McKenzie

by Shari Barr

  McKenzie jumped when Emma opened the screen door with a loud creak. A wonderful smell of sausage and seasonings floated out.

  “Pizza’s ready,” Emma said. “I called Maggie, but she’s already filled the last two time slots. She did say you could go over and watch the other teams practice, though. McKenzie knows how to rope, but it would help you, Bailey, to watch the event a few times.”

  “When can we go?” Bailey slid into a chair at the kitchen table.

  “I told her Friday afternoon. Kids’ Camp will be over, so that will give you more time. How does that sound?”

  “Great,” McKenzie said. “Then we’ll have the other afternoons this week to work with our horses.”

  During supper the girls talked back and forth, but Emma said little.

  “You miss Diamond Girl, don’t you?” Bailey asked with her mouth full of pizza.

  Emma looked up suddenly. “I guess I do,” she said with a sigh. “I just hope she’s okay.”

  “We’re still working on the investigation,” McKenzie said. “We’re good at finding clues others miss.”

  Emma reached out and grabbed McKenzie’s hand. “I think this is an investigation for the sheriff, but you can keep trying if you want. Don’t forget the main part of this investigation is prayer, and we all need to remember that we have to accept God’s will in all this. He wants us to learn from this, no matter what happens, okay?”

  McKenzie knew Emma was speaking the truth. Her parents had always told McKenzie and her little brother that with God, everything happened for a reason. When bad things happened, it was to bring them closer to Him. God promised never to give them more than they could handle as long as they had faith.

  Emma pulled away and changed the subject. “Oh, by the way, McKenzie. Your mom called and said your outfit for the Junior Miss Rodeo Queen contest came in. I picked it up at Boots and Buckles when I was in town.” Emma disappeared into the dining room.

  She returned a minute later holding an outfit on a hanger. Bailey gasped and her eyes widened as she stared at the pants and top.

  McKenzie loved the outfit. In fact, it seemed prettier than when she and her mom had picked it out. The crisp black western style jeans looked perfect with the emerald green riding blouse, while dozens of matching green sequins on the cuffs and collar flickered in the light.

  “You’ll look gorgeous in this,” Emma said as she touched a sparkling sequin. “You’ll be the prettiest girl on the stage.”

  McKenzie said nothing. Usually she liked trying new things. But now heaviness settled in her stomach. If only she hadn’t let her mom talk her into entering the rodeo pageant. She stared at the riding outfit. Emma had told her she would have a lot of fun, but McKenzie was seriously starting to doubt that. She knew she would only embarrass herself as well as her family if she got up there on stage.

  She decided right then and there that she wasn’t going to let that happen. Competing in a rodeo queen contest wasn’t her thing. It was okay for Emma and okay for her mom, but there was absolutely no way she would wear that outfit. Not in the Junior Miss Rodeo Queen contest. Not ever! She’d figure some way out of it!

  The Ghost Rider Returns?

  “What’s the matter, McKenzie?” Emma asked. “Isn’t this the outfit you and your mom picked out?”

  McKenzie’s mouth felt dry as a cotton ball. “Oh, it’s the one we ordered, all right,” she stammered as she placed her elbows on the table and cupped her chin.

  Emma laid the outfit over the back of a kitchen chair. “Then what’s wrong?” she asked with concern.

  “She doesn’t want to be in the contest,” Bailey answered, then slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oops. I’m sorry, McKenzie. I didn’t mean to tell.”

  Emma pulled out the chair next to McKenzie and sat down. “Is that right, McKenzie? Do you really not want to be in the contest?”

  McKenzie folded her arms on the table and put down her head. “Yes,” she mumbled. “I mean ‘yes’, then ‘no’.”

  Emma gently stroked McKenzie’s hair as she asked softly, “But why? I thought you wanted to be in it.”

  McKenzie answered sullenly, “I don’t want to get all dressed up and stand in front of a bunch of people with judges staring at me. But I have to do it because Mom wants me to.”

