Stable Mates
'A great treat for readers who love their books jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona WalkerWelcome to tranquil Tippermere, an idyllic village nestled deep in the Cheshire countryside. Home to lords and ladies, horsemen and farmers, and plenty of secrets and scandals…Leaving a scumbag ex behind her, Lottie Brinkley has hotfooted it out of Spain and back home to the country in serious need of some flirtatious fun to soothe her aching heart.Luckily for her she’s spoilt for choice with not one but three eligible bachelors offering a steamy romp in the hay! But faced with the attentions of roguish eventer Rory Steel, the smiling Irish eyes of hunky farrier Mick O’Neal, and mysterious newcomer Tom Strachan, how can she possibly choose?When billionaire landowner Marcus James drops dead unexpectedly, his WAGish wife Amanda threatens to sell the heart of the village and sets her sights on Tom! It seems things are heating up for little Tippermere… both in and out of the saddle.A hilarious, sexy rom com perfect for fans of Jilly Cooper!
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HarperImpulse an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2014
Copyright © Zara Stoneley 2014
Cover images © Shutterstock.com
Zara Stoneley asserts the moral right
to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library
This novel is entirely a work of fiction.
The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are
the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is
entirely coincidental.
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Ebook Edition © September 2014
ISBN: 9780008101732
Version 2015-06-18
Digital eFirst: Automatically produced by Atomik ePublisher from Easypress.
This one is for you, Mum! xx
Welcome to tranquil Tippermere, set deep in the Cheshire countryside. Home to Lords and Ladies, horsemen and farmers.
Set on the highest hill, keeping a close eye on the village and its inhabitants, lies Tipping House Estate. In pride of place is the grand Elizabethan style mansion, sweeping down in front of her are immaculate gardens, well-kept parkland and rolling acres that spread as far as the eye can see.
Follow the stream down to the flat below, and nestling between copses and lakes, you find Folly Lake Manor and the sprawling grounds of the bustling Equestrian Centre. The country lane in front wends its way between high hedges to the village green, the church and two village pubs. Then fans out into tributaries, follow them further and you find a small eventing yard, a scattering of country cottages and rambling working farms.
Take the road north eastwards, travel on a few short miles and soon the elegant village of Kitterly Heath unfolds before you - a village whose origins were recorded in the Domesday Book. At one end of the ancient high street a solid 14th Century church stands sentry, with an imposing school at the other, and all around sprawl the mansions old and new that house the rich and famousâ¦
Marcus James - millionaire businessman owner of Folly Lake Manor and the Equestrian Centre at Tippermere. Recently deceased.
Amanda James â the grieving widow. Elegant and understated, delicate and demure.
Charlotte âLottieâ Brinkley â disorganised but loveable daughter of Billy. Desperately seeking something, if only she knew what.
Rory Steel â devilishly daring and sexy three day eventer, owner of a small eventing yard in Tippermere.
Tilly â head of the terrier trio that accompany Rory everywhere.
Billy Brinkley - Lottieâs father. Former superstar show jumper, based at the equestrian centre.
Victoria âTiggyâ Stafford â dog groomer and some-time groom for Billy. As friendly, shaggy and eternally optimistic as a spaniel.
*
Philippa âPipâ Keelan â headline hunting journalist. Trim, sophisticated and slightly scary. Recently moved to Tippermere, from London, in search of real life and real men.
Mick OâNeal â expert farrier, Irish charmer, dangerously attractive.
Lady Elizabeth Stanthorpe â owner of Tipping House estate, lover of strong G&Tâs. Meddler and mischief maker. Lottieâs gran, Dominicâs mother.
Bertie & Holmes â Elizabethâs black Labradors.
Dominic Stanthorpe - dressage rider extraordinaire. Uncle to Lottie, son of Elizabeth, slightly bemused and frustrated by both.
Tom Strachan - sexy ex-underwear model. Divorced, devastated but amazingly dishy. Recently made his âescape to the countryâ with his goth daughter.
Tabatha Strachan â teenage daughter of Tom. Horse mad, but suitably unimpressed by most other things.
*
David Simcock - England goalkeeper, resident of the neighbouring Kitterly Heath.
Sam â partner of David. Lover of dogs, diamonds and designer delights.
Anthony Simcock â property developer father of David.
*
The horses â too numerous to list
âI think heâs dead.â
Rory Steel had been enjoying, in his semi-conscious state, a particularly gratifying dream where he was just about to clear the last cross-country hurdle that stood between him and the gallop down the home straight, when his mobile had started to buzz like an irritated hornet inches from his ear. Heâd picked it up automatically, horse suspended mid leap.
