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Chapter 9
Stable-ized
Oddly enough, the stable door was unlocked, and Kent stepped inside. The open door allowed enough of dawn’s light to see that the four stalls held three horses. Only one bothered to acknowledge him with a short whinny, then a snort. A ladder leading to a spacious loft looked awfully tempting. He climbed up, and at the top saw tightly packed bales of hay stacked on wooden pallets so air could circulate and the hay wouldn’t rot sitting on the floor. He also saw a few loosely packed bales of straw. He dragged one of those off a stack and clawed it open. Spreading out the straw to make a bed of sorts, he sprawled out. After almost three hours of lightly guarded sleep, he awoke to the sound of a horse’s hooves on the stable floor below. Naively feeling secure, he intended to remain in the hayloft during the daylight hours. No way would he risk being seen outdoors.
He heard boots scraping on the wooden rungs of the ladder. Kent leaped up, scurried to the far end of the loft, and ducked down behind stacked bales of hay. Oh shit, I’ve come this far and now I’m about to be discovered. Peeking out, he saw the upper half of a boy carrying a pitchfork, climbing up.
The lad continued up the ladder, stepped into the loft, and tossed his pitchfork onto the floor. Kent figured him to be a stablehand about eighteen. Clad in bib overalls with buckled straps over a long-sleeved shirt, the boy didn’t bother to pick up his pitchfork. Instead, he stood at the top of the ladder, gazing down, and called out, “Have a nice ride, ma’am.”
Kent heard the horse’s hooves thudding on the clay stable floor. Soon the clop-clop of the hooves faded as the rider departed on the packed earth outside. The boy, rosy cheeked with tousled blond hair, turned, took a few steps, and sat down on a tightly packed bale for almost ten minutes before noticing the bale of straw that Kent had broken open.
Kent’s heart thumped double-time, expecting the lad to begin an extensive search for whomever had disturbed the bale. Instead, the boy bounced over to the spread straw, pushed a large heap of it together to form a pillow, and flopped down on the comfortable bed he’d just made. With hands behind his head and knees bent and up, it seemed as if he planned to goof off, maybe even nap while the rider was away.
Kent realized he was trapped behind his chosen stack for now. But hell, he thought, I can’t continue my journey in daylight anyway, not wearing these clothes. He knew the odds were against him and thought about possible scenarios. Even if the stablehand fell asleep, it would be far too risky to sneak around him to the ladder. And there was no way he could discern whether the lad was actually asleep or merely daydreaming. Kent couldn’t allow himself to fall asleep either; if he snored, he would be a dead giveaway—with emphasis on dead.
A painful silent two hours passed. Kent’s legs ached from crouching and shifting positions. He also kept nodding off and forcing himself to stay awake. Suddenly, he heard horse hooves and voices outside. The stablehand scrambled to his feet and opened a separate loft door. With his pitchfork, he shoved a bale of hay and another of straw over the edge to the floor below, then tossed the pitchfork down. That done, he bolted down the ladder before the sound of the rolling stable door was heard.
Kent inched silently toward the loft’s open edge to observe without being seen. He saw a handsome buxom woman in full riding habit sitting astride a roan quarter-horse. After a few quick exchanges, the woman began to scold the youth mercilessly. He remained respectful yet unmoved by her tongue lashing. When the woman left and shut the stable door behind her, Kent moved to a tiny triangular window near the peak of the loft ceiling. From there his eyes followed the woman as she walked to the farmhouse. The farmhouse looked pretty ritzy to him compared to most houses he’d seen during the trip through this region. Probably someone important lives there, he thought.
Kent’s gaze drifted to the rear of the house, where a thin woman in a drab dress hung wash on the line. She wore a full white apron and a babushka tied under her chin. He saw sheets, pillowcases, and nightshirts already on the clothesline, and now she hung a dress, ladies’ blouses, two men’s white dress shirts, a red and black checkered shirt with long sleeves, a pair of jeans, and a pair of black trousers. Kent began to wonder. Would any of those things fit me? But wet clothes won’t help much. I’ll wait for them to dry, at least a little. But the longer I wait the more likely they’ll be taken down and brought into the house. He decided to compromise—wait two hours
for them to dry and snatch a few slightly damp things off the line. Perversely, he wondered, If they’re well-off, rich even, wouldn’t they have a dryer? Or was the power system too weak to accommodate one out here in the boonies?
To entertain himself for the next two hours, Kent stole near the open loft edge to watch what he could see of the stablehand performing his mucking and feeding chores. It was reminiscent of a summer he spent on his Aunt Martha’s horse breeding farm. That was the year he learned to ride. A shadow of sadness crossed his unshaven face. That was also the summer his mother died, and his father retreated into a shell of grief for several weeks, ignoring his two sons. His father recovered, but emerged a silent, humorless man.
© Larry and Rosemary Mild
Guest Review, Kent and Katcha by Larry and Rosemary Mild
Review by Sal
“Kent Brukner, alias George Thermon, now Major Anatoli Todorev, had gained
entry to a highly sensitive military facility. He went through another successful
badge check just to reach the reception desk.”
This book ended up being a much different read than I expected, and in a very
delightful way! 'Kent and Katcha: Espionage, Spycraft, Romance,' by Larry and
Rosemary Mild begins with the main character, Kent Brukner, traveling to
Moscow to do something very dangerous.
