Will You Be My Friend?

 Allie and Josh were talking and  bumping into each other and moving old dolls and picking up hundred dollar bills all at the same time. Josh said, "Will you quit being mad at me for just one second? I've been trying to tell you that you are rich beyond your farthest dreams for days and you won't even let me talk to you. Look at this. This whole room is probably worth millions! Look there are more bearer bonds here too. Oh, Allie, look at the walls. Tear down a little of that old wallpaper. Yes, a little more. Oh I was right. This whole room has hidden money and bonds. Why would they try to cover it with wallpaper? Why wouldn't whoever did this put them in a safety deposit box at the bank?" They stopped what they were doing and looked each other in the eye and said at the same time, "Because they didn't trust the bank; the miner!"

Uncle Bill's ghost quickly saw his paper will that he had hidden in this old room. As soon as Allie moved Maggie's old doll, he saw it just where he had put it a few months ago. "Here we go. I'll just go put this under Allie's pillow where she will find it tonight when she goes to sleep. Yes, right by Stuffie. Ooops, sorry little fella, I kind of messed up the bed. When the kids leave I'll see where that necklace is. There is no need for Allie to sell it now that she has money and bonds that Uncle Rex left her. I guess that's who did. I didn't realize he was that rich. I always heard that old mine was dry as dust after a few years."

The old room was full of cobwebs, but it did have a single window that overlooked the driveway going out to the road. They both saw the  sheriff's car headed out. "What's that all about? Did you hear him knock? I wonder why he was out here? Josh, Look, there is that dog again. Oh, I guess it's not so bad to have some company now that I can afford some food for all these animals." Josh started laughing and then he laughed some more. Pretty soon Allie started laughing too. She was rich! She had a beautiful ranch, horses, animals, and at least one friend even though she hadn't treated him very nice. "I'm sorry, Josh. Forgive me?" He grinned at her and said, "Of course, but next time, would you just take a minute to listen when I have something important to tell you?" Then they both grinned and continued to sort out all the valuables from the old newspapers in the room. "Someday it might be fun to read some of these old papers, wouldn't it?" Josh didn't answer her. He had seen a headline on one of them from years ago. "Another day, guy, another day," he thought to himself. He slid the old paper under some others with his foot. Soon they were finished. They decided that they would take some of the bonds and the money into Master City and see if they could cash them in. There was a lot to discuss and many decisions to be made. Some of their decisions would greatly impact the lives of many people. People that they didn't even know.

Josh was a little older than Allie and a bit more knowledgeable of financial problems that she might run into. He told her he thought that they should find a reputable financial advisor to help them, but first to the bank. They had to find out if they would cash in the bearer bonds. They also needed to open  more than one account. One that was just for the ranch and one that was just for Allie's personal wants and needs. She really needed some cowboy boots and a cowboy hat in his estimation. "She would look really cute on a horse someday," he thought. "Didn't you say that Haylee knew a financial guy in this town? Yes, that happened before my dear old dad was arrested. Do you want to call her or do it on our own? It's up to you. Of course, I'll help. Friends, remember?" They decided to find the local coffee shop or library. Somewhere where there was free wi-fi that they could use to do some research. But first the bank.

"Hey, Mr. Josh. I'll even buy you lunch. Alright alright, I'm sorry. Okay? Let's just get this done, then lunch, then a quiet place to find a good financial company."

"No, I don't want a flat screen tv. My old television set and I are getting along just fine. I need a lot of other things more than a television set, that's for sure. Crab for lunch? You silly guy, she laughed. Oh alright. I see a cafe down the street. You have to wait. The bank first!"

                                                                *****

The year was 1865. The Civil War would soon come to an end, but to a little boy it was too late. He was sad. His daddy had gone away and hadn't come back. His mama said that his daddy was a hero. "I don't think I like heroes if they don't stay and live with their little boys.. I want my daddy, he whispered to the old horse. He loved you, Sullie. I know he did 'cause he told me so. He said you were his friend when he was just my age. Will you be my friend too, 'cause I am really sad and I might cry. My mama said it's okay to cry. I try not to, but I just can't help it sometimes. My daddy said he used to tell you secrets and you were always there for him when he needed you. Will you please never go away like he did? When I get big do you think that you will let me get on your back and take me for a ride? Do you think it will take a long time to get big enough?"

The gentle horse nudged his nose against the little boy's lap and gently shook his head and gave a soft nicker of reassurance. He remembered the boy's dad. They had trained each other throughout the many years he'd lived here. He too missed the child's dad, but now he had a new job to do. He was once again needed by a small human. He would be his friend and help him smile just like his dad used to. As he closed his big brown eyes he could remember the wind blowing through his mane and his young master laughing and yelling, "Faster, Sullie, faster!" 

The young woman watching the heartbreaking scene from her front porch quietly pleaded, "Please watch over him. He misses you so much. He doesn't understand Heaven yet. He's a little angry at you for leaving us, and he's lonely. Let's hope that the love your old horse gives him will help him get through his grief."

The Grandmas Have An Open House At Marleewood

 Grandma Lu and Grandma B were busy busy at Marleewood. They had invited a lot of friends to come to their open house to celebrate the upcoming holidays. Grandma Lu had been really closed mouthed about her Dude Ranch series that she was writing. B would question her every once in awhile about this or that, and she would always change the subject. Once she put K.R. in jail in her stories, the conversation changed to Josh and Allie and what was going to happen to the dude ranch. There was always the question whether Josh was going to leave town etc. Grandma Lu wasn't talking.

