Home on the Range Read online

  “I really want to get a cowboy hat,” Jake said as the Millers walked into the cabin. The floor was made from wide pine planks, and there was a big stone fireplace with plaid couches and an armchair surrounding it. Ali thought it looked very cozy.

  “You heard what Cowboy Joe said,” Ali reminded him. “You have to earn the horseshoes to get a hat.”

  Jake stuck out his tongue at her and climbed onto the arm of one of the couches. “Ride 'em, cowboy!” he yelled.

  “I wonder how this mix-up happened,” Ali's mom murmured with a sigh, looking around the cabin. “I hope we're going to enjoy it here.”

  “I'm sure we will!” Ali told her mom confidently, giving her a hug. Mrs. Miller ran her hand over the checkered quilt on the chair, looking thoughtful.

  There was a knock on the door, and Ali spotted another cowboy through the window with their suitcases. “I'll take care of that,” Ali's dad said. “I think that's your room, Ali.” He pointed to the door with a sign that said LI'L COWGIRL.

  Ali went in to explore, and the minute she closed the door, there was a tiny cry of “Giddyup!” from Ali's backpack Little Genie sprang out. She was wearing a miniature cowgirl outfit with a pink cowboy hat, pink jeans, pink leather chaps, a checked shirt, and pink boots, and carrying a mini-lasso.

  “Howdy, pardner!” she yelled.

  “I can't wait to start being a cowgirl!” Genie said. “I'm going to find me a fine, strong cow, saddle it up, and go for a ride. This is the best wish ever”

  Ali burst out laughing. “Genie, cowboys don't ride cows!” she said. “They ride horses.”

  “Oh, right.” Genie frowned, looking down at the lasso. “And what's this for? Tying up annoying people like Jake?”

  Ali giggled. “I think it's for catching stray cattle and bringing them back to the herd.”

  Genie looked puzzled. “Can't you just ask them nicely not to wander off?”

  Ali shook her head. “I can't see that working,” she said. “Do you speak cow?”

  “I guess not—but I could try!” said Genie. She walked a few strides, listening to the swish of her chaps. “When do I get to rodeo?” she asked hopefully.

  “I don't think there's a rodeo here,” Ali said. It looked more like a working farm than a place that would put on rodeo shows. “But, well, maybe you'll get the chance to ride a bucking bronco.”

  “A bucking bronco?” Genie echoed. “Great!” She smoothed the fringes on her chaps. “But … what is a bucking bronco?”

  “It's a wild horse,” Ali explained. On second thought, Ali hoped that if there were any bucking broncos at the ranch, Genie would stay far away from them. She looked around her room. “Cowboy Joe said we were supposed to get changed. Do you think there's a cowgirl outfit here for me?”

  “Try the armoire,” suggested Genie.

  Ali opened the door Inside she found a fringed sky blue jacket, leather chaps, and square-toed tan leather boots. A matching bandana completed the outfit.

  “I think I'm going to like being a cowgirl!” Ali said happily as she changed into the clothes. “I hope I win a Stetson like Cowboy Joe's.”

  “I wonder if they have pink ones, like mine,” Genie said, waving hers around.

  Ali giggled. “I don't think pink is Cowboy Joe's color,” she said, adjusting her collar

  Genie tapped her boot. “Hurry up, Ali. I want to go explore the ranch!”

  “We'll go together,” Ali told her “I'll just unpack your lamp.”

  On the bedside table there was a large porcelain lamp shaped like a cowboy roping a steer Ali pushed the Lava lamp out of sight behind it. “Perfect.”

  “If I'm going out there with you, then I need somewhere to hide,” Genie said thoughtfully, looking at Ali's outfit. “Got it!” She snapped her fingers. There was a puff of pink smoke and a sky blue pistol holster appeared around Ali's waist.

  The pistol holster was perfectly Genie sized. Ali carefully helped Genie inside and, making sure Little Genie was out of sight, went out into the living room.

  “Yee-haw, pardner!” Gran waved at Ali. “You look mighty fine!”

  “So do you, Gran,” Ali replied with a grin. Her gran looked so different—and very chic—in her fringed white cowgirl outfit.

