The Mystery of Lucky Shoe Ranch, Part 6

Meanwhile, Jake sat in the bedroom of the old house, tied and gagged. The shots outside made him uneasy. He hoped Boliff wasn’t a good at shooting. He sat there and waited. Suddenly, all was quiet. Silence. A grandfather clock stood in the corner of the room. It’s slow ticks would drive any person crazy. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. All of the sudden, heavy footsteps sounded outside the door. His hopes building up, he began to yelp, despite the cloth bound tightly around his mouth. But to his dismay, it was Pete, the man who had fought with Tom.

“Come on. We’re taking you hostage. George is waiting out back.” Jake couldn’t let them take him hostage! The Spiral Gang must be captured! He decided to stall time. Deep down inside him, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Tom and Uncle Sam.

Pete started to pick Jake up, but Jake mumbled loudly.

“I’m not going to take that off. You’ll just cry for help,” Pete said. Jake shook his head.

“Well, I don’t know. George probably wouldn’t want me to…But, if you promise.” Pete untied the bandanna.

“Thanks,” Jake said, rubbing his jaw. “I wanted to tell you that I lost my watch. Do you see it?” Pete looked around the room.

“Maybe it’s under the bed,” Jake said. “Why don’t you untie me so I can help look?” Jake asked, knowing Pete wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. Pete agreed and untied Jake.

“Try under the bed,” Jake suggested again. As the large man tried to look under the dark bed, Jake slipped away.


Later, Tom woke. His jaw was sore and he had a large bump on the back of his head. Noticing that the man wasn’t there, he went inside the house.

“Jake, Jake! Are you in here?” he whispered, afraid Boliff was nearby. He went upstairs and met Jake in the hallway. Tom was about to let out a joyful ‘Jake!’ but he silenced him. They hurried down the kitchen stairs. But to their dismay, George Boliff stood at the back door, gun in hand!

“So, you thought you could get away,” he chuckled. “How did you get loose? Where’s Pete?” he asked, looking at Jake. At that moment, Tom leaped on him and started punching. Just then, Pete came running frantically down the stairs.

“George! He’s gone-” he stopped short when he saw the fight. Before he could escape, Jake flew all his weight against the heavy man. A fight erupted, but soon, Tom and Jake had them under control.

“You’re under arrest,” Tom huffed. “For destruction of private property and probably a bunch of other things.”

Only minutes later, the two brothers led the crooks, who had their hands tied, out front. The boys were shocked to see the officer leaning over Uncle Sam. Blood soaked his arm.

“Officer!” Jake exclaimed. “What happened to Uncle Sam? Is he alright?”

“Boliff shot him!” he exclaimed. “I just finished wrapping his arm up until we can get him to a doctor.” Uncle Sam’s face was pale. They lifted him carefully on his horse. George and Pete were also mounted onto horses and they all headed slowly for Spring Valley.


“Doc, is he gonna be okay?” Aunt Jean asked. She and Molly and Derrik had ridden to the doctor’s office after they heard about Uncle Sam’s accident.

“He’ll be just fine. I put his arm in a sling,” The doctor replied.

“Good, now let’s get down to business,” Jake said. “Boliff, Pete, there’s a couple things I want to straighten out. Do you know anything about the boot prints in the field?”

“Oh, yah. Phil took the boots from your neighbor to make you think he had been doing all those things. Pretty smart, huh?” Pete answered. Jake rolled his eyes.

“So, you admit you did all those sabotages?” Tom asked. Pete and George nodded their heads.

“But why? Why did you do all these things to get the ranch? What’s so important about Lucky Shoe Ranch and not all the other hundreds of ranches around? What’s your point for doing all these awful things?”

“Three letter word. Guess what it is.”

“Mr. Boliff, we’re not playing hangman.”

“Alright, alright. Just trying to make it exciting.” he mumbled. “It’s oil.”

“OIL! Did you say OIL?” Uncle Sam suddenly exclaimed, a little weak.

“Yep. Phil here overheard somebody saying something like ‘Benson feller’ discovered oil on his property.’ What better way is there to get rich?” Boliff growled. Uncle Sam laughed so hard his face turned a bright red.

“I think Phil over heard wrong. It was Mr. Bronston’s ranch, five miles from our ranch, that discovered oil!” Boliff’s face turned pale and his jaw dropped open.

“Do you mean to tell me-” his voice trailed off.

