Dude Ranch Detective Read online

  A teenager with a Galloping Grits Staff T-shirt walked over. “My name’s Daryl. How would you girls like to toss some horseshoes?”

  Bess pulled the horseshoe from her pail. “You mean like this one?”

  Daryl’s eyes lit up.

  “Hey! That must be the one I lost down at the lake,” he said. “Sometimes the horseshoes get muddy so I take them to the water to wash them off.”

  The girls were silent.

  “Well, there goes the legend,” George finally said with a sigh.

  And there goes my last clue, Nancy thought.

  • • •

  “Why do they call it a square dance when everyone dances in a circle?” George asked that night.

  It was eight o’clock. The Galloping Grits Ranch was having a big square dance outside the barn. There were colorful lights hanging from the trees and long tables filled with snacks.

  “I’m glad I wore my horseshoe earrings,” Bess said, flipping back her hair. “They’re perfect for tonight.”

  Nancy saw Dixie and Slim standing on a small wooden stage. Slim played a fiddle while Dixie sang, “Swing your partner to the right. Then stamp your feet with all your might!”

  Nancy giggled. Most of the dancers were bumping into one another, but they looked as if they were having fun.

  Josh walked over. He was wearing his rhinestone outfit again. “Do you ladies know how to do the Cotton-Eyed Joe?” he asked.

  “What’s that?” Nancy asked.

  Josh rolled his eyes. “It’s a dance,” he said. “Hel-lo?”

  “Good-bye!” George snapped.

  Josh walked away, and the girls decided to snack on barbecue potato chips. Nancy saw Annie at the end of the table. She was pouring ice into the fruit-punch bowl.

  “Hi, Annie,” Nancy said, smiling. “Do you know how to do those dances?”

  “Some of them,” Annie said. She crumpled the plastic ice bag. “Oh, well, I’ve got to go now. See you.”

  “Wait!” Nancy said quickly. “I want to ask you about Star.”

  But Annie was too fast. She slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

  “Phooey!” Nancy said. “I should have asked her about Star right away.”

  “We’ll probably see her later, Nancy,” Bess said. “Now, who wants punch? It’s probably nice and cold.”

  Bess walked to the punch bowl. But instead of grabbing a cup she grabbed her earlobe. “Oh, no!” she cried. “One of my horseshoe earrings just fell off. I think it slipped under the table.”

  “Let’s crawl under the table and look for it,” Nancy suggested.

  “You mean with my new outfit?” Bess cried. She patted her flowered blouse over her pink shorts. “In all that dirt?”

  “Oh, stop being so prissy,” George told her cousin.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Bess said as they crawled under the table. “You’re just wearing a grubby sweatshirt and jeans.”

  Nancy was about to search for the earring when two pairs of feet dressed in cowboy boots appeared behind the tablecloth. Two men were standing right next to the table.

  “It was mighty fine of you to invite me to the hoedown, Ron,” one man said.

  “Ron’s out there,” Bess whispered. “He has no clue that we’re under here.”

  “Let’s just wait a few seconds,” Nancy said. “Then we’ll surprise them.”

  The girls were silent as Ron continued to speak.

  “Wait until you see Star tomorrow, Wally,” Ron said. “I spent all day grooming him.”

  George bumped her head under the table. Bess grabbed Nancy’s arm.

  Nancy couldn’t believe her ears either. Star was on the ranch, and Ron knew where. The surprise was on them.

  7

  Pony Tail

  Nancy!” Bess whispered. “Did you just hear — ”

  Nancy placed a finger to her lips. She strained her ears to hear more.

  “But remember, Wally,” Ron said in a low voice. “Don’t tell anyone about Star. It’s supposed to be a secret.”

  Nancy held her breath as the cowboy boots walked away. She liked Ron and never thought he would be a suspect.

  “Who’s this Wally guy?” George asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. “But let’s follow them.”

  “But you said you’d help me find my earring,” Bess said. “You promised.”

  George heaved a big sigh, but Nancy agreed. A promise was a promise.

  The girls searched under the table until Nancy found the earring. When they slipped out from under the table Ron and Wally were already gone.

