Durango City was a small town in a valley between two large mountains. Pru had seen mountains before; there were several high peaks around Miradero, but none as high as these. She had to shield her eyes against the sunlight to look up, and even then, she could barely see the snowcapped tops.

“Wow,” Pru said on a long breath. She was thrilled they’d have a few days in town. Sunset against those peaks might be a highlight of this whole trip. She could only imagine what kind of wild horses lived—

“Stop daydreaming, Pru.” Abigail’s voice jolted Pru back to reality.

“How did you know that I was daydreaming?” Pru asked, looking over at Abigail, who was loading boxes onto a small cart. Boomerang was tied to the cart, ready to pull the supplies.

Abigail laughed. “Glazed-over eyes. Blank expression. Bit of drool. I invented that face.” She pointed at the tall stacks of boxes sitting nearby. “I can’t wait to get these cartons delivered so I can stare at those mountains, too! Did you try to imagine what kind of horses lived on the peaks?”

Pru laughed. “You know me too well.”

“Mustangs, of course,” Lucky said, coming up to her friends and joining the conversation. She was riding bareback on Spirit. Looking down at her friends, she said, “Wild mustangs. Are there any other options?”

“I was thinking unicorns,” Abigail replied. “I mean, if I were a unicorn and didn’t want anyone to see me, I’d find a home high up on a mountain where no one would ever catch me.” She added, “See the way the sun sparkles against the snow? You can see bright-colored flecks. Those are definitely the outlines of pink unicorns with purple horns. They’re flickering because they are playing.”

“Unicorns? I’m pretty sure they don’t exist, Abigail,” Pru said, moving closer to Boomerang to rub his nose.

“And if they did, are unicorns even horses?” Lucky asked.

“Of course they’re horses, silly.” Abigail put her hands on her hips. “Everyone knows they’re horses. Aren’t they, Boomerang?” she asked her own horse, who pulled back against the rope she was holding and seemed to nod his head.

“See?” Abigail told her friends. “Boomerang knows I’m right.” She pointed to the mountain. “I bet there is an amazing unicorn herd up there. We should explore—”

“Señoritas!” It was Fito. He owned El Circo Dos Grillos with his wife, Estrella. “Less chatting. More working.”

“I’ll help them,” Solana said. She was a circus performer and good friends with Pru, Abigail, and Lucky.

Pru sighed. She was certain there were no unicorns on the mountain, but still, she’d have liked an adventure. Unfortunately, there’d be no time to explore those beautiful mountains. Not on this trip. These few days in Durango City were packed with things to do: They had to set up for all the performances fast because the circus had its first show that very same night. The next day there was an afternoon and an evening show. And the day after that, they’d pack it up to move on.

With one last look at the mountain peaks, Pru told Abigail, “If you lead Boomerang and the cart to the performance area, I’ll get Chica Linda and meet you there. We’ll unload.”

“I’ll stay here with Solana,” Lucky suggested. “We can organize the boxes to reload the cart.” She hopped off Spirit’s back. “Spirit can help us move things around.” The magnificent horse dipped his head to push a crate with his nose. It moved slowly toward Boomerang’s cart.

Lucky grabbed the crate and looked inside. “Costumes for Solana’s trapeze act,” she reported. She lifted up a short red dress with sequins and a matching parasol.

“Oh, that’s my favorite dress,” Solana cooed. “Okay, Boomerang, take good care of the deliveries.”

Boomerang whinnied and started to move forward, dragging the cart, but without Solana’s box.

“Hang on!” Lucky called, running after the cart. She caught up and gave the box to Abigail, who put it on top of all the other boxes.

“Okay, Boomerang, let’s get to work!” Abigail took one last look up at the mountain peaks. “Oh, look, did you see that? It was a green unicorn! I’m sure of it. The sparkle in the snow was the same color as an avocado.”

“Are you sure?” Pru squinted into the distance as Lucky shook her head.

“Positive,” Abigail said while tightening her grip on Boomerang’s lead line. “Pru, Lucky, Solana—quick—make a wish! Green unicorns are rare and kinda like genies. They make wishes come true!”

Pru and Lucky glanced at each other. Lucky shrugged.

“No harm in wishing,” Lucky said. She closed her eyes.

Solana took a turn.

Green unicorns? Wishes? Pru didn’t buy it, so she moved her lips a bit but didn’t make a wish.

“Whew,” Abigail said, heading toward the big white tent that was being built a short distance away. “We might never see a green unicorn again—that was lucky!” She glanced at her friend Lucky and laughed. “We have Lucky down here and more luck on the mountain. Things are looking fortunate for us in Durango City!” Whistling to herself, Abigail led Boomerang off.

Chica Linda was in the temporary corral the circus folks set up for the horses. Pru hurried to the tack wagon and grabbed a saddle blanket, a saddle, and reins. There wasn’t time to groom Chica Linda now; she’d brush her down later.

“Hey, Chica Linda,” Pru said while tossing the blanket over her horse’s back. She rubbed Chica Linda’s neck and explained, “Time to get set up for tonight’s show. Abigail and Boomerang are going to leave the boxes for us to sort through.” Chica Linda stood still while Pru tightened the saddle strap and made sure it was secure. “Are you sure you don’t want to perform?” Pru always asked. The clown show was her act with Boomerang. Chica Linda didn’t ever seem to want to be in the show.

Her horse shook her head and backed away.

“Okay,” Pru said, “but let me know if you change your mind.”

“Are you talking to that horse?” A tall girl approached the corral. She was about Pru’s age but looked a lot older. Her dark hair was tied back in a high, neat bun. Pru had never seen this girl before.

