Free 095 An Instinct for Trouble by Carolyn Keene

Randy Dean would arrive on a bus,” she said.
    “He’s probably coming by private helicopter.”
    “I guess you’re right,” Bess said, parking the car. “Come on, let’s get you inside and warm.”
    Nancy’s legs felt like lead as she climbed the steps to the hotel lobby. “All I want to do is lie down in a warm tub and soak for a month or two,” she announced as Bess unlocked the door to their room.
    Bess gave her a concerned look. “Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?”
    “I’m sure,” Nancy replied firmly. “After a hot bath and a little rest, I’ll be as good as new.”
    At Bess’s urging, the girls had dinner in their room. As the waiter took away the tray, Bess gave Nancy a close look and said, “You look a lot better. You may not be up for an evening of square dancing, but at least you can sit and watch.”
    “You really think I ought to go?” Nancy asked.
    Bess was now standing in front of the mir-
    ror, smoothing the waist of her knee-length denim skirt. “You want to see Ned, don’t you?”
    “Of course I do,” Nancy replied, then paused. “But I don’t know what to say to him.”
    Bess spun around, went to Nancy, and sat beside her on the bed. “First you’ll tell him you’re sorry,” she stated flatly. “Then you’ll say that you love him. Then he’ll take you for a moonlight drive …” Bess giggled. “And I’m not going to say what happens after that.”
    Nancy shook her head sadly. “I only wish it could be that easy.”
    Bess gave Nancy a hug. “Stop worrying. It’s going to be fine.”
    While Nancy pulled on a full-skirted blue corduroy dress, Bess went on. “I talked to Jack while you were napping. He’ll meet us in the lobby at eight.”
    “‘Us’?” Nancy repeated.
    “Well, sure,” Bess said. “This is a group event, you know, not a date.”
    When they reached the head of the stairs, Bess began searching through her purse. “I forgot my compact,” she said. “I’ve got to go back.”
    “Okay,” Nancy said. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
    Jack, in worn but perfectly fitting jeans and a red plaid shirt, was standing near the foot of the stairs. He saw Nancy coming and gave her a warm smile. “I called Bess after you got back to the hotel, and she told me what happened,”
    he said, concerned. “Are you all right?”
    “Good as new,” Nancy said. “Bess will be down in a minute.”
    She took in the transformed lobby. All the furniture had been cleared away from the central area, and a small stage had been set up near the windows. Paper lanterns dangled from the log rafters, and bales of hay had been placed along the walls.
    “They did a great job of decorating this place, didn’t they?” Jack said, and led the way to a table at the edge of the dance floor. “I’m glad you felt well enough to come. I’ve been really looking forward to the dance,” he added with a glance full of meaning.
    “So has Bess,” Nancy replied pointedly as she spotted her friend coming down the stairs.
    Jack sprang to his feet as Bess approached.
    “Hey, you look terrific!”
    Bess blushed becomingly and threw in a little curtsy.
    The other tables were filling up. Two men and a woman in matching shirts climbed up on the stage and started tuning a guitar, fiddle, and string bass.
    A woman in a fringed leather vest joined the trio on stage and picked up a microphone.
    “Okay, folks,” she said. “We’re going to start out real easy this evening. You don’t need a partner for this one. Don’t be shy, just form two long lines, gents on the left and ladies on the right. The name of the tune is ‘Rabbit in the Peapatch.’”
    “Come on, you two,” Jack urged, springing up. As the band launched into the rollicking tune. Nancy saw Ned and Jennifer come in the door. Jennifer was pulling Ned toward the two lines of dancers.
    As he passed, Ned spotted Nancy and smiled at her tentatively. Then the dance started, and Nancy was too busy following the