  “We lost him,” Nancy said. She stopped in front of the barn and opened her notebook. Then she wrote:

  Ron—knows where Star is.

  Big secret!

  “I wonder what the big secret is,” Bess said.

  “The most important thing is that Star is on the ranch,” Nancy pointed out.

  “But where?” George cried. “We looked all over!”

  Nancy shook her head. She leaned against the barn and felt something behind her back. Turning around, she saw that it was a map of the Galloping Grits Ranch.

  “Maybe we didn’t look everywhere,” Nancy said slowly.

  The map was covered with a sheet of clear plastic. The trails were marked with arrows. There were squares for the buildings and a big circle for the corral.

  Nancy noticed another circle. But it was near the top and too high to see.

  “I wish I were taller,” Nancy complained as she jumped on her tiptoes.

  “Try this,” George said. She grabbed a bucket and flipped it upside down. Nancy hopped on top. Now she could see the circle perfectly.

  “It says Cowpoke Corral,” Nancy read out loud.

  “Another corral?” George asked. “How come we never saw it?”

  Nancy saw a line of arrows underneath the circle. “The Cowpoke Corral is at the end of a long trail,” she said. “It’s called Twisty Trail.”

  “Wow!” Bess gasped. “Maybe Star’s been in that corral all the time.”

  Nancy jumped down and opened her notebook. She drew a circle for the corral and a squiggly line for Twisty Trail.

  “We have to check out the Cowpoke Corral,” Nancy said.

  “But it looks so far away,” George said. “How do we—”

  “Hey, you guys,” Iris interrupted.

  Nancy looked up. She saw Iris and Peter running over. She quickly closed her notebook and slipped it into her pocket.

  “Don’t be party poopers,” Iris joked. She kicked her heels. “Come and dance!”

  “It’s not hard,” Peter said. “It’s like the hokeypokey with cowboy hats.”

  “We’d better join them,” Nancy whispered to Bess and George.

  Nancy, Bess, and George followed their new friends to the dance floor.

  “This is fun,” Iris said. “But I can’t wait until the trail ride tomorrow.”

  “It’s going to be huge,” Peter said excitedly. “Linda just told us we’re riding all the way up Twisty Trail!”

  The girls stared at one another.

  “So?” Iris asked. “Are you going on the trail ride?”

  Nancy gave Iris a big smile. “We are now!”

  • • •

  The next morning after breakfast the girls ran straight to the stable. Linda was alone, saddling up the ponies.

  “Ron won’t be joining us today,” Linda said. “He has some work to do.”

  “I’ll bet he does,” George muttered.

  The other kids showed up for the ride. Iris and Peter were there. So were the twins, Nicholas and Nicole. Nancy was surprised to see Josh.

  “We thought you were scared of horses,” George said.

  “Who, me?” Josh laughed. “Tex Fleckner rides high in the saddle!”

  “Your pony is ready, Tex,” Linda said. She led a caramel-colored pony over to Josh. “His name is Chewy.”

  Josh looked up at the pony and gulped. “Maybe t
hat saddle is a bit too high,” he said. “Do you have a smaller pony than that?”

  “Yeah,” Iris joked. “But you have to put a quarter in it first.”

  Josh turned red. “That’s so funny I forgot to laugh!” he snapped.

  “Okay, kids,” Linda said. “Let’s mount our ponies and hit the trail.”

  Nancy was happy to get Freckles again. When everyone was in the saddle they followed Linda out of the corral and into the woods. Nancy rode right behind Josh. The more they rode, the less nervous Josh seemed to be.

  “You’re doing great, Josh!” Linda called from the front of the line.

  Nancy liked the Twisty Trail. It wasn’t as twisty as a pretzel, but it had lots of turns. They were on the trail for an hour when Freckles began to snort and bob her head.

  “What’s the matter, girl?” Nancy asked. Freckles gave a soft whinny and trotted on.

  “Okay, gang,” Linda called. “Time to hitch up the ponies and break for lunch.”

  The kids stopped at a small picnic area surrounded by trees. They tied their ponies to a row of hitching posts.

  Nancy saw that Josh didn’t look nervous anymore. His face was beaming.