“Uh, yeah,” she said timidly. “We’re friends.”

The girl snorted. “Sure you are. Girls can’t be friends with horses.”

“Yes, they can,” Pru said. She looked around. There was no one else nearby. The girl was giving off a bad impression, but still, Pru was going to be polite. She cleared her throat and stood a little straighter. “Hi. I’m Pru.”

“Are you with this sorry excuse for a circus, Pru?” the girl asked, not introducing herself.

“It’s a really good circus,” Pru told her, staying positive. “Are you coming to the show tonight? You’d have a good time, I promise.”

“I saw it,” she said in a rude tone.

“What do you mean?” Pru asked while buckling Chica Linda’s bridle. She’d never seen this girl before.

“We’re on the same circuit,” she said. Then she added, “My family is in the other circus. We’re leaving today.” The girl turned her eyes toward a wide-open area on the other side of town.

Pru hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a circus tent there. It was being taken down, while their circus was setting up.

“It’s not the first time we’ve overlapped,” the girl said. “Usually, though, we are ready to go when you arrive. In the last town, we were running late. I’m sure you didn’t notice, but I hung around to watch your act.”

Pru needed to go help Abigail. Boomerang’s cart would be at the performance area already. She had the sinking feeling that the girl had nothing nice to say, but still, she couldn’t help asking, “What did you think?”

“You’ll never be as good as we are,” the girl said as Pru slipped up onto Chica Linda’s back. “The audience won’t clap as loudly. Or cheer as enthusiastically. And I bet that no one will want your autograph.”

“Really?” Pru gave a long hard look at the girl, then climbed down from Chica Linda’s back. “What’s your name?”

“Catalina,” she replied, puffing out her chest, “from the Circus Libre.”

“I personally guarantee that our circus is just as good as yours,” Pru said, stepping forward. “Better even.”

“No chance,” Catalina said. “We’re the best circus on the frontier.”

“Let me tell you about the best circ—” Pru started, when suddenly Abigail and Lucky appeared, rushing to her.

“Pru, where were you?” Lucky asked, glancing from Pru to Catalina and back.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” Abigail said. “I need the cart for another load and Boom—” Abigail stopped herself. “Who’s your new friend?”

“She’s not my friend,” Pru said firmly. “This is Catalina, and she thinks her circus is better than ours.”

“You told her she’s wrong?” Lucky asked, eyeing Catalina warily.

Pru nodded.

“Great! Then let’s go.” Lucky grabbed Pru’s arm while Abigail took Chica Linda’s reins. “There’s nothing more to say.”

“But—” Pru protested as they left Catalina standing alone by the horse corral. Catalina winked at Pru, and that made Pru even more determined to prove herself. She told Lucky and Abigail, “She said we were a ‘sorry excuse for a circus’! We have to show her how great our circus is. We have to prove we’re better.”

“How would we ever do that?” Lucky asked Pru. “They’re leaving. We’re here now. And we will never see that girl again…. So none of this even matters, really.”

“Plus, we aren’t going to have the best circus if we don’t help set up,” Abigail said. “Forget about her, Pru. There’s so much to do!” She shouted out toward the performance area, “We’re coming, Boomerang!”

“But—” Pru glanced over her shoulder. Catalina was gone. With a big sigh, Pru turned her attention to the bustling circus in front of her and said, “I don’t know how, but somehow I have to show that girl she’s wrong about us.”

After the evening show, Pru signed more autographs than she’d ever signed before. Her hand hurt from signing so many.

She had added a trick with Boomerang that made the audience howl with laughter. Boomerang pushed a ball with his nose and knocked Pru down as if she were a bowling pin. Pru pretended to be mad at the horse, but it was an act. They did the same thing again and again and the audience cracked up every time. She loved the way the audience laughed with her.

“If only Catalina could have seen this crowd!” Pru said to herself as she waved good-bye to the last two boys in her autograph line.

“Come on,” Lucky said to Pru. “Let’s clean up fast, then go celebrate tonight’s great show.”

“I helped the cook make cupcakes in the camp oven,” Abigail said proudly. “Since Boomerang is helping you, I had Chica Linda help me. They’re extra delicious.”

Pru wondered what exactly Chica Linda had done to help bake. Maybe Chica Linda had culinary skills she didn’t know about. Did she wash her hooves before entering the kitchen?

Just before Pru went to organize costumes and props for the next show, two young girls came running up to her with blank paper in their hands.

“Can you sign this for me?” one girl asked. Her pigtails shook as she spoke. When Pru autographed the paper, she gasped. “You’re the most famous clown I ever met!”

The other girl thrust her own blank paper into Pru’s hand. “Sign this and I’ll keep it safe all the way to Miradero.”

Pru began to sign the page, then her hand stalled. She wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“Miradero,” the girl said. “My family is visiting there next. We’re on vacation and people say it’s the most beautiful town on the frontier.”

Pru looked up at the mountains behind her, towering over the horizon, and thought about the girl’s words for a long moment. “You’re right,” she said at last. There was a tinge of homesickness in her voice. “Miradero is the most beautiful town I’ve ever seen.”

Pru brushed aside the feeling and finished the autograph. “Be sure to get some ice cream and say hi to Mr. Winthrop for us all! He owns the parlor.” Pru added with a wink, “He can be a bit of a grump, but he’ll give you extra sprinkles if you ask.”

The two girls excitedly skipped off, holding their autographs close to their hearts.

Pru stared after them for a long moment, wondering if she should have made other suggestions, or maybe she could have asked them to talk to her parents for her. It was too late. They were gone. She turned her attention back to her friends.

“So, Abigail,” Pru said, “tell me more about these cupcakes.”