Read Online No Holds Barred by Lyndon Stacey - Free Book Online Page A

need to plan ahead. Where did you go yesterday?’
    â€˜Up the track to the beech hanger and along the ridge,’ Daniel told her. He’d been debating whether to tell her of his encounter with the Boyd brothers, and now he made a snap decision. ‘I saw Taylor and his brother on the other side of the wood.’
    â€˜Did you?’ She frowned. ‘What were they doing up there?’
    â€˜Loading some old farm machinery into their van. They gave me the impression you knew about it.’
    â€˜No, I didn’t. Well, I did ask Taylor to shift some scrap for me a couple of months ago – some galvanized iron sheets from an old barn that collapsed last winter and a rusty plough from the days of horsepower – but I assumed he’d done that ages ago.’
    â€˜Mm, well, I think he may have interpreted your request as a licence to help himself,’ Daniel observed, moving up to Piper’s head to brush his silky forelock. He described what he’d seen.
    â€˜Oh dear, I suppose I’d better have a word with him,’ Jenny said, looking as though it was a task she didn’t relish.
    â€˜Actually, it might be better if you didn’t, cos he’ll know where the information came from, and just for now I’d rather he didn’t see me as taking sides.’
    â€˜That sounds a bit serious. Do you think he’s up to something?’
    â€˜Not necessarily. As far as I’ve seen, he’s not doing too bad a job running the business – apart from having it in for Reg, as you suggested.’
    â€˜Poor old Reg. Do you think he is getting too old for the job?’ Jenny asked.
    â€˜Well, he’s always last back and Boyd makes a big fuss about him being slow, but since he has on average two more drops than the rest of us, that’s not surprising, is it?’
    â€˜Wait,’ Jenny caught his arm. ‘He has more drops?’
    â€˜Yes. Almost always. And if not that, then he has to drive significantly further between them than we do. I asked him. He doesn’t get on with the others very well, so he’s never thought to ask them about their routes. He wasn’t too happy when he found out.’
    â€˜But that’s not fair!’ Jenny exclaimed. ‘Did he ask Taylor about it?’
    â€˜Yes, but he basically said Reg was talking crap and that if he wasn’t happy with his job he knew what he could do.’
    â€˜So I was right.’
    â€˜Looks like it.’
    â€˜When was this? Why hasn’t Reg come to me?’
    â€˜This afternoon. And I think he thinks you’ve got enough to deal with.’
    â€˜But why has Taylor got it in for Reg?’
    Daniel shrugged. ‘Maybe because Reg is old enough not to be impressed by him, and Taylor Boyd does like to control people. The youngster, Dean, is scared of him; Macca seems to respect him – God knows why – and Edwards thinks the sun shines out of his every orifice. That’s the way he likes it.’
    â€˜And you?’ Jenny slanted a look at him, wrinkling her nose as she squinted against the evening sun.
    â€˜He’s not sure about me yet, and that suits me fine.’ Daniel put down his brush and went to fetch Piper’s saddle pad and blanket off the door. ‘Do you give Boyd free rein in the office?’ he asked, casually.
    â€˜More or less. I never meant to, but things were getting so out of hand and he offered to help. Why? Don’t you think I should?’
    â€˜Within reason, I expect.’
    â€˜Well, of course I do run through the figures when I do the accounting at the end of the month,’ she said.
    â€˜Fred said something about you losing stock.’
    Jenny looked uncomfortable. ‘I may have panicked a bit. Taylor explained what happened. It was an admin mistake – he owned up.’
    â€˜So it’s all OK.’
    â€˜Yes. Well it seems to be. Of course, with the livery business to run as well,