The Challenger by Terri Farley Read Free Book Online Page B

Slocum, but Jed had stayed on as foreman. In that time, Jed had done a lot of unusual stuff for Slocum, but Sam couldn’t imagine why he’d be hauling a load of dogs.
    Sam hurried Jeep through the pasture gate. As soon as she released him, he joined the other saddle horses, who stood snorting their interest from a safe distance.
    Blaze wasn’t as cautious. The black-and-white Border collie jumped up, trying to see through the camper windows.
    Toenails scrabbled on metal and furry bodies rocked the camper. The barking never stopped. Inside the cab, Sam could see Jen pressing her palms over her ears.
    â€œBlaze, you’ve got no sense at all,” Dad said as he strode toward the dog. “You can’t take on a whole pack.”
    He grabbed Blaze’s collar and led the protesting dog to the kitchen door.
    â€œSorry,” he shouted as he closed the dog inside.
    Sam didn’t think Gram was going to enjoy Blaze’s company.
    Jen slipped out of the truck, hands still covering her ears. Sam smiled as Jen reeled toward her, black-framed glasses askew.
    Finally freed from the skirts and twin-set sweaters her mom had made her wear before freshman year, Jen’s clothes expressed her individuality. Today she looked like a walking harvest fair.
    She wore an orange-and-yellow plaid sweater, red corduroy jeans, and black high-top tennis shoes. The ends of her white-blond braids were bound with some kind of fuzzy little pumpkins.
    â€œSave me,” Jen croaked as she staggered closer to Sam.
    â€œWhat’s with all the dogs?” Sam asked.
    â€œAnother one of Slocum’s grand ideas,” Jen moaned.
    Linc Slocum was always dreaming up schemes to make him look like a real Westerner. His ideas weren’t always harmless. He’d had a rustler capture the Phantom, then tried to adopt him. He’d bought Brahma bulls and tried to show them off through Karla Starr’s illegal rodeo shows. Luckily, his ignorance often made him fail.
    Over her friend’s shoulder, Sam saw Dad talking to Jed Kenworthy. Jed might be Linc Slocum’s foreman, but here at River Bend, he was his own man.
    Jed and Dad looked alike. Both wore faded jeans and shirts with metal snaps. Tanned, scarred hands hung at their sides. Both looked down, and bothseemed amused and disgusted by their conversation.
    â€œWhat now?” Sam asked.
    â€œRented lion hounds,” Jen said.
    Lion hounds. Sam felt uneasy as Jen rattled on. That had to mean Slocum planned to hunt down and kill the cougars.
    â€œAnd that’s not all. We had to drive into Reno to pick up some gear that’s so high-tech even I don’t understand how it works. And you know how I love electronic stuff.”
    Sam did. Jen was a math and science whiz. For fun she puzzled out bizarre equations and programmed her computer to do amazing things.
    Together, the girls walked closer to listen to their fathers’ conversation.
    â€œIt was just bad luck this turned out to be lion season. Slocum’s got his hunting license. That cost him less than fifty bucks, but he’s in Reno buying a new truck to go huntin’ in. And this pack of hounds he’s renting didn’t come cheap. Their daily rate would make a normal man’s heart stop.” Jed Kenworthy rubbed his hand across his lips as if he wanted to erase what he’d just said.
    â€œI didn’t know you could rent dogs,” Dad said, sounding as if he couldn’t imagine a bigger waste of money.
    â€œThey’re not just any dogs.” Jed’s response accompanied a lopsided smile. “They have electronic tracking collars, and we have to tote a black box fullof computer gadgets, so that if the hounds take off after something we can figure out where they’ve gone.”
    â€œI bet Linc won’t be the one toting that box,” Dad said sympathetically.
    â€œHeck no, and it can do more than track the dogs, too. Did I mention it makes sounds