Fleeting Moments

By Gisela Mc Intyre

The novel is set in Australia and the USA.
Ursula, a German-born, had finally fulfilled her lifelong dreamwatching the Kentucky Derby in Louisville. Her beloved husband had died two years ago, but maybe it was time for Ursula to make a fresh start, so she set out to the USA.

However, there was a pleasant surprise in storethe tall and handsome Gary. She met him on the day of the Kentucky Derby. From his gentlemanly behavior to his love of horses and gambling, he seemed an ideal match. Gary stirred feelings inside her that she thought were gone forever. When Gary suggested she spend time with him in Reno, she readily agreed. Their mutual attraction turned into a very steamy sexual affair with deep feelings for one another. When Gary asked her to come and live with him in San Diego, it seemed like a dream come true.

Sadly, an operation changed all that, and Ursula returned to her home in Australia. Ursula did all she could to get over her feelings for Gary. She started writing again, and she met someone new. Then unexpectedly, Gary came back into the picture. Could Ursula believe his promises this time round?
This is a romantic, passionate story about a love beset by challenges.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: May 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503505261

Gisela Mc Intyre

During her wartime childhood in Germany, Gisela McIntyre was praised for her essay writing at school. Having travelled extensively in Europe, Australia, and the United States, she now lives on the Gold Coast. Recovering from a bad road accident, she searched for pen pals until a correspondent from Australia caught her attention, and letters from down under kept arriving. Meeting up with her faithful pen friend, they were married within three months, with the union lasting forty wonderful years and blessed with two children. Reading her father’s journals, which were kept from the time he was fifteen until he died, she has completed her book entitled So Many Stories to Tell with her family’s history and describes traumatic events during and after World War II. After migrating to Australia, her interest in writing continued, with her enthusiasm for horse racing culminating in the writing of Fleeting Moments.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Ursula’s busload arrived around lunchtime at the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, the home of the Kentucky Derby. The tour guide steered his flock through the moving crowd until they arrived at the race track. He showed them to their open-air reserved seating close to the track.

Ursula had followed him briskly, full of expectation. She pushed her sunglasses into her wavy hair, rearranging the unruly curls over her ears, and looked longingly toward the covered grandstand with the famous Twin Spires. The seats in the grandstand were unavailable, as they were reserved from year to year. In any case, the prices were exorbitant.

She found her seat and carefully straightened her new brown suit. It had cost a small fortune. The open neck of her white blouse showed her slender neck. She had come all the way from Australia to see a Kentucky Derby, an once-in-a-lifetime treat she had promised herself. The guide impressed upon them that if they became lost, they should head back to the yellow school buses, where their own bus was waiting for them.

It was the 127th Derby. Ursula had studied the racing form and joined the crowd to make a bet. The writing above the windows puzzled her, and she hesitated, not knowing what to do. A tall stranger behind her asked, ‘Do you want to have a bet?’

‘Yes, I do, but I don’t know how. All I know is Win and Place,’ she replied.

‘For a Win, your horse has to run first,’ he elaborated.

‘I understand that,’ Ursula responded.

‘If you bet for Place, you collect winnings if your horse finishes first or second; for Show you collect on all placings.’ And so it was that he introduced her to some of the intricacies of the American betting system.

‘That’s different from what I know. And it gives a better chance of winning,’ she commented, giving him her nicest smile.

‘I thought you looked lost. You’re not from here, are you?’

‘No, I’m not. I just wanted to see a Kentucky Derby once.’

‘You sound European, then.’

‘Oh yes, I am. I’m from Germany.’

‘And you live in the States now?’

‘No, I live in Australia.’

‘Australia - Down Under. It’s not only the German accent I detect; you have an Australian one as well.’

They moved toward the window. She concentrated on her bet. She decided on Win and Show in the first race where she fancied the name of one horse. Or should she have taken out a bet across the board?

The tall stranger placed his bets. He looked around. Did he look for her? She raised her arm to catch his attention and he walked over to her.

‘I’m going to watch the race. Maybe I’ll see you later. I always place my bets at the same window.’

He moved away, and she pushed through the crowd to find her seat. Her horse ran third, and so she could collect. After the first race she watched several races without betting.

