Free Showdown at Widow Creek by Franklin W. Dixon Page B

Nestled among large trees, the white farmhouse had a wide porch. A small chicken coop sat nearby, with chickens pecking inside a closed pen. Farther away, a long brown building must have been a bunkhouse for the ranch hands; it looked just like the ones in movies. And to top off the view, there was a red barn surrounded by wooden corrals and cattle pens.
    I’d never been there before, so I wouldn’t know if anything was out of place, but it all looked perfectly normal. Maybe I had rushed all the way there for nothing.
    Just then I heard a sound from the west and spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. In the distance, two men on horseback galloped away. Nothing more than specks on the horizon, they rode up a small hill before disappearing from sight.
    Was that Mike and Tim? Had they heard my loud approach and made a break for it?
    I had almost decided to trail them when I spotted a thin tendril of smoke drifting up from the barn. Any western fan knows that barns don’t have fireplaces or stoves; fire and hay don’t mix. As the seconds ticked by, the smoke grew thicker.
    “Oh no,” I muttered.
    I kicked Norman’s sides once again, and we sped down the hill, toward the burning barn.

15
BUCKET BRIGADE
FRANK
    W ELCOME TO THE DOUBLE W ranch!” Wally said as we drove the last of the cattle through the gate. He stood in the chuck wagon as I closed the gate behind everyone. The riders gathered in front of the wagon as the cattle moved by.
    Wally raised a hand. “Now, I know we’re running late and we were supposed to end with a fine lunch down at the ranch house. But don’t worry. We’ll have a dinner instead before shuttling you back to Bayport. A nice barbecue.” He tipped his hat back on his head. “We have about another hour to go, but as you can see, it’s going to be an easy one.” He pointed to the moving herd. They walked ahead of us down the wide path. They clearly knew the way and seemed eager to return home.
    Wally continued, “I want to thank you all for a job well done. Even though we had a few hiccups along the way, I hope you had fun.”
    “Let’s take ’em home!” Sarah shouted.
    Wally got the wagon moving down the trail as we were given our assignments: Lucky and Mr. and Mrs. Mueller on one side, Ned and Mr. Jackson on the other side, and Dusty riding drag. I hadn’t seen Joe in a while, so I assumed Sarah had him scout ahead before we hit the gate. He had told me how much fun he’d had scouting the dam. I was sure he was cramming in as much cowboy fun as possible before the weekend ended. I was surprised when Sarah finished the assignments by having me ride lead with her.
    We rode a few paces ahead of the herd, keeping our horses at a trot since the cattle were moving faster.
    “Look, I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Sarah said. “Joe mentioned that you just had my best interests in mind.”
    I had told my brother not to say anything, but whatever he had said to Sarah seemed to have smoothed things out.
    “He’s right,” I said. “We were just trying to figure out why these things were happening. It’s hard to solve a mystery when you don’t have a motive.”
    “I don’t know much about solving mysteries,” she admitted. “I just know Lucky wouldn’t do anything to hurt the ranch or us.”
    “Fair enough,” I replied. I still had my doubts about the cowhand, but there was no point in pushing it with Sarah.
    “Maybe there isn’t a motive,” she suggested. “Maybe these really were just stupid pranks meant to get back at my dad.”
    “Well, getting back at your dad would be a motive,” I said. “It just seems like a weak one for all the trouble these guys have gone through. That’s what doesn’t make sense to us.”
    “I see your point.” She paused. “It’s not very good revenge, if you ask me. All that stuff just slowed us down a little.” She grinned. “And the stampede was exciting.”
    Lost in thought, I didn’t reply. I was finally starting to put the