 Grandma B thought she saw her chance to get the inside scoop on the mystery while they were cooking. They decided to not actually cook, but to have finger foods, cookies, bars, and cold and hot drinks. Something simple, but festive and best of all people could come when they could. Grandma Lu loved having open houses. She found that she could visit with folks longer than if everyone came at the same time. She was so excited. Grandma B was a really good cook, but Grandma Lu held her own. She was going to show her friend how to make sandwiches like her mother did for her lady's club when she was the hostess. Aww, those ribbon sandwiches were so good and beautiful too. She grinned to herself, "It's really going to get to her when I tell her that I am going to make the coffee. She's a coffee connoisseur, but I will bet money that she will like my coffee better than hers. I should call Darrell and tell him what I'm doing. He will get a kick out of it. First thing I have to do is get my big old blue coffee pot out of the closet. I haven't used it in years, so it will need washed up. This should be fun."

Grandma B was in the back kitchen making and baking the sweets for the open house. "I love Grandma Lu, but she just should stick with making sandwiches and getting some cold drinks stocked and in the fridge. I've got the handle on the goodies here. I'm going to set the timer for 13 minutes. That's the exact time for these cookies that are my specialty. There, now I'm off to see what Grandma Lu is doing. Maybe she will tell me what Mike had in the envelope for Allie," she chuckled. "Probably not a chance."

Grandma Lu had gotten the old coffee pot all washed and was ready to mix the eggs into the coffee grounds when her friend peeked around the corner and said, "What are you doing? Oh my gosh, girl. You are making a mess that's for sure. What happened did you accidentally drop an egg in the coffee grounds? I'll make the coffee. You don't have to mess with it. In fact I have a pot going in the back kitchen." She looked at the counter and said, "What in the world is this? What are you doing with an electric knife? I thought you were making sandwiches for the party. Oh dear, I guess, I'll have to help you with this. What is Deviled Ham? You must have a dozen dishes with stuff in them. I thought we were going to do simple. This is definitely not simple. A crystal punch bowl? Oh my goodness. Where do I even start."

Grandma Lu laughed and said, "Oh silly girl. Remember you said once when you, Joann and I went to lunch we were the three decade girls? Well, in the 50's this is how my mother served her friends when it was her turn. No one ever stepped foot in the kitchen when you had company. If they did they always found it clean as a whistle. Now you just never mind. I have invited Meta to come and help me. She knows all about this too. Don't you have some cookies and brownies to make? I'll take care of everything here." 

About that time Meta came in the back door and said, "Hey there! Is something on fire! There is smoke coming out the back kitchen window."

"Oh no, my cookies! They are probably burnt to a crisp. Oh Meta, will you grab a fire extinguisher just in case? They are probably just black as coal. Hopefully nothing caught on fire.  Lawd! Just look at this mess. I'm going to have two messes to clean up now. It's okay, Meta. You can put it away. I will need some help putting fresh cookie dough on some new cookie sheets, though. Do you mind helping? Everything will be fine. There are extra cookie sheets in the pantry on the bottom shelf. There is a pie plate on top of them. That Grandma Lu why would she do that? But I know it was her because I keep things orderly. My old friend, not so much." She had a small smile on her face as she started cleaning and getting the windows open. "Burnt cookie smell is not what I wanted for my party," she grumbled.

Meta went to get the cookie sheets and there was a glass pie plate on top of the cookie sheets just like Bonnie said. She smiled, thinking of her old friend. For some reason the bottom cookie sheet was stuck. She gave it a good yank and a book fell on the floor. "Bonnie, come quick. Look what I found. You just are never going to believe it. Grandma Lu has hidden her journal with all the notes in it for her stories. Why would she do that? Do you want to look to see how the dude ranch story ends? Maybe it's in here. Here is the Enchanted Forest notes, and I see the pirate series notes. That was a good one wasn't it? Oh, Bonnie, remember the series she wrote about Marlee prospecting for gold? All the ice cream melted. That was a mess too, she laughed. Oh look! Propunzel. Marlee and she wrote that together. It was such fun. Marlee was just the perfect age to imagine Prince Charming. Well, maybe we shouldn't look. It would be almost like sneaking a peek at a Christmas present before Christmas. Really? You want to? There are people coming I hear them out in the sitting room. We'd better not." We have to get something for them to eat and some drinks out there. Do you want me to run home and get some cookies? I think I have some. Well, okay. People love Grandma Lu. They will just give her a hug and forget about it."

The two ladies walked into the sitting room and there were long tables set up for the holidays. There sat the crystal punch bowl with a frozen ice ring with fruit in it. How beautiful. There were cut glass plates filled with dainty little sandwiches adorned with cream cheese frosting and olives and little flowers on the side.

 On the other wall was a table with a coffee service and crystal cups for the ladies, and big old coffee mugs for the guys or for those that wanted a full cup of coffee. The plates were filled with He-Man size sandwiches of ham and cheese and roast beef. The best part that made both ladies smile was the children's tables. Each table had four chairs and paper plates. There were baskets of chips and coolers with boxes of juice. Grandma Lu had made them sandwiches out of silver dollar buns and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cupcakes!"

Then the ladies heard their dear friend say, "Thank you so much, Darrell. I don't know what I would have done without you. I'm sure Santa will be extra good to you this Christmas." Darrell looked down and grinned and said, "Looks like we have company, Grandma Lu. What is your name young lady?" The little girl grinned and said, "I'm Paisley. I'm Marlee's friend." Marlee said, "Yes she is. She goes to my school. She wants to know if she can be in your stories, Grandma Lu. Can she?"  Grandma Lu smiled and said, " Absolutely. Have you ever been on a ranch or ridden a horse or would like to? That's what I'm writing about now." Paisley said, "Yay! Is Marlee going to be in the story too?" Grandma Lu said, "Of course, she is. I'll let you know when, okay?" The girls giggled and ran off to play. "I just love writing stories and little children. It's such fun to be able to put both things together. Have you tried one of my pretty little ribbon sandwiches? No? She laughed out loud and pointed to the big platter of the big ham sandwiches. Go help yourself. You have earned it."

