In the morning Connie’s shoulder was so stiff and sore that the slightest movement of her arm gave her great pain. At Lefty’s suggestion she rode in to Red Gulch to consult old Doctor Horn. Other than to give her a liniment to rub on, there was nothing he could do.

“Just rest the muscles for the next two weeks,” he advised. “It will gradually get better.”

“But I’m planning to ride in the rodeo,” Connie declared anxiously.

The doctor shook his head.

“Don’t do anything foolish, Connie. I doubt very much that your shoulder will be well by that time.”

Connie left the doctor’s office feeling as if all her troubles had reached a climax. She knew she had no one to blame save herself, yet that made it no easier.

She was walking along, eyes on the ground when she heard her name called. Turning quickly she saw Nate Jordan, an old rancher who had been a close friend of her father’s. He operated a profitable dude ranch, the Circle R, near Santa Fe.

“Why, hello, Nate!” cried Connie in delight. “What are you doing up in our country?”

“You should ask,” laughed the rancher. “Didn’t I just sell your foreman one of my best steers?”

“How should I know?” retorted Connie in a light vein. “After all I’m only the owner of the ranch. You didn’t really sell Blakeman a steer?”

“Shore did, Connie. Thought you knew all about it.”

“I certainly didn’t,” the girl replied soberly. “Nate, Blakeman shouldn’t have done that without asking me. I’m so hard up for money I don’t know when we’ll be able to pay—if ever.”

“Blakeman settled for cash,” the rancher told her. “But if you don’t want to go through with the deal it’s all right with me. Just have one of your men trundle the steer back to the Circle R.”

“Did you just now take the animal to the ranch, Nate?”

“No, Blakeman came for the steer himself yesterday afternoon. I rode over this way today to see a man.”

“That’s funny,” said Connie slowly. “Blakeman didn’t say anything to me about buying a steer.”

“Well, suit yourself about keepin’ the animal.”

“Thanks, Nate,” said Connie gratefully. “I’ll talk it over with Blakeman when I get back to the ranch.”

All the way to the Rainbow she puzzled over Blakeman’s strange deal with the rancher. She was almost positive that the foreman had not brought a steer to the ranch the previous day. In fact, she remembered seeing him when he rode into the yard and had noticed how tired his pony appeared.

“If Blakeman doesn’t have enough money to pay salaries, how could he buy a steer?” she reflected. “Especially when we don’t need one. There’s something mighty queer about this business.”

The foreman was nowhere about when Connie reached the ranch. However, she asked both Lefty and Alkali if any new stock had been bought and both assured her in the negative.

“I believe I’ll just wait and see if Blakeman says anything about the matter to me,” she thought.

Later when the foreman returned she carelessly mentioned that she had seen Nate in town. While Blakeman gave her a quick, sharp glance, he said nothing about the steer. Connie was further puzzled because her inspection of the ranch stock did not reveal an addition to the herds.

“Did he buy that steer with his own money or with mine?” Connie speculated. “And where is the animal?”

She spent the morning going over the records which Blakeman had kept. The foreman had not been a good bookkeeper and it was almost impossible to tell anything about his figures.

“He may have cheated me,” the girl thought. “I can’t tell. But in any event, it looks as if the ranch will not pay for itself on the present basis. My only hope would be to operate a dude ranch, but I can’t do that without money.”

Connie glanced at the calendar and frowned. Only two more days until the rodeo, and then a scant ten days before the sixteenth. She was certain she could never meet her obligations.

“I’d have a chance if I could win a few prizes at the rodeo,” she told herself. “Oh, why did I have to cripple myself?”

Connie tried to move her right arm and winced with pain. She thought the muscles weren’t quite as sore as they had been. Perhaps she would enter the riding contest anyway.

The girl was sitting moodily by the window when she heard hoofbeats in the courtyard. Enid came riding up to the door.

Connie’s depression vanished as if by magic and she rushed out to greet the ranch girl.

“Oh, Connie, I just heard about how you hurt yourself!” Enid cried as she alighted and looped her lines over the hitching post. “Will you be out of the rodeo?”

“I’m not sure,” Connie answered. She felt warmed because Enid had cared enough to ride over to the ranch. At the same time she was ashamed because she had doubted the girl’s friendliness.

“Oh, I hope you are able to ride,” Enid went on. “It will be too mean if you’re forced out of the contest.”

“Do come in and stay for lunch,” Connie invited cordially.

