Oliver watched his brother with eagle eyes. That was one of the issues. He couldn’t ride a horse because he couldn’t stop watching Julian doing whatever Julian was doing. As it was, we had to keep the other campers from getting distracted and watching Julian, too.
There was no way I’d have my cousin come to camp now, not even if it was the only way to get Oliver involved. No chance. I told Abigail that, and she was disappointed. She doesn’t have the same issues with trusting Julian that I do.
I also told Pru that ignoring Oliver wasn’t going to work, either. He is my cousin and my responsibility. My goal is still to get him to stop looking at Julian, and start focusing here. He is going to have fun!
I am not losing this challenge! No way.
But what should I do? It was Spirit who had the answer. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed where we were headed. When I realized which trail we were on, the biggest idea came to me!
I turned Spirit away from the trailhead. We weren’t going to go down that way right then—but we sure could later!
Julian says that Oliver likes only adventure? Okay, we’ll give him an adventure! Extra Awesome Horse Adventure!
Adventure doesn’t mean danger,” Pru said. The PALs were getting the campers acquainted with their horses at a riding ring near Miradero’s main square, and Lucky had suggested a ride out to Dusty Dan’s grave site. To get there, they’d have to ride the same way that Spirit had taken her the day before, then continue through Thin Man’s Canyon and cross Wild Wanda’s Creek. They’d all been on that ride before. It was one of the most fun rides in Miradero, but there were spots that just weren’t safe for beginning riders.
“If the rumors are true, and Dan is buried near all the gold coins that he stole from the stagecoaches he robbed, we could make a treasure hunt out of the trip,” Lucky suggested. She had it all worked out. They’d break into three groups, each one with a PAL and her horse. “Spirit and I will lead the more advanced riders,” she explained, adding, “We can even take our lunch bags and picnic by the creek.”
“No can do,” Pru countered. “It’s too far, Lucky. We have kids who are just learning to ride.” She pointed over at Stella, who’d brought an apple for Sadie, but was too scared to hand it to her. Every time Sadie ducked her head to take it from Stella’s hand, the girl squealed and jumped back, snatching away the apple. If that “game” didn’t end soon, Stella would find out what happens when you tease a hungry horse.
“I’ll be right back,” Pru said with a sigh. She went over to help Stella by showing her how to hold her hand out flat. Lucky could see that Stella closed her eyes and didn’t breathe until Sadie took the apple. Of course, afterward she cheered and said, “I want to do it again!” Turned out Stella had brought a whole bag of apples. Spirit and the other horses started to gather around for her to feed them, too.
Pru glanced at Lucky and Abigail. Her expression said two things:
This could take a while.
Don’t you dare decide to go to Dusty Dan’s grave.
“Pru’s being an adventure killer,” Lucky complained to Abigail, half joking. “If we don’t do something wild, how am I going to win over my little cousin?” Oliver was back under the same tree where he’d spent the entire week so far.
Abigail and Lucky looked over at him. He was wearing clean blue overalls and gazing out toward a shadowed figure in the distance.
“Is that Julian?” Abigail asked, raising her hand to shield her eyes and squinting into the sunlight.
The figure waved at them, and they could see he was carrying fishing poles and a tackle box. It was Julian for certain.
“Looks as if he’s headed to Wild Wanda’s Creek today,” Abigail noted. “I once caught a fish there that was as big as my own head.” She put her hands on her ears, then steadily moved them forward. Studying the distance between her palms, she nodded. “Yep, that’s how big it was.”
“Sure,” Lucky said. She’d seen the fish, and it hadn’t been very big at all. “We could go fishing, too.”
“Exactly,” Abigail said. “Let’s team up with Julian. He seems to be having a lot of fun.”
“I know,” Lucky said, pinching together her lips thoughtfully. “But he told me he was getting a job, not rock climbing, hiking, flying a kite, and now fishing.” Those were all things they’d seen him doing. Lucky stared out at her cousin. “Something is fishy, that’s for sure.”
“You made a fin-tastic joke!” Abigail cheered.
They both laughed.
Spirit came over to Abigail. He was chewing on one of Stella’s apples. “Come on, Spirit,” Lucky said. “Let’s see if we can get Oliver to ride today.”
Abigail went to help the others saddle up for turns around the ring, while Pru was still with Stella, who squealed—this time with joy—every time a horse ate an apple. Boomerang and Chica Linda had their mouths full, chomping happily.
Oliver seemed to brighten when he saw Spirit. “Hey, cuz,” Lucky greeted. “Want to feed Spirit an apple?”
Oliver seemed to consider it for a long moment, but then shook his head.
“What? Not adventurous enough for you?” She got a glint in her eye and called over to Pru, “Can I have a couple of those apples?”
“Sure,” Pru replied, and Turo carried over a few.
“What are you up to, Lucky?” Turo asked her.
“Adding a little adventure,” she said with a smile.
Lucky urged Oliver to stand up. “Can you throw?”
She showed him what she meant. Lucky lobbed an apple through the air, as hard and as far as she could. The instant
