Death Rider (The Rider Series Book 2)

by Samantha Bassett

  Samantha Bassett

  Death Rider

  Copyright © 2021 by Samantha Bassett

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Samantha Bassett asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  (0428-01)

  First edition

  This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

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  To Desiree,

  For kindness, support and shared stories…

  “Out of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.”

  — Mark Twain

  Contents

  Prologue

  I. A CHANGE OF SCENE

  1. Losing Track of Time

  2. An Honest Day’s Work

  3. Learning The Ropes

  4. Day’s Off

  5. Fresh Faces

  6. Mother And Daughter

  7. Riding Lessons

  8. All Change

  9. She Speaks

  10. Consequences

  II. DISCOVERIES

  11. Taking Charge

  12. Assumptions Made

  13. Cross Country

  III. ACCUSED

  14. Realisation

  15. A Mother’s Loss

  16. Visiting Time

  17. Moving on?

  18. Letters From Home

  IV. ALL ALONE

  19. Night Thoughts

  20. A Career in Germany

  21. Discoveries

  22. Loose Ends

  23. Moving Pictures

  24. Innocent Until Proven Wrong

  25. The Hunt is on

  26. Lost or Found

  27. Unwelcome Visitors

  28. All Things Considered

  29. Maintaining Momentum

  30. Three’s a Crowd

  V. HOPELESSLY SEARCHING

  31. After The Act

  32. Things to do…

  33. Error of Judgement

  34. Rush

  VI. DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE

  35. New Beginnings?

  36. Birthday Greetings

  37. Treatment

  38. Rain And Sunshine

  A Note From The Author

  About the Author

  Also by Samantha Bassett

  Prologue

  I walk alone in the darkness, clutching the note in my hand. I’m sure this is some sort of wild goose chase, a ridiculous joke. However, there is the terrible risk of discovery, so I push on despite the lateness of the hour and despite the fact, I don’t want to be here. The author of the note was clear that I needed to come to this lonely place, that it would be in my best interest and, that to ignore their clear instructions would be, as they had put it ‘bad news’ for me. I can only guess what they meant, but, with as many skeletons in my closet as I, it paid to be careful.

  I push the awful thoughts from my mind as I turn the corner, it’s dark here, there are shadows cast by the moonlight, but only enough light to see where I am heading.

  I hear footsteps behind me. “Oh Christ, it’s you! I should have realised that if anyone would be behind this nonsense, it would be you. So go on, spit it out! Say your piece…”

  The sudden movement. The rush of crushing pain. My face contorted in shock. I look down watching somewhat detached at the dark liquid appearing before me. I start crying as if emotion would serve me in this situation.

  Stupidly my last thought on earth will be ‘I shouldn’t have worn my best blouse’.

  I

  A Change of Scene

  “A year has passed since the adventures encountered by the staff of the Glebe Farm Equestrian Centre. So, what has happened during that time? We sent our reporter Desiree Merritt-Noble to find out…”

  Horse & Hound

  1

  Losing Track of Time

  I lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to my beautiful wife beside me, my beautiful wife who had stolen the duvet and was snoring louder than our yard tractor in high gear. I prod her, the tone changes. There is silence for a moment before she starts again. I snuggle into her body, she sighs lightly, her breathing quickening for a moment as she dreams. I feel her heartbeat, my chest against her back, the sound of the wind blowing across the bay beyond the windows making me glad to be warm and cosy with the one I love.

  Ours had been a quick romance. Proposing to someone when you think you’re about to die is not something I would recommend to anyone, however, even though we had only known each other for a short time, it was clear we were soul mates. We’d been to hell and back together and, if that isn’t a good reason to grab hold of a woman and never let her go, I don’t know what is.

  I still couldn’t comprehend, almost a year on from when it had all happened, that this was all mine. Not only the redhead beauty in my arms, who, despite her snoring was everything to me, also the stables, gifted to us just a few months before by my sister, who had, in a series of twists of fate, accidentally stolen the money to purchase them from a major league gangster.

  I know it sounds ridiculous after we had been made orphans in a terrible accident, thrown apart and then brought back together just in time to be hunted down and almost killed, in my case, twice. But who’s counting?

  Kate goes silent. I’m torn, do I enjoy the moment of peace and try for some sleep or do I see if she is still alive? A loud snort and more snores confirm the latter and preclude the former. I lean down, grab my watch from the floor, having fumbled it from the bedside table hours before. It’s early, but I need to be up soon anyway. I slip out of bed, leaving sleeping beauty who gathers up the last of the duvet in her sleep and go downstairs.

