Mystery Rider

by Miralee Ferrell

  Kate threw her arm around Melissa’s shoulders and gave her a hug. “You’ve got that right. God even cares about horses. Pretty cool, huh!”

  Melissa nodded and grinned.

  With Colt’s help, Tori led Starlight along the tracks to a place where it was safe to cross. Tori brushed her cheeks with the back of her hand.

  Kate rushed to her friend. “You did great! I’m not sure I could have stayed calm if that had been Capri.”

  Tori shook her head and sniffed. She glanced over her shoulder at Mrs. Maynard and dropped her voice. “He could have been crippled because I wasn’t paying attention. Melissa warned me to stay away from that side of the tracks, but after that little girl ran out in front of us, I forgot. It’s my fault. I just know Mrs. Maynard is never going to want me to ride her horse again, and I won’t blame her.”

  Two hours later, the horses were unloaded at the Blue Ribbon Barn, and the kids and adults were gathered in Kate’s house. Her mom brought a tray of lemonade and glasses of ice into the living room, and Kate handed them around. When they finished, they both took seats on the couch, Kate settling in beside Tori.

  Kate had been thinking about what Tori had said the entire time they loaded the horses and drove from The Dalles to Hood River and up to Odell. Would Mrs. Maynard blame Tori and not allow her to ride Starlight again? Kate didn’t agree that it was Tori’s fault and had tried to reassure her friend on the drive home, but she wouldn’t listen.

  Kate chanced a look at Mrs. Maynard, but she couldn’t tell anything from the lack of expression on the older lady’s face. At least she hadn’t said anything negative, and she didn’t look angry.

  Tori’s parents sat side by side on chairs near Kate’s father. They’d come on the scene after Starlight was freed, but they’d heard the story more than once since.

  Tori cleared her throat and looked across the room. “Mrs. Maynard, I’m so sorry about what happened. I know Starlight could have broken his leg, and I take full responsibility. I probably shouldn’t ever ride him again, and I wouldn’t blame you if you felt that way.”

  Mrs. Maynard’s brows rose. “I don’t remember saying that. In fact, I feel just the opposite.”

  Tori gripped her hands in a hard knot. “You do? But what do you mean the opposite?”

  “That all of you children—no, young people—did a wonderful job today. Each of you did exactly what was needed and did it well. You kept your heads and didn’t panic. And you, Tori …” She tilted her head. “In spite of your worry and fear, you were able to help Starlight relax. He trusted you to save him. I could see that as soon as I got out of that car. That’s why I didn’t come and take your place. Starlight was focused on your voice and your touch. I would have distracted him.”

  Tori’s eyes widened, but she didn’t reply. Kate could only imagine what she must be feeling right now, going from the certainty that she’d lost the use of her dream horse to being told she’d done well. Kate nudged her and grinned. “Way to go, Tori.”

  Mrs. Maynard smiled. “I agree. In fact, I’m glad we’re all together right now, as I have something I need to share. I talked to my doctor yesterday. He informed me I’m not to ride again. Ever.”

  Gasps sounded among the kids, and several of them started asking questions. Mrs. Maynard held up her hand. “Give me a moment, and I’ll explain. He’s worried about what would happen if I’m riding and have another stroke. As much as I don’t like it, I agree. I’m gaining strength every day, and I feel wonderful. But this body of mine isn’t getting any younger. If I passed out and fell off Starlight, there’s no telling what would happen to me or to him.”

  Tori slumped beside Kate, and Kate felt her shudder. “You’re not going to sell Starlight, are you?” Tori almost whispered the words.

  “Certainly not.” Mrs. Maynard shook her head emphatically. “I’m going to give him away. He has years of riding ahead of him before he’s old enough to retire, and it’s not fair for him to live in a paddock getting hardly any exercise.”

  Tori fixed her eyes on Mrs. Maynard. “Where will he go? Can I still see him?”

  Mrs. Maynard smiled. “I should have said I’m going to share ownership. I’ll be giving him away, but I’ll still own a part of him, so I can keep my visiting rights. I’ve spoken to your parents, and they’ve approved my decision.” She looked directly at Tori. “Starlight will stay at the Blue Ribbon Barn, under your care, Tori. You and I will own him jointly. You’ll ride and care for him, and I’ll pay his expenses. I can’t stand the thought of not being part of his life, so I hope that plan will suit you.”

  Tori squealed and lunged to her feet, then flew across the room and dropped to her knees beside Mrs. Maynard’s chair. “Are you sure? Really?”

  “Really.” The older woman held out her arms.

  Tori gently wrapped her arms around the slender body. “I love you, Mrs. Maynard. And not just because of Starlight.” She drew back a few inches but kept her fingers wrapped around the woman’s hand. “Because you have such a generous heart. I never even notice your scar anymore. God’s love shines out of you all the time and makes you one of the most beautiful ladies I know.”

  A tear made its way down the weathered, wrinkled cheek. “Thank you, my dear. I will always bless the day the four of you appeared in my pasture. God is good. All the time.”

  Kate nodded and smiled at the group. “Our circle of friends used to be me, Tori, and Colt. But now that we’ve added Melissa and Mrs. Maynard, it’s just about perfect.”

