Chapter 1Chapter 1 MANES LASHING, FORELEGS REACHING, TWO horses galloped side by side across the high desert of Nevada. The palomino and the bay drank in crisp January air as they strained against their reins. They rejoiced in the dazzling blue-and-white day just as much as their riders. Samantha Forster leaned low on Ace''s neck. Her eyes squinted almost shut as the bay ran into the wind. If she hadn''t pulled her hair into a tight clip under her old brown Stetson, it would be blizzarding around her face. On days like this, when he''d left the warm confinement of the barn behind, Ace''s surging eagerness reminded her he was a mustang. The bay gelding longed to run with a herd, even if it was only a herd of two.
A sudden tug at the bit telegraphed along the reins into Sam''s hands. Her fingers closed tighter, and her deerskin gloves kept the reins from sliding away. Ace wanted to race. Although Jen''s big palomino mare, Silk Stockings, was sixteen hands to his fourteen, Ace always thought he could win. Once in a while he could, when the palomino turned skittish and proved Jen''s insight in nicknaming her mare Silly. Sam turned her head just enough to see Jen. Jen leaned slightly forward in her saddle. Her white-blond braids streamed behind her, flat on the wind.
Morning sunlight glazed the lenses of her glasses. Jen didn''t notice Sam''s glance. She rode like Sybil Ludington, the patriotic teenager who''d lived during the American Revolution. She was called a female Paul Revere even though she''d ridden farther and faster. Jen rode on her own mission, though Sam guessed it had more to do with family problems than redcoats. Jennifer Kenworthy was Sam''s best friend. She''d been gone for most of winter vacation, but Jen and her mom had driven in from Utah late the night before. Even though it had been nearly eleven, long past Sam''s nine o''clock cutoff for phone calls, Jen had braved Dad''s anger and called Sam to beg for an early-morning ride.
Jen''s desperation meant her parents hadn''t reached a truce. Sam had left her phone on silent, thinking Jen might call, and their conversation had been whispered, but Dad heard. "Samantha?" His voice boomed down the hall from his bedroom. "Yes, Dad?" She waited and then, maybe because Dad had just returned happy from his honeymoon, or because Brynna, his new wife, reminded him it was, after all, vacation, Dad just told her to "make it quick." She had. Then she''d laid out riding clothes and jumped back into bed. She dozed off smiling at their plans to meet between River Bend and Gold Dust ranches for a ride. This morning, Sam had dressed in the dark.
She''d pulled on the jeans, red pullover sweater, and boots she''d laid out, then tiptoed downstairs without squeaking a single board. She made it out to the barn without Blaze, River Bend Ranch''s watchdog, raising a ruckus. Sam couldn''t think of anything better than celebrating Jen''s first day back with a gallop across War Drum Flats. Sure, they watched for cracks and bare roots, anything that meant disaster if a horse tripped at a full run, but they knew this patch of alkali desert well. It spread before them in all directions, as smooth and level as a white tablecloth. For a few steps, Ace veered east. Sam corrected him, keeping him in step with Silly, but her heart pulled toward the Calico Mountains just as Ace''s did. From the corner of her eye, Sam could just see the mountain range.
Glowing in the morning sun, the peaks looked smooth and soft, as if they''d been molded from orange sherbet. But things weren''t always what they seemed. The peaks were inaccessible to cars or trucks, and only the most determined rider could follow the faint paths etched by deer, pronghorn, and wild horses. The Calico Mountains were steep and dangerous, and Sam was glad. She''d watched the Phantom scale that rocky mountain face just a few days ago. He and his new lead mare had been guiding his herd back into their secret valley. They were there now, Sam thought with a sigh, safe for the winter. She had no reason to worry over the great silver stallion.
Everything in her own life was fine too. Even though she had a brand-new stepmother, Sam trusted Brynna Olson--now Forster--to fit into the family. Tranquility for the mustangs and her family meant Sam could single-mindedly attack her goal for the few days left of winter break: she''d help Jen. With a squeal of frustration, Ace surged forward. He wanted to run faster than his short legs would carry him. Beyond the thunder of running hooves and the wind singing through Ace''s mane, Sam heard the slapping of her saddlebags. Each time Ace''s hind legs shot behind him, leather creaked. The pouches, buckled to her saddle, hung heavy with schoolwork and a flashlight.
