Dude Ranch Detective Read online

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Ride ’Em, Cowgirls!

  Chapter 2: Annie’s Story

  Chapter 3: Hot on the Trail

  Chapter 4: Follow That Carrot!

  Chapter 5: Wild West Pest

  Chapter 6: Hoedown Lowdown

  Chapter 7: Pony Tail

  Chapter 8: Shining Star

  1

  Ride ’Em, Cowgirls!

  Are these cowboy hats for us, Slim?” eight-year-old Nancy Drew asked the tall man in the gift shop.

  “You bet,” Slim said. He tipped his own white cowboy hat. “Compliments of the Galloping Grits Dude Ranch.”

  “Cool!” Nancy’s best friend George Fayne said. She placed the cowboy hat over her dark curls. “Now we’re real cowboys!”

  “Cow-girls,” Bess Marvin said. Bess was Nancy’s other best friend. She was also George’s cousin. “Do these hats come in pink?” Bess asked Slim.

  “A pink cowboy hat?” George cried. She rolled her eyes. “Give me a break!”

  While Slim helped another customer, Nancy smiled. She couldn’t believe she was on a ranch with real horses. Now she, Bess, and George could practice everything they had learned at the River Heights Riding Academy.

  “This is going to be the best vacation ever,” Nancy said. She gave Bess a hug. “It was nice of your parents to invite me and George to come along.”

  “It was Mom and Dad’s idea,” Bess said. She nodded at her parents, who were checking out postcards at the other side of the store. “They said there’d be plenty of room in our minivan.”

  “Yeah,” George joked. “Even with all of Bess’s suitcases.”

  “It’s good to pack a lot of clothes,” Bess insisted. “In case you need them.”

  “Like your ballet tutu?” George asked. “When are you going to need that on a dude ranch?”

  Nancy saw Bess pout.

  “It’s okay, Bess,” Nancy said. “I packed a lot of things, too. Like my riding clothes, sneakers, bathing suits—”

  “And your blue detective notebook, of course,” Bess interrupted with a smile.

  “Of course,” Nancy said. “But this week I’m a detective and a cowgirl.”

  “I heard that,” Slim said. His blue eyes twinkled as he walked back to the girls. “And you’re not real cowgirls yet.”

  “We’re not?” Bess asked.

  “Nope,” Slim said. “First you have to wave your hats in the air and shout—Yee-haaaa!”

  The girls looked at one another. Then they took off their hats and waved them in the air. “Yee-haaaa!” they shouted.

  “Now you’re official cowboys,” Slim said. “Whoops—I mean cowgirls!”

  Nancy smiled at Slim. “Are you the owner of this ranch?” she asked.

  “No,” Slim said. “My wife, Dixie, and I are the head ranch hands. We’re minding the ranch while the owners are away. And this gift shop, of course.”

  The girls began exploring the shop. George picked up a T-shirt that read Horsing Around at Galloping Grits.

  Nancy and Bess ran to a shelf filled with colorful wooden animals.

  “I carve and paint those little critters myself,” Slim told the girls.

  Bess held up the bright blue wooden horse. She turned to her parents. “Mom, Dad? Can I have it? Please?”

  Mrs. Marvin looked up from a postcard she was holding. “It’s very nice, Bess,” she said. “But we came to the ranch to see real horses, remember?”

  Real horses! The words made Nancy shiver with excitement.

  After buying the postcards, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin went to their cabin to unpack.

  The girls got permission to explore the ranch. There were lots of kids running in and out of cabins and heading toward the lake with rubber rafts.

  “Where are the animals?” Bess asked.

  Nancy glanced around. She saw a big red barn with bales of hay piled up on one side. A row of log cabins stood against the lake. There was a playground, a dining hall, and a tennis court next to the main house.

  Then Nancy saw something black and white in the distance. It was standing on four legs.

  “I think I see a cow,” Nancy said.

  “Let’s mooove closer,” George joked.

  But as they got nearer Nancy noticed something strange about the cow.

  “That cow’s not real,” Nancy said. She tilted her head. “It’s a fake.”

  WHOOOOOSH!

