Chapter 1: Aubrey Farm

"Easy there, boy."

Kate carefully led the dark brown Bay horse out of its stall and down the barn's main pathway leading outside. Straw covered the concrete floor as she and High Flier made their way together through the barn; over a dozen other horses, locked up in their own individual stalls, watched over their gates at the two of them, some of them snorting and bucking their heads slightly.

"Don't worry, guys. You'll all get to go out for a ride soon," Kate promised the other horses, smiling. "It's just High Flier's turn right now."

Several of the horses made nickering noises, and Kate made a mental note to take each of the horses out for some exercise today. Lipton and Rory were usually the most restless ones, so they would go first, and Hearsay got some new shoes the other day that needed to be broken in. Nectar's stall appeared to be empty today, but Kate figured the farm's supervisor, Mrs. Danbury, just took him to the horse doctor for a check-up. She would have to ask her once she came in later.

It was rather early for Kate to be at Aubrey Farm today, but she was scheduled to give an 8AM riding lesson this morning, and therefore needed to be in much earlier than usual. Kate often gave riding lessons – in fact, she probably gave more than any other employee here – and she could be trusted with teaching everything from beginner riding basics to some of the most advanced moves. Luckily, the girl who was getting a lesson this morning was apparently just a beginner, so Kate figured it wouldn't be too difficult.

The lesson wasn't for about an hour, so Kate was going to give High Flier some exercise by taking him on a ride through the wooded area surrounding the farm. It was a beautiful clear day out today, the sun still barely peeking out over the treetops, and Kate couldn't help but smile as she led her horse out onto the dirt and gravel paths leading out into nature. She wore her favorite blue jeans and riding boots today, and she had opted for a short-sleeve purple flannel today due to the warmer weather.

It was so rare for England to have a nice summer day like this, and Kate was going to enjoy it.

After adjusting the saddle to make sure it was on securely, Kate stuck her foot into the stirrup and lifted herself up onto the horse, swinging her leg around and settling down on the seat like she'd done a million times before. High Flier nickered slightly as Kate squeezed her heels, and soon they were off in a gentle canter.

"Good boy," Kate muttered, smiling as she leaned forward and rubbed his mane. High Flier snorted.

They trotted down the dirt path that led around the perimeter of Aubrey Farm; the first acre surrounding the farm was a vast open field surrounded by a wooden fence, but beyond that was a large wooded area. These woods were owned by Aubrey Farm, and were mostly used by the trainers and more advanced riders. The large network of dirt paths had more advanced terrain that was too difficult for beginners, but Kate enjoyed the variety of riding the horses through the woods here.

It was still pretty early, and Kate figured she was going to be the only one out here. However, once she reached the edge of the woods, she was shocked to see another horse and rider about a quarter of a mile away trotting into the woods from another pathway.

"What the –?" Kate quickly tugged the reins so High Flier stopped in his tracks. She stared at the other rider, squinting her eyes as she looked at the horse. It was Nectar: the horse she noticed had been missing from its stall this morning. Some random person was taking him out for a ride!

Frowning, Kate snapped the reins and urged High Flier forward in a fast gallop toward Nectar and the mystery rider, with Kate trying her best to see who the person was as they got closer.

Was it another employee here who hadn't clocked in yet? Or some kid trying to be funny by stealing one of the horses from the stable? Either way, Kate needed to know what was going on.

Nectar and his rider entered the woods, and High Flier followed them at a fast pace. Kate was now much closer to the mystery rider, and she could see that it was a young man about her age.

"Hey!" she called out to him, shouting over High Flier's hoofbeats. "Hey - you!"

The guy turned to look at her, clearly surprised to see another rider out here. Kate definitely didn't recognize this guy, and now she was certain he was trespassing.

What does this arsehole think he's doing?!

Immediately, the guy snapped Nectar's reins and began galloping full-tilt into the woods. He was clearly a very skilled rider, but Kate couldn't really appreciate his talent as he made his rapid escape.