Bonnie and Meta looked at each other and Bonnie said, "Quick, go put her notebook back in the pantry. I'm not going to ruin her day" Meta agreed and quickly put the journal back where she had found it, and barely rescued another cookie sheet of fresh chocolate chip cookies that were in the oven. They were perfect. She cut some brownies and put them on a pretty serving plate. When she got back to the sitting room she heard people say, "That is the best coffee I have ever tasted! Where did you get this coffee?" Grandma Lu's eyes sparkled and said, "My mother made egg coffee for her lady friends. I'm so glad you like it. Yes eggs. Have a ribbon sandwich, Bonnie. Hope you like them. There's a little devil in each one," she laughed. 

Grandma Lu watched Meta hurry out to the kitchen with her book of notes. "Gotcha, my friend. I just knew Grandma B would want to look, so I put that there on purpose. If they did, I planted the wrong notes in with the Dude Ranch series.  I slipped some from the missing doll mystery. That will get them so mixed up they will think Allie is going to Branson to the Doll Museum. Oh what a fun day this is. I love cooking, company, and children. Oh and a good prank once in awhile."

Happy Thanksgiving everyone from all of our friends at Marleewood!

Mr. And Mrs. Packrat Were Making A Nest

 Josh had no idea where Mike's garage was, but started running down the street trying to follow the directions that Mike had given him. This was the biggest break of Allie's life! Why hadn't she answered her phone when Mike called her? Oh well, I'm going to go get the envelope and get it to her somehow. I hate being without a car. Maybe Mike can help me in that area too. This little town is lucky to have him. He rescued Haylee and Allie when they ran off the road and damaged the wheel on Allie's Jeep. He then  towed it back to his garage and fixed it. Yes, he was a life saver that's for sure. Oh I think I see it down at the end of the street. There's a guy welding something. Yeah, I think that's it. Keeping his face away from the glare of the welder, Josh yelled "Hello" to the man and finally got his attention.  "Hi, my name is Josh and Mike is expecting me. Can you tell him I'm here? Thanks."

Mike chuckled and said, "I'm right here. I got this out of the front seat of the Jeep the day I hauled it in. It looks like to me it has important papers inside. Can I trust you to give it to her? No, I'll tell you what. I'll take them out to her." Josh said, "Well, can I ride along? I'm supposed to go out there tomorrow, but she can only yell at me, right?" Mike shook his head, and said, "Alright, but if she has a fit it's on you.! I've heard that she's not afraid to use her mouth to tell folks off."  He yelled to the man that he would be back in a half hour or so and jumped in his truck. Josh followed suit. "Hey, do you ever clean this thing out? Do you care if I shove some of this stuff on the floor?" Mike gave him his well known shrug and they were on their way. While Mike was driving, Josh looked inside the envelope. It was just like Mike had said, but important papers was not what he would call them. He would call them life changing. He could hardly stand it until they got to the ranch. Ah! She was home the Jeep was in the driveway. Good. He thanked Mike and jumped out of the Jeep. Mike said, "Hold on there a minute. There's no lights on in the house. I think she's asleep. It's a little early, but I heard somebody say they saw her at the fair in Master City. She's probably pooped. I'll drop you off, but I'm not too cool with letting you in the house. You got stuff in the camper? Good. You sleep out here and give her these papers tomorrow. Deal?" Josh wasn't real happy about these conditions, but he agreed and opened up the camper. His sleeping bag was still in there, but no pillow. "Great another night without much sleep, " he sighed. I' think I saw that he had an older car for sale. I need to call him tomorrow. He crawled into the camper and tossed and turned for what seemed like forever, but finally went to sleep.

Uncle Bill's ghost had decided to use his floating ability so that he wouldn't wake up Allie. He actually enjoyed being a ghost, but sometimes wished he could talk to folks, especially Allie so that he could tell her his life story. He could hear her talking to him asking him if he was really her uncle and who all these old pictures were of. Some things she didn't need to know, but right now he needed to find his written will that he had had K.R. write for him and to hide the journal she had found and some of the pictures. He hadn't looked at the journal or had been in his Uncle's study for years. He knew that the adoption papers were either in one of three places. He had not had enough time to look for them. He had watched Allie knock down cob webs and discuss his housekeeping skills or lack thereof when in fact it was the old miner's fault. " Okay, there's the journal laying on the floor with a lot of pictures. I see she picked up the bearer bonds that flew out of the journal. I didn't even know they were in there. She will have enough money to start up the ranch again if the bank will honor them. If they are too old, a lot of banks won't.  I think I will take that old journal and some of these pictures into the room behind that old chest of drawers. They will rot over the years and no one will ever know. Okay, easy does it, Bill, let's move this dresser without making any noise. I sure don't want to scare that little girl again. I have to be more careful." As he moved the dresser he said to himself, "I don't know why I can't move through stuff like other ghosts can. I'm always stuck doing the hard stuff." About that time the leg broke off the front of the old dresser and made a loud snapping sound. "Shoot, I knew something was going to happen. He quickly moved the dresser and slid the hidden pocket door open to the ancient room that was no longer used. As he went to put the journal under the old dolls' skirts he saw the money! Hundreds of dollars on top of more bearer bonds. " Uncle Bill said, "What is going on here?" 

