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  Contents

  Chapter One: Do the Math!

  Chapter Two: Genie or No Genie?

  Chapter Three: Welcome to Cowboy Country

  Chapter Four: Roping the Wind

  Chapter Five: A Talkative New Friend

  Chapter Six: Racing to the Rescue

  Chapter Seven: Breakfast Disaster

  Chapter Eight: Real-Life Rustlers

  Chapter Nine: A Cow Thief

  Chapter Ten: Happy Trails

  This is just great! My best friend, Mary, invited me to go swimming with her family at Great Barrier Reef this weekend. I LOVE GBR!!! It's this cool water park with all kinds of tubes and slides and an amazing wave pool. And not only that, her mom and dad said tey'd take us out for pizza, too!

  But guess what?

  I can't go.

  Instead, Mom, Dad, Gran, Bulldozer (aka my annoying little brother, Jake), and I are spending the weekend at Joseph West's Relaxation Retreat It's this fancy luxury spa. Mom got a last-minute reservaton. She says it's going to help us “recharge and relax as a family.”

  How could anywhere with Bulldozer be relaxing?

  Do the math! Jake + vacation = big trouble.

  And to top it all off, there's Little Genie. She's upset because she wants to come with us but I'm not so sure she should.

  Jake + Genie + vacation = bigger trouble!

  I hate to see Genie so sad, tough. She was so gloomy when she was helping me pack. To be honest I'd take a vacation witih Genie over one with Bulldozer any day. At least Genie's cool and cute. Unlike some “people, who are nicknamed after construction equipment

  But if Genie came with us, her magic might start going wrong again We might get swamped by a tidal wave (no joke, that actually happened), or a purple tiger might appear again or someting. How would I explain that to my family? They might find out about Little Genie.

  But no one else can ever find out about her, because ten she'd be stuck inside her lamp forever and lose all her magic powers. And I can't risk that by bringing her with me.

  Don't get me wrong, it's -the biggest fun ever having my very own genie and getting three wishes every time te sand in Genie's watch starts to run through the hourglass.

  But I never know what's going to happen next!

  Dinner? Check. Homework? Check. Shower? Check.

  Ali Miller jogged down the stairs. At last, free time! She couldn't wait to watch her favorite game show, Stay or Go. But as she reached the bottom of the steps, she frowned. The TV was in the living room. And there were some really strange noises coming from the living room.

  “Breathe!” Ali's mom was drifting around the room wrapped in a fluffy pink bathrobe and wearing an eye mask. She was breathing extremely loudly. “In … out … in … out … relax.”

  “Mom, be careful!” Ali cried as her mother almost crashed into the TV.

  Mom lifted her mask and smiled at Ali. “Sorry honey,” she said. “I just can't wait for my luxury spa experience.”

  “Oof!” Ali's dad groaned. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor and looked as if he was in lots of pain. “Check this out.” He waved the brochure with Joseph West's Relaxation Retreat printed on it in gold letters. “This says that after two days with them, I could be so good at yoga, I'd be able to wrap my legs around my neck.”

  Ali tried to picture that. Ouch!

  “Well, I've just tried it,” her dad went on, “and the only way I'll be able to wrap my legs around my neck is if I cut them off!”

  “Think positive!” Gran said, taking the brochure. Ali's grandmother was spending the night with them. Tomorrow, they would leave for Joseph West's. Gran began to leaf through the glossy pages. “I wonder if there are any good antique stores nearby.”

  Ali's mom shook her head. “Shopping isn't relaxing,” she pointed out. “Especially not junk shopping.”

  “But Gran buys great stuff,” Ali said loyally. She'd nicknamed her gran the Junk Queen because of her passion for garage sales. It was Gran who'd bought the old Lava lamp that held Little Genie at a flea market. But none of the family, not even Gran, knew that Ali had a real live genie hidden away in her bedroom!

  “What's so great about relaxing, anyway?” grumbled Jake, tossing his soccer ball from one hand to the other “Relaxing's boring. Anyway, I can relax like this!” And he dropped the ball on the floor and gave it a good kick before their dad grabbed him and started wrestling.

