Joe held on trying to calm his horse down. He was worried about Frank. His older brother was motionless. He finally got his horse to calm down. He slid out of the saddle and saw Jennifer standing beside her horse. She had the reins to Frank’s horse in her hands.  

Joe handed the reins to Jennifer and kneeled down beside Frank. His brother’s face was pale. He reached for Frank’s neck and could feel his heart beating. He looked at Frank trying to see if he had any other injuries, but he didn’t see any.  

“Can I help you?” a female voice asked.  

Joe looked over his shoulder. There was a red-haired girl standing on the other side of the fence. There were two men with her. Joe realized the girl was Nancy Drew, an old friend.  

He watched Nancy climb through the fence and make her way over to him. He wondered, what is she doing here?  

“Can I help? I’ve had some first aid training,” Nancy said as she kneeled on the other side of Frank.  

Joe stared at Nancy and saw her wink at him. He looked at Frank as he said, “He got tossed off his horse.”  

He watched Nancy reach for the back of Frank’s head. She pulled her hand back and he saw it was covered in blood. He pulled his handkerchief out and handed it to Nancy .  

He asked, “Does anyone have any water?”  

One of the guys Nancy was with tossed her a bottle of water. She handed the water to Joe and he poured it on the handkerchief. Nancy put the handkerchief to the back of Frank’s head.  

She asked, “What’s his name?”  

“Frank. His name is Frank.” Joe knew Nancy wanted to keep their knowledge of each other a secret.  

“Frank,” Nancy said. “Frank, open your eyes.” She tapped Frank on the cheek.  

A few minutes later, his eyes began to flutter. Joe leaned forward and said, “Frank.”  

“Joe,” Frank said weakly.  

“I’m glad you’re awake,” Joe said. “This girl was able to bring you around.” Joe looked at Nancy. “I don’t even know your name.”  

“My name is Nancy.”  

“I’m Joe. You kind of already met my brother, Frank.”  

Joe watched Nancy smile at Frank. She asked, “Can you sit up?”  

“I’ll help you,” Joe volunteered. He put his hands behind Frank’s shoulders and helped him to a sitting position. One Frank was up, Joe asked, “What do you remember?”  

“There was a gunshot. I fell off the horse.” Frank looked at him. “That’s it.”  

Nancy got to her feet. “I think he’ll be all right.”  

“Thanks for your help,” Joe said.  

Jennifer stepped up. She said, “We should probably get Frank back to the house.”  

“I agree,” Joe said.  

Nancy and Joe helped Frank to his feet. Joe watched as Frank swayed on his feet. He knew Frank had to be his first concern. He knew he could worry about why Nancy was there later.  

Together they helped Frank onto his horse. Joe looked back at Nancy. “Thanks again for your help.”  

“It was no problem.” Nancy handed Joe his handkerchief.  

Joe watched Nancy climb back through the fence. She walked down the hill with the two men. Joe mounted his horse and saw Jennifer was also on hers. She still had a hold of the reins to Frank’s horse. Jennifer led the way back to the house.  

As they rode along, Joe wondered, where did that shot come from? Who were those two men with Nancy? I wonder if she is here on the same case. What could it be? And is Ned here with her? Ned was Nancy’s husband. They had been married for just a few months. He didn’t think Nancy would come without him. But he knew his questions would have to wait until later.  

When they reached the house, Joe slid off his horse. As he moved to Frank, he saw Glenn and Lisa exit the house.  

Glenn asked, “What happened?”  

“Frank got tossed,” Jennifer said as Joe helped Frank off his horse.  

Glenn moved over to them. Glenn looked at Frank and said, “He should be checked by a doctor.”  

“I’m all right,” Frank said, shrugging off Joe’s steadying hand.  

Frank took a couple steps before stumbling. Joe and Glenn grabbed one of his arms before he fell to the ground.  

“Let’s get you inside,” Glenn said.  

The two of them helped Frank inside while Jennifer took the horses to the barn. Lisa followed them inside.  

As Frank was led to the living room, Glenn said, “Lisa, call the doctor.”  

“It’s not necessary,” Frank protested.  

“You’re seeing a doctor,” Glenn said. “No arguments.”

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.