  “Out of my way!” Jake yelled, jostling past Ali and Gran. He wore jeans and a blue and red cowboy shirt “I'm chasing a runaway steer!” And he galloped off into the kitchen.

  “What do you think?” Ali's dad came out of the bedroom, adjusting his bolero. He wore a checked shirt and jeans like Jake's.

  “You look great,” Gran assured him.

  “How's Mom?” Ali asked. She still felt guilty for wishing away her mom's spa vacation.

  Before Ali's dad could answer, her mother hurried out of the bedroom. She wore the exact same outfit as Ali, except hers was dark blue. Ali was relieved to see she was smiling.

  “I think I'm going to enjoy this, now that I've gotten over the shock,” her mom said. “This will be a real family vacation. We'll be outdoors all day, bonding with nature. And I can't wait to try cooking over a campfire!”

  Ali felt relieved. For once, it looked like one of her wishes was completely problem free!

  “I'm a Texas ranger and I'm coming to catch the cattle rustlers!” Jake shouted, zooming back into the living room. He flopped onto the couch, panting. “Wouldn't it be cool if there really were some cattle rustlers? Then the rangers would come and there'd be a shoot-out!”

  There was a knock at the door Gran opened it.

  “Howdy, folks.” A young man with dark hair stood outside. “I'm Tim, one of the cowhands here at the ranch.” He was dressed in a spotless cowboy outfit with shiny silver spurs, and he carried a large lasso.

  “It's time for your first activity,” Tim said, blinking a little at the sight of Gran in her dazzling white cowgirl outfit. “Practicing lassoing. I have some lassos outside for you.”

  “You were right, Ali,” her mom whispered as they all trooped out into the yard. “This is going to be fun!”

  “Now, don't get too downhearted if you're not very good,” Tim said, handing out coils of rope. “No one is, at first.” He puffed out his chest. “I've been roping for a long, long time.”

  Ali glanced down to see Genie peeking out of the pistol holster She was rolling her eyes. Tim obviously took his “roping” very seriously!

  They began by throwing the ropes onto the ground to get the kinks out. Then Tim showed them how to tie a noose at one end and coil the lasso up again, ready to be thrown. From the movements Ali could feel in her pistol holster, she guessed that Genie was doing the same with her miniature lasso.

  “Are we going to rope some cattle now?” Jake asked after Tim taught them how to swing the lasso overhead and let it go.

  Tim shook his head. He pointed to a big clump of cacti in the middle of the yard. “We'll begin by trying to lasso something that isn't moving. Pick a cactus and try to rope it.”

  “Me first!” Jake shouted. He waved the lasso enthusiastically and flung it at his chosen cactus. The noose fell to the ground two or three feet away.

  Mr. Miller and Gran went next, but although Ali's dad got close, neither of them was able to rope their cactus. Then it was Ali's turn. She chose a short, stumpy cactus with a furry top and stepped forward. She tried to do exactly what Tim had shown them. But timing exactly when to let go of the rope was tricky! The coils flew out of her hand and the noose ended up even farther away from her cactus than Jake's and Gran's had been from theirs.

  “Ali's terrible!” Jake shouted gleefully.

  “Don't worry Ali, ”Tim said, motioning for Mrs. Miller to take her turn. “Beginners can barely rope a cactus during the first lesson. Like I said before, it takes time to become as good at lassoing as I am.” He stopped in amazement as Ali's mom threw her lasso and the noose fell neatly around her cactus.

  “Way to go, Mom!” Ali cried as the rest of the family broke into cheers.

  “That's what h
appens when you learn from a pro,” Tim said approvingly. “Let's see if the rest of you can do that.”

  Mr. Miller stepped up first, but this time his aim was way off target. So were Gran's and Jake's. Taking a deep breath, Ali tried again but ended up almost lassoing Cowboy Joe, who was strolling across the yard.

  Tim let out a big sigh. “People, people. You're not remembering what I told you.” Tim picked up a spare lasso and began coiling it expertly. “Watch me. I'll rope Ali's cactus and show you exactly how to do it.”

  “Ali!” Ali heard a tiny, muffled whisper from her holster She moved away from the others. She didn't want to look stupid staring down at her hip and talking to her holster! “He's such a show-off!” Little Genie said. “I think he needs to be taught a lesson!”