Allie screamed and said, "That's what I'd like to know! What's going on here?" Josh came running up the stairs and said, "What's going on here? Are you alright?" "You again, are you out to kill me? What are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow!" Then together they said, "Oh my gosh, look at all that money!"

The packrats stopped chewing on the soft green and white paper they were using to make a new nest for their new babies they were expecting. It was a tedious job, but it had to be done quickly because the babies were going to arrive in just a day or two. "Quick, Henry, there's humans up there. Cover up the shiny necklace and earbobs. Let them find the pearls, I don't care, but I love looking at those sparkling stones and the shiney silver when I go to bed at night. It helps me relax. Thank you Dear. Oh don't forget to cover up that old miner's pocket watch. That's my favorite. Poor old soul has been looking for it for years, but it's better off with us."

The neighbors saw the lights go on in the attic of the big ranch house that night. They had waited long enough. Together they devised a plan. They wanted their money.  Through their telescope they had seen Josh put a large envelope in the camper before he got into bed.  As they quietly walked over to the camper to take the envelope Daisy started to bark. "Shush! Quiet!" A deep voice said, "Alright you two. You can join the crowd in my jail. There is nothing in this camper that belongs to you. I need to ask you some questions and it might as well be tonight. Come on! Off with you. Leave the dog here. She will be good company for Allie until I get back out here to pick her up."

Maxine arrived at Lill's house only to find it dark and empty. "Once again you have left me. I love you so much, why won't you accept the fact that I did what I did because I loved you more than life itself."

Uncle Bill Watches Over Allie As She Sleeps

 While Allie was driving back to the ranch her mind was in complete turmoil. "What have I gotten myself into? Uncle Bill are you even my Uncle? I have never heard of you and Mom never mentioned you. I could not even believe what happened in that sheriff's office. Three generations of control freaks! Good grief. I can't understand what Maxine said about me being related to them; no way! The only really good thing that happened today was the County Fair. That was so much fun it almost trumps the bad stuff that happened the last part of the day. Okay, so here we are; the good old Double D ranch. That must stand for dumb and dumber today," she laughed to herself. I'm thinking that that old tv and I are going to have a talk. I would love to just sit and watch the news. No ghosts, no traveling cowboy hats, and especially no Josh, just me and my tv."

 Allie walked into the living room and looked at the old television set. She needed her mom. "Oh how I miss you Mama. I'm going out to the kitchen and get your picture. You need to be here so I can see you." With that she went out to the kitchen and took it off the wall. She looked at the picture of the other woman and wondered just who she was. She took the framed photo of her mother and dusted the frame on her jeans then put it on the television. "Ah, there you go. Now I can see you every day when I relax.. I don't like that the other side of the television is empty though. I need to find something else to balance it out. I know, Mom. I'm weird that way. That's just me. Maybe a plant. I thought both pictures  were you, but I can tell now that they aren't. Another mystery I will never solve, I guess."

Allie sat down on her old, but comfy couch and started watching the news. It was showing a ranch that had horses just for folks that needed a friend. Some were children, some were adults. "Now that is neat. I wonder if that was something like this ranch used to be." As she continued to watch she knew just what she had to do with her ranch. Help people both young and old. She had heard of therapy dogs for physically and mentally impaired and troubled children and adults. What about people that were scared or lonely? What about her horses?! Yes, Uncle Bill! Did you help people? What exactly is your story anyway? Maxine said that you had this ranch full of guests and lots of ranch hands. How did you do that? What happened to this place? Oh I need to find the rest of your video will. Tomorrow, first thing after I pay the ranch hands and give them directions on getting the horses back down here, and getting a vet here, and getting feed here, and paying bills. Oh dear, can I make it happen? After I do all of that it will be time to go to bed tomorrow night with another day not finding any answers. I am so tired..."

Allie fell into an exhausted sleep on her old couch in her old living room unknowing that her old Uncle Bill ghost was watching over her. "Well, little one, I guess you need a helping hand. I'll see if I can't make it happen because you have the answer to reviving this old piece of dirt as K.R. used to call it and helping others. That's what we are put on this earth to do, little one. I wish I would have had more money to leave you, but that necklace is worth a fortune. If you sold that you could run a not for profit and help a lot of folks, soldiers even. Yes, I'd better get started. I'll head upstairs to see if my paper will is still in that chest. I don't trust that K.R. He probably destroyed my video will I had him  make. I moved that old chest of drawers the other day to check, but it scared Allie. She's asleep now, so I'll get started. I think I remember where I put it. I'd better be a tad quieter though. I sure don't want her to wake up. I am going to hide that old scrapbook and journal though. I know just where I will put them. I'm going to have to move that chest again to get to the other room. She doesn't need to see some of those pictures or read any of the past entries of my parents and grandparents let alone my aunts and uncles. I do need to find the adoption papers though and destroy them. The folks around here would have a hay day with that info. Yup that's the first thing I'll look for. I'm glad that orphanage is long gone. Bad business that place was. Glad there are better laws nowadays."

Josh walked down the street to the little chili cafe that he and Allie had stopped at the very first night they arrived. He remembered how Lill had put a hot habanera pepper in Allie's chili. He just didn't understand that. She had seemed like a nice lady years ago when her son, Justin, and he were in college. "Well, here goes nothing. Maybe she will be in a better mood today. I am going to send a message to Laura and see if she will meet me here. I just have this strange feeling that they both are hiding something. I need to find a place to stay tonight too since Allie didn't want me out at the ranch tonight. I don't seem to win with her or anyone else in this town for that matter. If I was smart I would just leave town, but I really do like that smart mouthed girl. I think we could be a great team, but we just don't seem to mesh. Well, it doesn't matter, I want to start up my own business and she will have enough money to run her ranch and that will be the end of things." He looked down at his phone and saw Laura's name  "Oh good. Laura says she will meet me here in a few minutes. I'll order a cold drink and talk to Lill while I'm waiting for Laura. Then to find somewhere to stay in this one horse town. That should be a challenge to say the least. Oh well, one thing at a time."

