About Midnight Blue
by Kalita Kasar
37 pages
/ 15500 words
SIBN: 978-1-60370-867-8, 1-60370-867-7
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc, Sony-optimized pdf, epub
Saul Matthews, the son of a wealthy landowner, dreams of breaking free from his father's overbearing ways and striking out to build an empire in the Australian bush. He longs for his own land and the space to breed fine horses, rather than following his father into the beef cattle trade. To achieve his dream, Saul has trained a fine gray thoroughbred horse, Midnight Blue, and hopes to win a local horse race which will give him the capital to put behind his dream.
When the horse is stolen by Bush Ranger, Daniel O'Malley, Saul gives chase. The attraction between them is obvious from their first encounter, but to act on those feelings is to risk everything, in an era when such 'unspeakable' acts are punishable by imprisonment or death.
Sample
He must be getting closer now. Saul Matthews drew the reins and pulled his horse to a stop, leaning over the animal's withers to look down at the ground in the gathering dusk. The tracks he'd been following were getting harder to see as the sun sank over to his right. He'd tracked the hoof marks through the scrub for nigh two miles. The man had to stop soon, surely.
Straightening, Saul urged the mare onward, confident that he was still on the trail of the thief. He reined in again a few yards further on; he'd caught the scent of wood smoke. Tracking the thief was one thing, but it would be foolhardy to ride his horse right into the bushranger's camp. Saul dismounted and tethered the mare to a fallen log. He'd have to go on foot from here on. He kept low as he moved through the scrub, placing each step carefully to avoid treading on twigs or dislodging stones. The man he tracked was armed and would not hesitate to shoot first and investigate later.
Straining his eyes through the dusk, Saul crept forward, every sense alert for the slightest sound or movement. He caught a glimmer of light from the left and froze in place, turning his head to look that way. He could see the dancing flames of a banked fire and moved toward it. His heart pounded against his ribs and he fought to keep his breathing soft and light as he crept closer to the campfire.
It was a small camp, just a rough shelter constructed with the branches of eucalyptus trees and draped with old flour sacks. A small fire, kept burning low to reduce smoke, and a couple of horses picketed amongst the trees made up the rest of the camp.
Saul's eye fell on the grey colt and he drew his lips into a thin line. It was that animal that had brought him here. Midnight Blue, Saul's champion racehorse, had been stolen practically under his very nose three days before. Crouching beside a burned out tree stump, Saul watched the camp, trying to see how many men were living there. He frowned, craning his neck to better see and then froze when something cold touched his temple and a metallic click told him that he was held at the business end of a pistol. Saul closed his eyes.
"Aye, saying a prayer just now might be the way to go," a soft voice spoke beside him. "Bring your hands where I can see them now. Slow and easy, if you please."
"I am unarmed." Saul raised his hands either side of his head. "I did not come here to fight. Only to retrieve my horse."
A laugh greeted that. "I suppose I must forgive a man for being a fool, when he's a brave fool." A nudge to his shoulder brought Saul to his feet. "Walk. Don't try anything more foolish than you've already done."