  “How did you like your first pony ride, Josh?” Nancy asked.

  “Chewy is okay,” Josh said. “But I think I’m ready for a real horse. You can’t lead a cattle drive on a pony.”

  “A cattle drive?” Nicolas cried. “Give me a break!”

  Linda unpacked peanut butter sandwiches and two thermoses of juice.

  “Are we riding to the end of the trail, Linda?” Nancy asked as she sipped a cup of apple juice.

  “This is the end of the Twisty Trail,” Linda said.

  “It is?” George said. “I mean, time sure flies when you’re having fun.”

  Nancy pulled Bess and George to the side. “The Cowpoke Corral can’t be too far from here,” she said.

  George looked around. “I’ll bet it’s somewhere behind these trees,” she said.

  “But how do we look for the corral without Linda knowing?” Bess asked.

  Nancy thought for a moment. Then she had an idea. She walked back to Linda. “I think we drank too much juice, Linda,” she said. “If you know what I mean.”

  Linda chuckled. “There’s no girls’ room around here, but there are plenty of bushes. If you know what I mean.”

  “Bushes?” Bess cried. “Gross!”

  “Thanks, Linda,” Nancy said quickly. “We’ll be right back.”

  The girls scooted through the trees. Then Nancy saw it—the Cowpoke Corral.

  “There it is!” Nancy said.

  The corral stood in a field in the distance. Ron and another man were leaning against the fence and talking. Next to them was a trailer hitched to a car.

  “There’s Ron,” George said. “I wonder if Star is in the corral.”

  Nancy looked closer. The only horse she could see was Ron’s horse, Blizzard.

  “We have to get closer,” Nancy said.

  “What if they see us?” Bess asked.

  “We’ll tell them we’re playing hide-and-seek,” George said. “Let’s go!”

  Nancy made sure the men weren’t looking. Then she and her friends walked quickly across the field.

  They hid behind a haystack near the corral. Nancy peeked around the square bales of hay and listened.

  “This pony will be the star of your show tonight, Wally,” Ron said.

  So that’s Wally, Nancy thought.

  “Thanks to you, Ron,” Wally said. He smiled and shook Ron’s hand.

  Nancy watched as Wally climbed into his car. As he drove off Nancy could read the words on the side of the trailer: Wally’s Wild West Show.

  But then Nancy saw something else. Swinging from the back of the trailer was a black tail with silver streaks.

  “There’s only one horse I know with a tail like that,” Nancy told Bess and George. “And it’s Star!”

  8

  Shining Star

  So that’s it!” George said angrily. “Ron sold Star to Wally’s Wild West Show!”

  “Star was good enough to be in a show,” Bess said. “Everyone knew that.”

  Nancy leaned against the haystack. She remembered how excited Freckles had been as they neared the end of the trail. She must have sensed that Star was nearby.

  “We have to tell Dixie and Slim as soon as we get back,” George said.

  “Hold your horses!” Nancy said. “We only saw the pony’s tail. That’s still not enough proof.”

  “Then what do we do now?” Bess asked.

  Nancy knew there was only one thing left to do.

  “We have to go to Wally’s Wild West Show tonight,” Nancy answered.

  “No problem.” Bess smiled. “My parents love those kind of shows—and the cotton candy!”

  The girls waited until Ron was busy riding Blizzard around the corral. Then they hurried back to the woods.

  “We’re ready to ride back now,” Linda told the kids. She looked at Josh. “Think you can handle it, Tex?”

  “Are you kidding?” Josh asked. He gave his pony a pat. “Chewy and I are ready for the high-jump!”

  The kids sang songs on their way back down the trail. But Nancy had another song on her mind: Twinkle, twinkle, little Star, how I wonder where you are!

  • • •

  “George!” Nancy said that night at Wally’s Wild West Show. “Your cowboy hat is in my face again.”

  “Sorry,” George said. She was wearing a gigantic green cowboy hat made out of foam rubber. The brim flopped over her face as she ate a corn dog on a stick.

  Nancy hadn’t bought a rubber hat. She’d bought a flashlight shaped like a cactus. Bess had bought barbecue-flavored popcorn.