  Melissa bit her lip and looked like she was struggling between laughing and crying, but a smile won out. “Yeah. Thank you, guys. I think so too.”

  … a little more …

  When a rockin’ concert comes to an end,

  the audience might cheer for an encore.

  When a tasty meal comes to an end,

  it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.

  When a great story comes to an end,

  we think you may want to linger.

  And so we offer …

  P.S.—just a little something more after

  you have finished a David C Cook novel.

  We invite you to stay awhile in the story.

  Thanks for reading!

  Turn the page for …

  • Secrets for Your Diary

  • Kate and Tori’s Chocolate Chip Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

  • Author’s Note

  • Acknowledgments

  • About the Author

  • Sneak Peek at Book Four: Blue Ribbon Trail Ride

  • Books by Miralee Ferrell

  Secrets for Your Diary

  Secret #1

  Do you really think mean people can change and become nice people … even friends?

  Kate struggles with whether or not to believe Melissa Tolbert can change. After all, Melissa’s the wealthy girl who has dissed and been condescending to Kate and Tori at school and while boarding at the Ferrises’ barn. So why is she now offering to help paint the paddock fence and agreeing to work with them on ideas to promote the Ferris barn at The Dalles parade? Can Kate trust Melissa? What if she’s only playing a game of being nice so she can embarrass Kate, Tori, and Colt later?

  If you were Kate, would you choose to trust and include Melissa in your group? Why or why not? What would your friends tell you to do? How is this similar to or different from what Tori and Colt are telling Kate?

  Note from Kate

  At first I didn’t want to give Melissa a chance. She’d been mean to me and Tori, and I figured she’d always be the same. I’m so glad that Colt and Tori encouraged me to accept Melissa and not be so quick to judge her. I guess God has really blessed me—He gave me friends who love me and don’t dump me just because I’m not the richest or most popular girl in school. I know He wants me to give other kids the same gift of friendship, an
d with His help, I’m going to try to do that from now on.

  Secret #2

  Have you ever been burned by somebody who seemed to be nice to your face but then talked about you behind your back? How did that gossip make you feel?

  Kate, Colt, and Tori discuss whether to include Melissa in their group sleepover, and Melissa overhears at least part of their discussion. How does Melissa respond? What misunderstandings happen afterward on both sides because of that event? When Kate, Colt, and Tori discuss that they haven’t seen Melissa since they first talked about the parade, what does Kate say? Tori? Colt? Who do you think has the best perspective to solve the issue, and why?

  How could you use that perspective to clear up some tension you have in a relationship now, whether with someone you consider a friend or an enemy? How might you spread some “good gossip” instead of the gossip that divides and judges people?

  Note from Kate

  Colt was right. We should have come right out and asked Melissa if something was bothering her instead of talking behind her back. We weren’t trying to be mean, but since she heard us talking, she didn’t know that. I’ve decided I need to be careful about other people’s feelings and try to put myself in their place instead of talking to a friend about them.

  Secret #3

  Have you faced any situation(s) where you felt “different” from the rest of a group? How were you treated as a result? How did that treatment make you feel about yourself? About others?

  When Tori says that white kids sometimes treat her differently because she’s Hispanic, how does Melissa respond? Do you think the others realize how being teased or ignored can affect someone else? Why or why not?

  When have you treated someone as different and excluded her or him from your group? How can you become more like Kate, who didn’t judge Tori but instead made friends with her?

  Note from Kate

  When I first moved to Odell, I sometimes felt like I was in the minority, as there were a lot more Hispanic kids there than at my old school. But I realized they are just kids, the same as me. They have dreams and hopes and things that have hurt them, and they don’t want to be left out any more than I do. Tori and I are about as different as two people can be, but we’re best friends. I’m so glad both of us looked past our skin color and decided to take a chance at being friends. I would have really missed out if we hadn’t.

  Secret #4

  Have you ever met someone who has been the subject of gossip and has been misunderstood? How did you deal with it when people gossiped when you were around?

  Mrs. Maynard’s accident and her scar have caused her to stay in her home for long periods of time. As a result, some people think she’s strange, and rumors were started about her to the point where she was even accused of burying someone on her property. This has caused Mrs. Maynard a lot of pain. Have you ever taken part in this kind of gossip that hurt someone else? Or have you had friends who gossiped about you? How did it affect your life? What might you do to change things?

  Note from Kate

  Tori, Colt, and I couldn’t believe people could be so mean to Mrs. Maynard, and it made all of us mad. Then I realized that Melissa’s friends had done the same thing to her. In fact, we kind of did too. Melissa and Mrs. Maynard both felt left out and thrown away by their friends because they are different. Mrs. Maynard lost her beauty, and Melissa’s family lost their money, but that didn’t change who they are. When we finally figured that out, it made a big difference in understanding Melissa and Mrs. Maynard. From now on we’re going to be more careful about judging people when we don’t know their stories.

  Kate and Tori’s Chocolate Chip Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

  These are the special cookies the girls made for Mrs. Maynard. You can have fun making them … and eating them too.