In the back corner Maxine was sitting in a booth waiting and watching to see what that young man would do  She smiled thinking about him when he was just a babe. He should have been her grandson, not Naomi's.  She heard Josh ask the owner if he could talk to Lill. The owner told Josh that Lill had left her shift the day before and hadn't been back. If she did show up she was fired. He couldn't have help like that because it was bad for business.

Maxine had heard what the owner said. She quickly got into her purse, pulled out some bills to pay for her coffee and walked out the door, keeping her face turned away so that Josh didn't recognize her. "Where did that girl go? I've got to find her." She walked out the door and headed down the street towards the parking lot where she had parked her car. She needed to go to Lill's house and talk to her. Hopefully she wasn't sick. She loved that girl. Always had. She had a disposition of an alley cat, but she was hers and she loved her no matter what.

As Laura walked towards the cafe she saw Maxine head towards the parking lot. "Hmm, wonder where that crotchety old woman is going? Some folks are just never in a good mood. That includes Rex today. Ouch he was grouchy when I took him back to the assisted living center. Well, it was for his own good." She put a smile on her face and walked into the cafe to see what this young man wanted from her. When she saw him he smiled and waved for her to join him. He looked at his phone and said, "Sorry, I need to take this. I'll just be a minute." The call was from a Mike. "Mike, hmm, Oh Mike! Hi, Mike. What can I do for you? You found what? Oh my gosh. I'm at the cafe. I'll be right over." He looked at Laura and said, "I am so sorry. I have to leave. Can I have a raincheck? You  are so nice. Thanks. I'll give you a call just as soon as I can. Thanks, again, Laura." And he was gone leaving Laura to shake her head and say to herself, "Maybe it's best this way."

Josh Put Everything In Motion!

 Allie pulled up next to the sheriff's office and walked in the door. The place was a mad house. It was filled with people all talking at once. The space was so small that she could actually see a couple of cells and to her surprise one of them had her lawyer in it. The other one was empty, but it looked like not for long if the sheriff had his way. Finally he yelled for everyone to be quiet. Josh wasn't having it. He started talking really loud and said, "I've had it with all of you. No one will listen to me. And you, dear old dad, you are exactly where you belong. Who finally caught up with you and your con man schemes?" Haylee said, "I did. You started this whole thing, Josh. You put traps in Allie's Jeep, and I just raised the ante a little and had some money marked that you had put under the seat in the Jeep. You hoped that K.R. would steal it which he did. It was one of  the most fun gigs I ever had. I hoped the dogs wouldn't bark when I was out there."

Allie said, "Wait a minute. My lawyer is your dad? No wonder you are a jerk!" Josh had had it. He looked Allie right in the eye and said, "Listen here, Little Miss Heiress, I've been trying to save your ranch for you and all I get is guff and people thinking I'm just like my dad, but I'm not! I've got proof right here on my phone if anyone would just listen to me."

K.R. yelled from his cell, "Dad, bail me out of here! You owe me that much!"

The older man whom Allie had seen driving the VW bug said, "Not in this lifetime. That's the trouble with you. I've given you too much!"

"Yes you did. You gave me orders and material things. You were so controlling I couldn't breathe. I went to law school like you told me to, but I hated every minute of it. I worked my tail off at that dude ranch like you said. You controlled not only me, but mom and of course, the purse strings. If we didn't do what you said you would cut off our allowance. Yes, allowance. That's what you always called it. I wanted more and so did mom. I don't understand why you don't understand because you were the same way. You swindled the dude ranch from your own brother in a card game of all things. No wonder no one has heard from him in years; not even his own wife. So how is old Maxine nowadays, anyway?" he said with a smirk on his face.

By this time the sheriff had had it. He ordered everyone to be quiet. It was his turn to speak. "No K.R. doesn't get bailed out. He is being held on a federal offense and has to go to court. He needs a good lawyer. The bank president is also being held for accessory to bank fraud. He also needs a good lawyer. Allie? I think that you and Josh should both go back out to the ranch and settle things between you. All this bickering back and forth has gotten neither one of you anywhere. Josh seems bound and determined to tell you something, so you should listen. No buts.... Laura, take our friend here, back to the assisted living center. Tell the charge nurse that once again he got away from her." He looked at his old friend and shook his head, "Rex, rules are made for a reason, and you my friend have had health issues that could cause you to have an accident. Meaning that you behind the wheel could cause harm to yourself or others. No More Driving! Understood? No I don't care if you got a trophy. No More Driving. If you aren't careful you will find yourself in the cell next to your son. And that's another thing. When this is all resolved you and your son need to have a long long talk and many of them. Whether it's at your home or in jail. 

Allie sat in the chair and listened with disbelief as the sheriff talked. The driver wasn't kidnapped. It sounded like he was a friend of the sheriff and the lady called Laura. Her lawyer was that man's son? Josh was his grandson? She was getting a headache. She was going back to the ranch, not because the sheriff told her to, but because she was exhausted. What a day. She had to pay the ranch hands, and then lay down for a much needed rest. As she walked out of the office, she noticed that Josh was following her. "No! I don't have the strength or energy to talk to you or even listen to you. Find someplace to stay tonight. You can come out tomorrow and we will talk. I promise I will listen this time."

