Mystery Rider by Miralee Ferrell Page A

something or suggest they call Colt and Melissa to come back and do more planning, now that this subject was settled.
    Tori leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her crossed legs. “If you don’t want to come, then I’ll go alone.”
    Kate almost fell off the bed in shock. She’d never seen Tori act like this before, and she couldn’t believe how firm her friend’s voice was, or how determined her face appeared. “Seriously? You want to go back there, and you’d go alone if I don’t come? Why?”
    â€œI’m not sure.” Tori tapped her chest. “But I feel it in here. Like God is telling me it’s the right thing to do. That we’re supposed to help her somehow. I don’t know any more than that. But I won’t be mad if you don’t want to come. I understand.”
    Kate sat up straight. “No way will I let you go alone.” She shuddered. “That old woman could shoot you and bury you behind the house, and no one would ever know. You’re my best friend, and if I can’t talk you out of it, then I’m going with you.”
    A smile lit Tori’s face, and her eyes sparkled. “You’d do that for me?”
    Kate didn’t hesitate. “You bet. You’ve always backed me up, and I’ll do the same for you. That’s what friends are for, right?”
    Tori beamed. “Right. I’ve never had that kind of a friend before you came along, that’s all.”
    â€œSo what’s your plan?”
    Tori’s smile faded. “I’m not sure. I hadn’t thought that far.”
    â€œAnd what do we tell Colt and Melissa?”
    Tori shook her head. “Nothing. I don’t want anyone else involved. We have to do this alone, Kate.”
    â€œO-kay …” Kate didn’t like it, but Tori was the boss on this one. If she didn’t go along with her friend, Tori might decide to do it alone, and that wasn’t an option. “But we need some kind of plan. We can’t just walk up to the house again. She’ll chase us off like last time.”
    â€œI agree.” They were quiet for a minute before Tori spoke again. “We could bake cookies or brownies or something and take them to her as an apology for upsetting her today.”
    Kate nodded. “I suppose. I’m not crazy about cutting through the woods again, though. I sure wish we knew if there was another way in.”
    â€œI saw a driveway on the far side of the paddock where the horse was.”
    â€œSeriously? Man, I didn’t notice anything other than that rifle.” Kate stared at her friend in awe.
    â€œI don’t know where it comes out, so I suppose we’ll have to go in the same way.” Tori’s shoulders drooped. “I wish we’d stayed longer and tried to talk to her.”
    Kate raised her brows. “Uh … she told us to leave. I don’t think that was a good time to try to talk.”
    â€œI know. So, what do you think about taking cookies?”
    â€œSure. Mom won’t care if we bake a batch. Are we going to tell our parents?”
    Tori worried her lip again. “Could we tell them we’re taking cookies to an old lady who’s lonely, and not tell them the rest?”
    Kate hesitated. They wouldn’t be telling a lie, but they wouldn’t be telling the entire truth either. “I’m not sure. I guess we can try that, but if my mom or your mom asks any questions, we’ll have to tell them more. Do you care if we tell them we’re taking the cookies to the Mystery Rider, but we don’t know her name?”
    Tori smiled. “That’s a great idea. We’ll tell them we found her house and want to do something nice for her. I don’t think they’ll object to that.”
    Kate nodded, but it still didn’t feel right. She wasn’t sure Mom and Dad would approve if they knew everything, but she couldn’t take the chance that