  * * *

  This kitchen is missing something, we need a dog. My mind drifts to having something like a Labrador bustling around my feet at moments like this, someone who is always pleased to see me. It’s that sort of thought that crosses my mind at goodness knows what time in the morning. Yes, a loyal companion. I smile to myself and resolve to speak to Kate about it as I fill the kettle, switching it on. The Aga is warm, and as the moonlight glistens on the water in the bay through the window, you could say I have found perfection, all I need is a brew, and my morning will be just perfect.

  I sit quietly and watch the sunrise, sipping warm tea, the gradual washing of colour across the fields and the bay beyond. I don’t care how many times I see it; the sunrise is still something that both calms me and, conversely fills me with excitement. It presents the promise of another new day, one filled with opportunity and chance. Even if that day is spent on mundane tasks, when you spend it with friends and family it is certainly a day well spent.

  I think of the yard, our yard. Kate and I have found our heaven, open countryside and horses. She, like me, is a natural horse person, happiest in the saddle or around horses. It’s in our blood and we couldn’t live without the animals we love. I look up as I hear a sound behind me.

  “Ah, you’re awake.”

  “Apparently.” Kate yawns, reaching for the kettle. “You stole the duvet…”

  “I stole? … Okay, I’m sorry… In future, I’ll make sure you’re properly covered.”

  We fall into small talk about the day
ahead, as always midweek is usually relatively quiet. Today we have the farrier due and there are always tasks to be completed which will naturally keep us busy till sundown. Of course, we are ably supported in our ventures by our grooms who work tirelessly without complaint and, without whom, we couldn’t run the equestrian centre. The girls are our staff; however, we often end up acting more like mother and father to an extended family. Resolving squabbles, ensuring they eat a healthy diet and being there when they have a bad day. It’s all a big, mostly happy family with our staff, horses and customers. Kate and I work hard to try to keep it that way.

  “Come on then, we can get a start on feeding before the girls come down…” I slide on my wellingtons and open the farmhouse door, taking a moment to enjoy the sight of our yard. With a horseshoe of brick stables directly opposite, and at the near end the stairs going up to the grooms flat above the stable block. To the right is the feed shed and barns behind which we have both a sizable indoor arena and outdoor menage. Looking down the slight hill leads to the most perfect view across Morecambe Bay with the railway line bordering our land before the short crossing towards Arnside.

  “Ready?” Kate smiles, pulling on her coat as we step out onto the yard.

  There is nothing better in the world than stepping out on a crisp autumn morning where the only sound is of your horses and bird song from the last of the dawn chorus. It’s even too early for the sounds of our grooms who will soon be cheerfully bustling around feeding the horses before mucking out and sweeping down the yards.

  This is the moment of calm before the activity of the day starts and it is, without a doubt my favourite part of the day. Kate opens the feed shed door. We have been highly efficient and laid out the morning feeds in stacks along the wall. Each bucket with a horse’s name painted on it. I grab a stack as does Kate and we step onto the yard, starting with the kickers, those noisy horses who seem not to be able to wait just one more moment before knocking their stable about. Soon we have fed all of the horses and relative calm returns to the stable yard.

  Judith and Emily come down the stairs from the staff flat. They were working pupils when my sister owned the yard and had been with us through some frightening times. We’d promoted them to fully paid grooms just before Kate and I’d got married and now they were both completing their examinations to become riding instructors and coaches just like we were. They were joined by our newest member of staff, the beautiful Caroline. She was a young nineteen and had qualified at college which had given her considerable knowledge and the ability to coach our riding school pupils, however, had left her with less of the more practical skills the grooms who had spent their time on commercial yards possessed. However, with her friendly manner and willingness to work hard she had become a welcome part of our stable’s family.

  The three of them could quickly muck out the stables, honestly, I still felt a little guilty that I wasn’t doing some more of the hard work, however, as Kate often reminded me, they had a way of doing things and I was more often a hindrance to their smooth running of what they saw as their yard. The benefit was, as this was a quiet day, I could spend some time exercising some of the horses and, in particular my new gelding Steel Secret, better known as Oscar when he was not in the show ring.

  Kate had encouraged me to purchase Oscar as a potential showjumping horse and my sister Amanda had agreed when I’d called her for advice, saying it would be good for the business if people saw that I was a moderately successful rider on the local circuit. So, after much looking and soul searching, Oscar had arrived two weeks before. He was a seventeen hand Grey, with a beautiful dark mane and tail. He needed some work to improve his stamina. However, the same could be said for me, and I was taking time to improve both of our fitness before I approached Hilary Wessington.

