Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult Read Free

they would probably bound after her to get the fuzzy cap. But she couldn’t figure out how she’d get out again without releasing them.
    The cages in this barn were for larger animals. They were made of simple chain-link fencing—something Alexis could easily reach her arm through. Before anyone noticed, Alexis was climbing up the side of the mountain lion cage.
    “What are you doing, Alexis?” asked her dad. He was following Jake around the barn trying to help. Instead, he ran into Jake every time he stopped, causing him to miss a kitten more than once.
    “Don’t worry, Dad! I think I have an idea!” Alexis reached the top of the cage and crawled carefully to one of the back corners. Then she took her hat off and shoved it through the chain link into the cage. She held it by the rim, allowing the huge fluff ball to dangle and swing.
    “Here, kitty, kitty!” she called. It didn’t work. The mountain lion cubs were way too interested in terrorizing the rest of the barn. “Bailey, help me! Get their attention!”
    “Okay!” Bailey picked up a broom and ran over to the lion cage. She began running the handle along the metal, making a huge ruckus.
    “Come on, kitties! Over here! Come on, kitties!”
    The cats started noticing the noise and looked toward the dangling hat. Then, as if by some secret command, all six of them charged toward Bailey as fast as they could.
    “Ahhh!
Yikes!” Bailey screeched and lurched out of the way. “Lexi, it’s working! Here they come!”
    “Wait, Bailey!” said Alexis. “You have to open the door. They can’t get in.”
    “Oh, right,” said Bailey. She ran back over to the cage and struggled to open it against the tide of fluff and claws. Once it was cracked wide enough, the kittens pushed their way in. They dashed to the dangling hat and leaped, one after another, into the air. Their tiny paws reached over and over for Alexis’s hat, but she pulled it out of reach every time.
    “Are they all in?” Alexis called to Karen. Karen counted out loud.
    “Yes! They are. Close the door!”
    Bailey slammed the door, and Jake rushed to lock it before the kittens could run out again.
    Alexis yanked her hat back through the cage and climbed carefully down. The ordeal was over with only one minor casualty: Alexis had lost one long piece of red yarn from her hat, and all six of the mountain lion cubs fought for it.
    “Wow, that was great!” said Karen. “Thanks for your help, girls!”
    Mr. Howell was still trying to detangle himself from a stack of buckets he had knocked over.
    “Yeah,” said Jake, pointing to Alexis’s hat. “I guess I need to get one of those.”
    “Does this happen often?” asked Bailey.
    “Well, it’s not supposed to,” said Karen.
    “And it never used to,” said Jake.
    Alexis pushed her hat back onto her head and straightened it. “What do you mean, it never
used to?”
she asked.
    “Come back to the office, and we’ll tell you all about it,” said Karen. She led the guests back through the snow and toward the cozy office.
    “What’s this?” Bailey asked. She stooped and dug something out of the snow. It was a small key ring with a few tiny golden keys on it.
    “That’s funny,” Karen said. “I could have sworn those were in the office. Thanks!”
    She took the keys and opened the office door.
    “Looks like we need more firewood,” said Jake, looking at the dying fire.
    “I can help you get it,” said Mr. Howell. Jake stepped right back out the door, looking scared.
    “No, no, that’s all right. Why don’t you pour yourself some coffee over there?”
    Mr. Howell fixed himself a cup of coffee. He brought the girls some hot cocoa, too, as well as a plate of doughnuts. Soon they were all circled around the living room fire. They could hear Jake splitting a few larger logs just outside.
    “This has happened a lot lately,” said Karen. She stirred some more sugar into her coffee and tasted it.
    “What has?” Alexis asked. “The