“Come on, you two. You’ll probably get a long while in prison for this,” the officer said, as he lead them out the door of the doctor’s office.


Dear Mom and Dad,
We miss you! Having a great time with Uncle Sam, Aunt Jean, Derrik, and Molly! Got some great stories to tell when we get home (Mom, you better brace yourself) ! Although we love this western life, we can’t wait to get back home!
XOXO,
Tom and Jake

The Mystery of Lucky Shoe Ranch, Part 5

 I am sorry it has been a week since I posted a part! Here is Part 5, of Lucky Shoe Ranch!

“Tom? You ready?” Uncle Sam called. They were heading to town to go to the police station.

“Jake has the horses out front. Let’s go!” Tom ran outside with Uncle Sam.

“Wow! Horses?” Tom exclaimed admiring the brown steed he was to ride.

“Everybody rides horses down here,” Uncle Sam laughed. They mounted on the horses and rode until they reached a quaint town of Spring Valley.

“Hey boys, would you mind going to bank for me? I’m going to head to the police station,” Uncle Sam said. The boys nodded their heads and tied their horses in front of the bank. The boys went inside, and was met by an elderly man at the counter. A bright smile was on his face.

“Can I help you boys?”

“Yes sir. We would like to withdraw some money.”

“What’s your name sonny?”

“Tom, sir. But we want to draw from Sam Benson’s account.” The old banker chuckled.

“You know you can’t do that, right?”

“But we’re Sam’s ne-” Jake started. Tom elbowed his brother.

“What did you say sonny? Couldn’t here ya,” the man said, leaning over the counter.

“Nothing, sir,” Jake replied. The boys left the bank and went to their horses.

“Why’d you cut me off?” Jake asked.

“Because I didn’t want to look more silly than we already did. We can’t get the money for Uncle Sam! He has to be there! I should have known that.” Tom slapped his forehead. Suddenly, the brother’s spotted Uncle Sam coming out of the police station. He passed the real estate office, and the general store. Finally, he reached the spot where the boys were standing.

“Are we ready to go? Did you get the money?”  he asked.

“To answer your questions, no and no again,” Jake said. “We can’t withdraw the money you want, unless you’re there,” he laughed. Uncle Sam didn’t laugh. His face curled up and turned red.

“Well, if I have to,” he finally said. They strolled into Rattelton National Bank once more.

“I want to withdraw from my account.” Uncle Sam said, hardly looking at the old man. The banker, didn’t look happy himself. He had a nasty look on his face, when Uncle Sam told him how much he wanted to withdraw. And he hardly spoke a word.

When they were on the road again, Tom asked Uncle Sam a question.

“Why was the banker so cold to you?”

“Mr. Rolley and I have never been good friends. A long time ago, when I wanted to buy the ranch, he wanted it too. I out bought him. Ever since, he’s held a grudge.”

Would Mr. Rolley stoop to sabotaging the ranch so he could get it? Tom wondered, as they rode home.

When they reached home, Aunt Jean came running out of the house.

“Sam,” she cried. “Sam, Mr. Boliff was back. He tried to come in, but I wouldn’t let him. In his fury, he dropped this when he left. Look!” Uncle Sam dismounted and took the piece of paper Jean held.

George,

We’re sure to get the ranch soon. I’m positive they’re going to go to the police soon. When they leave, we’ll just say they sold the ranch to us. Ready to be rich?

Your Phantom Spiral,

Phil

“Jean, do you know what this means? George Boliff has been doing all these things! Or at least he’s been behind it all! This is proof!” They all went inside to inspect the letter some more. They sat down at the kitchen table.

“Why would George want the ranch, though? What do you think, Jake? Jake?” Tom looked around.

“Where’s Jake?” he asked. No one had seen him.

Meanwhile, Jake had gone to the outhouse right after Uncle Sam finished reading the letter. When opened the door to leave the outhouse, he gasped. In front of him stood George Boliff!

Taken by surprise, Jake was easily taken by the hands of the strong man and put behind the outhouse. Taking strong cords, Boliff tied Jake up and gagged his mouth. Picking him up, he quickly took him to his horse by the field. Making sure no one saw him, Boliff tied Jake to a horse attached to his. The, they galloped away.

Boliff had been mistaken when he thought no one had seen him. Jake’s older brother stared through the kitchen window as they rode away. He flew outside in terror; only to see the dust that had risen in the air from the fleeing horses. He was too late. They were no where in sight.

