No Holds Barred by Lyndon Stacey Read Free Book Online Page B

in the dirt! Also, if you get off and trail the reins, he’ll stand still until you come back to him.’
    â€˜Right-oh, thanks.’ Daniel’s head whirled with all the instructions, but, keeping his touch light, managed to set off without incident. Moments later, he had left the yard with a wave to Sue and was following a grass track uphill between two fields towards a beech hanger near the ridge.
    Once Daniel had got used to him, Piper was a dream to ride. The saddle was like an armchair, and the long stirrup length suited him well. When he found a stretch of inviting turf, Daniel took a handful of mane and then applied his legs firmly to the animal’s sides, to test Sue’s claim about his acceleration. He seemed such a calm horse; it was difficult to imagine him leaping swiftly into action.
    She hadn’t exaggerated. As soon as he felt the pressure, Piper bunched his muscles and shot away with a thrust like a drag racer. There was no warning – no apparent stage of speeding up. He was just suddenly running, and Daniel knew that if he hadn’t been prepared, he’d certainly have been ignominiously dumped on the grass.
    Leaning forward a little, he let the horse run, with Taz stretching to keep up at his side, until he came to the beech trees and roots criss-crossed the path underfoot. The lightest pressure brought Piper back to hand, and Daniel relaxed and began to enjoy himself immensely.
    He’d ridden for about half an hour, and was reluctantly thinking that it was time he made his way back, when he became aware of the sound of human activity some way ahead and to his left.
    He reined Piper in and sat still to listen, but for a moment all he could hear was the wind through the trees and the creaking of the saddle as the horse’s sides moved with his breathing. Then, just as he thought he’d been mistaken, it came again: a faint clanking sound, as of metal being thrown against metal.
    Jenny had given him the impression there was nothing in this area except hayfields and a couple of empty barns, and Daniel’s curiosity was aroused. Telling the dog to stay close, he edged Piper forward. After about fifty yards or so, they topped a shallow rise and could see the brighter daylight of an open stretch of land a little way ahead.
    Keeping to the soft leaf mould at the side of the pathway, he rode closer until he could see a tumbledown shed at the edge of the field and someone moving about in front of it. A familiar dark-blue van stood to one side, its rear doors open, and as he approached, two men emerged from the shed carrying something between them. Their burden was clearly heavy, and halfway to the van one of the men lost his grip and dropped it, to the accompaniment of much foul language from his companion.
    â€˜Do you want a hand?’ Daniel offered, riding out of the trees.
    There was quite a wind over the ridge, singing through the leaves of the beech trees, and it was clear from their reactions that neither of the men had heard his approach. As they whipped round, Daniel saw Taylor Boyd and his younger brother, Ricky – he of the blue pick-up and threatening behaviour. Neither looked particularly overjoyed to see him.
    â€˜I wondered if you wanted some help?’ he said again.
    Taylor recovered first.
    â€˜No, you’re all right,’ he said. ‘We can manage.’
    Daniel rode closer. ‘It looks pretty heavy.’
    The two men were obviously wishing him gone, and, perversely, that made him quite keen to stay. He gestured at the sizeable length of smooth, painted steel at their feet. It looked like part of some sort of farm machinery. ‘So, what is that?’
    â€˜Mind your own fucking business!’ Ricky flared up, but his brother told him to shut up.
    â€˜Just some scrap metal Mrs Summers wanted cleared away. It’s only rusting away up here now no one’s using it.’
    Daniel nodded his approval.
    â€˜I expect