  A white rope fell over Nancy’s shoulder. It slipped down to her waist.

  “Hey!” Nancy shouted. The rope dropped in a circle around her feet. She whirled around and saw a boy with blond hair and glasses wearing a cowboy hat.

  “Can I have my lasso back?” the boy asked. He held the other end of the rope.

  “What’s the big idea?” George demanded.

  “I was trying to rope Sylvia,” the boy said. He pointed to the fake cow. “That’s what she’s here for—lasso practice.”

  Nancy stepped out of the rope. “Who are you?” she asked the boy.

  The boy tipped his cowboy hat. “The name’s Josh Fleckner,” he said. “But you can call me Tex.”

  “Are you from Texas?” Bess asked.

  “No. Chicago,” Josh said. He pointed to a long white trailer next to the cabins. “My parents and I are driving all over the country this summer. The Galloping Grits Dude Ranch is the best part. Especially for a cowboy like me.”

  “What makes you a real cowboy?” George asked.

  “Because I’m going to get my own pony, that’s why,” Josh said. “My mom and dad are bringing one back from the ranch.”

  “Wow!” Nancy said. “I hope your house has a very big yard.”

  “We live in an apartment.” Josh shrugged. “But my room is big enough for a horse—if I move my bed against the wall.”

  Josh tipped his hat. He whistled as he walked away.

  “What a pest,” Bess whispered.

  “The biggest pest in the West!” George giggled.

  “Howdy, girls!” a voice called.

  Nancy spun around. She saw a woman dressed in blue overalls walking over.

  “I’m Slim’s wife, Dixie,” the woman explained. “It looks like you girls are enjoying your first day on the ranch.”

  “We are,” Nancy said. “But there’s one thing we can’t wait to see.”

  “Hmm,” Dixie said with a grin. “Let me guess. Could that be . . . the ponies?”

  The girls jumped up and down.

  “We took riding lessons!” Bess said excitedly. “We can even ride fast!”

  “Well, now!” Dixie laughed. “How would you all like to come to the stable for your first trot around the corral?”

  Nancy glanced at Bess and George. They looked just as excited as she was.

  “We’d love it!” George exclaimed.

  The girls followed Dixie to the stable. Nancy was glad they were already wearing their riding clothes.

  When they entered the stable Nancy saw eight stalls filled with ponies. Two teenagers were feeding them carrots.

  “Meet our wranglers, Ron and Linda,” Dixie said. “They work here every summer.”

  Ron and Linda smiled and nodded.

  “I like that pony best,” Bess said. She ran over to a white pony with a brown mane. “Which one do you like, Nancy?”

  Nancy couldn’t decide. Then she saw a black pony with a white star-shaped mark on his nose. His tail was black with silver streaks.

  “He’s beautiful!” Nancy gasped.

  “Star is also worth a lot of money,” Dixie said. She patted his mane. “You’ll see why as soon as you ride him.”

  Nancy’s eyes lit up. She was going to ride Star!

  Bess chose the white pony named Peppermint. George picke
d Tawny, a tan pony with white speckles. Then Dixie, Ron, and Linda saddled the ponies and led them outside to the corral.

  Nancy, Bess, and George waited outside the fence. A girl was already riding a pony. Her red hair flew back as she galloped around the corral.

  “Look at her go!” George whistled.

  “That’s Annie, our junior wrangler,” Dixie called out. “She’s ten years old, and she’s been riding since she was five.”

  When the ponies were lined up inside the corral Ron and Linda helped the girls mount. Nancy remembered what to do: step into the stirrup with the left foot and swing the right leg over the saddle. Soon all three friends were sitting in their saddles.

  Annie slowed her pony down. She trotted over. “Dixie?” she asked. “Why is that girl riding Star?”

  “It’s okay, honey,” Dixie said. “I just want to see how Nancy rides.”

  “Okay,” Annie said over her shoulder as she rode her pony out of the corral. “But just today.”

  “Why doesn’t Annie want me to ride Star?” Nancy asked Dixie.

  “Star is Annie’s favorite horse,” Dixie replied. She rubbed her hands together. “Now, why don’t you girls show me what you learned in riding school?”