  Ali rolled her eyes and headed back upstairs. She couldn't even concentrate on watching Stay or Go. She had her own problems to figure out. Like what to do with Little Genie while they were away.

  Ali always felt a little nervous leaving Little Genie alone. Genie had been expelled from Genie School. Her teachers had sent her to live in the Lava lamp way back in 1964 so that she could spend some time improving her magic skills. Ali knew Little Genie meant well, but sometimes her magic didn't work out the way she intended. That was why Ali didn't want to take Little Genie with them. Anything might happen.

  Ali opened her bedroom door and went in. To her surprise, the stuffed animals she usually kept on her bed were floating around the room like astronauts in space.

  “Genie!” Ali exclaimed with a grin, dodging a teddy bear as it drifted past her cheek. “What are you doing?”

  Genie waved at Ali from the desk. She was sitting on the edge, swinging her legs in her sparkly purple pants. “I'm getting to know Herbert and Molly,” she explained, pointing to a furry blue hippo and a stray dolphin. “After all, they'll be the only friends I have left when you've gone away on vacation.”

  Ali felt nervous all over again. “You are going to behave while we're away, aren't you?” she asked.

  Little Genie looked indignant. “Behave?” she echoed. “Of course I'm going to behave! Don't I always? And I'll have plenty to do while you're gone. I have plans!”

  “What plans?” Ali wanted to know.

  “Well, I noticed some of the rooms downstairs are looking kind of shabby,” Genie went on.“They could do with a little groovy redecoration. But I don't want to say too much. It'll spoil the surprise!”

  Uh-oh, Ali thought. Not long ago, she had used one of her wishes to redecorate her bedroom in pink. But Genie's magic had made everything Ali touched pink, including Mary's brother's soccer uniform!

  “I'm going to be sooo lonely while you're away.” Genie slumped down on the desk with a loud sigh. Even her bouncy blond ponytail was drooping. “But don't worry about little old me. I'll entertain myself somehow!”

  “That's what I'm afraid of!” Ali murmured, trying not to smile. She began to reconsider If Little Genie came with them, Ali would be able to keep an eye on her And she loved having Genie around—it made life much more fun and exciting.

  Stay or go? It was just like Ali's favorite show. Ali made a decision. “Okay, Genie, you can come with us.”

  “Far out!” Genie jumped to her feet. Her sparkly purple pants billowed around her as she high-kicked her way across the desk, the curly toes of her golden slippers almost touching her ponytail.“I'm going on vacation, woo-hoo! Hurry and pack my lamp, Ali!”

  “Your lamp?” Ali repeated. “You're kidding, aren't you?” She glanced over at the large pink Lava lamp. “Genie, I don't have room in my suitcase for it. Besides, everyon
e will think I'm crazy taking my Lava lamp on a trip!”

  Genie stopped high-kicking and slumped down on the desk again. “I can't go any where without my lamp,” she said miser ably. “So I'll have to stay here. I'm going to be sooo unhappy when you go away and leave me all by my little lonesome…

  Ali rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay! The lamp can come too.” She picked it up from the desk. “I'll have to take something else out of my suitcase, though.” Ali's dad had lined the suitcases up by the door downstairs.

  Genie's smile stretched from ear to ear. “This is going to be great! I really need a spa vacation. It's hard work making all your wishes come true, you know, Ali.”

  Ali peeked at the hourglass-shaped gold watch on Genie's wrist. The top half of the hourglass was full of pink sand, and every time the grains began to trickle through to the bottom, Ali got three wishes. At the moment, though, the sand wasn't moving. Neither Ali nor Genie ever knew when it was going to start.

  Genie pulled some paper clips and rubber bands from Ali's desk tray and attached them to a square piece of notepaper “Wheee!” she shouted, launching herself off the desk with her homemade parachute. She floated gently downward and straight into the open top of Ali's backpack. Ali couldn't help laughing. “I'll see you mañana,” Genie announced from inside the backpack. “I can't wait for my de-stressing massage!”

  “Time to go, Ali!” her mom called the next morning.

  “Coming!” Ali said. She wrapped the Lava lamp in a sweatshirt, then peeked in the backpack. Little Genie was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a pink leotard. She gave Ali a thumbs-up.