A few minutes later, Uncle Sam and Tom were on there way to the real estate agency. There, they asked to see Phil. To their joy, he worked there as well as Boliff. When they stepped into Phil’s office, his face turned a deadly white.

“Tell us where your hideout is! Or we’re getting the police!” Tom exclaimed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he denied. But his face told otherwise.

“Then explain this,” Uncle Sam said, handing him the letter George Boliff had dropped. All of Phil’s confidence drained out.

“I-how did-did you-” he stuttered.

“Just tell us where Boliff is,” Uncle Sam commanded.

“He’s at h-his h-house, sir. On Rustle Cove Lane. It’s white.”

“Tom, go next door and get the police,” Uncle Sam said.

Tom arrived shortly with two officers, both who had been shown the letter. Uncle Sam and Tom left with one of the police officers immediately. They hopped on their horses and rode until they reached a dusty road named Rustle Cove Lane. After riding for a few more minutes, they reached a large white house with brown shutters that barely hung by their hinges. They dismounted and looked up at the two story house. Suddenly, a shot rang out. Tom quickly ducked behind his horse. Carefully looking up, he spotted Boliff in an upstairs window. Another shot whizzed down. This time, it got dangerously close to him. The police officer grabbed his gun and shot at Boliff. But the bullet hit the shutter instead, sending it crashing to the ground. Tom decided to take a chance. He ran past the officer and Uncle Sam, around the side of the house. He turned to the back door and came face to face with a big man guarding it. The man looked at Tom with hatred. Slowly he raised his shotgun. Nevertheless, Tom leaped at him. The last thing Tom saw was a huge fist. Then all went black.

The Mystery of Lucky Shoe Ranch, Part 4

 I am so sorry I haven't been posting these! I totally forgot! If you remember, the last line of the previous story was: The barn was up in flames!

Jake ran back into the living room and yelled ‘fire!’ Everyone jumped off the couch and hurried out back. Sure enough, shooting flames leaped into dark sky. Molly shrieked with fear as everyone around her raced toward the burning building. Aunt Jean grasped Molly’s shaking shoulders tightly. Uncle Sam grabbed some buckets and started filling them by the pump. Derrik and the boys ran inside the barn to get the animals. They grabbed the reigns of the horses and led them to safety. Then, the cows. Soon, every animal was out of the barn and safely by the house. By the fire did not cease. It now completely covered the roof and part of the walls. Molly wiped her brow as she worked the pump. She looked at the animals by the house. Her heart pounded. An alarming thought came to her mind. She dropped the pump handle and raced to the barn. She passed Jake, who was beating the flames with a rag. She passed Tom and the buckets he held. She passed Derrik, who was knelt on the ground, catching his breath. Aunt Jean gasped when she saw her precious daughter running into the flame stricken barn. She screamed with all her might, but Molly bounded on. Uncle Sam cried out.

“Molly! Molly! Molly!” Was all he could say. Reaching the barn, Molly raced through the open doors. Smoke immediately attacked her lungs. Gasping for much needed air, she was forced to her knees. Crawling along the hay floor, she spotted the thing that had made her race into the building. A grey barn cat and her six kittens screamed in in one corner of the barn. But there was no way to reach them except through the crackling flames. Gathering her courage, she ran forward with all her might, landing on the floor on the other side. She choked from the smoke. She reached for the cats, stuffing a tiny kitten in every pocket. She picked up the cat and scurried towards the exit. The barn door was engulfed in flames. Molly heard frightened voices outside yelling as loud as they could. Loud creaking noises were heard overhead, as the roof slowly bent in. Fear paralyzed her, and she stood there, shaking. Derrik couldn’t stand to see his sister be buried alive under the burning beams. He ran into to the barn, and grabbed Molly’s arm. He pulled her out, through the wall of fire that soundly stood in the barn doorway. The roof bent, and with a horrifying crash, caved in. But they were safe; cats and all. Aunt Jean fell to her knees.

“Thank You, dear Heavenly Father. Thank You.”

The next morning, all that was left was rising smoke and some charred wood. Uncle Sam sat down at the table with everyone else. I’ve decided to call-” He was interrupted by a knock on the front door. Opening the door, he sighed. A tall, distinguished man stepped in. He was wearing a brown suit and hat. He carried a folder in his hands.

“Sam, I’m here to make another offer. I heard your barn burnt down last night. I’ll pay you even more now that it’s gone! I was going to tear it down anyway! What do ya say, pal?” he asked.