  Emma stopped stroking McKenzie’s hair for a second. Then she started in again. “Aah. I see. Does your mom know you don’t want to be in it?”

  “Nope,” Bailey answered again with a sigh. She held the blouse up to her chest and checked the sleeves for length against her own arms. “She doesn’t want to hurt her mom’s feelings.”

  “Oh McKenzie, you need to talk to her if you feel that way. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to compete if she knew you really didn’t want to.” Emma patted McKenzie’s arm. “But why don’t you sleep on it and call her tomorrow? You know I was really nervous too the first time I competed. But I’m so glad I did. You might change your mind too.”

  McKenzie looked up and thought about Emma’s words. Her instructor might be right, but McKenzie wasn’t ready to admit it just yet. It wouldn’t hurt to wait one more day to call her mom. Besides, she didn’t want to upset her mom this late in the evening.

  McKenzie stood up and began clearing the table.

  “Isn’t it about time to chat with your camp friends? Why don’t you see if anyone is online while I clean up the kitchen?” Emma gathered the remaining dishes and carried them to the sink.

  The girls headed into the office. After logging on, they noticed their other four friends were already chatting.

  Kate: Where have U 2 been?

  Alexis: Have U found the horse yet?

  McKenzie: Still working on it. Not many clues yet. Tho we did find Diamond Girl’s horseshoe in creek.

  Sydney: Maybe DG disappeared from that spot.

  McKenzie: We thot of that, but there was no gate and the fence across the creek had no holes.

  Elizabeth: It’s only been 2 days. Something will turn up. Remember Ecclesiastes 3:6 says, “a time to search and a time to give up.” I think God wants U 2 search longer. Don’t give up on DG yet.

  McKenzie knew the Bible verse Elizabeth was talking about. The scriptures talked about how there was “a time for every purpose under heaven.” McKenzie knew that everything happens for a reason, but right now she couldn’t imagine what that reason could be.

  Elizabeth: Hey, McKenzie, R U ready 2 B rodeo queen?

  McKenzie cringed. I want 2 drop out. I’ll get 2 nervous.

  Elizabeth: U can’t do that. U have 2 enter. U’ll do great.

  Alexis: Yeah. I would luv 2 B queen. U can’t quit!

  After the Camp Club Girls chatted a few more minutes, McKenzie agreed to seriously reconsider the queen contest. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  As she logged out of the chat room, she turned to Bailey. “I almost forgot the pictures I took with my cell phone. Let’s put them on the computer and see if we find a clue.”

  McKenzie loaded the pictures onto the computer, magnifying each picture one at a time. With their heads together, the girls studied them, hoping to see something that looked out of place. McKenzie’s eyes grew tired staring at the screen, and she was almost ready to give up when something caught her eye.

  “Look.” McKenzie touched her finger to the screen, pointing out a yellow object on the ground. “What is that?”

  Bailey peered closer. “I can’t tell. Is it a wrapper or something?”

  “I’m not sure,” McKenzie said. “It’s too late to check it out now, but maybe we can go back to the creek tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully it’s not paper and won’t blow away.”

  After scanning the remaining pictures, the girls saw nothing else that looked unusual. McKenzie wondered what detectives looked for. She hoped she didn’t miss a clue that was right in front of her eyes.

  McKenzie stretched her arms above her head and yawned. “Let’s be done for the night. Okay?”

  McKenzie
logged off the computer and stepped out of the office. When she saw the rodeo outfit draped over a chair, she felt a sudden urge to try it on. Maybe Emma and the Camp Club Girls were right. A spark of excitement began to form deep inside her.

  Minutes later, the girls were in their room. Bailey flung herself onto her bunk, hiding her face in her pillow.

  “Tell me when you’re ready.” Bailey’s voice sounded muffled. “I don’t want to look until I see the whole package.”

  McKenzie changed out of her clothes and slipped into the new black jeans and shimmering green blouse. She added her new black cowboy hat and boots, then finished off the outfit with a matching black belt with a large silver buckle.

  “Ta-da!” McKenzie posed with one hand on her hips.