Josh started to argue, but instead, he gave a slight nod in her direction and started to walk down the street. He needed to talk to Laura about what he had heard her tell the older man at the assisted living center. Maybe she would meet him at the cafe. That way he could get some answers and see Lill at the same time. He just knew that both women could tell him what he wanted to know, but would they?

Allie Sees #53 Being Kidnapped!

 Grandma Lu felt a little bad about leaving her friend, Grandma B, at Marleewood to finish up the cleaning, but she had the greatest idea about the old miner in her story. She needed to write it down before she forgot it. She walked in the door and sniffed. Yes, her hard work doing her fall cleaning had paid off. Her house smelled like sunshine and lemon and looked like it was ready for the winter months. The windows sparkled and her fall decorations looked so nice. She hung her coat and hat up and hurried into her little computer room. "Yes, you rebel you. You hate where you live, you are disgusted with the town you practically built yourself, and you don't like to follow rules. Especially rules that don't suit you, she grinned. Okay let's get this show on the road. Your road now is a race track at the county fair. It's especially fun because no one knows where you are. Ha! Yes. I know just who will find you, my dear. Little Allie is on her way to the next town to get some money and get away from the memories of the so called ghosts and feeling disappointment in Josh. Let me check my notes first. 

"Yes, that was her plan. Let's see how that plays out." She took a drink of her now cold coffee and started typing on her computer...

 There just so happened that there was a festival going on in town. Allie could see the Ferris wheel and some other rides from the road as she entered the main street. She thought. "You know what? I just might go see what that's all about. I can't even remember going to a carnival or fair. I might even get brave and ride one of those crazy rides. I'd better get to the bank and get some money first though. I have to pay those ranch hands tomorrow. I sure need their help. I'd like to get some of the horses back to the barn to make sure they don't need any medical care. I don't know much about horses, but I know that any kind of animal needs good food and care. I probably should call a vet and have him or her check them out. 

 Allie went to the bank and got the back pay for her ranch hands plus a little extra for some groceries and to spend at the fair. She felt a little guilty because after she looked at the balance of her account she really shouldn't have taken out any out for fun. "Oh well, I'll just walk through and look, maybe get a cotton candy or something to drink.  As she walked she watched the vendors hawking their wares; the food trucks selling their corn dogs and turkey drumsticks and the yummy smelling kettle corn. Her mouth watered as she watched people walk around with fresh fried funnel cakes sprinkled with powdered sugar. Should she? That's when she saw two little boys with stars in their eyes getting ready to get on one of the rides. "Nope, I have to have a carnival ride at least once in my life." She quickly walked towards the Ferris wheel and bought a ticket. Her heart was racing with excitement. When it was her turn to get on the ride the attendant carefully buckled her in and made sure she was safe. Then the music started playing. She thought about the original riders of the Great Wheel in 1893. Many folks thought it was great fun to get married on that original Ferris Wheel. "I don't think I'll ever get married. I don't have time. I have a ranch to get back up to snuff." When the Ferris Wheel stopped at the very top her seat swung back and forth. She was holding on tight, but wasn't afraid. She could see for miles. She looked down and grinned. "I've never heard of such a thing. A VW Bug race. "How fun is that!. I'm going down there to watch when my ride is done. There are bleachers I can sit on. I shouldn't, but I think I'm going to buy a hot dog and maybe even buy a funnel cake. It will be awhile before I can treat myself again."

Allie loved her ride on the Ferris wheel and her face hurt from smiling for so long. She looked over to the smaller children's rides and laughed out loud. One little girl just didn't see the fun of the whole thing while her sister was having a lot of fun. She even had her face painted. Oh she had missed out on so much when she was little. Well, she was all grownup now and even though she didn't have much money she had had a lot of fun today.

She stopped at the funnel cake vendor and took her treat over to the bleachers so she could watch the race. It smelled as good as it looked. "Oh this is heavenly. I've never tasted anything this good."

"Oh look at number 53! He's going so fast. I hope he doesn't crash. The track was a dirt track and she got a spray of mud all over her. She wiped it away and laughed out loud. "Oh this is fun." She stayed to watch the drivers get their trophies. That older guy that drove number 53 got second place, but you would swear he had won a million dollars.

Wait. Isn't that the woman that was out at the ranch? I think that's Laura and a man I've never seen before. They are smiling as they are getting closer to the man. He must know them. He's smiling back at them. Wait. Where are they taking him? "Hey! Leave him alone. What are you doing with him?" The couple continued to walk the man to the parking lot. They were talking to the man and he was shaking his head no to both of them.

Allie ran over to the award stage and almost cried. There lay the trophy that the man had won. She looked over to the parking lot and those two mean people were putting him in their car. Allie grabbed the trophy and ran to the parking lot.

She was going to report these people to the sheriff. "That is so not right. Oh! That makes me so mad!" She threw the trophy in the front seat and took off after the culprits. "Poor man. How could anyone be so mean?"

As she pulled into town she saw the sheriff walk out of his office door and smile as he watched Laura and the man get out of their car. Then he saw who they had in the backseat. He was grinning!  He helped him out of the car and clapped him on the shoulder. "What is going on? The man was just kidnapped and the sheriff is treating him like a long lost friend. Plus the old man is grinning back! I just don't get it. I'm going to stop to see what's going on.

