Song of Hoofbeats — John Duncklee

A coming of age story for hearts of all ages... Orphaned unexpectedly, fifteen-year-old Danny Kelly must grow from boy to man. Not only does he have the loss of his parents and his grief to deal with, he has a match race to win. There are mules to care for and farm business to be done. Meeting Alexander Majors and a discussion of a new venture called the Pony Express will change Danny's life forever. He faces new dangers galloping from one relay station to the next as the weather and terrain, exhaustion, Indians, and even buffalo stampedes attempt to stop the mail. Then Dan's life changes yet again when he meets Beth Hollings, the daughter of a banker. She leaves him tingling all over from their first brief meeting and he becomes determined to find out why.