“Look, Boliff, I’m not interested. You hear?” He said sternly.

“But-”

“No buts about it. Now, good day.” Uncle Sam shut the door.

“Who was that?” Tom asked.

“His name is George Boliff. He’s a rel estate agent. He’s been asking to buy the ranch for quite awhile now. I almost think I should give in,” Uncle Sam sighed.

“Sam, you don’t mean that!  Why, we can’t move!” Aunt Jean protested.

“I just don’t know what else to do,” he said.

“Call the police.” All eyes turned to Jake. He felt his face turn red.

“I think you ought to call them. It’s better than almost getting killed by a fire, or having everything stolen.”

“But the letter-” Uncle Sam started.

“We can watch for any intruders,” Tom said, agreeing with his little brother. “What do you say?” Uncle Sam rubbed his chin.

“Well, okay. But we must be careful.”

The Mystery of Lucky Shoe Ranch, Part 3

The boys finished talking to Uncle Sam and went into the kitchen for a small snack.

“Dishes are finally clean,” Aunt Jeanie said, putting away her washtub. “Oh, hello boys. What can I do for you?”

“Well, we were going to have a little snack, but we see you just finished-”

“Nonsense, everybody is always eating around here. Go ahead and fix yourselves something to eat,” she smiled.

The brothers had just finished making sandwiches when the back door flew open. A tall red headed teenager stepped in, letting the cold night breeze sail through the small kitchen.

“Jake, Tom! You’re here!” the boy went over to them and offered one of his large, rough hands.

“Derrik?” Tom asked, grinning.

“The one and only!” he laughed. “Sorry I couldn’t meet you earlier. I was working with the cattle and in the fields all day.”

“It’s great to see you,” Jake said, giving his elder cousin a pat on the back.

Later that night, the boys lay in there beds, reading mystery magazines.

“This is really…..”

“I’m waiting,” Tom said. “I hate it when you start a sentence and never finish it.”

“Scary,” Jake said, still engrossed in the story. Tom rolled his eyes. Blowing out the lamp and snuggling deep into his covers, he said,

“Come on, Jake. My watch says it’s past 9:00. Ranch workers have to go to bed early, you know.”

“All right, I’m blowing.” Jake said, giving a small breath into the oil lamp. He lay in his bed and looked at the open window. The curtains moved slowly, caused by a slight breeze. The bright stars in the western sky shined down gloriously. He was about to close his weary eyes when a dark figure appeared outside the open window!

“Tom!” he frantically whispered. Tom stirred but did not awake. Panicking, Jake nervously watched the intruder step into the room, sneaky as a cat. The man, quite big, carefully maneuvered around the bedroom, unaware of Jake’s watching eyes. The man made a slight noise, waking Tom up. Upon seeing the intruder, Tom slowly turned his head to Jake’s bed. Meeting eye to eye, Tom signaled ‘lie flat’. The robber opened the drawers of the dresser and pulled out some valuable things the boys had and put them in a bag. Tom slowly pulled his covers and off and then jumped on the back of the man. Startled, the man fell to the floor. Then, a serious fist fight erupted. Jake hopped out of bed to join in. Whack! Tom fell hard to the ground, with blood seeping out of his mouth. Jake punched the man in the stomach. Then, he struggled to get the deerskin bag. Finally, after retrieving the bag, Jake tried to stop the man from escaping. But the big man just pushed him out of the way. He hopped through the window, and plunged into darkness.

“Tom, are you okay?” Jake asked, kneeling beside his brother. Tom sat up and rubbed his sore jaw.

“I’m fine,” he said. “We need to get Uncle Sam, now!”

After talking to Uncle Sam, the boys looked around to see if anything had been stolen. Finding nothing, the boys sat in the living room, with the rest of the family. Uncle Sam paced, deep in thought. Aunt Jeanie sat in a chair and nervously twisted her handkerchief. Molly held onto her brother’s arm tightly.

“These thing have got to stop!” Uncle Sam finally exclaimed. “We have to contact somebody.”

“Why don’t we forget about it tonight and get a good night’s rest. We can talk at breakfast tomorrow,” Jake suggested, yawning. Everyone agreed and they all headed back to bed.

The rooster crowed bright and early the next morning. Sunshine greeted the boys as they woke from their sleep. They got up and got dressed, and met the rest in the kitchen for breakfast. Bags and dark lines rested on everyone’s face from lack if sleep.