Grandma B And Grandma Lu Meet At Marleewood

 Grandma Lu was out in her kitchen cleaning. She was towards the end of her fall housecleaning spree. Once she got started her husband fled to parts unknown and people including friends left her be. She wasn't always a happy cleaner. She would find dirt where there shouldn't be any and fuss to herself about having to 'have a talk with that man.' She had cleaned the pantry, the living room and bathroom. She had mopped the floors and washed all the curtains. She was getting tired, but the stove did need polishing. Her new stove looked so pretty when it was all shined up. "Mercy, it's November and only about three weeks until Thanksgiving, then Christmas will soon be upon us. The saying time flies seems to be true the older I get. There that is the finishing touch." She smiled as she adjusted the towel that her friend B had made on another friend's sewing machine. It was so pretty. I love homemade gifts. It had her name and Bonnie's name and Joann's name embroidered on it. She never used this towel. It was just for show. She had made her two of them. One was perfect for the camper. It matched everything in it's kitchen. It was the finishing touch to a clean kitchen. But as she looked at it she thought of the tough year it had been for all three of them. There had been loss of loved ones due to age and the dreaded virus, there had been other diseases taking their toll on all three of them. Anywhere from surgery to eye problems and much worse. I once told B we were the three decades. She said, "Oh my gosh you are right."

"I miss my dear friend. We haven't been out for lunch forever. I think the rest of my cleaning can wait. I'm going to call B and see if she will  meet me at Marleewood. That old building is a lonely place anymore. The children are all in school or Pre-K like Marlee and a lot of the little ones are in daycare because the parents are back to work. I don't know, should we close it up? Oh I hate the thought of it. Well, let's see if she answers the phone."

"Aw great! You're home. Hey you want to go over to Marleewood and spruce it up a bit? I'm in the cleaning mood. Fran's gone because I'm driving him crazy with the Fall cleaning, and I could use a visit. No that's fine. My writing is on hold for this week. I've had kind of a writer's block. Plus I had to get my cleaning done. Oh good, yes you can finish your lunch. I'll see you in a bit."

When Grandma Lu pulled into the parking lot at Marleewood, she almost got tears in her eyes. It looked so dreary. The flowers had all faded and many were wilted or gone because of the cold weather. The leaves from the trees had fallen and there were all kinds of small branches and twigs on the ground because of the recent fall storms. "I'll see if my husband can't come over and clean up this yard before the snow falls." She walked in the back kitchen and there was her friend with fresh coffee and some leftover cookies from Halloween. "Hey, Girl. Oh how I have missed you. Yes, I'd love a cup and of course, a cookie." She grinned because most everyone knew she had a big old sweet tooth that was her undoing with her dratted scale.

B looked at her friend and said, "I'd like to talk to you too. We have had such busy lives lately, but you have kept up with your writing. I don't see how you do it with your job and everything." Before Grandma Lu could answer, B said, "To tell you the truth I thought you only wrote children's stories. Why did you decide to write a grownup mystery? By the way I think that K.R. is a jerk and should stay in jail."

Oh Grandma Lu laughed, "Oh so this is why you came over to visit. You want me to keep K.R. in jail. Funny woman. Plus you are a good one to talk. You work all the time, plus take care of the girls when you can."

"Oh, it's good to see you, but I am curious why you changed your writing style. Are you done writing children's stories? Grandma Lu said, "No, of course not. But I've had this feeling I could write a grownup story for a long time and decided to try it. I'm getting up there and thought I'd better do it while I still could.  Some people want to learn to do handwork or speak a foreign language. I have hard enough problems with the English language. You know I have had some vision problems, so I'm in the process of getting that fixed. Hopefully, the doctor has prescribed the right meds so that I can continue to see the computer screen. When you get to my age, our parts start breaking down." she laughed. "Hopefully mine won't be on backorder if I need some. It seems like just the other day I rarely took an aspirin for a headache, now the drawers and vanity have numerous tubes, boxes, pads and bottles that all have my name on them. Mercy!"

"Well, in that case, I have some questions for you, said B. Where did the old miner go? And why is Allie so hard on Josh and why don't people listen to Josh? All he wants to do is help Allie and no one will listen or let him talk! I think at least the sheriff should listen. Then there's Laura. She's a friend to the miner and the sheriff. That puts her in a rather awkward position, doesn't it? What are you going to do about that? How about Lill? You have my friend Sabrena playing that part. I feel sorry for her. See, K.R. has touched a lot of lives with his mean ways."

"Well, Grandma Lu chuckled,  "Meta sent me a message the other day. She still has hopes that Allie will find the stash that the packrats have under the floor. Then Darrell says the same thing you do. He wants K.R. to rot in jail. But did everyone forget that the old miner is K.R.'s father? They haven't spoken or seen each other in years, but as we age we sometimes look back and get a softer heart. Forget and forgive? No?" Grandma Lu grinned and thought, "She isn't going to believe what that old miner is up to in the next story. And I'm not about to tell her."

Grandma B said, "What? What are you thinking? I know you are up to something. Your eyes are sparkling and I can see a tiny twitch at the corner of your mouth that means you are about to laugh. I have known you for a few years you know.  Okay, I can tell you aren't going to tell me. Now how in the world did you even get the idea of a Dude Ranch mystery?"

Grandma Lu said, "Well, one day I saw a picture of Fran's brother and sister-in-law spending their anniversary on a Dude Ranch. I thought that it would be a cool place for a mystery. It just kind of fell into place. "

"Now I'm not telling you anything else, girl. Shall we get this place cleaned up or what? I think we should make some plans and invite folks over for the holidays. What do you think?" But in her mind she could hear the roaring of engines of the cute little VW Bugs and the cheering of the crowd for the old miner.  "Should I have him win the race or what shall I do with that old rebel? Oh wait! I know what I'll do. Oh, I should probably get home. I need to write this down before I forget it." And with that she grabbed her hat and coat and was out the door.