See, the American government has been steadily recording the movements of the
Russian military ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall. And now, three years later,
they have sent a single agent to plant a listening device in the office of Russian
General Uri Molitkov. But something goes wrong. The agent, Kent Brukner, who
goes by the alias of Anatoli Todorev, makes a mistake and ends up getting caught
by the Russian military.
Kent is immediately sent to a Russian prison without so much as a trial and things
do not look good for him at first. It was at this point in the book that I knew,
because of my fear for Kent's character, that I was hooked into the narrative.
After a thrilling escape from prison that had me biting my nails as I read along,
Kent begins a trek through the Ural mountains to a destination he knows not.
Eventually, he comes across a small cafe where he meets a beautiful woman
named Katcha.
After Katcha reveals that she knows he has escaped from prison, but that she has
no intentions of turning him in, Kent decides to spend some time at the cafe and, in
getting to know Katcha, begins to fall for her. Then her mother suggests that
Katcha goes with him to America. But will the couple be able to make it to
American soil without getting caught by the police? That's the question of the story
and one that I would never dream of spoiling here!
You'll have to read it yourself to find out, and I highly recommend that you do!
Praise for Larry and Rosemary Mild
Cry 'Ohana: Winner of the Readers Favorite, 2011 Award "I was hooked from the very first page. The chapters are short but there is plenty of suspense, intrigue, blackmail and betrayal. The characters are very easy to connect with. The descriptions of Hawaii are excellent. Adventure and suspense make this a book you won't want to miss."-Readers Favorite, for Cry 'Ohana “The beautiful setting, engaging characters, and lively plot combine to bring readers a story that is literally difficult to put down. The novel deftly moves between the characters and their stories concluding with a satisfying finish. It is an engaging story of tragedy, hope, and unconditional love."- Mystery Books Site, Reviewed by Edie Dykeman, BellaOnline's Mystery Books Editor, for Cry 'Ohana “Shame can tear families apart, and murder can obliterate them. Cry Ohana: Adventure and Suspense in Hawaii tells the story of a Hawaiian family who through a string of tragedies finds their family torn apart. But when they need to find justice, the family struggles to reunite. A story of family and reunion for the betterment of it all, and dedicated to Hawaiian culture, Cry Ohana is a choice pick, highly recommended.”- Midwest Book Review Reviews for On the Rails “I enjoyed this story and felt like it was well researched in regard to the Depression, the different government work programs, and what it was like to live in the mid-30s. Life was very different then compared to today. The story does not gloss over the dangers of her adventures. She did encounter some men who wanted only one thing. Others tried to rob her of what little she had in her possession.”-Leslie, Storeybook Reviews “This book has everything you could ask for, non-stop adventure, some history lessons, villains and most importantly, highly likeable characters, who have to overcome every imaginable obstacle.”-Denise, Amazon “Excellent character development. I adored Bertie. She had such an amazing personality. She was a fighter for sure. She wasn’t afraid to go for what she wanted, even if it meant... pretending to be a man. And fight, she did. She had to fight her way through every situation she came to. Don’t let the sweet and fun of this book fool you. There is plenty of action. Having taken place in 1936, this book has lots of great historical aspect to it, which I love! I highly recommend this for anybody who would like something a little bit different. I would definitely read more by this great writing duo!”-Wendy, Wall To Wall Books “I enjoyed reading On the Rails by the talented co-authors, Larry and Rosemary Mild. I liked going back in time to the Great Depression era and meeting Bertie. I loved her character and getting to know her. She was intriguing and I was fascinated by her story. I would love to read more like this from the writing team Larry and Rosemary Mild in the future.”-Amy, Locks, Hooks, and Books “A book that not only brings some laughter, but packs an emotional punch. I was pleasantly surprised by the high caliber of the writing in this novel! The writers did a lot of research, and it was employed well throughout the book. This is a great read and one that I highly recommend!”-Bee, BookPleasures.com
About Larry and Rosemary Mild
Award winning authors Larry and Rosemary coauthor mystery, suspense, and fantasy novels and short stories: The Paco and Molly Mysteries; The Dan and Rivka Sherman Mysteries; 2 Hawaii suspense/thrillers; a sci-fi novella; a historical novel (new); and four collections of short stories.
They are members of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the National League of American Pen Women, and Hawaii Fiction Writers.
Making their home in Honolulu, Hawaii, in a condo overlooking the Pacific Ocean, they relish time with their daughter and grandchildren. Rosemary’s popular personal essays include her new book IN MY NEXT LIFE I’LL GET IT RIGHT. She is a former assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine..
Website: https://www.magicile.com
Giveaway Kent and Katcha by Larry and Rosemary Mild
This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only. ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on June 27, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only. a Rafflecopter giveawayFollow Kent and Katcha by Larry and Rosemary Mild
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus May 13 GP Linda L. Goodreads May 15 Review Leslie. Storeybook Reviews May 17 Guest Review-Nora & Excerpt Gracie S. Goodreads May 20 Review Carole Rae's Random Ramblings May 21 Review Mike M. Goodreads May 22 Review Kathleen Celticlady’s Reviews May 23 Guest review-Laura & Interview Denise Amazon & Goodreads May 31 Review Tammy TTC Books& More June 3 Guest Review-Sal & Excerpt DT Amazon & Goodreads June 5 Review Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 7 Review & Interview Ellen Goodreads June 10 Review Amy Locks, Hooks and Books June 12 Review & Excerpt Marion Amazon & Goodreads June 25 Review Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 26 Review Bee Book Pleasures June 27 Review & Guest Post
I am so glad enjoyed 'Kent and Katcha ' so much! Thanks for hosting!
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