West of the Moon — Chrissy K. McVay

Sixteen-year-old James Ellis runs from a dark secret when he suddenly abandons the family farm in Whites Creek, West Virginia. He attempts to leave the past behind and rides toward California. Hoping to bury his pain in the difficult task of gold digging, he is alone except for Rebel, his feisty Arabian Gelding. James is soon lost in the wilderness of Colorado Territory. Despite the advantage of having a fast horse, his chance for survival is slim as he wanders down a desolate trail. An encounter with a weathered trapper named Scoot seems to be a Godsend. Scoot offers to show the greenhorn a safe trail West and James feels luck is finally on his side. Unfortunately, the troubled teen discovers the old codger may have a past even darker than his own! 'West of the Moon' is an Adventure/Western that first appeared as a five part series posted on Amazon Shorts in 2007. The story was a third place winner in the 2003 Southwest Writer's Fiction Contest and a top finalist in the 2004 Writer's League of Texas Western Fiction Competition.