  Bailey pulled her face from her pillow and gasped. Then her lip trembled as she stared at McKenzie.

  “What’s the matter?” McKenzie asked as she glanced down at her outfit. “Do I look stupid?”

  Bailey turned away and said nothing. Without looking at McKenzie, she finally answered, “It’s not fair.”

  McKenzie didn’t understand. “What’s not fair?”

  “You don’t even want to be queen and I do, but I can’t because I don’t live here.” Bailey’s voice cracked as she spoke.

  For a minute, McKenzie didn’t know what to say. Maybe she should drop out of the competition after all. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Bailey’s feelings.

  But as soon as the thought went through her mind, she knew she couldn’t do that. She had already promised her mom, and after talking with the Camp Club Girls, she had decided to go ahead with the competition as planned.

  Now that McKenzie knew Bailey’s true feelings, she needed to figure out a way to include her younger friend.

  McKenzie glanced in the mirror over the dresser at her shoulder-length auburn curls flowing beneath the cowboy hat and wondered how she should wear it for the contest—a low ponytail maybe, or she could just let it hang loose.

  She frowned as she rubbed her cheeks, wishing she could simply rub away the sprinkling of freckles across her nose. With a sigh she turned to Bailey. “I might get through this queen thing after all, that is if you’ll help me with my hair and makeup. Mom got me a kit and said I could wear a little, but only for the contest. But you’re better at doing hair and makeup than I am. Would you help me with it?”

  Bailey sniffed and turned around. Her eyes were red. “I guess I could do that. Everything has to look just right, you know. You can borrow my nail polish too. It matches your top perfectly.” Bailey tried to smile as she held out her neatly painted green fingernails.

  The girls said little as they changed into their pajamas and slipped into their bunks. McKenzie heard a coyote howl outside and Buckeye barked an answer, but she was so tired the howling didn’t bother her. Before she could finish her prayers, she had fallen asleep.

  McKenzie didn’t wake up until she smelled blueberry muffins baking the next morning. Within minutes, both girls were dressed and sitting at the kitchen table. McKenzie had just finished her third muffin when the first of the campers arrived for the day.

  McKenzie and Bailey hurried outside to meet them as a woman in a van dropped off three kids. All of them were rowdier than usual.

  “My older brother’s girlfriend saw the ghost rider last night,” one young boy exclaimed to his friend.

  “Your brother’s just making it up,” another boy argued.

  A girl who looked about Bailey’s age said, “No, sir. My grandpa says the ghost rider is back. Several people saw him riding around last night. Kind of like a ghost—at dusk.” The girl made a high-pitched eerie ghost sound.

  McKenzie and Bailey exchanged glances.

  Did several people really see the ghost rider? McKenzie wondered. She thought it was just a story someone had cooked up years ago.

  The girls had little time to listen to the story. After the campers had all arrived, McKenzie gathered her group and Bailey went off with her group. She was learning fast under Emma’s teaching. Since arriving at Sunshine Stables, she had her horse making tighter turns around the barrels, and she had also improved on her time.

  After Kids’ Camp, McKenzie worked diligently with Sahara. They ran through the course several times as she worked on perfecting her turns. After turning around the third and last barrel, she squeezed her calves together, urging her horse faster and faster. Emma said she was improving every day, but McKenzie wasn’t sure. She hoped she placed higher in the standings than she had the previous year.

  McKenzie practiced until a pickup pulled into the driveway next to the arena. She rode over to the fence, watching Maggie Preston climb out and stride toward Emma.

  “Looks like you’re keeping busy training your girls,” Maggie said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Honestly, Emma, I don’t know how you can concentrate with all the commotion going on around here. I would be a basket case if my prize horse was stolen.”

  “I figure I have to keep busy. I just can’t sit and worry, or I’d go nuts,” Emma explained. “I have faith that God will return Diamond Girl to me. If I didn’t have faith, I could never get through this.”

  Maggie shook her head and scoffed. “You need a little more than faith, Emma. It sounds to me like you need a little luck on your side. Has the sheriff found anything yet?”