Kate's mouth fell open in shock, and she could only gape at him for a moment before she quickly came to her senses and snapped High Flier's reins, hurrying after him. High Flier was one of the fastest horses at Aubrey Farm, but Nectar was very fast too, and this mystery rider already had a head start on her.

Kate gritted her teeth as she followed them down the narrow dirt paths, jumping over fallen branches and rocks as they went. Despite the difficult terrain, the guy wasn't faltering in his speed, and Kate had to hand it to him that he was extremely good.

But she was good too, and she wasn't about to give up. She was going to chase him for as long as she needed to – no way was he going to get away with stealing Nectar.

They galloped through the woods for several more minutes, neither of them slowing down for even a moment, and Kate was surprised at the ease in which this guy navigated through these woods. It was almost as if he knew this place as well as she did, though she was positive she had never seen him before.

How often has this guy stolen horses from here?

The guy finally took a divergent path that led back out of the woods; after a minute or so, he broke out of the tree line and galloped out onto the open field toward the farm. Surprised and confused, Kate followed him, snapping the reins again to try to speed up.

The guy was heading straight for the main barn, and Kate's confusion mounted as she followed him. Why on earth was he going back to the place where he stole Nectar from? She watched as he neared the stables and finally slowed down to a canter.

He came to a stop just as Kate rode up, and she tugged on High Flier's reins in order to stop too. The guy was panting slightly from exertion, and he watched Kate stop in front of him, a grin on his face.

Kate glowered at him.

"Wow, you're really good," he complimented, sounding sincere. "Where'd you learn to ride like that?"

Kate didn't bother answering him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The guy's smile faded. "What?"

"This is private property, you do realize that, right?" she snapped at him. "Why the bloody hell did you think you could steal one of our horses for a little galavant around the woods?! Did you really think we would be okay with that?"

The guy raised his eyebrows at her, his expression remarkably cool. "I did think that, actually, yeah."

Kate seethed with anger as she continued to glare at him. She unstrapped her feet from the stirrups and hopped off of High Flier, walking over to tie his reins to a nearby post. "This isn't a joke! You're trespassing right now, and I have every right to tell my supervisor what you've done."

The guy unstrapped his own stirrups and hopped to the ground beside Nectar, tying him to a nearby post as well. "You go do that."

Kate narrowed her eyes as she gave him a onceover. He was tall and rather lean, and he had a thick mop of chestnut hair that looked rather windswept as it fell over his brown eyes. He was smirking at Kate, and she couldn't help but think that if he hadn't just stolen Nectar, she would think he was rather handsome.

Stop it Kate!

"What's your name?" Kate demanded of him.

"What's yours?" the guy countered immediately, crossing his arms. Kate felt a bit taken aback.

"I asked you first," she snapped angrily. "What are you trying to hide?"

"Well, according to you, I'm just a petty criminal," the guy said, shrugging unconcernedly. "Why should you care what my name is?"

"I care about when the horses here are being taken by strange men without permission," Kate argued. "And those same strange men who then lead me through the woods in some ridiculous horse race!"

The guy suddenly grinned at her. "Ah. So you're upset because you lost the race?"

Kate snorted derisively, rolling her eyes. The arrogance of this man was ridiculous. "Oh please, this was hardly a race. But if it was, I would've beaten you fair and square."

"Is that so?" the guy asked, still grinning devilishly at her. Kate wondered if he was about to challenge her to a real horseback riding race, but before he could, the main office door burst open.

Kate and the guy looked around to see Kate's manager, Mrs. Danbury, hurrying toward them. Kate couldn't help the wave of relief she felt upon seeing her.

Finally, this arsehole will get exactly what he deserves!

"Mrs. Danbury," Kate stepped toward the older woman. "May I speak with –?"

"Mr. Bridgerton!" Mrs. Danbury called out to the guy, brushing past Kate as she rushed toward him. "Violet just informed me that you had arrived at Aubrey Farm today. If I had known, I would have arrived earlier to greet you! My deepest apologies."

The guy smiled kindly at her. "Don't worry about it, Mrs. Danbury, but thank you. I just got back from school a few weeks ago and I wanted to go out for a ride this morning before the farm opened to the public. I thought I was alone, until I ran into another rider here."

