In the village of Oakvale-On-Roe – (024) Tearstained and Breathless

 

Despite the fact that Hannah Wells and Joe Macbeth were eager to continue where they left off on the day of the robbery but after 3 weeks it still hadn’t happened as she was snowed under at work as her colleague Aoife was on sick leave after breaking her wrist in a car accident.

So, one day early in October they had actually managed to arrange to meet for coffee in Nettlefield.

Joe hadn’t left the village very often since his mother died and he hadn’t been into Nettlefield since her estate went through probate.

 

The reason that Hannah had managed to free up some time was because the farm theft case had been solved and the gang of culprits were in custody.

It came about when a 17-year-old youth named Wayne Preston was caught following an incident where he rode a trail bike through the Kingfisher Shopping mall in Nettlefield and thanks to a member of the public, who threw a shopping basket at the rider causing him to crash into a shop display.

He was then detained by security until the police took him into custody, he wasn’t previously known to police, but when he was fingerprinted, he was a match for the break in at Macbeths.

It didn’t take long after a search of his phone and residence to start joining the dots, the phone led them to two people who were known to Police, and a search of their farm unearthed the trailer used to take the Quad away, that led to other suspects, other phones, other vehicles and other suspects, in all they made 15 arrests.

So at the same time Joe and Hannah were meeting for coffee PC Ross Grant was in Oakdale on his way to the stables to give them the good news, and he had just turned into Farmers Lane when he was flagged down by a car coming in the opposite direction, it was the Vet Oliver Rudd.

They pulled up alongside each other, and both wound down their windows.

“Hi Oli” the PC said

“Are you heading up to Macbeths?”

“I am, why is there something wrong?”

“I just had to give Clare some bad news I’m afraid” Oliver said

“I had to put down her mother’s horse”

“Oh, that’s not good” Ross said, “Is she alright?”

“Not really, and as I was leaving, she galloped off up Old Manor Lane” he said “I’m concerned about her”

“Thanks Oli”

Ross drove on up the lane but instead of going into Macbeths Yard he turned sharp left and went along the Old Manor Lane which was now little more than a muddy track, fortunately because he worked a rural beat and often encountered such lanes and tracks he drove a 4x4, but even then parts of the track were heavy going.

Because it was muddy he could clearly see fresh hoof prints ahead so he kept going as far as he could, but the Lane soon became impassable, so he stopped the car and donned his boots and set off on foot. 

 

He walked for almost half an hour and continued to follow the hoof prints and the woods either side on the path were getting thicker and thicker and darker and darker and then he saw a glimmer of light though the trees and the path was leading him towards the source of the light, which appeared to be a small clearing.

As he got closer, he could see that Clare was in the clearing, the colt was tied to a tree, and she appeared to be holding his neck and comforting him.

But as he moved a little closer, he could see she was actually sobbing against the horse’s neck which caused Ross to hesitate.

He was not well versed in comforting crying women and were it not for the fact that he had feelings for Clare he would probably, to his shame, have tiptoed away unnoticed.

So, under the circumstances slipping quietly away was not an option so he considered his next move as he looked at Clare standing beside the tethered beast, still wearing her riding hat and he was standing on her blind side.

He walked slowly across the clearing, closing the distance between them and as he got closer, he could hear the sobs accompanying her trembling shoulders.

Ross was a couple of paces from her when she suddenly became aware of his presence.

“Oh Ross” she said and threw herself into his waiting arms and buried her face in his chest, because of the height difference she only just reached his chest.

“What’s the matter Clare?” he asked although he already knew the answer.

“Come on now, don’t upset yourself, and tell me what the matter is.”

At first, she just stood stock still against him, but when she tried to tell him what was wrong it was completely incomprehensible.

“Ok don’t talk honey just cry it out” he said and ran his hands up and down her back.

All he could do was hold her and utter soothing words while she cried her tears and her whole body shook within his arms with the force of her heartbreaking weeping.

After about ten minutes when her breathing slowed and her sobs had subsided, he asked again.

“What’s the matter?”

“Aspen is dead” she said, “Mums horse is dead.”

Then she started crying again so he held her close to him again

“I know, Oliver told me” He explained.

“That’s why I came to look for you.”

“You were looking for me?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, I was worried.”

“About me?”

“Yes of course”

“I didn’t think you’d give me a second thought” she said.

“I think about you all the time” Ross said.

“All the time?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes, all the time” he confirmed.

Clare pushed herself away from his chest and looked up at him and a smile spread across her tearstained face and then she leapt up and wrapped her arms around his neck and said.

“Me too”

She was hugging his neck tightly and didn’t ever want to let go but the next thing she knew he was sitting her on top of fallen tree.

“No don’t let me go” she begged.

“But I have to” Ross said.

“But why?” she asked desperately.

“So that I can do this” he said and kissed her trembling lips which met with no further protestations.

 

Afterwards they walked back along the path with Clare holding the reins in one hand and Ross’s great paw of a hand in the other, he with tears stains on his uniform and she with mud spattered up her jodhpurs.

When they reached his car, after the briefest of kisses, she mounted the colt and he watched her trot away on her chestnut horse, her pert mud spattered little bottom bouncing on the saddle before getting in the car and following on behind her.

He was only halfway through his shift, so he stopped at the end of the Lane he turned left and got out and waited while Clare stabled the horse.

As he had to get back on his beat and her brother Joe wasn’t back from Nettlefield, he didn’t want to leave alone so he phoned Sarah Cooper.

Sarah stabled her horse Snowflake at Macbeths, and she was friends with Clare, and she only lived around the corner.

Clare smiled at him when she emerged from the stables and walked up to him and kissed him, they were still kissing when Sarah walked into the yard.

“Well, we definitely have something to talk about” Sarah said as she held up a wine bottle.