  And before Ali could say anything, Genie snapped her fingers. A wisp of sparkly pink smoke drifted toward Ali's cactus. As Ali watched in amazement, the spiky green plant gave a tiny twitch, nodded its furry head, and shuffled farther away across the yard. Alarmed, Ali glanced at her family, but they were busy watching Tim coil his lasso, and Tim was facing the other way.

  “Now,” Tim announced as he waved the lasso over his head, “watch how a real cowboy does it!” He spun around and hurled the rope spectacularly toward the place where Ali's cactus had been. But thanks to Little Genie's magic, there was nothing there. The lasso fell to the ground, empty.

  “You missed!” Jake said excitedly.

  “What?” Tim burst out. “That's never happened before. It was almost like the cactus moved out of the way!”

  Gran chuckled. “It looks like even pros make mistakes.”

  “Why don't you try again, Ali?” Mom said.

  “Yes, go on, Ali,” whispered Genie from the holster “Quick, while everyone else is coiling up their ropes!”

  Ali stepped forward and threw her lasso. Immediately her little cactus dashed toward the noose. It ducked its furry head inside and came to a full stop as the rope fell neatly around it.

  “I did it!” Ali yelled, punching the air with her fist.

  Everyone turned to look.

  “Great job, honey!” called Mom.

  “I hate to burst your bubble, but that doesn't count,” Tim said, shaking his head. “You need to rope your own cactus, not someone else's.” He pointed at the cacti. “That's not your cactus. It just looks the same, that's all.”

  Ali sighed. She had roped a cactus—with a little magical help!

  “Don't worry, Ali,” whispered Genie, peeking out of the holster “There'll be plenty of things here you're good at!”

  Ali watched as Tim stomped out to the cacti to retrieve the lassos. Making friends with him was definitely not one of them!

  At lunch in the ranch canteen, Ali and her family met several of the other guests, who were very friendly. No one else seemed surprised that they were at a ranch instead of a spa. Ali wondered if Genie's magic had affected their vacation destinations too. Or maybe they had planned on coming to a ranch, Ali said to herself, taking a big bite of her chili dog. Either way, it was too late now to do anything but sit back and enjoy the trip.

  When they'd finished eating, Cowboy Joe banged his spoon on his tin mug to get their attention.

  “All right, pardners,” he drawled. “Now that we're done breaking bread together, this afternoon we're all going on a mule ride. There's all sorts of trails to keep you folks busy, and acres of wilderness just waiting to be seen. So let's get going!”

  There was a buzz of excitement as everyone trooped out of the canteen and into the yard. A mule ride sounds like fun, Ali thought. And maybe she'd get her first horseshoe!

  “Groovy!” Little Genie whispered from Ali's holster “A mule ride!”

  The mules were tied to the paddock fence, and Cowboy Joe introduced each guest to their animal. Ali was really excited as she waited her turn. She'd never seen a live mule before. Some of the mules were gray while others were brown or black. They had long ears and short manes.

  “This is Trigger,” Cowboy Joe said, leading Ali over to a gray mule with four white-socked legs.

  Ali patted Trigger on the nose as Genie, making sure no one was watching, popped up out of the holster and stroked his mane. The mule sniffed curiously at Genie's ponytail.

  Ali smiled. “I think you've made a new friend, Genie!” she whispered.

  Cowboy Joe showed everyone how to saddle up, and then all the guests had to do it themselves. It looked easy, but Ali soon found out that it wasn't. The leather saddles were very heavy and hard to lift onto the mule's back. There was one large strap that fastened under the mule's stomach and two smaller straps to keep the saddle in place.

  Ali was soon frustrated as she tried to work out which strap went where. She glanced over at the rest of her family. Her dad, who had learned to ride when he was a kid, was already saddled up and ready to go. Her mom was helping Jake. Even Gran looked almost ready to ride.

  Suddenly there was a shout of laughter from Jake. “Ali's put her saddle on back to front!”

  Ali looked down at the saddle. Maybe that was why she was having such a hard time. “Oops,” she said, feeling embarrassed. Even worse, Trigger was staring right at her, and Ali was convinced that the mule was rolling his eyes!

  “Easy mistake to make,” Cowboy Joe said kindly ambling over to help.