  Nancy went first. She pulled gently on Star’s reins. Then she pressed her legs against Star’s sides and guided him toward the center of the corral.

  Star snorted and began to trot. But it was more than just a trot—Star was prancing like a parade horse!

  2

  Annie’s Story

  Did you learn something in riding school that we didn’t, Nancy?” Bess called from Peppermint.

  “No!” Nancy said. She couldn’t stop grinning. “Star is doing all the work!”

  Star threw back his head and strutted around the corral.

  “Way to go, Star!” George cheered.

  Star stopped and straightened out one leg. Nancy held on tightly as he took a bow.

  Just like a show horse, Nancy thought. She could see Annie leaning on the fence. Annie was watching Star, too.

  All three girls rode their ponies around the corral. But Nancy knew that Star was special.

  “You should change his name,” Nancy told Annie as she rode over to the fence.

  “To what?” Annie asked.

  “Superstar!” Nancy declared.

  Annie smiled. She climbed over the fence and grabbed Star’s reins. “I think Star needs to rest now.”

  Already? Nancy thought. She swung her right leg over Star’s back and dismounted.

  “Can I ride Star tomorrow, Annie?” Nancy asked. “And the day after that?”

  “We’ll see,” Annie said as she led Star back to the stable.

  “’Bye, Star,” Nancy whispered.

  “You girls did great,” Dixie said. “You can join the trail ride tomorrow morning at nine-thirty if you’d like.”

  “We’d like that very much!” Bess exclaimed.

  Bess and George dismounted their ponies. Then Ron and Linda led Peppermint and Tawny back to the stable.

  “I wish Annie had let me ride Star a little longer,” Nancy said.

  “Maybe Star was hot,” Bess suggested.

  George fanned herself with her cowboy hat. “He’s not the only one. Let’s ask if we can go swimming.”

  The girls ran to their cabin. After they had changed into their bathing suits, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin took them down to the lake.

  Nancy, Bess, and George swam and splashed one another in the cool water. They made two new friends: nine-year-old Iris Park from Minnesota and eight-year-old Peter Sanchez from Philadelphia.

  Bess and George stayed in the water, but Nancy dried herself off. She sat down at a picnic table and took out a postcard that Mrs. Marvin had given her.

  I’m going to write to Daddy and Hannah, Nancy thought.

  Hannah had been the Drews’ housekeeper since Nancy was three years old.

  Using her pencil with the blue dolphin eraser, Nancy began to write:

  Dear Daddy and Hannah,

  It’s only our first day and I’m already having a great time. No mysteries yet, but that’s okay. There are lots of other fun things to do here!

  Love and XXX,

  Nancy

  “Don’t eat the red-hot chili, girls,” Mr. Marvin warned at the cookout that evening. “It’s probably very spicy.”

  “You’re eating it,” George said to her uncle, pointing to his paper plate.

  Mr. Marvin patted his stomach.

  “Nothing is too hot for these guts of steel,” he said with a chuckle.

  Nancy, Bess, and George watched as Mr. Marvin ate a forkful of chili. After a few seconds his face turned bright red.

  “Water!” Mr. Marvin gasped. He grabbed a plastic pitcher and poured himself a big cup of water.

  “I think I’ll stick to the hot dogs,” George whispered to Nancy and Bess.

  After the cookout there was a campfire and a marshmallow roast for the kids. Iris and Peter were there. So was Annie. But when Nancy saw Josh she had to giggle. He was wearing a white cowboy outfit studded with red rhinestones. His hat was really big.

  “Okay, you guys,” Ron said. He picked up a guitar. “One thing we do around the campfire is sing.”

  Ron strummed his guitar and led the kids in a round of “Home on the Range.”

  “Are there any requests?” Linda asked when the song was over.

  Iris raised her hand. “Do you know ’Dance Like Crazy’ by the Jumping Beans?”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “That’s a rock song. You don’t sing that on a ranch.”

  “What do you sing?” Iris asked.

  “Glad you asked,” Josh said. He stood up and pulled out a harmonica. “I call this little ditty ’Rope Them Dogies.’”

