A Mule Will Do

Book excerpt: In 1936, Jo Barkley and her family move from Utah to southern Idaho. Egbert tells her she'll never be accepted at Rock School if she doesn't get on the good side of Kate. Jo doesn't think Kate has a good side. How can anyone make friends with a girl as spiteful as Kate? Jo has to have a horse to ride. The only possibility is one of Dad's work mules, but Pete has been abused by a former owner. The first time Jo gets on, Pete bucks her off. Jo and her family struggle to get through the winter. Things go from bad to worse when a telegram comes from Utah saying Grandpa has died and Dad has to go help Grandma. While he's gone, Jo and Clyde go to the desert for a load of sagebrush. Jo has a runaway with the mules and Clyde breaks his leg. With a winter storm coming, will Jo be able to save her brother? Driving the mules home in a blizzard, Jo has a life-changing experience, but the supreme test comes later when a rattlesnake spooks Kate's horse. Jo has to decide whether to save her own neck or rescue Kate.