In the next race for fillies and mares, she spotted the progeny of an Australian sire. It was a type of race she normally did not wager on, as fillies and mares could be unpredictable. However, she could not resist having a bet on the mare, for sentimental reasons; the Australian sire had won her plenty of money back home. She squeezed past the patrons and queued at the window, where she had met the tall American. She wasn’t surprised when she heard his voice behind her.

‘Have you been winning?’

‘I collected once. I’ve only had the one bet.’

‘I’ve done well. I collected more than once! What are you betting on in this race?’

‘For old time’s sake, I’ll have a bet on the progeny of an Australian sire,’ she explained.

‘Oh yes, I saw that one. I might add it to my trifecta.’ He checked his form guide. ‘What else have you picked in this race? My numbers are two, three and four. I might add your number. Let’s hope they all come up.’

‘Well, I’ll bet on the same numbers.’

They moved closer to the window. After she placed her bets, she watched him investing a great amount of money, in addition to the trifecta.

‘See you later.’ He nodded and strolled away.

She watched the race. The progeny of her preferred sire ran nowhere, and the trifecta did not come up, either.

She watched several races with interest, but without betting. Then it was the Derby. She hurried back to the totalisator to make her bets when she met the tall American again.

‘Sorry about my pick!’ Ursula apologized.

‘My trifecta didn’t come up, either. I picked the exacta, though. That’s the luck of the game,’ he responded.

I should have done that, she thought. He’s lucky.

When he showed her what he had selected in the Derby for his exacta, she asked if she could copy it.

‘Yes, please do. A trifecta is too difficult. The only way to have a bet is to box them, but it costs more.’ He continued, ‘What do you think about joining forces? We would have a better chance then.’

She hesitated, surprised by his suggestion. She looked directly into his eyes - bright blue eyes - thinking how attractive he was. A gray beard covered the lower part of his face, and she noticed deep, friendly lines around his lips. Without squinting, he looked down at her. He was so tall! She had to admit he knew the local horses, and somehow she trusted him.

‘All right,’ she agreed slowly. ‘How much? You make the bet and I’ll pay half.’

She put her ‘Show’ bets on the fancied duo, Point Given and Congaree, trained by a well-known trainer. In addition, she risked an exacta with several horses as well, and then waited for him. He waved the trifecta ticket in front of her.

‘I’ve boxed several horses. Do you want to pay up now or later? It will cost you $24.’

‘I’ll pay up now.’ She parted with the correct amount. He accepted it and added the ticket to his others. It stunned her again: he was holding the ticket! Hopefully, he would share the spoils if the bet came off.

‘Let’s hope we are lucky. I’m pretty sure we will collect,’ he said, with a twinkle in his eye, grinning in a very handsome way. He must be my age, she thought.

They parted, and she hurried back to her seat. The crowd cheered when the Derby field paraded. The Derby was one mile and a quarter, two thousand meters. The horses were the top three-year-olds of the season. Some jockeys could barely hold their mounts, as they were so keen to go.

At the start of the race, everyone stood up and climbed on their seats. Girls sat on their friends’ shoulders as the crowd cheered, drowning out the caller’s voice. The horses moved at an enormous pace. On the big screen, she followed the favorite. On the far turn, his stable-mate took the lead. On the final turn Monarchos, a local roan horse, swept around all but Congaree. He passed the leader easily and won by an amazing four lengths. Ursula stood up and cheered when the field thundered past.

What came second and third, then? She waited impatiently for the numbers to show on the big screen. She was not sure if all the place-getters were included in the trifecta. She only had ‘Show’ on Congaree, which managed third and paid $7.20. The second horse was a complete outsider and paid well.

There were a few anxious minutes when the jockey of the second horse, Invisible Ink, filed an objection, stating the winner had cut his horse off at the top of the stretch. The stewards needed little time to reject the claim. No winner in an important Triple Crown race, including the Derby, had ever been disqualified.

Ursula sorted out her tickets and ventured to the pay-out windows. She waited for her new acquaintance to show up and join in the very long queue to collect. At last, she spotted the tall frame of the American approaching her.