  “Okay, Genie. Here we go!” Ali slung her backpack over her shoulder and hurried out to peer over the banister She didn't want anyone to see her put the lamp in her suitcase. Luckily, her parents and Gran were busy packing the minivan, and Jake was outside too, getting in the way as usual.

  Ali rushed downstairs and opened her suitcase. She'd have to take something out to fit the lamp in. Something that took up a lot of room. She rummaged around for a moment, pulled out a thick sweater, shoved the lamp into the suitcase, and zipped it shut.

  Just then, her mom came in. “If you wheel your suitcase to the car, we'll be ready to go.”

  “Okay, Mom!” Ali was looking forward to relaxing at the spa now. And Genie had been working very hard granting Ali's wishes. Her tiny friend really did deserve a break, along with the rest of the family.

  Joseph West's Relaxation Retreat was three hours away. Ali brought a mystery novel for the ride. But every few pages, she peeked into her backpack to check on Genie. Genie had her eyes closed, and she looked like she was doing a yoga chant. It was all Ali could do not to giggle.

  As usual, the only thing annoying Ali was Jake. He couldn't sit still for five minutes.

  “Jake,” Ali groaned as they drove along the highway, “I've asked you to stop kicking the back of my seat a hundred times!”

  “Thirty-two times, actually,” Jake replied from the back as he continued to kick Ali's seat hard.

  Ali gritted her teeth. Gran, who was sitting next to her, was dozing and listening to her MP3 player With her eyes shut, Gran couldn't hear a thing as she tapped her toes in time to the music. Ali wished she'd brought some music to listen to as well, instead of being stuck with Bulldozer's lame jokes and her mom and dad's debates about what activities they were going to do at the spa.

  “Okay, so you're not interested in tree meditation or a hot stone massage,” Mrs. Miller said, flipping through the brochure. “What about ear candles?”

  “No one's putting a candle in my ear, thank you very much!” Mr. Miller exclaimed in horror Ali giggled.

  “It's supposed to be very relaxing,” her mom pointed out.

  “Yes, until your hair catches fire!” Ali's dad said. “Isn't there anything normal to do in this place?”

  “Dad's right, Mom,” Ali chimed in. “Ear candles do sound pretty weird.” When Ali thought of a spa, she imagined sitting on a lounge chair in the sun drinking fruit smoothies, and splashing around in the pool. Ear candles? Yuck!

  “Here.” Ali's mom handed her the brochure. “I'm sure you can find something you'll like.”

  Ali flipped through the pages. There was a lot of stuff about “relaxing and reenergizing,” but this didn't exactly fit with the photo of guests trekking uphill with heavy backpacks, not to mention the fact that every morning started with a two-mile jog! She frowned. The Relaxation Retreat looked more like a really tough gym class than a luxury spa. The pool was unheated and for exercise use only, and there wasn't a lounge chair in sight!

  “Oh no,” Ali groaned. “This isn't what I thought it would be at all. I wish this vacation could be a little more fun!”

  Suddenly, Little Genie peered out of Ali's backpack. She checked that Gran was asleep and then turned to Ali. “The sand has started falling through the hourglass!” she whispered, holding out her wrist.

  “What?” Ali gasped, looking down at Genie's watch. Sure enough, a small pile of glittering pink granules had started gathering in the bottom half of the hourglass.

  “Your wish is going to come true!” Genie beamed at Ali before ducking out of sight again.

  “Oh!” Ali gulped as Genie's words sank in. She was going to get her wish for a more fun-filled vacation! But … this was the first time any of her wishes had involved her family. And who could tell what “more fun” might mean with one of Genie's spells?

  Ali couldn't undo any of her wishes. They always lasted until the last grain of pink sand had fallen through the hourglass. And because the hourglass ran on Genie Time—which was very unpredictable— that could be minutes or hours. Or days!

  Ali felt a quiver of excitement shoot through her

  What had she gotten them all into?

  “We turn off here,” Ali's mom said a few moments later as she studied the map. “Look, there's a sign up ahead.”

  They all stared at the big wooden sign. It had two large horseshoes nailed to the sides and was surrounded by cacti.

