Carolyn Keene - Nancy Drew Read Online Free

J Bar T Ranch, and someone called Mr. Henry and told him they’d seen a boy leading the horse in this direction.” She paused, then added, “A boy on a black and white pinto. ”
    “Well, has he come home with the filly?” Heather asked.
    Maria sighed. “He hasn’t come home at all. You know how upset he was about your grandfather’s fall last night. Well, this morning he made himself a lunch and rode out. I haven’t seen him since.”
    “Did Mr. Henry say where he was seen?” Heather asked.
    Maria shook her head.
    “It’s not quite dinner time yet, so suppose I show my guests to their rooms. Then maybe Chuck and I can drive around and see if we can locate him,” Heather said soothingly. “But don’t worry so, Maria, Cochise isn’t the only pinto horse around and Ngyun isn’t the only boy in the area, either.”
    Maria smiled, but there was no happiness in her face.
    “We could help you search,” Nancy offered quickly. “We don’t know the area, but the more pairs of eyes looking ...” She stopped as the sound of hoofbeats came from the front of the looming building.
    In a moment, a boy on a black and white pinto trotted into view. Trailing behind, held firmly by a lead rope, was a dark bay filly, whose haunches displayed the distinctive white blanket with brown spots of an Appaloosa. The boy guided the pinto right up to the hedge before stopping him.
    “Hi,” he called. “Look what I find running in desert. She pretty.”
    “Oh, Ngyun,” Maria wailed. “Why ...”
    Nancy stopped the woman with a light hand on her arm. “You found the filly in the desert?” she asked, stepping forward, then introducing herself.
    Ngyun smiled at her shyly, then nodded. “I know she belong someone, but I afraid she get in road if I not catch her. Bring her here safe.”
    Heather looked at Nancy, then nodded slightly. “Why don’t you take the filly and Cochise down to the stable,” she suggested to the boy. “I’ll go inside and call the J Bar T and tell them you found their missing horse.”
    The boy, who was small for twelve, nodded and turned the pinto around easily. As he rode away, Maria shook her head. “They’ll call him a horse thief, won’t they?” she asked no one in particular.
    Heather offered no argument as Nancy and her friends followed her and Maria toward the imposing, old house. As they stepped into the shadow of the building, Nancy shivered though the day was still warm. There was, she sensed, trouble ahead!

4
    Dangerous Warning
    The inside of the huge building was surprising. One door led from the rear entry to a large yet cozy-looking room filled with sofas and chairs grouped for conversation or, in one corner, around a television set. A second door, the one they entered through, led into a very modern kitchen, which was filled with delicious scents.
    Bess stopped and sniffed appreciatively. “This is even better than the orange blossoms,” she observed.
    “Dinner will be ready in about an hour,” Maria said with a grateful smile. “I was working on it when Mr. Henry arrived.”
    “You just go ahead with what you were doing, Maria,” Heather told her. “I’ll talk to Mr. Henry after I call the people at the J Bar T ”
    Maria nodded. “Thank you, Heather,” she murmured.
    Nancy, Bess, and George followed Heather out of the kitchen into an airy dining room. There were several tables scattered around the big room that would accommodate four or six people each, but Nancy could see that there was space for twice as many. The walls were decorated with small, Indian rugs and blankets plus a number of paintings of western and desert scenes. Indian baskets holding dried flower arrangements decorated the side tables, giving the entire room a friendly, western atmosphere.
    “I’ll show you to your rooms before I take care of things for Maria,” Heather began. “I’m just sorry that all this has come up right now. I was hoping we could have a nice, quiet evening, but ...