After a breakfast of pancakes and eggs, everyone went their own way. Derrik headed for the fields, Molly, the stable, Uncle Sam, his office. Aunt Jean started to clean up breakfast.

“Need any help, Aunt Jeanie?” Tom asked.

“No thanks. Now you boys get. Go have some fun!” she shooed. The boys went outside and stood on the back deck. All of the sudden, a voice cried out.

“Jake, Tom!” The saw Molly running towards them. She stopped to take a breath.

“Boys, can you get Daddy? Derrik said he found something in the fields he wants him to see. Hurry!” she panted. Jake ran inside and came out shortly with Uncle Sam. They ran down to the fence that divided the yard from the field. Derrik was on his knees inspecting something on the ground. Molly stood over him. She looked up.

“Daddy, look! It’s boot prints. They’s got a peculiar design, too.” Uncle Sam bent down. There, in the soft earth, was a huge boot print! On the heel of the shoe, was an imprint of a lasso.

“Well, I’ll be. Looky here. These here boots was made by Lassoing Boot Company. THe best boot company in these here parts. I don’t know nobody who wears these kinds……No wait! Ben Sickle, our neighbor, has a pair. Real nice one’s too.” he said, looking towards the ranch about a half a mile down the road.

“You don’t think…” Tom started.

“I din’t know, Tom. I don’t know.”

No more strange things happened the rest of the day. That night, the cozy family sat in front of the big, stone fireplace and had a nice little chat. The fire crackled and the dancing flames made large shadows throughout the room. It was very peaceful and relaxing. Molly’s eyes slowly shut and Uncle Sam’s light snoring made everyone feel at home. Closing his eyes, Jake laid back on the soft couch. Barely heard over crackling flames, a horse’s whinny was heard by Jake’s superb hearing. Opening his eyes, and listening carefully, he heard much more then just whinnying.

“Tom, doesn’t the flames kind of sound loud, for just a small fire?” he asked. Tom shrugged his weary shoulders. Jake got up and walked into the kitchen. A strange glow mysteriously filled the room. Jake knew it wasn’t from the fireplace in the other room. Pulling back the red calico curtains that covered the window, he let out a cry.

The barn was up in flames!

To be continued!

The Mystery of Lucky Shoe Ranch, Part 2

Later, the craft carefully maneuvered onto the run-way at Gulf Creek Airport. The boys got off the airplane and headed for a taxi stand. When they found a taxi that wasn’t occupied, they immediately hopped in.

“I had no idea how busy this place would be!” Tom exclaimed. They driver sped off. They drove to the nearest car rental and got a green sports car with a hood.

The brothers drove for four, long hours, along dusty roads that seemed to be deserted. No civilization was for miles. Dust clouds formed all around, covering their shiny vehicle. Finally, ranches started to appear. They saw a particular ranch that caught their attention. A large wooden entry-way read:

Lucky Shoe Ranch

“Tom,” Jake exclaimed. “This is it! We’re here!” The boys pulled up the long driveway and saw a large, ranch style house.  On the front porch stood a man in overalls. He was tall, rather big, and had a bushy, gray beard.

“Jeanie! They’s here! Cousin Tom and Cousin Jake!” he hollered, swinging his arms. Jake grinned. The boys hopped out of the car, gathered the luggage, and met Uncle Sam on the porch.

“I’m so glad you came! Well just look at ya. The last time I saw you, Jake, you were barely walkin’ around. And Tom! My goodness, aren’t we fancy!” he said, pointing to Tom’s sliver belt.

“Tom, Jake! You’re here!” Aunt Jean exclaimed, running out of the house. She was wearing a simple dress, with a flowered apron. He brown hair was up in a bun.

The boys followed their Aunt and Uncle inside. They were immediately charmed. Everything was just like a ranch. A big moose head hung over the fireplace and bearskins on the floor, making it a comfy decor. A small eating area was in the kitchen. Off the living room was bedrooms, and Uncle Sam’s office.

“Well, why don’t y’all make yourselves at home. Your bedroom is right there,” Aunt Jeanie said, pointing to a door in the hallway. The boys thanked her, gathered their luggage, and went through the door.

“Whoa…this is awesome,” Jake stammered, seeing the cowboy themed bedroom.