  “This way to Cowboy Joe's Wild West Ranch,” Ali read aloud. “Are you sure this is right, Mom?”

  Mrs. Miller nodded, looking rather bewildered. “But it should say Joseph West's Relaxation Retreat!”

  “Maybe the place has changed its name?” Gran suggested.

  Suddenly very faintly Ali heard the sound of singing from inside her backpack.

  “I was born under a wanderin' star!”

  Then Ali realized what had happened. This was something to do with her wish. Genie's magic must have changed the spa to a Wild West ranch! Ali grinned. A ranch sounded a lot more exciting than what was in Mom's brochure.

  “You mean we're going to be cowboys?” Jake asked excitedly. He waved his arm over his head, throwing an imaginary lasso. “Yee-haw! Do you think they'll show us how to rope steers? Ali, you pretend to be a steer and I'll rope you!”

  “No, you won't,” Ali said sternly as Mr. Miller pulled up to the ranch entrance. They drove through wooden gates into a large yard dotted with clumps of cacti and surrounded by log cabins and a paddock full of cattle.

  “This isn't what I was expecting,” Mrs. Miller said in a dazed voice as they climbed out of the minivan. A young couple on horses trotted past them. Ali saw a family headed off down a path carrying fishing poles and a picnic basket.

  Me neither! Ali thought.

  “But it sure looks fun!” Ali's dad said.

  A genuine-looking cowboy with a wrinkled brown face was making his way across the yard toward them. He wore dusty black jeans, leather boots, a fringed vest, and an enormous black Stetson hat.

  “Why, hello,” Ali's mom said.

  “Howdy, ma'am,” the man drawled, tipping his hat to them. “I'm Cowboy Joe.”

  “I think we're in the wrong place,” Mrs. Miller told him. “We're supposed to be going to a spa.”

  “Ain't no spa here,” Cowboy Joe said. “You are the Millers, aren't you?”

  Ali nodded, alon
g with everyone else.

  “Then you're in the right place.” Cowboy Joe took a piece of paper from his pocket and checked it. “Three adults and two kids, and you're booked for three days.”

  “Cool!” Jake said, looking excited.

  “One of the boys will wrangle your luggage. So come along with me and I'll show you to your cabin.” And Cowboy Joe ambled off.

  “What are we going to do?” Mom wailed. “What about my hot stone massage?”

  “We'll just have to make the best of it,” Mr. Miller said with a shrug. “I have to say, this looks a lot better than trying to wrap my legs around my neck!”

  “I want to learn how to rope a steer,” Jake chimed in.

  “Howdy, longhorns,” Gran said cheerfully, waving at the mooing cattle in the paddock. “Did you know, Ali, that I worked on a ranch in Wyoming one summer before I met your grandpa?” Ali shook her head.

  Gran beamed.“Riding horses and sitting around campfires—ah, I remember it well. I'm going to enjoy this!”

  Ali couldn't help feeling sorry for her mom, and a little guilty, as they followed Cowboy Joe over to a large log cabin. But her dad was right. This vacation was looking much more exciting, thanks to Genie!

  “You're plumb next to this paddock here, so I hope the cattle won't keep you awake,” Cowboy Joe said, unlocking the cabin door “But with all the activities I've got planned for you, you'll be plenty tuckered out anyway!”

  “Don't worry,” Mr. Miller said. “Any noise is better than the sound of yoga chants.”

  Cowboy Joe looked puzzled.

  “What kind of activities, Cowboy Joe?” Ali asked quickly, before he could start asking questions.

  “See those ranch hands?” Cowboy Joe pointed to a couple of men in the paddock. “You're going to learn to do all the things they do. Lassoing and herding cattle, cooking over a campfire, riding the mules.”

  “I'm gonna be the best cowboy ever,” Jake boasted. “Yee-haw!”

  Ali rolled her eyes.

  “You'll be doing some of the activities with other guests and some in your family group,” Cowboy Joe went on. “Whenever you do well, you'll earn a horseshoe. And if you have three horseshoes by the end of your stay, you'll win a real-deal Stetson just like mine. Now I'll let you settle in and get changed, folks, while I mosey on back to the big lodge and let Betty in the office know you're here.” And he tipped his hat again before he left.