Grandma B soon  found that she had been  talking to herself when her friend wasn't answering her. When she heard the back door slam and looked out the window she saw Grandma Lu going out the driveway headed for home. "There she goes. I knew she had something up her sleeve. Thanks a lot girl. Now I have to clean this place by myself. Nope. I have an idea too. Two can play this game. She picked up her phone and said, "Hey, Darrell. Grandma Lu is being a little too feisty. She was just here at Marleewood to help me clean. All I said was that I thought K.R. should stay in jail. She got a grin on her face and went home. Now this is what I want you to do... Could you call Meta? I'll call Laura. Yes, it's ganging up on her, but it's all in good fun. There's nothing she likes better than a good joke and she will love it once her feathers get unruffled.! Okay! Great. Thanks, guy. Talk to you later. No she won't get mad. She will love it. But one thing I will say, she might get even when we least expect it. Okay. Bye."

Allie Doesn't Believe In Ghosts!

 Allie was chuckling as she went into the living room and shut off the old television set that had scared her half to death. "Your imagination is running overtime, girl. Get busy upstairs. Maybe you can finally find some proof that you do own this ranch. It's got to be here somewhere." She climbed the stairs and went into what she now called the office. It had an old desk that she had just started to clean out twice now. Something or someone always seemed to interrupt her. Today she had about two hours that she could go through the rest of the drawers before bedtime. The day had been eventful that was for sure. She quickly glanced over to the other side of the room where the old chest of drawers remained facing the wall. "Okay, I have no explanation for that and I'm not going over there. Nope!  I'm going to start on this side and see if Uncle Bill left some important papers for me. When she pulled out the first drawer of the old desk it was difficult to pull out. It seemed like it was warped and didn't fit properly. Then she heard that same weird rusty squeak of wheels that she had heard earlier. "It's nothing. Remember? Houses are not haunted. You know better. It was that old television set." When she jerked the old desk drawer with all her strength the drawer  came completely out and flew on the floor. "Bother! Nothing is going right today. Maybe I should quit for the day and start again tomorrow." She thought she heard that same noise again. She didn't want to look, but she knew she had to. That chest of drawers was turned back the way it was. Then the room started to fill with a kind of misty fog.

Were those hands that were moving the chest? "No way! That's Uncle Bill's cowboy hat! Uncle Bill are you here? Am I seeing things?" She slowly stooped over and touched the old hat with one finger. It was real. She picked it up and set it on the desk. "Okay, Uncle I have never met, what kind of tricks are you playing? Or is this some kind of remote control joke Josh is playing on me? I wouldn't put it past him. I'm done for the day." Allie started walking around the large room in wide circles. She looked up to the ceiling light, above the windows, and behind the curtains, but she couldn't find a camera.  She grinned and yelled, "I'm going downstairs now, ghost! We are done playing for the day and I won't be here tomorrow so you might as well give it up. Okay! You can turn off your camera wherever you have it hidden. Not playing anymore, Josh! Done!" She switched off the light and went downstairs. She was going to get the hang of that old television and watch a movie. Something she hadn't done in years. She was going to forget about ghosts, dressers, and Halloween. She especially was going to forget about that jerk, Josh and his dad. She was going to sit and relax and enjoy her new home. Yes, that's exactly what she was going to do. If she could just stop shaking and make her heart beat a little less than a hundred miles an hour.

As Laura walked out of the feed store, she saw her friend, the sheriff, with Josh and a guy she had only met a few times get out of the squad car. He was Allie's neighbor. He was the one that owned the dog that showed up at Allie's house. "Hmm, wonder what's going on. He surely isn't going to arrest Josh. What did the neighbor man do?  She saw that all three of them had gone inside the sheriff's office. She turned around and grinned when she saw her daughter. She said, "Hey, you. What are you doing in town? I thought you had to work today." Her daughter said, "Not today. I have to work tomorrow. I have Maddox with me. Want to have a bit to eat?" Laura looked down the street and couldn't see the three men any more. "She looked at her daughter and said, "Sure, I'd love to see him. My treat."

They decided to go to the little chili cafe. Their chili was usually very good. Maddox could have something different. He was being so good. He looked out the window and said, "Oma, look. There's a big white car and a big truck. I've never seen a car that big before" Laura looked and thought to herself, "Well, well, well. K.R. has come to town, but not by his choice." She grinned and said, "Yes, it's a really big car isn't it? Okay how about some ice cream?" Laura smiled and thought, "I need to call Rex after while and tell him."

Maddox and his grandmother weren't the only ones who saw the big white car being towed into town. Lill happened to look up at the same time as she waited on Laura and her family. "Well, she thought, I think I'm leaving this jerkwater town. He's probably going to jail, my son isn't going to help me. Plus K.R. swindled me out of a lot of money. Bill, old friend, why did you have to up and die on me? We could have kept that ranch going, you just couldn't get Maggie out of your mind. That's what kept us apart; Maggie. Well, now you're both gone and so am I!" She walked to the office, grabbed her handbag and walked out the back door without a word to a soul.

The phone in the old miner's room had been ringing for quite some time. No one answered it. "Hmm, I wonder where Rex is. I don't know that he has any appointments this afternoon. He better not be driving. He's been warned I don't know how many times not to drive. I'd better get up there and check on him." She put a sign on her desk that she would be back in ten minutes and went to look for Rex.

When she walked into Rex's room it was empty. She called the charge nurse and she said that he told her he was going out for a walk. For some reason the secretary didn't believe that for a minute. She walked out to the resident parking lot and Rex's car was gone. As she walked away she heard his phone ringing. "I wonder if I should go in and answer it. No, I'd better not, but I think I will call his friend, Laura. Maybe he's gone somewhere with her. Hopefully she is driving."