“I guess every room out west is cowboy themed,” Tom said. Wallpaper with bull riders covered the four walls. Comfy cots sat on the left hand side, while the one door leading to the closet was on the other side. A bright window let in lots of natural light. The boys discovered oil lamps on their nightstands and gathered that there was no electricity.

After unpacking, the boys decided to wash up before supper. Scanning up and down the hallway, neither saw a bathroom.

“Oh, no,” was Jake’s simple reply.  The boys ran through the living room, through the kitchen, and onto the back porch. There, by the barn, was what Jake had been afraid of. An outhouse.

“Great. Just Great.”

“Oh, did I forget to mention we don’t have runnin’ water?” The boys turned to see Uncle Sam.

“Yes, but that’s okay. We’ll get used to it,” Tom laughed. Uncle Sam smiled.

“Molly! Come on over here! I want’cha to meet your cousins!” he hollered. A teenage girl with dark brown braids and overalls came into view. She was in the corral, riding a cream colored horse. She hopped off, jumped over the fence, and ran up to the porch.

“You want me, Daddy?” she smiled, revealing her slightly crooked teeth.

“Yah, sugar. This is Tom and Jake, your cousins. Boys, this is Molly. She’s seventeen.” The boys, used to their Northern ways, were surprised when Molly gave them a handshake instead of the polite curtsy they always received at home. Jake smiled as he rubbed his red hand,

“Her nickname ought to be Iron Ball, not sugar.”

“Pleasure to meet y-” Tom was cut off by a loud holler.

“Come and get it!” Aunt Jeanie yelled.

“Grubs on!” Uncle Sam exclaimed, leading everyone into the kitchen.

After a hearty meal of rabbit stew, the boys went outside to enjoy the cool evening breeze and the lowering sun.

“So, what did you think of the rabbit stew?” Tom asked.

“I tried not to think to much about it,” Jake replied, solemnly. “I’m afraid it might hurt Cotton’s feelings.” Tom laughed as he thought of Jake’s white rabbit back home.

“Jake, Tom, could I see you in my office for a minute?” The boys turned to see Uncle Sam standing by the back door.

“Sure,” Tom said.

When the boys were seated in Sam’s office, he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out an envelope.

“Read this,” he said, handing it to Tom. Jake leaned over by his older brother as Tom opened the jacket.

WARNING!

Sam Benson,

Say one word about what’s been happening at your ranch, and you’ll be extremely sorry. Be careful what you say…Or we’ll be forced to take extremes.

Phantom Spiral

“Is this a joke?” Jake asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

“This is no joke,” Uncle Sam replied, seriously. “In fact, this is why I asked you to come out. I need you help on deciding what to do. I don’t want to bother Jeanie with it, ’cause it just scares her.”

“Who is Phantom Spiral?” Tom asked, still inspecting the letter.

“I’ve got no clue. All I know is whoever he is, he leaves a spiral mark on whatever he sabotages.”

“For instance?”

“Last week he ruined our too shed by fire. He left a spiral on the wooden pieces left. All the neighbors still think it was an accident. It’s getting harder and harder to explain all these incidents to the nosy neighbors around here.

“How many accident’s have you had?” Jake asked.

“Only three. But I’m sure many more are to come. I received the letter last week.”

“Why don’t we wait and see what happens next. If anything more happens that's serious and not just a little prank, we will have to contact somebody,” Tom said, wisely.

The Mystery of Lucky Shoe Ranch, Part 1

Hello, everyone! This is the first chapter of The Mystery of Lucky Shoe Ranch. I hope you'll enjoy it!

~Kathryn (aka Chatty Kathy)

“Jake,” said 19 year-old Tom. “You’re not helping!”

The two teenage brothers were raking leaves in front of their suburban home near New York, New York. Jake Benson, the youngest, was sitting on the porch drinking warm apple cider.

“I’ll help in just a minute,” he said, rubbing his frozen hands.

“Mom wants us to get these leaves raked before she comes back from the store,” Tom said, urging his 18 year-old brother.

“All right, all right,” sighed Jake. He walked over where his big brother was making a pile. Taking his rake, he began to help gather the wrinkled leaves.

“Good afternoon, boys,” said a voice. The boys looked up and saw Mr. Sanchez, the mailman.

“Hi, Mr. Sanchez!” Tom exclaimed. The elderly man walked over to the boys and handed them a stack of letters.

“See you later,” he smiled, tipping his blue hat.