  “He’s working on it, but so far there’s not much to go on,” Emma said dismally, ignoring Maggie’s comment.

  “It’s such a shame. Unless the sheriff finds your horse soon, you’ll have to drop out of the competition, and I would sure hate to see that happen. Let’s see, you’ve brought home the first-place trophy for three years now, right?” Maggie said as she stared intently at Emma.

  “Just barely,” Emma said with a smile. “You were only a fraction of a second behind me, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” Maggie mumbled as she pulled her ringing cell phone from its case.

  Seconds later Maggie excused herself and headed back to her pickup. She was needed back at the stables, she said.

  Emma turned to the girls and said they had worked enough for one day, so they watered the horses and turned them into the corral.

  By the time they finished, a few clouds had rolled in, bringing a cool breeze with them. McKenzie suggested that she and Bailey walk to the spot in the back pasture where they had found the horseshoe earlier.

  “Hopefully that yellow thing we saw in the picture is still there,” McKenzie said after stopping at the house for a couple of popsicles.

  “We definitely need a clue to solve this mystery, that’s for sure.” Bailey licked a grape popsicle. Her lips and tongue turned purple. “We don’t have much to go on yet.”

  “Just the horseshoe,” McKenzie said, “and the yellow thingy on the ground.”

  “Don’t forget the funny guy we saw yesterday on that gorgeous horse. That could be a clue. Maybe.”

  “I guess there are a few more possible clues than I thought. It would help if we could figure out if any of them are connected.” McKenzie dropped a piece of strawberry popsicle on her white T-shirt. When she tried to wipe it off, the red stain grew bigger.

  The fence by the creek was over a mile away, and by the time the girls reached it, sweat was dripping down McKenzie’s neck. She cupped the cool water and splashed her face and arms. While Bailey dipped her arms in the creek, McKenzie walked to the fence. Hopefully, the yellow object they had seen in the photo hadn’t blown away.

  McKenzie stared at the ground as she walked but soon stopped and turned to her friend. “Bailey, the yellow thing is still here.”

  Scurrying the last few steps, McKenzie knelt and grabbed the piece of yellow plastic. She turned it over in her hand as Bailey came up behind her.

  “What is it?” Bailey asked.

  McKenzie looked up at Bailey, whose bangs were plastered to her head with sweat. “It’s a clip used to fix a barbed-wire fence.”

  McKenzie stood an
d examined the fence beside her. Farmers and ranchers used these kinds of clips all the time. She looked up and down the fence row and saw clips on every post, securing the wire to the post. All of the other clips though had faded from the sun, but the one she held in her hand was shiny and new. She looked at the post directly in front of her. All of the clips on that post looked brand-new too.

  “I think I know how Diamond Girl got out. Someone has recently fixed this fence. I can tell because this post has all new clips,” McKenzie explained to Bailey. “The horse thief or thieves took down this stretch of fence that crosses the shallow part of the creek. After they took Diamond Girl through the opening, they fixed the fence.”

  Bailey’s eyes lit up. “That’s why there are no tracks. The thief led Diamond Girl up the creek.”

  McKenzie nodded. “Right. The thief struggled with Diamond Girl on the rocks in the creek. That made her lose her horseshoe back there.”

  “I think our detective work is paying off,” Bailey said excitedly. “It’s a good thing you took those pictures. Otherwise we never would have seen that clip on the ground.”

  McKenzie’s heart beat faster as a sudden thought came to her. Someone had fixed Emma’s fence, but who? Was it one of her workers? If so, did that mean someone at Sunshine Stables had stolen Diamond Girl?

  McKenzie swallowed as she thought about it. All of Emma’s employees were also her friends, and surely none of them would steal Diamond Girl—would they?

  Danger Nearby!

  “Do you really think someone at Sunshine Stables stole Diamond Girl?” Bailey asked after McKenzie explained her idea.

  “I don’t want to believe that,” McKenzie said firmly. “Everyone there loves Emma and Diamond Girl too much. At least I hope they do.”