  What you’ll need:

  *1 cup butter, softened

  *1 cup sugar

  *1 cup brown sugar

  *2 eggs

  *2 teaspoons vanilla

  *2 cups flour (for flatter or softer cookies, use 1 1/2 cups of flour instead of 2 cups)

  *1 teaspoon baking soda

  *1 teaspoon baking powder

  *1/2 teaspoon salt

  *2 cups oats

  *1 cup shredded coconut

  *1/2 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

  *Chocolate chips to taste

  *Ungreased cookie sheet

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  2. Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large mixing bowl.

  3. Beat with mixer until fully blended.

  4. Add remaining ingredients to blended mixture and mix with large spoon or mixer on low speed.

  5. Place spoonfuls of batter on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8–10 minutes at 325 degrees.

  Author’s Note

  I’ve been an avid horse lover all of my life. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated with the idea of owning a horse, although it didn’t happen until after I married. My family lived in a small town on a couple of acres that were mostly steep hillside, so other than our lawn and garden area, there was no room for a horse. I lived out my dreams by reading every book I could find that had anything to do with horses.

  My first horse was a two-year-old Arabian gelding named Nicky, who taught me so much and caused me to fall deeply in love with the Arabian breed. Over the years we’ve owned a stallion, a number of mares, a handful of foals, and a couple of geldings. It didn’t take too many years to discover I couldn’t make money in breeding. After losing a mare and baby due to a reaction to penicillin, and having another mare reject her baby at birth, we decided it was time to leave that part of the horse industry and simply enjoy owning a riding horse or two.

  Our daughter, Marnee, brought loving horses to a whole new level. She was begging to ride when she was two to three years old and was riding her own pony alone at age five. Within a few years, she requested lessons, as she wanted to switch from Western trail riding to showing English, both in flat work and hunt-seat, and later, in basic dressage. I learned so much listening to her instructor and watching that I decided to take lessons myself.

  We spent a couple of years in the show world, but Marnee soon discovered she wanted to learn for the sake of improving her own skills more than competing, and she became a first-rate horsewoman.

  We still ride together, as she and her husband, Brian, own property next to ours. My old Arabian mare, Khaila, was my faithful trail horse for over seventeen years and lived with Marnee’s horses on their property, so she wouldn’t be lonely. At the age of twenty-six, she began having serious age-related problems and went on to horse heaven in late July of 2013. Now I ride Brian’s Arabian mare, Sagar, when Marnee and I trail-ride. I am so blessed to have a daughter who shares the same love as me and to have had so many wonderful years exploring the countryside with my faithful horse Khaila.

  If you don’t own your own horse yet, don’t give up. It might not happen while you still live at home, and you might have to live out your dreams in books, or even by taking a lesson at a local barn, but that’s okay. God knows your desire and will help fulfill it in His perfect way.

  Acknowledgments

  This series has been a brand-new adventure for me—one I never expected, but one I’m so blessed to have experienced. I’ve loved horses all my life and owned them since I was nineteen, but I never thought I’d write horse novels for girls. I’m so glad I was wrong!

  So many people have helped make this series possible: My friends at church, who were excited when I shared God’s prompting and offered to pray that the project would find a home, as well as my family, my friends, and my critique group, who believed in me, listened, read my work, and cheered me on. There have also been a number of authors who helped me brainstorm ideas for the series or specific sections of one book or the other when I struggled�
�Kimberly, Vickie, Margaret, Cheryl, Lissa, Nancy—you’ve all been such a blessing!

  My fan group and Street Team on Facebook helped me when I hit a wall in my story line. They eagerly brainstormed with me and came up with the idea of the kids riding in a parade. My editor, Ramona, suggested a way to tie the parade in with the Mystery Rider. Books are rarely written completely alone, and I’m so thankful for the help of friends and readers.

  I also want to thank the team at David C Cook. I was so thrilled when Don Pape asked if I’d consider sending this series to him to review when I mentioned I was writing it. The horse lovers on the committee snatched it up and galloped with it, and I was so excited! I love working with this company and pray we’ll have many more years and books together. Thank you to all who made this a possibility and, we pray, a resounding success!

  You can learn more about me and all of my books at www.miraleeferrell.com. Thank you for taking the time to read my new series, and watch for another book in four months!

  About the Author

  Miralee Ferrell, the author of the Horses and Friends series plus twelve other novels, was always an avid reader. She started collecting first edition Zane Grey Westerns as a young teen. But she never felt the desire to write books … until after she turned fifty. Inspired by Zane Grey and old Western movies, she decided to write stories set in the Old West in the 1880s.

  After she wrote her first Western novel, Love Finds You in Last Chance, California, she was hooked. Her Love Finds You in Sundance, Wyoming won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western fiction, and Universal Studios requested a copy of her debut novel, The Other Daughter, for a potential family movie.

  Miralee loves horseback riding on the wooded trails near her home with her married daughter, who lives nearby, and spending time with her granddaughter, Kate. Besides her horse friends, she’s owned cats, dogs (a six-pound, long-haired Chihuahua named Lacey was often curled up on her lap as she wrote this book), rabbits, chickens, and even two cougars, Spunky and Sierra, rescued from breeders who couldn’t care for them properly.