“Bye!” the boys called in unison. Jake leaned his rake against the house and sorted through the letters. He was about to take them inside, when a certain letter caught his attention. Staring at the envelope, he asked Tom,

“Who do we know in Spring Valley, Montana?” Tom walked over to Jake and looked at the letter.

“It’s postmarked Spring Valley, Montana, all right.” Jake rubbed his chin.

“Spring Valley, Spring-of course! I know who!” he exclaimed.

“Who?” Tom asked, puzzled.

“Uncle Sam and Aunt Jean!” he said, ripping open the cream-colored envelope.

“Oh yah, and cousin Derrik and Molly, too!” Tom exclaimed. Jake pulled out a piece of blue stationary and began to read:

Dear Jake and Tom,

How are y’all? Our ranch, Lucky Shoe, has been havin’ trouble. Our handymen have just gone and left us. They just all quit without no reason. Now you know we can’t run the ranch by ourselves, and we can’t afford new handymen. We was wondrin’ if y’all would come and help us out. Just until we can get some more handymen though, ya hear? Come and get a load of some dusty, western air! Can’t wait to see you!

With heaps of love,

Uncle Sam, Aunt Jean, Derrik, and Molly

“Wow, Montana! Do you think we can go?” Jake asked. No sooner had he said this than a loud honk rang through their ears. They turned to see their mother pulling up in the family’s station wagon. The boys jogged to the car with excitement. Mrs. Benson got out of the car with grocery bags filled to the brim.

“Mom! Can we go-ow!” Jake cried. Tom had given him an elbow to the rib. And a look. The boys helped their mother take the groceries inside the house and onto the kitchen counter.

“Oh, grocery shopping is exhausting!” she exclaimed, taking her scarf off her head and running her fingers through her grayish-brown hair. She walked in the living room and collapsed into a chair.

“So what’s your scheme this time?As long as it doesn’t turn out to be like the last idea you had I might let you do it.” Tom chuckled as he remembered what they had done a few weeks ago. They had attempted to fix their dad’s old motorcycle. On a test drive, they ran into the beautiful petunias of their grouchy neighbor, Mrs. McAllen.

The boys handed her the letter and watched her face anxiously while she read it.

“Well, we will have to wait until your father comes home from the office,” she finally said.

The boys were on pins and needles for the rest of the afternoon. Suddenly, they heard the rumble of their father’s old car. They raced out back and met him in the driveway.

“Dad, we might go to Montana!”

“It’d be awesome! Can we go?”

“Whoa, I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Mr. Benson exclaimed. “How about you explain when we get inside.”

Later that evening, at the supper table, the boys’ dad was told about and shown the letter. Since he was sure they could handle things on their own, as they had proved many times, he agreed to the trip.

“It’ll be good for you to get some fresh air and away from the suburbs for awhile,” he had said.

“I wouldn’t call it fresh air Dad,” Tom laughed. “Like Uncle Sam said, we’re gonna get a load of dusty, western air!”

Early the next morning, the boys hopped into the station wagon and headed for the airport. Mr. Benson was at the wheel. Tom and Jake sat in the back, and Mrs. Benson sat by her husband.

“Well, it’s a lovely day for flying.” she said.

“Yah, there isn't one cloud in the sky!” Tom exclaimed, looking out the window.

When they reached the airport, the boys said goodbye to their parents and bought their tickets. They boarded airliner #36 and found their seats. When they had put their luggage away and buckled up, a voice was heard overhead.

“Welcome aboard airliner #36. I’m Captain Martin and I will be your pilot. Each compartment has a flight assistant for your convenience. We want to make this a very comfortable trip. Please buckle up, sit back, and enjoy the trip!”

The boys looked out the window for a while but soon got tired of seeing miles of blue sky. Soon, both teenagers were fast asleep. Later, another voice blared overhead.

“This is your co-pilot, Amber Thompson. Please prepare to land. We will reach Gulf Creek Airport in 20 minutes.”

“Jake, Jake, wake up! We’re going to land soon!” Tom said, shaking his younger brother.

“Wha-what? Huh? What’s going on?" he asked, sleepily.

“We’re going to land in Gulf Creek in 20 minutes.”

“Gulf Creek is close to Spring Valley, right?” Jake asked, stretching.

“After we land, we have to rent a car and drive for about four hours,” Tom replied. Jake sank into his seat.

“Four hours? Where is Lucky Shoe Ranch? In the middle of nowhere?”

“Just about,” Tom laughed.