Jen had arrived home just in time. There were three days until the end of vacation. Three days until they had to turn in the first part of their project on the ghost town of Nugget. "No problem," Sam muttered to Ace, "except we haven''t seen it yet." Since she was a little kid, Sam had heard stories about the old mining town of Nugget. At night, little white lights appeared in the old general store, said one tale, and the saloon had a trapdoor that dropped into black nothingness. The ground the town sat on was supposed to be unstable, because it sat above miles of earth honeycombed with mine shafts. Those were supposed to be filled with poisonous gases, and of course, the entire town of Nugget was rumored to be haunted.
Why hadn''t she ever been there? Until ten years ago, the town hadn''t even been locked up. Now it awaited status as a historic landmark, and a padlocked gate blocked the entrance. According to Mrs. Ely, only one of her students would receive a key to that padlock. Sam felt her own satisfied smile. That key was in her pocket. When Mrs. Ely had posted a list of term project ideas on the bulletin board, she''d mentioned they could partner with a student from another one of her classes.
Sam had sprinted from her seat to the bulletin board and been first in line to sign up for that key to Nugget. "Nugget''s been there since 1875. I don''t think it''s going anywhere," Mrs. Ely had joked. But Sam wanted to explore the spooky place on horseback, and she''d known Jen would jump at the chance, too. So she wrote down Jen''s name as her partner. Now they were doing it. "Hey!" Jen sat back in her saddle, pulling Sam''s thoughts back to the present.
Silly''s head swung from side to side, looking for danger. Finding none, she slowed in response to her rider''s request. Ace pretended he hadn''t noticed Sam shortening the reins. His neck bowed at the crest as Sam pulled in even more, but his gallop stayed smooth and fast. "Oh, quit it," she scolded her horse. Then she added, "You''re tired, boy. You just don''t know it yet." For a few seconds, Ace seemed to run in place beneath her.
Finally, with a snort and a toss of his head, he slowed to a hammering trot. "Ow, ow, ow," Sam complained. She couldn''t quite match her seat to his gait. From her tailbone to her shoulders, she felt his hooves hammer on the playa. Ace usually slowed to a lope, a gentle jog, and then a walk. He could do it with fluid smoothness, but he''d decided to make her teeth crack together. "Is this your way of getting even?" she asked him as they finally settled in beside Silly and Jen. "Me?" Jen asked.
She blinked owlishly behind her glasses and held her reins in her left hand as she flattened her right palm to her chest. "Of course not you." Sam laughed, relieved Ace had finally slowed to a walk. "What was I thinking?" Jen rolled her eyes. "Interrupting your conversation with your horse." Sam stuck out her tongue, knowing Jen wasn''t the least bit offended. Jen planned to become a veterinarian, and she was always trying to psych out her own horse. "Really, though," Jen said, sighing as Silly and Ace matched steps in a flat-footed walk.
"I''m sorry I made us get a late start on our project." "Like I would have started my homework last week, anyway." Sam dismissed Jen''s apology. "With Dad, Brynna, and Gram gone, and Aunt Sue here instead, it was a weeklong party. We stayed up late, ate junk food, and watched movies. I didn''t even think about homework." "I always think about homework," Jen said. "That''s why you get all A''s and I''m happy with B''s.
" "Not on this project," Jen cautioned her. "This counts for a grade in science, English, and history, so there''s no way we can settle for a B." Sam grimaced. Jen was right. They needed to do extra-great work on this project. "You could get all A''s if you wanted to. You know that, don''t you?" "You sound like Dad and Gram," Sam muttered. "You mean Brynna hasn''t started in on you yet?" Jen asked slyly.
"She will." "Don''t make me put my hands over my ears," Sam begged. "My horse will run away with me, and then we''ll be another day behind on this project." They rode in silence for a few minutes. Sam looked around, wishing there were shrubs or trees to tell her if there was a faint breeze blowing. Currents of warmth seemed to flow through the cold air. Sam didn''t think she was imagining it, but it didn''t make much sense. "This first part of the project will be a piece of cake," Jen said.
"All we have to d.