  Mr. and Mrs. Marvin were sitting right behind them. They were sharing a stick of pink-and-blue cotton candy.

  Nancy looked around the tent. Rows of bleachers were filled with people. There was a big riding ring in the middle of the tent. Teenagers wearing cowboy hats walked up and down the aisles, selling programs.

  Just then Nancy saw Dixie and Slim sitting on the opposite side of the tent.

  “There’s Dixie and Slim!” Nancy said.

  “Where?” George asked. Her big hat flopped as she spun around.

  “Over there,” Nancy said.

  “Where?” George asked again.

  “George,” Bess said with a sigh. “You’re never going to see a thing with that hat on.”

  “Okay,” George said. She took off the hat. “I’ll just wave it in the air.”

  Music filled the tent as a spotlight hit the ring. The show was about to begin.

  First Wally came out and told some jokes. “What do you call a fake horse?” he asked the audience. After a few seconds he winked. “A phony baloney pony!”

  “That’s cornier than my corn dog,” George mumbled.

  The first act was a cowboy named Bronco Barry riding a bucking stallion. The audience gasped as the horse almost tossed Barry off his back.

  The next act was a woman twirling two lassos at once. Then some cowboy clowns pretended to be chased by a bull. The bull turned out to be two clowns in a costume!

  After a few more acts Nancy glanced at her watch. It was getting late.

  Maybe Star isn’t here, Nancy thought. Maybe lots of ponies have black tails with silver streaks.

  “Now you see why we call it the Wild West!” Wally told the audience. He waved toward the opening of the tent. “Next, please give a hoot and a holler for little Miss Annie and her pony—Star!”

  Nancy gasped. Bess’s popcorn flew out of the carton as she jumped up. George almost dropped her corn dog in her lap.

  “Yahooo!” Dixie hollered from the bleachers. “Show ’em what you got, Annie!”

  The audience cheered as Star danced, pranced, and counted to four with his hoof.

  “So that’s where Star was all this time,” Nancy said softly.

  “He was with Annie,” George sa
id.

  “Amazing!” Bess sighed.

  During the break the girls got permission to look for Annie. They found her brushing Star inside a small stable.

  “How did you like our act?” Annie asked the girls.

  “It was great,” Nancy said. “But we just have a few questions.”

  “I was expecting that,” Annie said with a smile.

  “Why wasn’t Star around the ranch for the last few days?” Nancy asked.

  “I was planning to ride Star in the Wild West show,” Annie explained. “I also wanted Star to have privacy while I trained him. That’s why I took him all the way out to the Cowpoke Corral.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us you were riding Star in the show?” George asked.

  “I wanted it to be a surprise for the guests,” Annie explained. “I also didn’t want lots of people watching me before the show. It makes me nervous.”

  Nancy understood how Annie felt. She didn’t always want everyone to know she was solving a mystery.

  “Guess what?” Bess asked Annie. “George thought Star had disappeared.”

  George blushed as Annie laughed.

  “I made that whole story up,” Annie said. “So you wouldn’t wonder where Star really was.”

  Bess waved her hand. “Oh, I didn’t believe it for a minute.”

  “Yeah, right,” George joked.

  Ron came into the stable. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers.

  “Way to go, cowgirl!” Ron said. He handed Annie the flowers. “This is from the folks at Galloping Grits.”

  “Thanks,” Annie said. She turned to the girls. “Ron helped Star get ready for the show. He also helped me keep my secret.”

  “I wasn’t the only one,” Ron said. “Dixie and Slim kept Annie’s secret, too.”

  Nancy looked at Bess and George. So that’s why everyone had been acting so strange!

  “Does this mean that Star has to stay here?” Nancy asked. “Forever?”

  “No,” Annie said. “He’s coming back to the ranch at the end of the week.”

  “We’ll be there at the end of the week,” Nancy said. “Can I ride him then?”

  “Why wait?” Annie asked. “You can ride him tonight if you’d like.”

  “Tonight?” Nancy asked.

  “In the grand finale parade,” Annie said. “There’s plenty of room in the saddle for both of us.”