‘We didn’t win the trifecta,’ he said. His boyish grin had disappeared. ‘I’m sorry. We had the first and the third horse. An outsider spoiled it.’

‘I didn’t know. I didn’t have a close look at the ticket to see what the numbers were.’

‘Oh, here it is. I would have loved sharing it with you. The pay-out would’ve been good, and I would’ve taken you out for dinner.’ He smiled and followed her back to the steps. He was so tall and handsome. She liked tall men. Her husband had been tall.

‘We’d better say good-bye. Have a pleasant stay in our country.’

He offered his hand, holding hers longer than she expected. She pressed his in return.

‘It has been nice meeting you. You were so helpful. Thank you again,’ Ursula responded, smiling. She sprinted up the steps and found that all her party had left. Horrified, she rushed back to look for the tall American and found him still in the same position where she had said good-bye, leaning leisurely against a low brick wall. His eyes had followed her when she walked away, and he liked what he saw.

She seems nice. An interesting accent - and a bit of a traveler. A pity she lives so far away, he thought to himself.

Just as he decided to leave, she came rushing down the steps, lucky to have caught him, waving and calling out, ‘They’ve all gone. They left me behind!’

‘Are you sure? That’s irresponsible, to leave a nice lady like you.’

She didn’t respond to his flattery; she was lost.

‘Yes, they must have left after the Derby. I told my guide I had to collect some money. Where are they? I have to find my bus to return to Lexington,’ she lamented. ‘You are the only one I know here.’

She looked so vulnerable. Rather happy to see her again, he decided to take charge.

‘Collect your belongings. We have to find your bus. Do you know where it is?’

‘Near the yellow school buses, but I’ve no idea how to get there.’

‘I’ve seen them. Come on. I’ll help you. I have no further interest in the last races. I’m well in front for the day.’

‘Oh, would you do that? I’m lost in this big crowd, and my sense of direction is awful.’

They moved toward the gates, masses of people swaying with or against them; sometimes they were separated by strangers.

‘I don’t want to lose you. I have to find that bus and return to Lexington. My plane leaves tomorrow morning for Chicago.’

‘I’m staying in town and am leaving for Chicago tomorrow,’ he responded.

‘Where’s home, then?’

‘Los Angeles. I’m catching the train from Chicago to go home. I might have a stopover in Reno.’

‘When do you catch the train?’ she inquired, coming to a standstill. ‘I’m catching a train for Chicago tomorrow at nightfall.’

‘So am I.’ He stopped and looked at her.

‘Really? What a coincidence!’ Ursula exclaimed, puzzled, and shook her head. She had to concentrate now. ‘Are we heading in the right direction? I can’t remember anything.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll get you there.’

‘Oh, good,’ Ursula said, more at ease. She trusted the tall American.

A security guard confirmed they were moving in the right direction. She was relieved. How would she have coped without her escort?

‘I’m so grateful you’re doing this for me.’

‘You’re welcome. I’m happy to help you. You’re a stranger in town and in my country.’

They battled through the crowd for ten or maybe twenty minutes.

‘We must be getting close. It was a walk of about twenty minutes from the bus to the track,’ she offered.

‘Look, I can see a lot of yellow over there.’ Her escort pointed just ahead of them.

‘My bus is parked over there and my guide is waving. I’m so glad I’ve found them!’ She stretched up and kissed the tall American on his cheek. ‘I’m so grateful. I don’t know how I would’ve managed without you!’

She rushed toward the bus, and he followed her, touching his cheek.

‘Now we say good-bye a second time,’ he said with his boyish grin when he stopped next to her.

‘Yes, unless we meet on the train,’ she said coquettishly.

‘I’m looking forward to it, either in the dining car or in the bar after dinner. Be a good girl.’ He leaned over and patted her cheek.

She watched him move away. He was so tall, with broad shoulders and slim hips. Oh, he had a bit of a tummy, but it added to his stature. It suited him and gave him an air of prosperity. He walked like a sailor, she thought, watching him until the sea of humans swallowed him up. She felt drawn to him. Not since her husband passed away had she been as attracted to any man as she was