’ she warned, ‘and he’s only ever ridden a horse at one of the farm park type places. He’s a complete novice.’
    â€˜Bea’s a brilliant teacher. She’s great with kids and she’sreally patient with novices. I’ll talk it over with her tonight. See you tomorrow,’ he said as they reached her car.
    â€˜See you tomorrow. And, Dominic?’ She gave him a heartfelt smile. ‘Thank you.’

CHAPTER THREE
    â€˜W HAT happened?’ Louisa asked.
    Mrs Livesey was ashen with worry, cradling her two-year-old son. ‘It’s all my fault. The children were playing nicely and I was chatting to my friend over coffee—I should’ve been watching them more closely. Julian slipped and cut his head open on the piano. I put a cold wet cloth on it to try and stop the bleeding, but it wouldn’t stop, so I brought him here.’
    â€˜That was the best thing to do,’ Louisa reassured her. ‘Scalp wounds always bleed a lot, so they often look worse than they are. Has Julian been sick at all, or had any kind of fit?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜Did he black out, or has he been drowsy since?’
    Mrs Livesey shook her head.
    â€˜That’s good,’ Louisa said. She assessed the little boy’s limb movements, then shone a light into his eyes; she was relieved to see that his pupils were equal and reactive. She took his pulse and temperature—both of which were in the normal range—and gently examined the cut on his head. ‘It’s clean—you did brilliantly there,’ she told Mrs Livesey, ‘but it’s a little bit too deep just to glue it.’
    â€˜Glue it?’
    â€˜You’d be amazed