He gestured to Kate, smirking at her, and she frowned at him. She still didn't like this guy, but she was starting to realize he wasn't the trespassing hooligan she initially thought he was.

"Oh, Kate," Mrs. Danbury looked over at Kate and smiled at her. "I'm glad you're here! I see you've already met Mr. Bridgerton."

"Just call me Anthony," the guy introduced, walking toward Kate with his hand outstretched, a smile still fixed to his face. "You're Kate?"

Kate eyes his hand a bit suspiciously before reaching out and taking it in her own. "Yeah… Kate Sharma. I'm sorry, am I supposed to know who you are?"

"The Bridgerton family owns Aubrey Farm, Kate," Mrs. Danbury explained to her. "They also own a real estate company out of London, and several other horse farms out in America."

"Oh," Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise, and heat suddenly creeped up her neck when she realized this Anthony Bridgerton guy was essentially her boss. And she had just yelled at him for trespassing on his own property! God, how embarrassing. "Er… it's nice to meet you."

"You too," Anthony said, still eyeing her with amusement as he finally let go of her hand. "Kate and I met while riding out in the woods earlier, Mrs. Danbury. She really is an amazing rider."

"Yes, Kate is by far one of the best riders here at Aubrey Farm," Mrs. Danbury smiled brightly at Kate, who couldn't help but blush. "She's been here at Aubrey Farm for about a year now, but she has quickly become one of our top employees. All of the horses here adore her – she truly is a huge attribute to the farm."

Kate smiled, feeling rather pleased by her praise. Mrs. Danbury was a great boss, and Kate honestly liked working for her – she was fair and kind to all the employees, and Kate felt truly appreciated for all her hard work with the horses.

"I can definitely believe that," Anthony said, sounding sincere in his words. Kate looked at him, and he met her gaze, causing her heart rate to speed up a little bit.

"Er, thank you," she said a bit uncomfortably, and she cleared her throat. "But I'm actually meant to give a riding lesson this morning, which is why I'm here so early. Have either of you seen the girl I'm supposed to teach?"

"Oh, er… that's actually one of the reasons why I'm here this morning," Anthony piped up, scratching the back of his neck a bit awkwardly. "Eloise has been begging me for riding lessons for awhile now, but I've never had the time, so I agreed to sign her up for lessons here at Aubrey Farm. She was running a bit late this morning, but she said she would be here soon."

Just as he said that, the barn doors burst open and a young teenage girl ran out. "Anthony!" she squealed excitedly. "There are SO many horses in here, have you seen?! How have you or Mum never taken me here before? Oh my God, I'm going to LOVE it here!"

"Eloise," Mrs. Danbury smiled brightly at the younger girl. "It's wonderful to see you! Your brother was just telling us you're starting lessons with us today."

"Yes, Mrs. Danbury," Eloise said excitedly, stopping in front of them with a bright smile on her pretty face, her hands clasped behind her back. She had dark brown hair similar to Anthony's, and a wide happy smile that Kate couldn't help but immediately like. "Can I start right now? Can I?"

"El, this is Kate Sharma," Anthony patiently introduced Kate to his little sister. "Kate, this is my little sister, Eloise. Kate's going to be the one teaching you how to ride, El."

"Really?" Eloise asked excitedly, grinning over at Kate. "So, can I start riding right away?"

Kate and Mrs. Danbury laughed. "The first lesson is usually just teaching you how to put on the saddle and getting up onto the horse," Kate explained with a smile. "We can start there, alright?"

Eloise pouted slightly, her shoulders dropping. "Fine. But I want to at least start riding by the next lesson, alright?"

Without waiting for a response, she turned and hurried back into the stables to find what horse she wanted to start with, and the others laughed. Kate glanced over at Anthony, who gave her a smile and a shrug, and she giggled.

Maybe working under these Bridgerton's wasn't going to be so bad after all.


A/N: Hope you all liked the first chapter of my new story! Please like and comment!