  Once all the mules were saddled up, everybody climbed on.

  “I feel like I'm in a western movie!” Ali's dad said. “I wonder if I could get away with wearing this outfit back home?”

  “Don't you dare,” Ali warned, then laughed as her dad winked at her

  “Let's go!” Cowboy Joe shouted. “Giddyup!”

  “Giddyup, Trigger,” Ali said, tapping her heels lightly against the mule's sides. He didn't move.

  “Giddyup!” Ali said more loudly as the other mules began trotting around her to follow Cowboy Joe. But still Trigger didn't budge.

  “Ali's stuck!” Jake yelled, riding his mule, Walker, in a circle around Ali and Trigger before heading after the others.

  “Go on without me,” Ali called as Cowboy Joe turned to look. “I'll catch up.” Somehow she had to get Trigger moving!

  “What about a carrot to dangle in front of his nose?” Genie suggested, climbing out of the holster and onto the saddle.“I could zap one up.”

  “No thanks, Genie, I really want to do this myself,” Ali said. “Oh, I wish Trigger would just listen to me!”

  Suddenly a sparkly pink cloud appeared and surrounded them.

  Little Genie beamed. “That's your second wish, Ali!”

  Ali gasped. She'd forgotten she still had two wishes left!

  “Could you start walking, please, Trigger?” she asked politely.

  But instead of trotting forward, the mule turned his head to look at her “No, I can't!” he brayed.

  “You … you can talk!” Ali spluttered. She was very glad there was no one else around in the yard to hear this.

  “Well, of course. You see,” Trigger went on, “I have an itch underneath my saddle blanket. It's an extremely bad itch, and I couldn't possibly walk anywhere with an itch like this one.”

  Ali opened her mouth to say something, but Trigger didn't give her a chance. He sighed loudly “People just don't understand what it's like for a mule to have to carry things everywhere. And carrying people is especially difficult!”

  “Sorry,” Ali said. It looked like she not only had a talking mule, she had a talking mule with attitude! “This isn't exactly what I had in mind,” she whispered to Genie.

  “Well,” Little Genie whispered back, “you only wished for him to listen, not to do whatever you asked.”

  “Let me scratch your itch, Trigger,” Ali said, hoping this would make the mule happier “Where is it?”

  “On my right side,” Trigger directed her “No, a bit lower down. Now to the left. Yes, there!”

  Ali gave the mule a good scratch. Trigger whinnied and then shook his mane. “Well, I suppose we'd bet
ter get along, then,” he said, and slowly moved off.

  Ali was extremely relieved. “I just hope he doesn't start talking when the others are around,” she murmured to Genie. “How would I explain that?”

  Little Genie nodded, looking concerned. Catching hold of Trigger's tufty mane, she scrambled up toward his ears. “Hey, Trigger, how's it going?” she said cheerfully. “By the way, I don't think you should say anything in front of the others. They'll just be jealous that they haven't got a wonderful, clever talking mule like you!”

  Trigger nodded. “You're right,” he said. “It is tough being so wonderful!”

  Ali grinned. The sky was blue, the sun was warm on her back, and the air was fresh and piney She wondered what she'd be doing if the hourglass sand ran out right now, the magic faded away, and she found herself at the spa instead. Taking a “relaxing” mountain hike, or getting twisted up in a yoga pose? A talking mule and a Wild West ranch were much more fun!

  Ali noticed her brother up ahead. He was hanging far back from the rest of the group. “Why has Jake stopped?” Ali wondered aloud.

  “I bet he's up to something!” Genie said, scampering back into the holster “Let's go find out.”

  Trigger sighed again. “Excuse me, but I've only just got going,” he whinnied.

  “Won't it be nice to have a rest for a few minutes?” Ali said. “You can stop when we catch up with Walker.”

  “Hmph,” Trigger said. “I do find it quite annoying when people keep stopping and starting!” But the mule stopped when they reached Jake and his mule.

  Jake was leaning out of the saddle, examining the ground near one of the paddock fences.

  “What are you doing, Jake?” Ali asked.

  “Look.” Jake pointed down at the dusty ground. There was a mass of footprints right next to the fence. “Someone's been standing here watching the cows. I bet there are rustlers coming after Cowboy Joe's longhorns!”