Blue Ribbon Trail Ride Read Online Free PDF Page A

twenty dollars to take part in the trail ride. Kate’s mom had been gracious and sweet, explaining to every person that it was a benefit, and that the prizes were nicer than what was typically found in scavenger hunts.
    Tori leaned on a post and blew out her breath. “Whew. I’m tired! But it’s been a great day. At least this part is over.”
    Kate nodded. “Mom and Dad didn’t want to have to deal with this on Sunday. And isn’t it cool that three more business owners made donations?”
    Colt grinned. “Even more cool that two of them were ones we visited in Odell who said no. I guess they felt left out when word started spreading about all the businesses that contributed.”
    Kate tipped her head. “And that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t thought of putting an ad in the Hood River News telling about the ride and listing all the businesses that donated.”
    â€œI wonder …” Tori’s voice trailed off as Kate’s mom rushed out of the office and then looked up and down the alleyway.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, Mom? Did you need something?” Kate took a step toward her, then noticed her pale face. A sense of dread hit.
    â€œMy box is gone. It was there an hour or two ago, the last time I put money in it. It’s been so quiet the past hour that I forgot all about it. Did one of you take it to the house?”
    They all looked at one another, then slowly shook their heads. Tori grabbed Kate’s arm. “Did someone steal it? With all of our money inside?”
    Her mother’s lips trembled. “By the time I helped the last person yesterday, I was so tired, I didn’t think about taking the money out. And this morning I was in a rush, so I brought it back to the office without emptying it first. The box with all of our money is gone.”

Chapter Four
    The next couple of hours dragged as Kate and her friends helped her mom hunt through the entire barn in case someone had moved the box. When nothing turned up, Nan Ferris went into the house to start dinner and check on Pete, since his tutor had just gone home.
    Kate plunked down on a bale of straw outside one of the stalls as each of her friends found a place to sit. “Who could have taken Mom’s box, and how did they get it out of the barn without someone seeing them?”
    Melissa clenched her fists. “I’d like to get my hands on the person who took that money. It’s really rotten stealing something that will benefit kids!”
    Colt’s normally tranquil expression had turned angry. “No kidding! All that work with nothing to show for it.”
    Tori’s face crumpled as if she might cry. “We worked so hard. So do we give back all the donations and cancel the ride? This was the final day people could enter, and we don’t have any of the money.”
    Kate sighed. “We can’t cancel. It won’t matter to the people who paid to enter the scavenger hunt that someone took the money. Well, it might matter to them, but it’s not their problem. They entered expecting to take part and hoping to win stuff. If we can’t give their money back, then we can’t cancel the ride.”
    Tori groaned. “I didn’t think of that. So we’ll have to scramble to get things ready and not get anything out of it? Won’t the business owners be mad if we don’t have a fund for the kids? That’s the reason most of them donated.”
    Colt thumped his boot heel against the bale of straw he was sitting on. “We’ve got to think of something we can do to get that money back and catch the person who took it.”
    Melissa tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. “Silly, we can’t catch someone after he’s already taken the box and gone. There’s nothing more for him to steal.”
    Silence fell over the group as they took in what she’d said. Then Kate sat up a little straighter.