  Josh tooted his harmonica. Then he sang to the tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”: “She’ll be ropin’ them ol’ dogies when she comes! She’ll be ropin’ them ol’ dogies when she comes—”

  When Josh stopped singing, Bess took her fingers out of her ears. Nancy forced herself to clap.

  “Wait! Wait!” Josh said. “There’s still the big finish!”

  Josh grabbed his lasso and twirled it around his leg. He lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

  “Nice try, Tex,” Ron said.

  Josh mumbled something and crossed his legs.

  “Are we just going to sing tonight?” Peter asked Ron and Linda.

  “Don’t you like to sing, Peter?” Linda asked.

  “Sure,” Peter said. “But it’s hard to sing with marshmallows in your mouth.”

  “I have an idea,” Ron said. “Why doesn’t Annie tell one of her famous ghost stories?”

  “Yay, Annie!” Linda cheered.

  Nancy looked at Annie. She couldn’t tell whether she was blushing or glowing from the campfire.

  “Okay, okay,” Annie said, standing up. “Tonight I’ll tell you the story of the drinking horse of Galloping Grits.”

  Everyone became silent. The only sound was the crackle of the campfire.

  Annie’s eyes were on Nancy as she began to speak. “Every summer one pony on this ranch . . . disappears.”

  “Oh, no!” Bess gasped.

  Annie nodded. “It happens when the pony wanders out of the stable at night to drink from the lake.”

  “How do you know they disappear?” Nancy asked. “Maybe they just get lost.”

  “How do I know?” Annie asked. “Um . . . because they always leave one horseshoe by the lake.”

  “Wow!” everyone gasped.

  “And,” Annie went on, “it always happens on the night of a full moon.”

  “There’s a full moon tonight!” George declared. “I believe that story. Do you, Nancy?”

  Nancy shook her head. “It’s a good story. But ponies can’t just disappear.”

  Bess gave a little shiver. “I sure hope not,” she said softly.

  • • •

  “Buttermilk panc
akes, mmmm!” George said at breakfast the next morning. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”

  “George!” Bess complained. “Don’t say that on a ranch.”

  “You girls should eat a good breakfast today,” Mr. Marvin said as he finished his bacon and eggs. “You’ll need lots of energy for that trail ride.”

  Nancy couldn’t wait for the trail ride. And she couldn’t wait to ride Star.

  After breakfast the girls ran to the stable. Nancy looked into Star’s stall. She frowned when she saw it was empty.

  They ran outside to check the corral. Other ponies were there, but not Star.

  Nancy, Bess, and George looked almost everywhere on the ranch. They even peeked inside the barn. They saw lots of chickens, but no Star.

  “Hey, Nancy,” George said slowly. “Wasn’t there a full moon last night?”

  “Yes,” Nancy said. “So?”

  George’s dark eyes flashed. “So maybe Star . . . disappeared!”

  3

  Hot on the Trail

  Star disappeared?” Nancy repeated.

  “It’s possible,” George said. “Annie said that every year one horse disappears from the ranch. So why not Star?”

  “Quit it, George,” Bess begged. “You know how much I hate scary stories.”

  “Someone here will know where Star is,” Nancy said. “You’ll see.”

  Nancy saw Slim walking by.

  “Are you girls all set for the trail ride today?” Slim called over.

  “Not really,” Nancy answered. “I’d like to ride Star, but he isn’t around. Do you know where he is?”

  “Star?” Slim asked. He gave a little jump. “Gosh! Did you hear that?”

  “What?” Nancy asked, wrinkling her nose. She didn’t hear anything.

  “Coyotes!” Slim cried. “I’d better make sure the chicken coop is locked.”

  “Did he see Star or didn’t he?” George asked as Slim ran to the barn.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. “Let’s ask Annie. Star is her favorite horse.”

  The girls ran back to the stable. They didn’t see Annie, but they did see Linda and Ron saddling up the ponies.

  “There you are,” Linda said with a smile. “The trail ride starts soon.”

  “Linda?” Nancy asked. “Did you see Star anywhere?”