“Oh, no I can’t,” Enid said hastily. “I really shouldn’t have come, only Dad went to town to see a man——”

She broke off in confusion as if she had revealed too much.

“Doesn’t your father like you to come here?” Connie asked quietly.

“Well, he—oh, it isn’t that,” Enid began to stammer. “I can’t explain, Connie, but Pop has changed lately. He isn’t himself—he——”

“I think I understand,” Connie said quietly, although she didn’t at all.

“I hope I’ll see you at the rodeo,” Enid declared hastily. “I’ll have to be riding back now.”

Without looking directly at her friend, she sprang into the saddle and rode from the yard.

“Pop Bradshaw has told her to keep away from me,” Connie thought shrewdly. “One would think I might be a brand of poison! There’s something going on around here that I don’t understand.”

Scarcely had Enid left the courtyard when Forest Blakeman strode up to where Connie was standing.

“Wasn’t that Enid Bradshaw?” he asked curtly.

“Yes.”

“Did she want to see me?”

“If she did, she forgot to mention it.”

The foreman made no reply, but turned and walked swiftly toward the barn. A few minutes later Connie saw him ride away down the road. It occurred to her as she watched the disappearing figure that in the past few days Blakeman had made many unexplained trips.

“I’d like to find out where he’s going,” she decided impulsively. “It may be a sneaking trick to follow, but that’s exactly what I shall do!”

Connie saddled Silvertail and without telling anyone of her purpose, rode in pursuit of Blakeman, taking care to keep a long distance behind him. In a very short time she was convinced that he was on his way to Red Gulch.

“He’s probably going there to buy nails or something of the sort,” the girl thought. “But since I’ve come this far I may as well keep on.”

Connie lagged even farther behind, for she did not wish the foreman to suspect that he was being trailed.

When she finally came into Red Gulch Blakeman was nowhere in sight, but she saw his mare tied up in front of the pool hall. Connie had no errands to occupy her time so she thought she would drop over to the doctor’s office.

“You should never ride in the rodeo,” he said to her after he had examined her shoulder. “But I know it’s no use to tell you that. So go ahead.”

“Thank you, doctor,” laughed Connie.

She left his office feeling in a much better mood. Suddenly she slackened her speed as she saw Forest Blakeman just ahead of her. He was entering the Norton Cafe. Connie was quite certain he had not seen her.

She walked slowly on, wondering whether or not to return to Rainbow Ranch. Although she had tied Silvertail on a side street, the foreman might see the horse. Then of course he would know that she had followed him unless she had a ready excuse for her trip to town.

Connie was so absorbed with her thoughts that she bumped squarely into a heavy-set man who was coming from the opposite direction. It was Pop Bradshaw.

“Why, hello, Pop!” said Connie.

“’Mornin’,” responded the old rancher uneasily.

He turned and entered the Norton Cafe. Connie glanced curiously through the plate glass window. Forest Blakeman was nowhere in sight so she knew that he must have stepped into one of the ice cream booths. And now Pop Bradshaw disappeared from sight in a similar manner.

“It looks to me as if they are meeting each other by appointment,” Connie mused. “What business can they be having together?”

Her suspicions aroused, Connie quietly entered the cafe, seating herself in a booth adjoining the one occupied by the two men. She knew they were there for she could hear their voices.

“I’d not advise you to double cross me, Pop!” Blakeman said distinctly although in a low tone. “This is a fine time to get cold feet!”

“Don’t get excited now,” returned Pop in a quavery voice. “I’ll do as I said. I’m only sayin’ it goes agin’ my grain to play it on the boys thet way with them all thinkin’ I’ve entered Catapult in the rodeo same as always.”

By this time Connie was all attention. She leaned closer to the wall so that she would not miss a single word.

“Let’s get this straight,” said the cool voice of the foreman. “I paid you five hundred dollars to keep that old horned rhinoceros of yours out of the show. You agreed and took the money and now you’re cryin’ around about me playin’ it dirty on the boys. You knew it was dirty before you took the money, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t realize it then, I reckon. I’m ready and willin’ to pay you back.”

“And leave me holdin’ the sack! Oh, no you don’t! Where have you got that steer now?”

“Oh, he’s safe enough,” replied the rancher. “He’s in the mountain meadow.”

“Then see that he stays there until after the rodeo,” said the foreman. “Deliver Nate’s steer to the rodeo barns tomorrow just as I told you. That’s all you have to do.”

Connie waited to hear no more. Quietly she slipped away from the cafe.