Horsethief Moon

By Jennie Lawrence

Best friends Abby and Maddie are enjoying the last weeks of summer before school starts as they prepare to show their horses in the 4-H classes at the Wyoming State Fair. But what will they do when boarding stable owner Sadler Scott is injured in what appears to be an accident, cattle escape from the pasture, some valuable horses are stolen, and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pendragon Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Apr 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798986041032

Jennie Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. She moved to Wyoming as a young adult, and has called it home since. She has always had a love for the American west, its history, and its heritage. She is a retired science teacher, and enjoys volunteering as a conservationist with Wyoming Naturalists. She shares her life with her lovely American Quarter Horse mare, Cams Lady, and her husband Mark.Facebook - JenniferLawrenceAuthor Instagram - missjennie.authorWebpage - jennielawrence.com

Book preview

HORSETHIEF MOON

An Abby and Maddie Mystery

Book 1

Jennie Lawrence

For Alanna,

with fond memories of our adventures with the real Thurmody Peapody.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

UPCOMING BOOKS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

It was the kind of thing you expected to see on one of those Showflix documentaries. It was not the sort of thing I, Abigail Prescott expected to be involved in, ever. I certainly never planned to be kidnapped along with an ex-convict. But that is exactly what happened.

My actual name is Abigail, but my friends call me Abby. The school bullies like to call me Blabby, but I just try my best to ignore them. I am thirteen years old and will be starting seventh grade at Bonanza Middle School in about a month.

I am your typical teenage girl, although I am something of a tomboy. I like doing girl stuff, but I am not prissy. I also like some sports, and doing outdoor stuff, too. Even though I just went through a growth spurt I am still pretty small for my age, but that runs in my family.

The day that started it all was just like any other day in my sheltered world. Bonanza, Wyoming is a small town. Typical of a small town, nothing much ever happens here, at least not like it does in bigger cities. It is actually kind of boring.

It was a seemingly normal, hot, windy, August day. The ever-present breeze was blowing dust and tumbleweeds across the prairie. The faint scent of sage tickled my nostrils. I was riding my bike down the dirt-packed road to the Scott's Boarding and Training Stable, where my horse, Honey Girl lives. My tee shirt was clinging to my skin. I was glad I was wearing shorts and sneakers. Those were much more comfortable than wearing my boots and jeans. I kept those garments in my tack locker at the barn. It was easy enough to do a quick clothing change behind the closed tack room door once I arrived at the boarding stable.

As it was, I could taste the gritty, red-brown dust, and feel it sticking to my skin. A small herd of tan and white Pronghorns were grazing on the short grass prairie as I pedaled past. A four-strand barbed wire fence gave the illusion of their captivity, but these animals were masters of escaping any place they did not want to be. But rather than go over a fence, they scurried under the lowest wire. It was odd to see. The animals raised their heads as one, and faced front to watch me as they determined whether to take off running. Eyes following me and their ears forward, they must have decided I was not much of a threat and lowered their heads to continue grazing.

I know a lot about Pronghorns. Most people call them antelopes, but they are not even related to that group of animals. In fourth grade, we had to learn about our state, Wyoming. We studied the history and all about the various plants and animals. I chose Pronghorns for my animal report. They are the fastest land animals in North America and can run at speeds of close to sixty miles an hour! They are brown or tan and white and are shaped like a deer. They have long legs and short tails.

They were almost extinct in the early 1900s. Now there are so many that there is a hunting season to help keep their numbers under control. I don’t know how I feel about hunting. I do know the jerky Billy Smith brings to school to share after he and his dad go hunting tastes delicious. I also know too many animals lead to a lack of food, sickness, and even death. Still, I do not think I could hunt or kill an animal.

My friend Madeline, or Maddie, and I call them puffy butts. They have extra-long hair on their rumps, and they can make it stick up when they are scared. They also make a funny, coughing sound and stamp their feet when they are feeling threatened. But today they were content to graze among the rabbit brush and sage, making no effort to move away.

I was still thinking about the Pronghorns as I bumped my way over the potholes into the circle drive at Scott's Boarding Stable. The driveway curved around a sprawling, white, one-story house, with a wrap-around porch. The back porch was the actual entrance to the house. The front porch was hidden by trees, lilac bushes, and shrub roses. The dark green foliage belied the fact that just a few short months ago, they had been covered with fragrant purple and yellow flowers.

A two car garage, just to the side of a long barn stood off to my right. The red barn was attached to an indoor arena, with sheds and pens