  Hilary was one of the UK’s leading event riders. I’d been lucky enough to have a session with her as a pre-wedding treat from my big sister, and Hilary had been impressed with my riding. We had been having conversations over the previous few months and she had reiterated that, once I’d a worthy horse, I could bring him and myself over to her yard and she would take me under her wing.

  The idea of working with Hilary was both exciting and somewhat scary, yes, I’d been a fairly able rider, but I was not confident I’d have the skills to call myself a professional or even to be good enough to impress at regional shows, however, only time would tell, and that time was rapidly approaching.

  Oscar whinnied as I approached his stable, grooming kit in hand. I loved the shared time I could spend with my horse and ensured I’d lavished attention on him with long grooming sessions and quiet hacks around the forest and lanes. Today I wanted to step it up a gear and had built a simple jumping course in our outdoor arena. It was time to see how my great investment would turn out, but first, as he was a grey there were considerable stable stains and wood chips to remove from his coat before I could lead him out.

  * * *

  I was proud of my husband. I watched him from a subtle distance as he worked around the arena. I could see the girls watching from similarly hidden vantage points as he warmed up before starting to clear the jumps set up in the arena as if they hadn’t been there. I was aware I was being watched and looked up to see Adam’s horse stood by the fenceline.

  “You do know I can see you all standing there watching me?” There was a scatter of movement as the grooms suddenly found work to be doing. I smiled and walked towards the arena.

  “We’re all excited for you. Oscar is jumping well. I think you’re ready.”

  Adam blanched, stuttering. “It’s early days. In a week or two I’ll call her and we can see what happens from there.”

  “A couple of weeks? Well, I think a bit sooner than that.” The hoot of a horn made us both turn around. I glanced at Adam seeing him go pale.

  “That’s…”

  “Yes, it’s Hilary. I called her and she was excited to see you ride. So, as you are warmed up…”

  I greeted Hilary. She waved to Adam before telling him to go large and warm up the horse.

  “I think he’s a bit starstruck by you still…”

  “Ah… I’ll get him working hard; he’ll soon forget about that. We’re all riders at heart.”

  “Join me for coffee afterwards.” I smile and walk back onto the yard as I hear Hilary start to call out commands for Adam. I look for something to do but find the team have it all well in hand. I sneak a look at my watch, I have a couple of hours before I have to teach, so grab tack and my grooming kit and tack up one of the horses for a leisurely hack.

  The advantage of where we are based is that there is nothing around us. With the bay on one side and forest and fields where we can ride. Once I have my horse ready, I mount and ride off the yard into the quiet countryside. It’s hard to believe that a year ago this was a place of danger, as I rode towards the bay, I remember the time we spent sinking with the sea rising around us. However, it seems like a lifetime ago. Now life is very different, we have a good business with several liveries and a steady flow of riders who want instruction. We will never make a fortune; however, we are lucky enough to be able to live and thrive in a beautiful place.

  I push the horse into a canter and then on to gallop up the hill, passing through the edge of the forest I pull up as I reach the clearing at the top. Here I can not only see the yard with Adam being put through his paces below but far beyond. On one side there are the hills of Cumbria and below me the sweeping bay.

  * * *

  I return to the yard after just over an hour’s hack, Caroline kindly takes my horse and so I walk towards the arena. Adam is red in the face and Oscar is blowing. “How are they going?”

  Hilary smiles and walks to the fence line. “Oh, both are unfit… However, there is potential.”

  “Do you hear that, Adam? You have potential!” I look at him, he looks as if the only potential he has is to fall from his horse and sleep. I wave at Emily who comes over. “Em’ put Adam out of his miser
y and take Oscar for him. I don’t think he can walk, let alone untack.” Hilary laughs. “How about that coffee? Unless you’re in a hurry?”

  “No, I’d love it. Sally’s looking after the yard so can I afford to take a bit of time.”

  Sally was Hilary’s groom. We had met once, the time Adam had visited Hilary’s yard and, by all accounts, she was the ultimate professional A highly proficient event groom. Hilary told me that she had been with her for some years and she spoke of her as much as a friend as an employee. Hilary and I walked across the yard and towards the farmhouse, slipping through the back door and busying myself with the kettle, looking for any remaining biscuits.